Cooking With WCCO: Cranberry And Maple Baked Apples

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Minnesota apple orchards are seeing bumper crops this fall, so it's a great time to use them in your recipes.

This week, WCCO spent some time in the Cambria Kitchen with Whole Foods chef Ani Loizzo.

Apples are the quintessential fall fruit, but it can be hard to know which type of apple to use in a recipe.

According to Loizzo, texture, flavor and size are all contributing factors to whether an apple-based recipe will appeal to guests.

Loizzo demonstrated how to make Cranberry and Maple Baked Apples, a great apple dessert that looks like it took a lot of time to prepare but is deceivingly easy.

Cranberry and Maple Baked Apples

For this recipe, Loizzo used Fuji and Granny Smith because these varieties are excellent for holding their shape and not losing flavor or texture when baking.

Ingredients:

8 firm, tart apples, cored and peeled halfway from top
3 cups cranberry nectar
1/2 cup grade A maple syrup
1/4 cup unbleached fine sugar
1 tablespoon fresh-squeezed lemon juice (not bottled lemon juice)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons grated ginger root
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°F.

Place apples in a 9x13-inch baking dish or attractive casserole dish large enough to hold all apples. Retain the bottoms of the cored apples; don't core all the way through.

Mix cranberry juice, maple syrup, sugar, lemon juice, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger and cornstarch. Fill the apple cavities with the cranberries and nuts. Pour the liquid over the top of the apples.

Cover lightly with foil and bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, until apples are tender and syrup forms.