The Best Baked Apples
There’s a quote by George Bernard Shaw that goes like this: “If you have an apple and i have an apple and we exchange these apples then you and i will still have one apple. But if you have an idea and i have an idea and we exchange these ideas, then each of us will have two ideas.” The moral of the story? ..euh… i don’t know… but if you have a million dollar idea, send it to me and i’ll send you some baked apples in return, deal?
When the weather turns bad, i turn to apples, but i’m also a little bit flakey so if you are reading this from under a palm tree in some exotic location know that i would trade my apples for your pineapples in a New York minute. This recipe is a favorite at work and one of the first one i published on my old blog with [gulp].. pictures taken with an iphone. What was i thinking!? You deserve much better than that my friends which brings us to this updated version.
These baked apples are stuffed with a mixture of apricots, raisins, walnuts, brown sugar and butter and cooked in orange juice. The cinnamon stick imparts some cinnamon-ey aroma of course but also act as the “apple stem”. Clever, eh? Baste the apples as the orange juice reduces and they will take on that beautiful golden color and serve them with the remaining syrup. When it’s done, the apples are so soft you can eat them with a spoon. It’s a delicious dessert with great visual appeal and needless to say, an healthier alternative to the good ol’ apple pie.
Now, where is my million dollar idea?
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Baked Apples with Apricots, Raisins & Walnuts,
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- Serves 4
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For the baked apples
- 4 apples (Cortland, Granny Smith, Golden Delicious or Winesap…), cap off, peeled and cored (see pic above)
- 1 cup dried apricots, diced
- 1/2 cup dried raisins (or cranberries)
- 1/2 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- 4 tablespoons butter, softened
- 4 cinnamon sticks
- 4 oranges, juiced
- Preheat the oven to 350′F.
- Cut off the cap of each apple, peel and core (see picture below).
- In a medium bowl, mix the apricots, raisins, walnuts, brown sugar and butter until well combined. (You can soak the dried fruit in a Grand-Marnier syrup ahead of time if you want.)
- Divide the stuffing equally between the apples, replace the cap and put a cinnamon stick in place of the apple stem.
- Place the apples in a shallow oven dish and pour the orange juice over them.
- Bake for 1 hour basting the apples with the orange juice, every 10 minutes or so (The apples are ready when soft, golden and shiny and the juice is reduced to a glaze).
- Serve immediately or at room temperature.
For the baked apples:
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November 15th, 2009 at 6:42 pm
What a beautiful, elegant, yet rustic dessert! I love anything apple when it comes to dessert and this looks like it could become a new favorite very quickly. I love the presentation!
November 15th, 2009 at 7:27 pm
Wow really beautiful dessert that also sounds amazing..bookmarking this for a nice dinner.
November 15th, 2009 at 8:22 pm
Just love that cinnamon stick idea and the apricots – I’ll have to try this next time I make baked apples.
November 15th, 2009 at 8:51 pm
I make mine very similar, next time I will try the apricots….they look beautiful. I can smell them from the here!
November 16th, 2009 at 12:17 am
That’s my favorite quote. Instead of trying to one up we should share the knowledge and work together. Seriously, those apples look great.
November 16th, 2009 at 2:34 am
I’ll send you an idea for a box of apples!
November 16th, 2009 at 3:04 am
My million dollar idea for you is that you ought to write a cookbook!
I have 5 pounds of local apples sitting in my cool basement and they’re screaming to be made into that dessert!
November 16th, 2009 at 3:13 am
Trade your apple with a freshly opened coconut in Penang! LOL.
November 16th, 2009 at 11:24 am
Stephaaane, love the baked apples, especially the cinnamon stick.
These remind me of the baked apples in Thessaloniki tavernas.
November 16th, 2009 at 11:32 am
I love the way the baked apples look–lovely how you keep the tops on–they look delicious and sweet. Will try them this way with the stuffing–yum–apricots-cranberries–
November 16th, 2009 at 1:09 pm
i wish you posted this recipe earlier in the month when i had a bunch of apples i couldn’t get rid of fast enough…
elegant post, as usual!
November 16th, 2009 at 3:05 pm
My ideas are in the mail, are my apples!? These are GORGEOUS! I love them. I could eat them all…. I’ll be checking my doorstep daily
November 16th, 2009 at 4:30 pm
Would have to be the golden delicious for me. Was looking at the cinnamon and thinking…. mulled wine apples.
November 16th, 2009 at 11:51 pm
baked apple pictures taken with iphone (apple) HAHAHAHAH!!!!! so adorably geeky, zenman…(keep in mind that i don’t say the word “adorable” every day heheheh)
November 18th, 2009 at 9:37 am
One of my favorite desserts, and this is a truly elegant presentation.
November 18th, 2009 at 10:01 am
Stunning photo, and the cinnamon stick tops it off just beautiful. I will make this, can’t wait!
November 18th, 2009 at 12:51 pm
What a good idea! I love the little apple caps
November 18th, 2009 at 2:41 pm
mmm.. nice.
November 19th, 2009 at 11:11 am
WOW!!! No words can express what I´m feeling!
November 19th, 2009 at 3:29 pm
Wow these look incredible! Heh, many of my old posts also have sort of sad photography. Good idea in updating them with new photos!
November 22nd, 2009 at 4:23 am
yums… and not too daunting this time
November 22nd, 2009 at 2:48 pm
Great recipe and if I may recommend some nice apple varieties for baking, Bramley’s Seedling tops my list, followed by York and Jonagold, though Golden Delicious is all around good choice too.
November 30th, 2009 at 3:54 pm
This looks great!
December 7th, 2009 at 2:38 pm
Tried this recipe this weekend and it turned out great. I did sautee the ingredients first with butter and add granola to it to give it more texture. The apples I used were a little mushy, so they fell apart during baking, might try a different type next time. Thanks for the recipe.
November 12th, 2011 at 5:40 pm
Thank You for so delicious dessert!
Greetings from Poland!