Posted By Ingrid Turner on Oct 21, 2013 in Apples, Baking, Desserts, Featured, Food Holidays, Fruit, Fruit & Vegetables, How To Cook, Sweets, Vegetarian | 0 comments

October 21st is Apple Day, and this Baked Apple recipe is just what the doctor ordered…

Even though apples are available in all seasons, they are at their best during the Autumn.

Eating apples at their peak, when the air cools & sugars are developed, is prime time.

To keep apples at their best, they should be stored refrigerated, and in plastic bags or in a cold, dry place (33 – 40 degrees F). Ideally, wrap each apple separately with paper towels. Air circulation should be good too. When they have been stored too long, they lose flavor, moisture & become mealy.

If storing apples in quantity, the long-keeping, firm varieties are recommended, such as red delicious, Northern spies, Cortlands, and golden delicious, to name a few. These are also good for cooking, except for red delicious.

Since Cortland apples don’t brown quickly when sliced, they are ideal alongside a cheese tray, and are great for fruit salads, as well as tarts & pies.

How to Bake Apples:

My recipe for baked apples serves 8.

Type: Dessert Recipe

Serve with: butter, cinnamon, brown sugar, marshmallows
Prep Time: 12 min
Cook Time: 40 – 50 min
Yields: 8 servings

Ingredients:

8 large cooking apples – firm
brown sugar – packed into apple hollows + sprinkled on top
8 dots of butter
ground cinnamon
1/2 cup apple juice – apple cider or water is acceptable too

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Wash, core & place apples in a deep baking dish, buttering the apple skins all over.
Fill the hollows with packed brown sugar.
Sparsely sprinkle with ground cinnamon & place a dot of butter on top of the brown sugar in the hollows.
Pour apple juice into the pan.
Lightly sprinkle apples with brown sugar.
With foil, cover the top of the pan, and crimp the edges to hold in the moisture.
Bake until the apples are nearly tender when pierced with a fork, but aren’t mushy – about 20 – 25 min.
Uncover, basting apples with pan liquid a few times during the next 15 – 20 min or longer, until the apples are soft, but still hold their shape.
Push one marshmallow onto the top of each hollow.
Return to the oven only until the marshmallows soften, but don’t melt. * Tip: If you should err & melt the marshmallows, just put another on top, and allow it to soften, as you keep an eye on them.
Remove the apples to another deep dish.
Reduce the pan juices by cooking them down. Add 1 tbsp butter, and ladle juices over the apples.
Serve these apples hot or cold, with ice cream or whipped cream.