It’s apple picking season! With so many of us heading to the orchards, I wanted to share a quintessential autumn treat, baked apples.
Brown sugar, cinnamon & a pinch of nutmeg fill the hollows of cored apples while a homemade buttery crumble tops the apples, seeping into the hollows to thicken up the filling, making the inside almost molten-like. The aroma alone embodies the warm comfort of fall and the soft fragrant flesh tastes just like apple pie. Baked apples is a feast for the senses when the temperatures drop.
I have a penchant for orchards and for how they can make an ordinary day feel like a storybook fable with their rows of twisted branches and perfect fruit growing within reach. I’m sure I’ve mentioned this fondness for orchards before – and I’ll likely repeat it again in the future. They’re magical to me. I grew up in urban New Jersey, a few minutes outside of New York City, so orchards were a place we’d only visit once in a while.
In my present life, there’s an apple orchard just down the road. I’m there several times a week, if only to hand-pick a few apples for a simple recipe like the one I’m sharing today.
Serve baked apples hot from the oven, room temperature, or chilled. Serve them as a dessert alone or with ice cream, enjoy them as a snack and even for breakfast – especially when served with oatmeal!
Happy apple picking!
It’s important to note that not all apples are created equal! Some varieties are not meant to be baked, they turn to mush too quickly. I use Honeycrisp, a good all purpose apple. After 45 minutes to an hour in the oven, they’re perfect. If you aren’t sure how your apples will fare, here’s a guide to help you along.
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Ingredients
- 3 tbsp maple syrup
- 1/4 cup brown sugar, plus 2 tbsp (28 g), divided
- 1/2 cup apple cider
- 5 tbsp butter, chilled, and divided
- 4 medium heat-tolerant apples recommended: Honey Crisp
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- pinch of nutmeg
- 6 tbsp flour all-purpose, unbleached
- 3 tbsp sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F. (160 C.).
- In a baking dish that will adequately fit the apples, add the maple syrup, only 2 tablespoons (28 g) of brown sugar and the apple cider, stir to combine. Add 1 tablespoon (15 g) of butter to the baking dish and set aside.
- Use a paring knife or a melon scoop to core the apples, keeping the bottoms of the apples intact. Discard the seeds and roughly chop-up any edible parts from the core, set aside.
- Peel the top 1/4 -inch (3.6-cm) of the skin from each apple (don’t forget to do this, otherwise the skins will bubble and burst).
- In a separate medium bowl, combine the cinnamon, pinch of nutmeg and 1/4 cup (55 g) of brown sugar, stir to combine. Add the chopped apples and gently mix to incorporate. Lightly spoon the mixture into the hollows of the apples, leaving about a 1/2-inch (1.2-cm) or so from the top.
- Add 2 teaspoons of the pan sauce into the stuffed apples, making sure to also brush the pan sauce on the exposed parts of the apples, too. Quarter 1 tablespoon (15 g) of butter and dot the top of each apple.
- To make the crumble topping combine the flour, sugar and 3 tablespoons (45 g) of chilled butter (cut into small cubes). Cut the butter into the mixture by pressing it down with a fork and stirring it into the flour and sugar. Keep repeating this process until the mixture resembles coarse sand.
- Lightly spoon the crumble on the top of each cored apple.
- Nestle the apples into the baking dish with the pan sauce and bake until tender when pierced with a fork. Depending on the size and type of the apples used this can take about 45-60 minutes, or longer if you like a softer Apple. Apples should be tender when done, not mushy, and should still require the gentle push of a fork or spoon to eat. To serve, add as little or as much pan sauce as desired around each individual apple. Enjoy them hot, room temperature or chilled.
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