Name: Breakfast Baked Apples
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Ingredients: 4 large apples , large, (about 2 pounds), one strip of peel from stem end removed, rinsed, dried, and cored (see illustration below); 1/2 cup brown sugar; 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon or more to taste; 1 cup apple cider (preferably unfiltered) or enough to come 1/2 inch up side of pan; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Why This Recipe Works

We discovered the secrets to a great baked apples recipe: After testing a number of varieties, we ended up choosing Northern Spy, Cortland, and Golden Delicious as our favorites, based on their availability as well as their appearance and flavor. For our baked apples recipe, we preferred baking the apples uncovered instead of wrapping them in foil because the apples caramelized better. To allow steam to escape and thereby keep the apples from bursting, we found that removing a strip of skin around the apple's stem end with a vegetable peeler did the trick.

Before You Begin

Use Northern Spy, Cortland, or Golden Delicious apples in this recipe -- they are all excellent. Serve this version of baked apples with vanilla yogurt and granola for a healthy breakfast.

Instructions

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place apples in 9-inch Pyrex pie pan or 8-inch-square baking pan. Mix cinnamon and sugar, adding more cinnamon if desired, then sprinkle over and inside apple cavities. Mix cider and vanilla extract, and pour in pan.

Bake apples, basting every 15 minutes, until tender when pierced with thin, sharp knife or cake tester, 45 to 55 minutes. Be careful not to overbake, or skins will split, causing apples to lose their shape. Serve warm. (Can be cooled to room temperature, covered, and refrigerated for 2 days. Reheat before serving.)