Baking With Dorie: Fruit-Nut-And-Honey Baked Apples Recipe

1. 1

   Center a rack in the oven and preheat to 350u00b0F. Have an ovenproof baking dish at hand. You want a dish that can hold the apples comfortably but snugly-a 9- or 10-inch deep-dish Pyrex pie pan works well.

2. 2

   Core the apples, making sure not to cut through the bottoms, and peel the apples down to the halfway mark; don't toss away the peels. Now do what I didn't do: Make a very shallow cut around the apples at the point where the peel begins. Rub the cut parts of the apples with lemon.

3. 3

   Working in a small bowl, mix together the dried fruits, nuts and honey; add the salt and cinnamon, if you're using them. Cut 8 teaspoons of butter and put a teaspoon-chunk inside each apple. Divide the fruit-and-nut mixture among the apples then top with another teaspoon-chunk of butter.

4. 4

   Arrange the apples in the pan, pour in the cider (or water), cut the remaining butter into bits and scatter the bits over the cider, then toss in the peels (if they're very long, just cut them into manageable strips).

5. 5

   Slide the pan into the oven and bake the apples, basting them every 15 minutes, for 50 to 75 minutes, or until the apples are tender. (I can't give you a more precise estimate of the time because it will depend on the size and type of your apples-so check early and often.) Don't go for al dente-the apples should be spoon tender.

* Per serving · 4 servings · Values may vary.