Can you tell I recently visited an apple orchard? A girl can only eat so many raw apples in a day before she has to start getting creative. Needless to say, I have been finding ways to incorporate this crisp Fall jewel into breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert. Fortunately, I’m not a huge fan of fruit pies so it is easy for me to find healthier apple desserts that won’t go right to the waistline. Of course, I wish I could say I served this dish to my mom without her asking “Where is the crust?” but a few scoops of ice cream kept her quiet.
My favorite part of this dish is the sauce that forms at the bottom of the pan while baking. The velvety spiced cider sauce becomes creamy and thick when the butter melts and the apples bake. No, it’s not a buttery pie crust but you get to eat a warm and cozy Fall dessert in the middle of the week and I promise your skinny jeans will fit come Friday.
Your spoon is waiting.
- 4 large apples cored - any type except Grannysmith which do not bake well
- 4 tsp unsalted butter cut in tiny cubes
- 4 tbs chopped walnuts
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- Stevia or brown sugar to taste
- ½ c apple cider
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Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
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Core apples with small knife or apple corer and place in large glass baking dish.
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In a small bowl, combine butter, walnuts, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and sweetener of choice. (Stevia is my calorie free favorite but feel free to use brown sugar if you wish.)
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Stuff apples with equal parts of the butter and walnut mixture.
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Pour apple cider in the bottom of the pan to prevent burning and place in oven.
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Bake for 45-60 minutes or until apples are tender, basting with pan liquid every 15 minutes.
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Serve with apple cider cooking liquid drizzled on top. Tastes even better a la mode.
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