I'm giving this 4 stars because I felt that I had to change so much of it after reading many other reviews. However, I think I have got some really great alterations. Fill the bottom of the pan with enough water to cover, mix in about a Tbsp. of cornstarch, a tsp. and a half of vanilla, and a small handful of chopped nuts. (Almonds, walnuts, or pecans.) Core apples all the way through (I used Jonathan apples) and peel a thin ring of skin off around the middle of each apple so they can "breathe". Stuff apples with the brown sugar and butter premixed, and place apples in water mixture. Sprinkle apples and water with nutmeg and a generous (but not overpowering) amount of cinnamon. Bake at 350 for 20 min. covered with foil and then for another 10 min. uncovered. Finally, serve in bowl with the caramel/nut sauce around base of each apple. Vanilla ice cream in the center drizzled with caramel ice cream topping is another incredible addition to them. I hope this helps but after these alterations, the recipe was to die for. Seriously, just skip to these suggestions and you'll have the perfect recipe. I'm not usually this confident, but with this, I can't help it!
I love making these. I was in a hurry, so I just popped ours in the microwave for about 5 minutes and I also added raisins. They turned out so good, and the smell alone is enough to make your mouth water.
Great baked apples! Very simple and delicious. Some people mentioned having to put a little bit of water in the bottom of the pan, I used apple juice. I also had to bake them longer. These are WONDERFUL topped with a dollup of creme fraiche! A great end to a fall meal.
My family loved these baked apples. We also prefer them on the soft side so I baked them for 30 minutes. I cut down on the butter and sugar and still found them delicious. What a nice simple wholesome dessert!
I do these German style called "Bratapfel": stuff the apples with walnuts (or other nuts) candied ginger honey a bit of lemon juice orange peel cinnamon and a tiny bit of rum (if you like). Then bake them for 30 to 40 minutes.
Scale down the butter to a teaspoon, and cook for atleast another 10 minutes.
I only gave this recipe a three because after 15-20 minutes, the apples were still barely soft and I like mine kind of mushy which REALLY detracted from the potential of a baked apple. Also, after reading other people's suggestions to this recipe I used some of their hints; I microwaved the brown sugar & butter then put it in the apple centers & added water at the bottom of the pan which made a weird & very watery (not syrupy) concoction & raisins. I'll definately try the recipe again but won't microwave the b. sugar & butter first & I'd bake it a lot longer. Will let you know how it turns out. :-) Oh oh oh, also, I added 10+ raisins that had been soaked in the middle of the apple as well and those were yummy.
My family really enjoyed these apples. I aded some chopped pecans before baking for a little extra crunch. Next time I will cut down on the butter and add a little more cinnamon. Delicious!
Delicious!!. But next time I'll cut the butter in half to make it healthier.
