Baked Apples for Apple Pie

Fall is here in all its glory, and one of the best things about it is the fabulous selection of apples at the market. They are fresh, smell fantastic, taste terrific, and are so good for us. Full of nutrients, especially quercitin, which helps keep our bronchial passages healthy.

While that may seem like justification to indulge in apple pie, the fat and refined flour in the crust and sugar and butter in the filling take a healthy apple and drag it down. Now, I’m all for a special dessert now and then, and if someone you love made you their famous apple pie please enjoy a piece. But for everyday type desserts, try baked apples instead. They are easy, delicious, and pretty much guilt free. Also gluten free!

Here’s how to make them:

Heat oven to 350 F

Core apples, and peel a strip or two off the stem end, slice a little off the bottom if they won’t stand up.

Place in a pie pan, or baking pan that will hold the apples upright.

Sprinkle apples inside core and over the top with cinnamon and sugar – I like a 2:1 ratio of sugar to cinnamon

Stuff core with raisins and chopped nuts – dried cranberries are also good

Pour about a cup, depending on how many you are making, of apple cider in the pan and bake for about 45-50 minutes, until a knife can be inserted easily into apples. Do not overbake, or they will fall apart. It is good to baste them every so often, too, so the tops stay nice and moist.

*You can put them in the oven when you take dinner out, they will be ready when you are done eating, and they can keep warm for a while, too.

Your house will smell heavenly!

Enjoy!

Some people have had success making these in the microwave. They seem to take about 5 minutes, your timing may vary. Let me know if this works for you.