Pecan Stuffed Apples with Caramel Sauce Recipe

By
Joshua Bousel
a photo of Joshua Bousel, a Contributing Writer at Serious Eats
Joshua Bousel is a Serious Eats old-timer, having started sharing his passion for grilling and barbecue recipes on the site back in 2008. He continues to develop grilling and barbecue recipes on his own site, The Meatwave, out of his home base of Durham, North Carolina.
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Updated March 24, 2025
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Joshua Bousel

Recipe Details

Pecan Stuffed Apples with Caramel Sauce Recipe

Prep 20 mins
Cook 20 mins
Active 60 mins
Total 40 mins
Serves 4 servings
Cook Mode (Keep screen awake)

Ingredients

For the Stuffing

  • 1 cup finely chopped pecans

  • 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, divided

  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

  • 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg

  • 5 tablespoons melted unsalted butter, divided

  • 1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt

  • 4 Golden Delicious apples

  • 2 tablespoons fresh juice from 1 whole lemon

  • Caramel sauce, warmed

Directions

  1. To make the stuffing, in a medium bowl, mix together pecans, 1/4 cup dark brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and 2 tablespoons melted butter. Set aside.

  2. To make the glaze, combine remaining 3 tablespoons butter, remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar, and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat. Whisk until sugar is just melted, then remove from heat.

  3. Halve apples and, using a melon baller, scoop out core and flesh to create a cavity, leaving a 1/2-3/4-inch of flesh remaining. Brush apples with lemon juice to prevent browning.

  4. Light one chimney full of charcoal. When all the charcoal is lit and covered with gray ash, pour out and arrange the coals on one side of the charcoal grate. Set cooking grate in place, cover grill and allow to preheat for 5 minutes. Clean and oil the grilling grate. Brush flesh side of apples with glaze. Place apples over hot side of grill, flesh side down, and cook until apples brown and develop grill marks, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer apples to a cutting board or platter, flesh side up.

  5. Stuff each apple with 1/8 of the pecan stuffing. Place apples on cool side of grill, cover, and cook until apples are tender, 15 to 20 minutes.

  6. Remove apples to a platter, drizzle with caramel sauce, and serve.

Special equipment

  • Gril
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
521Calories
34gFat
58gCarbs
3gProtein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories521
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 34g44%
Saturated Fat 11g54%
Cholesterol 38mg13%
Sodium 126mg5%
Total Carbohydrate 58g21%
Dietary Fiber 7g26%
Total Sugars 48g
Protein 3g
Vitamin C 10mg49%
Calcium 62mg5%
Iron 1mg6%
Potassium 358mg8%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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