Baked Apples (New England Style)
One of my favorite summer and fall snacks/desserts or “just because treat” is this quick and easy-baked apple dish. I loved it because I almost always have apples, butter, and some kind of cereal or granola for the filling instead of using uncooked oats. Now for us, we always had wedges of cheddar added, which may be a bit odd for some of you.
When I did some research on this somewhat regional spin, I found several references to the regional theme of cheddar on a slice of apple pie. According to EatThis.com and Atlas Obscura, the “cheese on pie” tradition has roots in New England, Pennsylvania, and the upper midwest. This makes sense because those tend to be places where cheese products are readily accessible.
This version is for 3 baked apples with a generous amount of filling! Remember this is one of those recipes which is all about your tastes - -switch it up to suit your needs.
Baked Apples (New England Style)
Ingredients
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
1/2- 3/4 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice mix
Juice of one lemon
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 cup cereal, granola or old-fashioned oats
1 stick (8 tbsp) cup cold unsalted butter, diced into small cubes
pinch of kosher salt
1 tbsp granulated sugar (optional- often depends on the granola or cereal I’m using)
Honey (or maple a syrup)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.
Butter a baking dish, (or spray with non-stick cooking spray). Add several pats of butter. Set aside.
Wash and dry your apples
Cut the tops off and core them to create an “apple bowl”
Dice up the apple tops and any edible parts of the flesh removed while coring the apple, and add to a mixing bowl.
Add some lemon juice to the exposed apple “bowl” to keep it from turning brown.
Add the apples to the prepared pan
Melt all but one tbsp of butter in the microwave.
In the mixing bowl with the diced apples, mix together brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, lemon juice, and vanilla extract (add the granulated sugar if being used). Stir to combine, then add melted butter.
Mix well. Taste; does it need more of anything? Add it now.
Generously scoop the mix into each apple. (Don’t be stingy!)
Add any leftover mix to the pan around the apples.
Add slivers of unmelted butter to each apple and a drizzle of honey (or maple syrup).
Bake 35-50 minutes, until brown and bubbly. The apples should be soft (the tip of a knife should slide in with minimal resistance) and the filling bubbling and hot. .
Serve with a wedge of cheddar cheese on top,
Or with a dollop of vanilla
Or bourbon whipped cream or ice cream.
Variation Notes:
I tend to use granny smith apples - as honeycrisp’s have been expensive this season
This works great with gluten-free granolas/cereals and/or sugar replacements.
You can add nuts, marshmallows, and dried fruits etc
