After the long week that we’ve all endured, I decided I’d put my slow cooker to overuse.
I honestly could not muster the energy or concentration to cook anything. I wanted to churn out meals that required as little prep and focus as possible. So, my slow cooker resumed its fixed place on my counter top and I started my week of slow cookery with Baked Apples.
I specifically remember Mom making baked apples often during those cool fall days. However, she baked them in a beaten up cake pan in our oven, not in the porcelain pot of an electric slow cooker. And, she piled on heaping spoon fulls of brown sugar and gracious pats of butter, both of which are virtually non-existent in most of my current day recipes. But, I decided to go with the original.
Again, only a few simple ingredients are required to transform your regular every day baking apples into a soft, sweetened fruit sensations. And, chances are, you don’t even need to make a trip to the store. I bet you have all of the ingredients in your pantry and fridge.
Naked, skinned apples ready for dress up
To prepare the for the slow cook, you can assign you kids enjoyed an afternoon full of: coring, peeling, and then packing the apples with brown sugar and dried fruits. I was so happy to off-load all of the prep work to them.
While the apples were slow cooking, we became intoxicated from the cinnamon, nutmeg and brown sugar smells wafting from the kitchen. Only four hours later and our once naked, skinned apples evolved into beautiful sculptures of plump, juicy, bold fruits.
The baked apples taste just as good for dessert at dinner as they did for breakfast the next day. Either hot from the cooker or cool from the fridge, the sweet flavor and hearty portions received two thumbs up from both kids AND hubby.Unfortunately, my slow cooker could only hold 4 Rome apples at once so we finished our batch in less than 18 hours.
Without a doubt, this dish will be gracing our table and nourishing our souls all winter long!
Doesn’t this look like heaven?
- ¾ cup packed brown sugar
- ¾ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ cup yellow raisins
- ¼ cup slivered almonds lightly toasted
- 4 medium-large baking apples (I used Rome but Braeburn, Granny Smith or Gala will work)
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- ⅓ cup apple cider
- Mix brown sugar with cinnamon and nutmeg in a medium bowl. Set aside ¼ cup sugar mix for topping. Add raisins and almonds and combine to make filling.
- Core apples ¾ of the way down.
- Peel top ⅓ of the apples. Stuff some filling in each cavity.
- Place apples in Slow Cooker. Sprinkle remaining sugar and spice mix over tops.
- Dot each with ½ teaspoon pat of butter and pour juice around the edges.
- Turn slow cooker on, set time to 4 hours on low.
- When ready, serve apples with any loose nuts and fruits and drizzle top with pan juices.
- Enjoy!
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