Baked apples

Baked apples are apples with the cores removed, filled with dried fruit and ground spices and baked in the oven.

They are a simple, tasty dessert popular during the autumn and winter months and can be prepared in minutes.

They are perfect paired with custard or ice cream such as coffee and pecan ice cream.

Take a look at some other recipes for popular British bakes.

This baked apple recipe is for two apples but can easily be adjusted to make whatever quantity you wish.

Ingredients

• 2 Bramley apples - or other large apples suitable for baking.
• About 40g raisins - or other dried fruit such as currants, cranberries, or sultanas.
• 10g muscovado sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon - or other sweet spices such as ground mixed spice, ginger or allspice.

Before starting this recipe

Preheat the oven to 180^oC, 350^oF, gas mark 4.

How to prepare

Start by mixing the raisins, sugar and ground cinnamon in a small bowl.

Remove the cores from the apples. The easiest way to do this is to use an apple corer but if you don't have one you could use a long slender sharp knife.

Next, make a horizontal cut the whole way around each apple using a sharp knife as in the photo below. When the apples are baked in the oven the insides will expand and this will avoid them bursting and making a mess in the oven.

Place the apples in an ovenproof bowl. Fill the centres with the raisin, sugar and spice mixture and pack the mixture in firmly in place. Add a few extra raisins on top.

Bake in the centre of the oven until cooked through. This is likely to take around 20 to 30 minutes but will vary depending on the exact size of the apples. Turn the apples around part way through the baking time encourage them to cook evenly. When the baked apples are cooked the insides will have expanded and the horizontal cuts will have opened. Pierce with a skewer to check they are cooked.

Serve your raisin and cinnamon baked apples while hot.

Substitutions

1. Other dried fruits can be used instead of raisins such as sultanas, currants or mixed dried fruit.
2. If you don't have cinnamon then ground mixed spice or allspice could be used instead.
3. Demerara sugar can be used as an alternative to muscovado sugar.
4. If you would prefer baked apples with no added sugar then the sugar could be omitted.
5. Baked apples can be made using other fillings too. Why not try a spoonful of vegetarian mincemeat packed into the middle?

Other desserts using apples