{recipe} Baked Apples

We're still hanging onto apple season here in the Mid-West. July through August, I was craving fresh, crisp, cold apples - with September fall weather moving in, I've been having thoughts of apple pie, jam, stuffing, strudel...the list goes on.

The following is my recipe for Baked Apples. It's the easiest recipe. It's the one I fall back on when I don't feel like baking a pie, or I've been eating too bad to deserve pie. It's also a kid favorite, so a great choice for the whole family.

Ingredients
4 baking apples
1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
2 tablespoons of butter + 1 tablespoon melted
3/4 cup water, boiling
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 brown cup sugar

Directions
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Core out your apples within about a half an inch of the bottom, so they are like little cups waiting to be filled with goodies. In a bowl, mix the brown sugar, cinnamon, walnuts and 1 tablespoon of melted butter. Fill the apples up, and anything left over, drizzle over them. Place a half tablespoon dollop of butter on top of each apple. Pour the boiling water around the apples in your baking dish. Bake in the oven for 1 hour -and- VOILA! Super easy dessert. You can serve alone, or with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Recipe Tip
This is a great dish to make something nice and new for company. Prep the apples ahead of time and pop them in the oven while you have dinner with family and/or your guests. They will be done in perfect time for coffee and dessert.