My Grandma's Baked Apples

Stephen loves helping me in the kitchen and since he is not attending school right now (I’ll talk about that another time), I’ve been trying to come up with things I am sure he can assist with in the kitchen. We’re having fun with our cooking projects, and I want to keep a journal of them -- if I can discipline myself in keeping my camera handy and making notes. In time, I’d like to print our recipes and stories and make a keepsake book for Stephen, which is one reason I created this new food and recipe journal. How I wish I had recorded photos and notes from my childhood when I helped my mama and grandmothers in the kitchen.

Last Friday, Stephen and I baked apples! It was like taking a step back in time for me. I recall being as young as four years old when I helped my grandmother with this very recipe. Grandma baked apples at least once a week. Her little house, which was (and still is) located on main street in our town would smell so wonderful when she baked apples. The fragrance of apples and cinnamon was most distinctive in the fall of the year -- I believe it was because of the crisp chill in the air, and it just made you feel all warm and happy inside to step onto grandma‘s porch and breathe in the aroma.

Now on to the recipe -

You'll need the following ingredients:




* A baking pan, large enough to hold the apples. I like them to fit snuggly in the pan so they won‘t tip over.
* An apple corer is nice, but not necessary
* 6 - apples, washed
* 1/3 cup - brown sugar
* 1 - teaspoon cinnamon
* 1- teaspoon vanilla (optional)
* 1/3 cup- raisins
* 1/3 cup- coarsely chopped pecans
* 2-3 tablespoons - butter
* boiling water - enough to cover bottom of dish

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 or 375 degrees, depending on your oven.
Core the apples and use a spoon or paring knife to scoop out the remaining seeds. If you use an apple corer, I find this doesn’t make the hole in the apple big enough to hold the ingredients, so I make it slightly bigger in diameter with a paring knife.

* Mix the next five ingredients together in a small bowl.
* Spoon the mixture into each apple.
* Top each apple with a pat of butter.
* Add boiling water to bottom of pan.
* Bake until the apples look all shriveled and a knife easily pierces through them - about 45 minutes.
* Spoon the sweet, buttery pan drippings all over the apples before serving.



These are also good topped with vanilla ice cream, but we usually just eat them plain.