Baked apples are making a comeback! Actually, I’m not sure they ever went away, but they seemed to have fallen out of vogue with the popularity of galettes and hand pies. The beauty of baked apples is how easy they are to make – no crust needed! There are no hard and fast rules, you can customize them to your liking and/or whatever you have on hand to make them. They are the perfect cold weather dessert, add some yogurt and you can eat them for breakfast!
- apples – Granny Smith, Fuji, and Gala hold up the best
- brown sugar, honey, or maple syrup
- cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, ginger
- pinch of Kosher salt
- butter
- Preheat oven to 350º.
- With a paring knife, cut around the apple core, being careful not to cut through the bottom. You want to keep the apple intact so you can fill it with sugar and spices. Use a spoon to pull out what you cut, make sure you scoop out the seeds. A 1/2 teaspoon metal measuring spoon works well.
- Place hollowed out apples in a baking dish that has sides that are at least 2 inches, and doesn’t leave too much empty space around the apples.
- Fill the apples – I used a heaping tablespoon of brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, a pinch of kosher salt, and two small cubes of butter.
- Pour in 1 inch of water into the baking dish. This helps the apples not to burn or stick to the baking dish, and helps the apples to soften as they bake. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until the apples are very tender. Check after 30 minutes, adding more water if needed. Remove from oven, and let stand for 15 minutes to cool off a bit. Serve with a scoop on vanilla ice cream if desired.
