Back when I was a lad, Desserts were a Big Thing in our house. It was always a treat when there was Someone Special visiting and we would have desserts.
One of the deserts I remember fondly was “Baked Apples”. Mum used to make this and I picked up the recipe. My boys LOVE baked apples, and so do I!
Here’s our recipe – give it a whirl. It’s quick, cheap, “sort-of-healthy” and really really really yummy.
Firstly you take Granny Smith Apples – One for each person eating.
(And.. Maybe one extra, cause they are VERY good.)
Core the Apple
Carefully cut out the core of the apple, and push out the round core with your thumb.
Helps if you have a curved potato peeler. I don’t, so I used a small paring knife with judicious skill and dexterity.
In the hole where the core was, stuff about 2-4 dates in.
Then cram in some sultanas. Pack them in with gusto!
Then pack in a teaspoon or two of brown sugar. Pat it down.
(Get your kids to do this part if they like. Much finger licking goes on at this point.)
Transfer to a baking pan, with all the rest of the apple siblings.
Then, in the little room that’s left, douse the whole apple with lashings of Golden Syrup.
Finally, put in an oven on moderate heat (180 C) for about 20 minutes while you eat dinner.
I challenge you to try and make dinner last 20 minutes when the kids know these are on the way!
Straight after dinner is done, the oven should be checked with much excitement!
The apples should be mushy and wrinkly and downright UGLY. You’ll know they are done, when there’s no “hard bits” in the apple – it’s all mush.
Some of them have split, and the raisins that fall out are swollen with golden syrup and somewhat chewy.
Carefully transfer each apple to a bowl and CAREFULLY cut them open. They are excruciatingly hot, especially near the skin.
Drench each apple with the remains of the caramelized syrup from the pan. It hardens as it cools, so be quick!
(Note – once you’ve tipped it out – fill it with water straight away. It’s hard to get the syrup off the pan as it hardens, but it’s SO worth making a mess for the taste.)
At Easter this year, I had an Absolute Epic Fail of an attempt to produce this dessert whilst camping – I completely forgot about the apples and the fire was really hot -… When I got around to checking (after the glass of wine) there was nothing but charred remnants of apple, date and sultana. It smelled enticing, but really there was nothing salvageable left. It was like a nuclear holocaust in the pan. Talk about heart wrenching!! I still weep for what could have been…
However, back to tonight’s absolute cracker of a success…
On top of this mess-of-fruit-in-the-bowl – it’s great to have custard, cream, or more golden Syrup.
Careful! They’re hot! But they taste so good, it’s worth the burned mouth.
Gets a thumbs up from my lads. And in our words “It’s not terribly unhealthy!”
Enjoy!
