Apple Pie Baked in the Apple

This was forwarded to me from a friend in Australia. I made a couple of flavour/texture enhancements, but still have yet to try it. Looks like fun. We always have too many apples occupying the crisper and run out of ideas to use them up.

• Ready In: 1 hr
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 5 -6  granny smith apples (make sure they can stand on their own)
• 1  tablespoon cinnamon
• 1⁄4 teaspoon cardamom
• 1⁄4 cup sugar
• 1  tablespoon brown sugar
• 1  pie crust (homemade or pre-made)

Directions

1. Mix sliced apples with sugars and spice in a bowl. If you prefer more or less spices, make adjustments as desired. Same goes for the sugar.
2. Scoop sliced apples into hollow apples.
3. 1) Preheat oven to 375°F.
4. 2) Cut off the top of 4 apples off and discard. Remove the inside of each apple with a spoon or melon baller very carefully, as to not puncture the peel.
5. If you’re a skilled interior apple excavator, salvage as much as you can so you can use it for Step 2. I, on the other hand, am not skilled so I just had to.
6. throw my interior apples away and chop up additional apples for filling.
7. 3) Remove skin from remaining apple(s) and slice very thinly. These apple pieces will give you the additional filling needed to fill the four apples you are baking.
8. 4) Roll out pie crust and slice into 1/4 inch strips. You can also add a strip of pastry inside the top of the apple almost like a liner to add a little more texture/sweetness to the pie.
9. Cover the top of the apple in a lattice pattern with pie crust strips.
10. 5) Place apples in an 8×8 pan. Add just enough water to the cover the bottom of the pan.
11. Cover with foil and bake for 20-25 minutes.
12. Remove foil and bake for an additional 20 minutes or until crust is golden brown and sliced apples are soft.
13. Makes 4 baked apple pies (in the apple).