Yesteryear Baked Stuffed Apples

 

I used to love these when I was a little girl! They look so pretty and are like your very own special little apple pie!

Well, I happened to have 3 apples left and a sheet of frozen pie pastry in the freezer to use up quickly before the apples got forgotten and turned to applesauce…on their own.

There’s nothing more sad when fruit gets misplaced and goes bad and you have to pitch it to the birds. The birds of course are appreciative, but there’s nothing I hate more than food waste. Besides giving me a terrible guilt complex, it’s a shameful waste of money!

Yes, I’ve been known to pinch pennies until Lincoln’s eyeballs are popping out, and being wasteful is just plain a pet peeve! 

So what to do with them? Dinner was already planned. Actual homemade applesauce seemed silly with only 3 apples, our internet was down all day and I had searched about every cookbook I own for ideas and nothing sounded good.

So, hours later, that sheet of pastry in the freezer that kept getting shoved to the back was finally looking like a darned good idea!

 

 

FINALLY an idea hit me…EUREKA! Baked stuffed apples!!

I re-opened about a dozen cookbooks for a recipe and baking times/temps but couldn’t find a single one! So I stubbornly gave up and decided to just wing-it.

I was tired of racking my brain, no internet all day was frustrating enough, and I just wanted my quest to finally be done!

Put a plan into some kind of action and finally have fun! 

 

 

So after hollowing out the cores, I just eyeballed the space and figured the brown sugar to a TEE. I was DETERMINED by now that this was not only going to work, it was going to be perfect and fabulous.

(There were plenty of libations, so what the heck. 😉 )

If I messed up coring them….I’d chop them.

If I tore the pastry beyond use…I’d make rustic tarts.

The day was going to turn around and I was going to make it happen! 😉 😀

 

 

And they turned out beautiful! Just like the ones I remembered from when I was a little girl at my Grandma’s house on a hot summer day!

The only things missing was some homemade, hand-churned ice cream, and her.

And Grandpa, who would whistle soft songs to the birds and toss a few small pieces out to them to enjoy, too.

Sitting on the porch with my Grandparents and my own little perfect “apple pie.”. Such warm, wonderful memories. 

I hope these remind you of your fondest childhood memories, too! And don’t forget to pick up, or make, some good vanilla ice cream! 😉 🙂 Enjoy all! 🙂

This recipe chosen as a host favorite!

 

 

 

YESTERYEAR BAKED STUFFED APPLES

Makes 3 assorted apples

 

For Apples:

3 medium-sized apples (any variety), cored almost to the bottom and peeled

1/4 cup dark brown sugar

2 Tbl. soft butter

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. Pumpkin Pie Spice

1 Pillsbury Pie Crust sheet, thawed, or enough homemade pastry for a single crust pie

2 Tbl. milk, half and half or heavy cream

cinnamon-sugar mix (2 parts sugar to 1 part cinnamon)

 

For Sauce:

3/4 cup dark brown sugar

1/4 cup water

1/8 tsp. cinnamon

2 Tbl. butter

1/2 tsp. vanilla

 

DIRECTIONS:

For Apples:

Core apples from the top almost all the way down to the bottom.

Set aside. In small bowl, mix well the dark brown sugar, butter, and spices mashing and mixing with a fork. 

Divide mixture into thirds, form into 3 short ropes, and stuff into hollowed apples. Peel apples and set aside.

On a lightly floured surface, roll pastry out a little thinner. Cut pastry into 3 equal sections with a pastry wheel, knife or pizza cutter. (Cut like a “peace sign” without the bottom center line.) Place each piece on top over apples and form around them sealing. (If it tears a bit, just patch and squish it together. No biggie.) Where pastry overlaps, trim and save to make decorations. Decorate with cut out leaves and stems using excess pastry and sticking them on by wetting backs with cold water and pressing on lightly.

Place into parchment paper-lined baking dish. Brush with milk or cream for a shiny crust and sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar mix. 

Pop into 375 degree oven for about 45 minutes until golden. 

 

For Sauce:

While apples are baking, place sauce ingredients into small saucepan and heat to a full rolling boil. Boil and stir for 1 minute. Set aside. When apples are ready to serve, stir sauce well to remix and pour sauce over apples.

Serve warm with ice cream if desired.