From the blog For Love of the Table
4 T. (1/4 c.) packed brown sugar
1/4 c. quick (not instant) oats
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/8 t. ground cloves (or nutmeg, if you prefer)
a pinch of salt
2 T. cold butter, plus 1 t. for "dotting"
1/4 c. finely chopped toasted nuts and/or dried fruit (optional—see notes)
zest of 1 lemon or 1/2 of an orange (optional)
4 large apples—something juicy and flavorful that will hold its shape and flavor when cooked...like a Jonathan, a Jonagold or a Braeburn
1/2 to 1 cup apple cider, apple juice or water
Place the first five ingredients in a small bowl and mix with a fork or your fingers until homogenous. Cut the 2 T. of butter into four slices and add to the bowl. Using your fingers, rub the butter in until the mixture is clumpy. Toss in any nuts, dried fruit or zests that you are using. Set the mixture aside while you prepare the apples.
Butter an shallow baking dish that will hold the apples without touching...an 8- or 9-inch square baking dish works well. Set aside.
Wash the apples. Using an apple corer or a melon baller, core the apples. If an apple will not sit level, cut a thin slice off the bottom to stabilize it. If you like, use a vegetable peeler to peel away a strip of skin around the hole at the top of the apple—this isn't strictly necessary, but it is attractive. Using a sharp paring knife, score the skin of each apple from top to bottom in four places—spacing the cuts an equal distance apart. Finally, using some of the seed and skin free bits of apple that were removed with the cores, plug up the hole at the bottom of each apple.
Place the apples in the prepared dish. Fill each apple with a quarter of the reserved filling, packing as necessary so as to use all of the filling. Cut the remaining teaspoon of butter into four pieces and place a piece on top of each apple. Add enough apple cider to the dish to come up to a depth of 1/4-inch.
Cover loosely with foil and place in a 350° oven. Bake for 30 minutes. Uncover the dish and baste the apple with the liquid in the dish. Continue to bake until the apples are very tender all the way through—another 15 to 30 minutes depending on the variety and size of the apples. The apple will have puffed, the flesh may have begun to ooze in spots and the skin will be a bit wrinkled. Let the apples cool briefly before serving. They are best when they are warm, but they are good at room temperature too. Serve with some of the syrupy juices from the pan spooned over. They may be served with ice cream, whipped cream or custard sauce for dessert, but I like them best with plain yogurt for breakfast.
Notes:
You may make as many or as few apples as you like. The recipe multiplies and divides easily. For one apple, use a pyrex custard cup to bake the apple.
The filling you use can be varied to suit your taste and your pantry. A plain baked apple with just butter, brown sugar and oatmeal is delicious. But you may add spices and zests as you please. A tablespoon per apple of chopped toasted nuts, or dried fruits (or a combination) is a nice addition. A variation I particularly like (using the quantities in the above recipe) is 2 T. chopped toasted pecans, 2 T. dried currants and the zest of half an orange.