Baked Hasselback Apples

Well, hello September! And here's an apple recipe to start it off. I know I'm late to the party on this one (what else is new?)......I've got to be the last blogger to post hasselback apples! Nonetheless, here it is and it was worth the wait. If you haven't made these yet, don't delay....sooooo good. You can serve this with a lo-fat ice cream, or any ice cream you choose. Might be good with just some coffee cream poured over too...the way my mother used to serve baked apples. We had it for dessert of course, but my daughter has been eating the leftovers for breakfast.

Note: According to Cooking Light, choose firm apples with sweet-tart flavor, such as Pink Lady or Honeycrisp; it appears Fuji and Granny Smith fall apart. As indicated below, I used Galas, and they were perfect.

Baked Hasselback Apples
From Cooking Light

Ingredients:
2 large firm apples (I used Galas)
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon                

Ingredients for the second coating:
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar, packed
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons old-fashioned oats
1 teaspoon flour
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Method:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Lightly grease an 8” square baking dish.
Peel and core the apples, then cut them in half vertically. Starting at the outermost edges, cut most (but not all) of the way through each apple half at about 1/8” intervals. Place apple halves, cored sides down, in the baking dish.

Combine 1 tablespoon brown sugar, 1 tablespoon melted butter, and ½ teaspoon cinnamon and brush the mixture evenly over each apple half.  Cover the pan with foil.  Bake 20 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and carefully lift off the foil.  Return to the oven and bake for 10 additional minutes uncovered.  Remove pan from oven.

Combine remaining 3 tablespoons brown sugar, 1 1/2 tablespoons melted butter, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, oats, flour and salt.  Carefully fan open the cuts in the apple halves.  Spoon the oat mixture evenly over the apples, pressing some of it into the grooves.  


Bake 10 minutes uncovered.  Remove from oven.