Baked green apples are a sweet treat with even sweeter benefits. Apples are low in calories and contain no fat or cholesterol. Green apples are also high in vitamin C and dietary fiber. Water-soluble fiber, like the pectin found in apples, can help lower blood-cholesterol levels, according to Colorado State University Extension. Baking green apples is not complicated, though the actual baking time can be as much as one hour. Baked Granny Smith apples offer a delicately tart flavor, but any variety of green apples can be used.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, and spray a baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Baked green apples aren’t all that sticky, but the cooking spray makes cleanup easier if you use any kind of sugar or syrup when you bake them.

Wash your green apples thoroughly. Mass-grown apples may have wax or pesticides on their skins and organic apples may have dirt or even natural pesticides.

Set a green apple sideways on the cutting board and slice the top off. Set the green apple upright, and slice it in an angled-vertical circle around the core so that you can remove it. Repeat this for the remaining apples.

Sprinkle all of the cored apples with lemon juice to bring out their natural tartness. This is also a good way to keep the flesh from turning brown in the air, but it doesn’t really matter with baked apples.

Mix chopped dried fruit, chopped nuts or whole seeds. Add a little bit of brown sugar if you like, and stuff the mixture into the cored apples. Measurements do not have to be exact; baked green apples are almost impossible to ruin. Skip this step if you prefer your baked green apples plain.

Drizzle 2 to 4 tbsp. of maple syrup, honey or brown-rice syrup over the stuffed green apples for a sweeter treat. The University of California, Berkeley’s Wellness Letter suggests using apple cider, which also adds natural sweetness.

Place the stuffed apples in your baking dish and bake them for 45 minutes to one hour, depending on the size of the apples. The green apples are done when a fork poked into them goes in easily, and with no resistance.