Sweet Baked Apples With Dates & Apricots

Dreamer in Ontario's Note:

Found in the Toronto Star. Adapted from Jewish Cooking for All Seasons. The tester tried this recipe using different types of apples (Crispin, Honeycrisp, Empire, Golden Delicious) and recommends Crispin (Mutsu) and Honeycrisp. An apple corer may be used rather than a melon baller. You'll have a smaller hole that cuts right through the apples and you'll be able to stuff more apples.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 30 mins
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 1 hrs

Ingredients:

Servings: 6

• 6 large firm apples, preferred varieties are Honeycrisp, Crispin (Mutsu)
• 1/2 cup chopped pitted honey dates
• 1/2 cup chopped dried apricot
• 1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
• 3 tablespoons honey
• 3/4 cup sweet white wine such as riesling wine
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 pinch ground cloves
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Directions:

1. Slice off top 1/4 inch of apples.
2. Using melon baller, remove core, seeds and enough flesh fo form hollow area for stuffing, leaving bottom intact.
3. Pulse dates and apricots in food processor until fruits are chopped and clumping but not a paste.
4. Transfer to bowl.
5. Stir in proegranate molasses, honey, 1/4 cup wine, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg.
6. Stuff mixture evenly into apples.
7. Place apples in baking dish. Pour remaining 1/2 cup wine around them.
8. Bake in preheated 350F oven until desired softness, about 45 to 60 minutes, occasionally spooning wine and juices over fruit.
9. Let stand at least 10 minutes before serving (they will wrinkle).
10. Serve warm, drizzled with remaining pan juices.

Reviews

[Emily C]

I loved this! I wanted to make it a little more casual, so I chopped up three granny smith apples into 1" chunks, placed them in an 8x8 glass baking dish, and then smeared the topping (threw in some walnuts!) over the apples... otherwise stuck to the recipe and baked it all for 45 minutes. VOILA!!! Soooo good!!!

[Sydney Mike]

Took me a bit of time to track down pomegranate molasses but finally found some in a speciality store & am finding other uses for it, too! It adds a great new flavor to this great combo of fruits & makes these baked apples wonderfully special! A great keeper recipe, thanks to you! [Tagged, made & reviewed in Potluck Tag]

[Kittencalskitchen]

my fruit-loving DH really enjoyed this, I omitted the pomegranate molasses as I did not have any any, I only had a medium white wine so that is what I used, the dates and dried apricots really add so much extra zip to this, thanks for sharing Dreamer!