Fruit and nut baked apples recipe

Fruit and nut baked apples are a very ancient and traditional dessert but you can make them look so modern and pretty. 

The flavours spices and nuts infuses the apples as they bake, and their natural sweetness is amplified along with an extra kick from the honey and sultanas. And the best thing is, this is actually a pretty healthy pudding option, with very little fat content. The smell is wonderful as they cook and it's worth presenting them on the table in the dish you bake them in, for the full festive effect. This recipes serves four, but essentially everyone gets one apple, so it's very easy to adjust it depending on how many diners you are serving to. 

Ingredients

• 4 eating apples, cored
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 tbsp raisins or sultanas
• 25g butter
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 200ml apple juice
• 1 tbsp honey
• 200g blackberries
• 50g flaked almonds

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas mark 4. Cut the top off each apple, but do not discard and core each fruit.
2. Put the raisins, sugar, butter, and cinnamon into a food processor and pulse several times, to produce a coarse, textured mixture.
3. Fill each apple cavity with the mixture and add the tops. Arrange the apples in shallow over proof dish and pour over the apple juice.
4. Bake for 30 mins or until tender. Sprinkle over almonds and the blackberries and serve immediately piping hot.

Top tips for making fruit and nut baked apples

Try using either Gala, Golden Delicious or Honeycrisp variety of apples for the perfect sweet/tart balance.

You can add extra spices if you have them, too. A few star anise adds a little bit of an aniseed touch, and they look so pretty in the dish (make sure everyone knows not to eat them though!). Whole cloves add a nice festive twist.

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