Hot Buttered Apple

Weird.  It’s time for normal recipes again.  Well, when I say “normal” I still mean I’ll be fall focusing for now.  It’s nearly Thanksgiving here in the U.S., after all! And speaking of Thanksgiving let’s talk about my tiny, special surprise for this month.  We had Monster recipes in October, plus my favorite spooky stuff, so this month I’ll be focusing a little bit more on being thankful by posting a new Thankful recipe every Thursday!  These will be dedicated to the people in my life who have helped me become who I am, and who I’m seriously grateful for.  So are you ready for double the recipes, double the fun?  Either way, I am, so it’s happening.

Hot Buttered Apple

Now, the original recipe is… a little boring.  Apples, butter.  While this sounds like an okay recipe I need my baked fruit a tad more flavorful for me to even pretend to enjoy it.  Hence, a very buffed up version of the Baked Apple you’re about to see here.  And the best part?  It’s insanely easy.  Like, 5 minutes to put together tops and 30 minutes to bake easy.  If you’re ever intimidated by Breath of the Wild recipes, this is the one for you!  Also, it’s apple season!  What else was I going to do?

Wash the apple thoroughly – this is especially true if you buy them from the supermarket.  We have this lovely and absolutely amazing orchard near our house that I go out of my way to drive to during orchard season (I regularly post about it on Instagram).  If you’re lucky enough to have that – go there!  A lot of people recommend you purchase “a good baking apple” for these kinds of recipes and then list 5 apples completely different from someone else’s list.  Quite frankly, I have no idea what “a good baking apple” is, so just purchase an apple variety you like.  My personal favorite are Jonagold – not to sweet, not to sour, usually nice and crisp.

Using a paring knife, cut around the core of the apple straight down, being sure to leave about 1/2-1 inch at the bottom of the apple (so you don’t poke holes through it).  Next, take a small spoon and, gently as you can, scoop out the core.  It may be harder than you think – you weren’t able to cut the bottom of your core, after all.  But make sure you get all the seeds, again, leaving about 1/2-1 inch at the bottom of the hole you’re digging out.  If you have an apple corer then bonus points, you can easily use that!  If, like me, you don’t this’ll be the easiest way.

Mix together the softened butter, sugar, and spices until completely combined.  Split the mixture in half and stuff each of the apples to the top of the hole.  Depending on your apple size you may need a bit more, or a bit less, of the mixture.  I had some nice, medium apples and it fit perfectly.  Sprinkle with kosher salt.

Heat the water in a cup in the microwave, or even on the stove, until boiling.  Place the apples in an oven-safe container and pour the boiling water at the bottom.  This’ll help the apples bake evenly and not dry out – I wound’t recommend skipping this step.

Bake at 375F/30ish minutes.  This time is very subjective.  I prefer my apples to still be a little stiff, but baked through.  I don’t like soft baked fruit – it feels mushy to me.  So 30 minutes was perfect.  If you prefer your apples a bit wrinkly and a bit more like pie filling, bake for closer to an hour.  Really, it’s all based on touch – how the apple feels to you when you touch it and squeeze it.  Don’t depend on my times for your perfect apple.  Then simply take them out of the oven, allow them to cool slightly, and serve.  If your apples are a bit stiffer (like mine) you may want to slice them and allow the sauce to drizzle over each piece.  If yours are softer, simply serve with a spoon.  PS – these are amazing with some vanilla ice cream!

 

Link’s Hot Buttered Apple recipe:

• • Apple
  • Goat Butter