Cranberry-Orange Baked Apples

I realize that Hallowe’en is big business. I’ve said it before — I don’t mind the business of costumes and fun but I don’t like the tons of candy that come with it.

I’ve also written about how it was back in the day — when I was a kid, when we did some minimal trick or treating and spent most of the evening playing games and bobbing for apples.

Before the fun and games my mother would give us dinner (typically macaroni and cheese with a buttered rice krispies crust) followed by either apple pie or baked apples.

My Dad always ended the festivities with a feast of hot chocolate.

To me, macaroni and cheese, baked apples and hot chocolate bring back happy memories and, to this day, I would prefer to enjoy the day the way it used to be for me.

Cranberry-Orange Baked Apples

• 4 large baking apples

• half a lemon

• 1/2 cup dried cranberries

• 2 teaspoons grated orange peel

• 2 tablespoons cinnamon sugar (or plain sugar)

• 1 tablespoon butter or solid coconut oil, cut into 4 pieces

• 1 cup orange juice, apple juice or cider

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Wash the apples, then remove the core and seeds, leaving about 1/2-inch on the bottom. Peel the apples 1/2 of the way down from the stem end on top, then rub the cut surfaces with the cut side of the lemon. Put the apples in a baking dish. In a small bowl, mix the cranberries and orange peel and stuff this mixture into the apple hollows. Sprinkle the apples with the cinnamon sugar. Dot the tops with the butter or solid coconut oil. Bake the apples for 10 minutes then pour the juice over the apples. Continue to bake, basting occasionally with the pan juices, for about 35-40 minutes or until the apples are tender. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes 4 

Baked Pound Sweet Apples

I discovered a new apple. New for me anyway. It’s called Pound Sweet (a/k/a Pumpkin Sweet) and it’s actually a very old heritage apple first known in Connecticut in the early 1800s.

I’d never heard of this one, but at Clarkdale Fruit Farm in Deerfield, Massachusetts, where I drove recently to buy my yearly supply of Rhode Island Greening apples for pies (my Connecticut source didn’t have any this year) they pointed them out and so I bought a bagful.

Turns out (as they told me at the farm) that Pound Sweet are not the best eating-out-of-hand apple — they’re mild tasting and not especially tart/acidic — but they are terrific for baking.

So I baked some. They certainly hold their shape very well and don’t become as mushy as some apple varieties. I found that baking them also took slightly longer than the more usual Romes and Cortlands do.

But the result was really good. If you can find a bunch of Pound Sweets, wonderful, but of course this recipe will be fine when made with any baking apple (if you use other varieties, do not cover and bake for the 10 minutes suggested).

Baked Pound Sweet Apples

4 large Pound Sweet baking apples (or use any baking apple)

half a lemon

1/3 cup raisins

1/3 cup dried cranberries

3 tablespoons cinnamon sugar

2 teaspoons coconut oil

1 cup mango juice 

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Wash the apples and remove the core with an apple corer or small knife, leaving about 1/2” of the core on the bottom. Peel the apples halfway down from the top and rub the peeled surfaces with the cut side of the lemon. Put the apples in a baking dish.  Mix the raisins and cranberries and stuff them into the apple hollows. Sprinkle the apples with the cinnamon sugar. Place 1/2 teaspoon coconut oil on each apple top. Cover the pan with foil and bake for 10 minutes. Remove the cover and bake for another 15 minutes. Pour the juice over the apples. Bake for another 40-45 minutes, basting occasionally with the pan juices, or until the apples are tender. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes 4 servings

Nut Crusted Baked Apple Parfaits

What do you do when you’ve cooked something and it’s a disaster?

Well, sometimes there’s nothing you can do. Once the souffle falls, there’s no puffing it up again.

But more often than not there are some remedies.

Like the baked apple in the photo. It doesn’t look like a baked apple at all, but that’s how it started out. I had baked nut-crusted apples before but when I made these I lost track of time and left them in the oven too long. They tasted wonderful but didn’t look so good. And so, I made Baked Apple Parfaits with the remaining ones. 

And that’s what everyone thought dessert was supposed to be.

Ain’t that grand?

Nut Crusted Baked Apple Parfaits

4 large baking apples

half a lemon

1-1/2 cups water

1 tablespoon melted butter

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons raisins

2 tablespoons chopped dates

2 tablespoons chopped dried figs

2 teaspoons butter, cut into small pieces

1/2 cup finely chopped almonds or pistachios

1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel

3 tablespoons apricot jam

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 cup cream

6 tablespoons Mascarpone cheese

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Wash the apples, peel them about halfway down and remove the core with an apple corer or small knife, leaving about 1/2” on the bottom. Place the core and peel in a small saucepan with the water. Bring the mixture to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Strain the liquid and set it aside. Put the apples in a baking dish. Brush the peeled apple surfaces with the melted butter. Mix the brown sugar, raisins, dates and figs and stuff this mixture into the apple hollows. Top each stuffed hollow with equal amounts of the cut butter. Combine the almonds, lemon peel, jam and sugar and press the mixture onto the tops of the apples. Pour the reserved water into the baking dish. Bake the apples for 45-60 minutes, basting occasionally with the pan juices, or until the apples are tender. Remove the apples to a cutting board and let them cool. Cut the apples into bite size pieces and place the pieces with some of the stuffing and some of the nut crust into 4-6 parfait glasses or dessert dishes. Stir the cream into the baking pan fluids, reserve about 2 tablespoons and spoon equal amounts of the remaining fluid over each parfait. Mix the 2 reserved tablespoons of fluid with the Mascarpone cheese and garnish each parfait with some of the cheese.

Makes 4-6 servings

Mother's Day Baked Apples

I know Moms are supposed to love when their kids make stuff like Nutella-marshmallow-banana sandwiches for them on Mother’s Day.

But I’m not one of them.

Food this sweet might appeal to kids but honestly, I don’t think I could get through two bites of it, even for pretend that I thought it was the best breakfast anyone ever made me.

Ok. Call me grumpy.

But my kids must have known because I never got a Nutella-marshmallow-banana sandwich for breakfast on Mother’s Day.

I really really really prefer much simpler foods that won’t send me into a sugar frenzy.

Like Baked Apples.

If someone made these for me I would be very grateful. On Mother’s Day or any other time.

Mother's Day Baked Apples

4 large baking apples

half a lemon

1/2 cup raisins or dried cranberries

2 tablespoons finely chopped almonds or hazelnuts

4 tablespoons honey or maple syrup

1 cup orange juice, apple juice or cider

cinnamon

1 tablespoon butter or solid coconut oil, cut into 4 pieces

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Wash the apples, remove the cores and seeds, leaving about 1/2-inch on the bottom. Peel the apples halfway down from the stem end on top. Rub the cut surfaces with the cut side of the lemon. Put the apples in a baking dish. In a small bowl, mix the raisins, nuts, one tablespoon of the honey or maple syrup and 3-4 tablespoons of the juice. Stuff this mixture into the apple hollows. Pour the remaining honey and the remaining juice over the apples. Sprinkle the apples lightly with cinnamon. Dot the tops with butter. Bake the apples for about 45 minutes, basting occasionally with the pan juices, or until the apples are tender. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes 4

Easy Baked Apples

What do you eat when you wake up cold and shivery?

We haven’t turned the heat on yet because it’s been about 70 degrees here and our house has been warm. But all of a sudden it’s really autumn, the outside temperature has dropped and it was freezing in our bedroom this morning.

I desperately wanted something warm to eat. But there wasn’t anything in the house!

Wish my Dad was around to make some of his renowned hot chocolate.

Mmm how about some quick biscuits? Hot oatmeal?

My thoughts actually turned to baked apple, warm and fragrant and sufficiently sweet for dessert, but breakfasty enough.

Unfortunately I didn’t have any baked apples.

Fortunately, I still have some of the apples I bought at Blue Jay Orchards (http://www.bluejayorchardsct.com/) in Bethel, Connecticut a while ago for my pie apples.

I’m making baked apples today, in case I wake up cold tomorrow.

Easy Baked Apples

• 4 large apples for baking
• half a lemon
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped nuts
• 1/4 cup maple syrup, agave or honey
• 1 cup orange juice or apple cider
• cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon butter, cut into small pieces

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Remove the apple cores, leaving about 1/2-inch on the bottom. Peel the apples halfway down from the top, stem end. Rub the peeled flesh with the cut side of the lemon. Place the apples in a baking dish. In a small bowl, mix the raisins, nuts, one tablespoon of the sweetener and 3-4 tablespoons juice. Stuff this mixture into the apple hollows. Combine the remaining sweetener and juice and pour over the apples. Sprinkle the apples with cinnamon. Dot the apple tops with butter. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until the apples are tender, basting occasionally with the pan juices. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Makes 4 servings

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