A simply exquisite baked apple

When the new apple crop starts coming in, I look around for great new ideas for enjoying apples.

All of the varieties in our orchard qualify as cooking apples, which means they will hold their shape when they cook. Non-cooking apples turn to mush. (I could be kind and say the turn to apple sauce.) In addition, a cooking apple will develop a denser flavor as it cooks.

This particular recipe is a true prize for more than one reason:

• It is simple enough to do with my 11-year-old grandson.
• It is delicious enough to get top reviews for flavor.
• It is so beautiful you hesitate to cut into it…but you will!

• 1/2 cup sucanat
• 1/2 cup rum
• 3/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 6 cinnamon sticks
• 8 whole cloves
• 6 small cooking apples like Rome
• 3 tablespoons butter

Cinnamon Rum Apples Steps

1. Wash and core the apples. Place in a buttered baking dish.
2. In a medium saucepan combine the sucanat, rum, salt, nutmeg, cloves and cinnamon sticks. Stir to dissolve the sugar.
3. Bring the sauce to a simmer over medium heat. Simmer for about five minutes to develop the flavors.
4. Remove the cinnamon sticks from the sauce and place one in each of the apples.
5. Divide the butter between the apples. Stuff the butter pieces down into the core areas.
6. Drizzle the sauce over the apples. Use a spoon to dip sauce and pour it completely over and inside each apple.
7. Bake the apples in a 375 degree oven for 35 to 45 minutes. You want the apples soft, but still holding their shape. Apple varieties will vary on cook times.
8. Baste the apples about every ten minutes as they bake.
9. Allow the baked apples to cool enough for eating, about 30 minutes.
10. Serve the apples plain or accompanied by a scoop of good ice cream.

Oh yes, Frederick reminded me to tell you to fish out the cloves before you serve the apples. The sauce does get quite dark and thick. It is easy to mistakenly take up a whole clove with a bite of dessert. Frederick does not recommend this. He does, however, whole-heartedly recommend this recipe.