Baked Spiced Granny Smith Apples

For a Midwest boy to survive living in Malaysia, he has to pretend.

Pretend to be a local when bargaining at the morning market. Pretend to know how to drive on the left side of the road. Pretend to speak Malay and Hokkien and Tamil. Pretend to like karaoke on the street. Pretend that one day the heat will take a day off. Pretend that buses run on schedule and motorcycles stop at red lights. Pretend that crab sticks and mayonnaise belong on pizza, and corn on desserts.

And sometimes pretend to be home in Minnesota when I miss it most – in the fall.

Bought a bag of imported Granny Smith apples, went home and blasted the air conditioner. Closed the curtains to hide the verdant green of Penang's hills. Crushed some hazelnuts and mixed it with a spoon of brown sugar and baking spice. Tried to remember the last time my Vikings won a game. Slid the apples into the oven. Thought about how many days until Halloween. Smelled the intense aroma of Saigon cinnamon. Sat down in front of the oven, watched the apples brown, and pretended I was home.

Since it is never fall in Malaysia, there is never a right time to bake apples. But I like to think of it the other way around...there is never a wrong time to bake apples. Apple crisp in the ‘spring’, apple pie in the ‘summer’, and spiced baked apples in the ‘fall’.

Baked spiced apples are simple to make, leave plenty of room for improvisation, and not only create a messy, homemade, warming dessert like this…

but also complement meat dishes like pork…

Baked Spiced Granny Smith Apples recipe
by Season with Spice

What you’ll need:
4 Granny Smith apples
1/2 cup hazelnuts (or almonds or walnuts or pecans), chopped
2 tsp baking spice (Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Mace, Allspice, and Ginger)
1 tbsp brown sugar
Honey
Apple cider or juice
Butter

Process:
1. Slice the apples in half and core.  Then remove a thin slice on the bottom of each half, allowing the apples to sit flat*.  Place in baking pan.
2. Drizzle honey over the apples.
3. Mix the chopped hazelnuts, brown sugar, and baking spice, and sprinkle over apples and into the baking pan.
4. Add apple cider (or juice) into the pan, so the apples soak in a half inch pool of spiced goodness.
5. Finally, top each apple with a dab of butter.
6. Bake at 375F (190C) until topping is browned and apples are softened.

Notes:

- *It is important to slice the bottom of the apple halves, so the spiced juice can find its way into the apples to add flavor and to ensure it cooks evenly.
- Serve as a side to a pork dish, and baste apples and pork with the spiced juice.  Or as a dessert topped with sugarless, fresh vanilla bean whipped cream.