Caramel-Pecan Baked Apples

8
Points®
Total Time
1 hr 5 min
Prep
10 min
Cook
55 min
Serves
2
Difficulty
Easy
You might like to serve these at Halloween. They’re good for adults and kids, giving them something sweet and delicious (other than candy) to enjoy.

Ingredients

Dried dates

1 medium, pitted and chopped

Raisins

1 Tbsp, dark, coarsely chopped

Chopped pecans

1 Tbsp

Packed brown sugar

1 Tbsp

Ground cinnamon

¼ tsp

Ground nutmeg

tsp

Apple

2 large, Rome variety

Unsalted butter

1 tsp, cold, cut into small pieces

Regular caramel topping

2 Tbsp, sauce

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Pour 1/4 cup water into an 8-inch square baking dish.
  2. Toss together the dates, raisins, pecans, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a small bowl. Core the apples with a small knife, but do not cut all the way through to the bottoms. Peel about 1/2 inch of skin from the tops of the apples. Fill the apples with the date mixture; stand in the baking dish and dot the filling with the butter.
  3. Transfer the apples to dessert plates with a slotted spoon. Drizzle with the caramel sauce. Yields 1 baked apple and 1 tablespoon caramel sauce per serving.

Notes

If you like, use dried cranberries instead of raisins and dress up the apples by garnishing each one with a cinnamon stick. Northern Spy, Cortland, and McIntosh apples would make suitable alternatives to Rome apples. Look for fresh apples in farmers’ markets and at roadside stands in the fall.These apples are easily made in the microwave. Simply place the stuffed apples in a small microwavable baking dish. Pour 1/4 cup water around the apples and microwave, covered, on High, 7 to 10 minutes. Let the apples stand 5 minutes before serving.