diff --git a/src/parser.ts b/src/parser.ts
index 36bd554..75c3d33 100644
--- a/src/parser.ts
+++ b/src/parser.ts
@@ -134,7 +134,10 @@ export class Parser {
                 throw new Error(`${variable} should be a string, found ${typeof specialVariables[variable]}.`);
             }
 
-            const compiledText = Handlebars.compile(specialVariables[variable]);
+            // noEscape: templates render into markdown notes, not html, so
+            // values must be inserted verbatim. Without this, an apostrophe in
+            // a variable turns into ' in the note title.
+            const compiledText = Handlebars.compile(specialVariables[variable], { noEscape: true });
             res[variable] = compiledText(context);
         }
 
@@ -283,7 +286,8 @@ export class Parser {
             };
 
             const templateBody = processedTemplate.body;
-            const compiledTemplate = Handlebars.compile(templateBody);
+            // See the note on noEscape in parseSpecialVariables above.
+            const compiledTemplate = Handlebars.compile(templateBody, { noEscape: true });
 
             // note_id is intentionally excluded from the shared context above
             // because it is only meaningful in the note body (it resolves to a
diff --git a/tests/parser.spec.ts b/tests/parser.spec.ts
index b7584bf..e4796b0 100644
--- a/tests/parser.spec.ts
+++ b/tests/parser.spec.ts
@@ -1093,4 +1093,40 @@ describe("Template parser", () => {
         expect(parsedTemplate).toBeNull();
         expect(errorMessagesShown).toEqual(1);
     });
+    test("should not html escape special characters in template output", async () => {
+        // Templates render into markdown notes, not html, so characters like
+        // apostrophes and quotes must survive as typed.
+        const template = {
+            id: "note-id",
+            title: "Some Template",
+            body: dedent`
+                ---
+                note_text: text
+                template_title: Notes on {{ note_text }}
+                template_tags: {{ note_text }}
+                ---
+
+                {{ note_text }}
+                {{{ note_text }}}
+            `
+        };
+        testVariableTypes({
+            note_text: TextCustomVariable
+        });
+        handleVariableDialog("ok", {
+            note_text: "it's a \"test\" <b> & more"
+        });
+
+        const parsedTemplate = await parser.parseTemplate(template);
+
+        assert(parsedTemplate);
+        // The triple stache was the old workaround, and must keep behaving
+        // identically now that the double stache no longer escapes.
+        expect(parsedTemplate.body).toEqual(dedent`
+            it's a "test" <b> & more
+            it's a "test" <b> & more
+        `);
+        expect(parsedTemplate.title).toEqual("Notes on it's a \"test\" <b> & more");
+        expect(parsedTemplate.tags).toEqual(["it's a \"test\" <b> & more"]);
+    });
 });