Blooming Baked Apples

I love anything with apples and this easy delicious recipe gets it every time.

You will need:

2 apples

2 tbsp butter

3 tbsp brown sugar, packed

1 tbsp flour

1 tsp cinnamon{{more}}

4 caramels

Optional toppings: vanilla ice cream, caramel sauce and cinnamon.

Method:

Preheat the oven to 375°. To get the blooming apple look, slice off the top 1/4 to 1/3 of the apples. Using a small spoon, scoop out the core. Use a thin knife to make two deep circular cuts around the centre of the apple. Next, turn the apple over and make narrow cuts all the way around the apple. It should look like an intact, sliced onion when finished. Place the apples in an oven safe dish and put two caramels into the center of each apple. Heat butter and brown sugar in the microwave for 30 seconds, or in a small pot on low heats stirring constantly until the sugar has melted completely. Add flour and cinnamon. Divide the mixture over the top of the two sliced apples. Bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes. (Check apples after 25 minutes and continue cooking until tender. Some apples can take 45 min to 1 hour to soften.) Remove from the oven and use a large spoon to move the apples into bowls. Top with a scoop of ice cream, drizzle with caramel and sprinkle with cinnamon. The ice cream will cause the caramel in the centre to harden, so eat quickly or put the ice cream scoop on the side.

Tip – If you want to cut down on the sugar, then omit the caramel and use the mixture as normal.