Baked apples are the cheapest hot dessert in this group and the only one that scales down to a single serving without waste. Bake two if two people are eating. Nothing is mixed, nothing is batched, and there is no half tray sitting on the counter the next morning.
Variety matters more here than in a crisp or a cobbler, because the apple has to stand up on its own. Firm baking apples hold their shape through forty minutes in the oven, while softer eating apples collapse into the pan. If the only apples in the house are soft, bake them for less time and expect something closer to applesauce in a skin.
Coring without going through the bottom is the one piece of technique. Leave about half an inch at the base so the filling of oats, brown sugar and butter has somewhere to sit. A paring knife works and so does a melon baller. If you do cut through, set the apple in a muffin tin and let that hold the filling in.
Baked Apples
Ingredients
- 4 large baking apples
- 1/4 cup rolled oats
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 tablespoons chopped pecans or walnuts optional
- 4 tablespoons butter divided
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup apple cider or water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375F (190C).
- Core each apple, leaving the bottom intact to hold the filling.
- Mix the oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, nuts, and vanilla together.
- Divide the mixture among the apples and top each with a small piece of butter.
- Arrange the apples in a baking dish and pour the apple cider or water around them.
- Cover loosely with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
- Remove the foil and continue baking for another 10 to 15 minutes until the apples are tender.
- Spoon some of the pan juices over each apple before serving.
