Baked Apples With Maple-Walnut Sauce

From Vegetarian Times - April 2010 Apples made the top 20 in a USDA list of foods with the highest antioxidant scores. The richest concentration of antioxidants is found in the fruit’s skin, so this recipe calls for unpeeled apples. Halving the apples before baking them saves cooking time and lets the fruit soak up more of the sweet, cinnamon-laced juices.

• Ready In: 35 mins
• Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 4  large apples, such as Gala or 4  large granny smith apples, halved crosswise and cored
• 2  teaspoons lemon juice, divided
• 2  tablespoons light brown sugar (or dark)
• 1⁄4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1  cup maple syrup
• 1⁄8 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄2 cup  toasted walnuts, chopped

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Brush cut sides of apples with 1 teaspoons lemon juice. Arrange apples, cut sides up, in baking dish. Combine brown sugar and cinnamon in small bowl; sprinkle cut sides of apples with sugar mixture. Pour maple syrup in bottom of dish. Cover with foil, and bake 10 minutes. Uncover, and bake 15 minutes more, or until apples are tender. Transfer apples to serving platter.
3. Pour syrup and pan juices into small saucepan, and stir in remaining 1 teaspoons lemon juice and salt; bring to a boil. Cook 2 minutes, or until sauce is thickened, whisking constantly. Stir in walnuts. Spoon sauce over apples, and serve warm.