Let's Do Some Baking With Fruit

Today we are sharing some of our fruit recipes that require a little cooking.  YUM!!!!

1. Baked Apples with Cherries & Almonds

Ingredients
•1/3 cup dried cherries, coarsely chopped
•3 tablespoons chopped almonds
•1 tablespoon wheat germ
•1 tablespoon firmly packed brown sugar
•1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
•1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
•6 small Golden Delicious apples, about 1 3/4 pounds total weight
•1/2 cup apple juice
•1/4 cup water
•2 tablespoons dark honey
•2 teaspoons walnut oil or canola oil

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

In a small bowl, toss together the cherries, almonds, wheat germ, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg until all the ingredients are evenly distributed. Set aside.

The apples can be left unpeeled, if you like. To peel the apples in a decorative fashion, with a vegetable peeler or a sharp knife, remove the peel from each apple in a circular motion, skipping every other row so that rows of peel alternate with rows of apple flesh. Working from the stem end, core each apple, stopping 3/4 inch from the bottom.

Divide the cherry mixture evenly among the apples, pressing the mixture gently into each cavity. Arrange the apples upright in a heavy ovenproof frying pan or small baking dish just large enough to hold them. Pour the apple juice and water into the pan. Drizzle the honey and oil evenly over the apples, and cover the pan snugly with aluminum foil. Bake until the apples are tender when pierced with a knife, 50 to 60 minutes.

Transfer the apples to individual plates and drizzle with the pan juices. Serve warm or at room temperature.

2. Apple Chips

Apple Chips:
1 apple, peeled
juice of one small lemon
1 cup water
cinnamon

Preheat oven to 175º F. Combine lemon juice and water in small bowl.Slice apple into thin slices over the bowl of lemon water (the thinner they are the more chips you end up with). Place apple slices on silicone mat or parchment paper on a baking tray and sprinkle with cinnamon to your taste. Bake in oven for about 2 hours until crisp. Let cool for a few minutes and enjoy.

Fried Apple (this one is very easy, tastes like apple pie and is great on a cold day):

Peel and slice an apple (I go the easier route and don't peel the apple)
Fry them in a frying pan with cinnamon and sweetener (sugar, sugar twin etc) until desired texture.

3.  Oatmeal Baked Apple

◾1 apple (variety of your choice) - I used Fuji
◾2 tbsp maple syrup - could probably use light syrup, although I didn't
◾2 tbsp oats (steel cut oats, rolled oats, whatever you like)
◾Generous sprinkling of cinnamon

Pre-heat oven to 350.

Slice the apples in half and scoop out the seeds to create a little “bowl” in each half. Add 1 tbsp of oats and 1 tbsp of maple syrup to each apple. Top with a very generous sprinkling of cinnamon.

Bake for 20 – 25 minutes.