Baked apples

Fairly healthy dessert

Baked apples aren’t health food – if you want that, just eat an apple, which is also good! But they are better for you than pie and certainly better than cookies or ice cream. And baked apples only take a few minutes to put together, cook while you are eating dinner, and are a very cheap dessert too.

How to make baked apples:

Get five or six good-sized apples. I like to use Fuji or Gala; the Red Delicious don’t have enough flavor or texture, and the Granny Smiths are too tart. But if you go to the farmer’s market, you can ask the person in the stall which apple would be best for baked apples.

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Use a small sharp knife to cut out a small circle around the stem of each apple, and then dig deeper to get out all the seeds and the hard core. It doesn’t matter if you miss a little bit.

Put the apples into a casserole or roasting pan, and pack the holes with brown sugar. Put a pat of butter (about a tablespoon) on top of each apple, and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar (or just sprinkle on some cinnamon). Use a cup measure to pour water into the pan until it comes halfway up the apples. Roast for about half an hour to 40 minutes, while you eat dinner, until the apples are soft. Serve warm.

Vegetarian or vegan

Baked apples are vegetarian, but the butter keeps them from being vegan. If you want vegan baked apples, use crushed walnuts or hazelnuts instead of the butter.

Don’t have time for this recipe?

Try quick baked apples – dice the apples, sprinkle the sugar and cinnamon and butter over the top, and use a microwave – same great taste in about two minutes!

Published by Karen Carr

Dr. Karen Carr is Associate Professor Emerita, Department of History, Portland State University. She holds a doctorate in Classical Art and Archaeology from the University of Michigan. Follow her on Instagram, Pinterest, or Facebook, or buy her book, Vandals to Visigoths.

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