Cinnamon Baked Apples

The boys are in bed, so I sneaked away to my couch and a cup of tea to type out this post and pin away on Pinterest (I admit, I'm an addict to all the DIY projects)!  I have a simple recipe to share with you tonight, but an ever growing list of new ones that I just can't seem to find the time to type out and put a quality post together for.  I foresee many more nights on this sofa in my future if I ever want to accomplish that!

This recipe for baked apples is one we enjoyed for breakfast on Thanksgiving morning.  I have made it many more times since, completely inspired by my dear friend (and fellow Healing Cuisine addict) Ashley's recipe.  She shared hers with me last Christmas, and I was called to make it almost a year later as a breakfast treat.  And yes, that is an outrageously large scoop of Advanced Plan vanilla ice cream slowly melting next to the warm, tender, cinnamon glazed apple.  I may have forgotten to mention that we treated ourselves to the ice cream maker attachment for my KitchenAid stand mixer!!!  (Praise the Lord, no more cranking by hand, sore arms for two days, or messing with all the ice and salt just to make a quart of ice cream!)  We saved up for the electric mixer attachment and found it at a good price for the holidays.  Decided to make the purchase, and it has been so fun to have it!!  I've made probably 4 times more ice cream in the last couple months than I did in the last 3 years that we had our crank-by-hand maker.  Look forward to more icy treats to come!  We've had some real winners already!

Okay, back to the baked apples with ice cream...  I wanted to note that it wasn't until after we enjoyed our sweet breakfast treat that I thought to stuff the apples with oatmeal before baking them.  How breakfast appropriate would that be, am I right??  I tried it the next time and it turned out great!  I cooked steel cut oatmeal (flavored with cinnamon, vanilla, stevia, butter, and raisins) on the stove top first, then prepped the apples and stuffed them to the top with the oatmeal mixture.  Finished the recipe off as stated and they were indeed a yummmmy breakfast.  Would also be a great snack or easy dessert!  My next idea is to fill them with pumpkin pie filling and bake....oh, who wants to come over to taste test?!

Cinnamon Baked Apples
Makes 4 Apples

4 organic Granny Smith apples, washed
4 Tbsp raw butter
About 1 tsp Spoonable Stevita stevia per apple (you may prefer more or less)
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 1/2 cups unsweetened apple juice (or filtered water)

1.)  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Create a well in each apple by scoopin out the core -- but do not go all the way thru the bottom.  Use an apple corer and a spoon, being careful to stop with at least half an inch at the bottom of each apple.  Score each apple horizontally in a complete circle.

2.)  Stuff each apple with 1 Tablespoon of butter.  Place apples in an 8x8" glass baking dish.  Sprinkle the apples evenly with cinnamon, nutmeg and stevia.  Pour apple juice (or simply water) in the bottom of the dish.

3.)  Cover baking dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes.  Remove foil and continue to bake about 10 more minutes, until apples are fork tender and slightly caramelized on top.  Remove from oven and serve either warm or cold.  Pair perfectly with homemade ice cream, whipped cream or whipped coconut cream, or steel cut oatmeal.