Baked Stuffed Apples with Dried Cherries and Walnuts

Have you ever baked an apple before? If not, you really should. Like, today!

My mom made these, stuffed with brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, walnuts and dried cherries, all throughout fall every year. They remind me of school starting, brisk mornings and the holidays. I love them because not only do they pair well with something like chicken or pork, but you could also scoop some vanilla ice cream on ‘em and call it a night.

Hey, they even work for breakfast, topped with granola and a scoop of creamy Greek yogurt. I may or may not be eating that this very minute, actually.

Oh yeah.

Best part? They come together in literally a snap!

Here’s what ya need!

Granny Smiths work well because they’re nice and tart, and hold up pretty well in the oven. You could also try honey crisp or gravenstein. Personally, I go with Granny Smiths ’cause they’re cheap.

Start by preheating your oven to 350 and mixing together the walnuts, pumpkin pie spice, dried cherries and….oops! Brown sugar! Forgot about that one.

Now stick a knife (or an actual apple corer) into each apple to get out the seeds. Be careful not to go through the bottom though! And keep the hole pretty wide—we’re stuffing some goodness down there!

Scoop liberal amounts of the brown sugar cherry mixture into each apple and then set the stuffed apples in a glass casserole dish with a half cup of apple juice poured on the bottom.

Drizzle a fourth of a cup of maple syrup mixed with a tablespoon of melted butter over the apple tops, then cover and bake for forty minutes. When the timer goes off, toss the foil and bake uncovered for about twenty more minutes, or until the apples are super tender and bubbly.

When you cut them open, they will sort of look like brains….but in a good way. They keep for a few days, covered, in the fridge but just make sure to warm them back up in the oven before eating. The cherries will get all caramelized and chewy from the maple syrup and you’ll wonder why on earth you waited this long to bake an apple.

Or at least, that’s what I thought!

Baked Stuffed Apples with Dried Cherries and Walnuts

serves 4

4 large granny smith apples

1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/2 cup apple juice

1/4 cup pure maple syrup

1 T butter, melted

1/3 cup dried cherries

1/3 cup roughly chopped walnuts

1/3 cup brown sugar, lightly packed

Preheat your oven to 350. Combine the pumpkin pie spice, dried cherries, walnuts and brown sugar together in a bowl. Set aside.

Core apples carefully, making sure not to cut through the bottom. Stuff brown sugar mixture in each apple and set in a glass casserole dish with the apple juice poured in on the bottom.

Mix together the maple syrup and melted butter and drizzle over the top of the apples. Cover with tin foil and bake for forty minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional twenty minutes, or until tender.

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Tagged as: fruit desserts, healthy, seasonal dishes, seasonal ingredients, side-dishes