Alton Brown’s Baked Apples

We’re all big fans of Alton Brown; my family appreciates his wit and thoughtful culinary explanations.  My daughter, Lauren, is especially fond of pointing out when my way of making something differs from Alton’s.  If she doesn’t care for mashed potatoes, it’s probably because I’m not making them the right way (Alton’s way).

Lauren emailed a link to this recipe to us in Poland and suggested that we try making them when were home for Christmas.  It was our Christmas Eve breakfast and very yummy indeed.  I’ve made baked apples before, but these were the best.

Ingredients

3/4 cup oats
3/4 cup flour
2/3 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
pinch salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, diced
4 Braeburn apples (or Fuji)
4 teaspoons honey
Vanilla ice cream (optional)

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350
• Combine oats, flour, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and salt.

• Cut in butter until the mixture resembles crumbs

• Cut a small slice from the bottom of each apple so they’ll stand up straight

• Cut a 1 inch circle around the stem, much like cutting the top off a jack-o-lantern

• With a melon-baller, remove the rest of the core, making sure you stop before you reach the bottom. You don’t want the juicy goodness to leak out.

• Place the apples in a baking dish
• Put a teaspoon of honey inside each apple

• Fill apples with the oat mixture, packing it in and mounding on the top
• Bake for 40 minutes

• Cool for 10 minutes before serving

• Serve with ice cream, if desired