That Girl's Blog: Competitive Apple Picking and Baked Apples

Nothing says Fall in New England like a morning spent apple picking at your favorite orchard. It’s the type of thing you can do with the whole family, or as a couple’s activity. The kids can run around and you can take home the fruits of your labor!

Of course, if you go apple picking with me and my family, prepare yourself for something I have recently dubbed “Competitive Apple Picking.” Who picked the BIGGEST apple? Who picked the REDDEST apple? Who picked an apple from the TALLEST TREE? And, of course, who picked the MOST apples?

Competitive Apple Picking is not for the faint of heart, nor for anyone with a small kitchen. I am thankful we brought our own bags to the orchard (Parental Hint: Do not bring the biggest bags in the house!). That said, I am looking at 4 grocery-sized bags filled to the brim with Macintosh, Golden Delicious, Empire and Honey Crisp apples.

If the old adage “An apple a day keeps the doctor away,” I am pretty sure have enough apples that every doctor on Cape Cod could go on vacation for at least 12 months.

So now what? You can only gloat over your bushel of apples for so long before you realize that you had better get cooking.

Everyone has their favorite apple recipes, but when you have Mount McIntosh in the middle of your dining room table, it’s time to consult the experts. Of course, my mom gave me some of our favorite apple recipes, most of which include tons of brown sugar and plenty of butter.

I thought I’d share one of my favorites with you:

Simple Baked Apples

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Pick out one good-sized apple for each person. (You might think you’ll share one apple between 2 people – but you won’t!)
Cut the apple in half and cut away the stem and use a sharp melon baller to scoop out the seeds. Leave the skin on the apple.
Mom always said that a glass baking dish is best, so that’s what I use!
Place the apples in the dish flesh-side-up.
Place a pad of butter in each apple where the seeds were followed by a heaping spoonful of brown sugar. Sprinkle cinnamon over everything!
You can also add a dash of nutmeg if you like.
If you like raisins or craisins, you can throw a few in with the butter and sugar, too!
You can also add ¼ inch of water in the bottom of the pan if you like to “steam” the apples a bit.
Bake until soft (30 – 45 minutes)
Serve hot with any of the following options: Whipped Cream, Ice Cream or just drizzle with your choice of cream, maple syrup, honey, Bailey’s Irish Cream, Fireball Whiskey… and enjoy!