Baked Apple with Pecans and Dried Cherries for Slow Cooker Saturday

Hi folks. Well that was a mouthful. And what a delightful mouthful it was. Now these little beauties do not photograph well at all. So I apologize for that. I assure you the taste is out of this world and will make up for the lack of photogenic beauty. The colour just does not pop after cooking all day. So luckily the taste pops. I used Granny Smith apples in the hopes they would stand up well. I also thought the taste of the Grannies would be enhanced wonderfully with the sugar, fruit and nuts. Turned out to be a lovely combination and I have to admit I may have scarfed mine quicker than I could shoot the photos. So this is my version of the baked apple. Kimified with dried cherries as you know I love them. I was lucky to get any pecans in there as I was popping them in my mouth faster than I could chop them. Hope you enjoy. Before we get to them though I wanted to share some finds from my market trip this week. The farmers markets may be closed here but we have a lovely gourmet year round store that is stocked to the gills with yummy goods. Enjoy!

I scored some real treats this week. I love this little store so much. It's just got some of the coolest items I don't see elsewhere. Living in a small town is a real challenge culinary wise. It's hard to find good quality items. Luckily the trip to the city is done often as it's only about 20 minutes from us.

Okay so now on to baked apples. Hope you enjoy these and make your own. You can add just about anything to them which is always fun. Nothing says fall like apples. I'll be sad when winter and snow arrive. Time to go buy a lottery ticket so I can make my coveted move to Hawaii! Warmth, I want warmth people! Sun, surf, half naked men.... oops, sorry that just slipped out. I meant sun, surf and sand. Yah, really I did.

Ugly but Tasty Baked Apples with Pretty Pecans and Cheery Cherries:

Ingredients:

4 Granny Smith Apples
4 tablespoons dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter, melted
⅓ cup pecans, chopped
⅓ cup dried cherries, chopped
Cinnamon to taste
Nutmeg to taste
Lemon juice, about 1 tablespoon, used to keep apple from browning

Directions:

Core apple almost to the bottom, but not quite. You want to leave a little so the stuff you put inside stays inside.

Cut around the top so you have a smallish open to pack your sugar mixture in later.

Brush the part of the apple you have cored and cut with lemon juice.

Chop you pecans and cherries. I find putting the nuts in a small ziploc and whacking it lightly with a rolling pin effective and plus it's just great fun to get your aggression out.

Now in a bowl mix your sugar, pecans, dried cherries, nutmeg and cinnamon (sorry Ann!).

Place the butter in the microwave for a few seconds to melt it.

Now add the butter to the bowl with the sugar and mix it all up really well. It will smell absolutely amazing. Do not be tempted to eat it. It will give you a tummy ache, trust me!!!

Now place your apples in your slow cooker. Obviously with the cut side up. (you never know, someone might do it backwards by mistake, lol)

Now scoop the sugar mixture into the holes in the apples.

Take about ⅓ to ½ cup of water and pour it into the bottom of the slow cooker.

Place lid on and turn on low heat setting for about 4ish hours.

Make sure it's plugged in, trust me this is important!

Wander off and read my blog for about 4ish hours then go back to your slow cooker.

Remove and serve with a Lunatic smile!

I like to scoop out the juice on the bottom and pour it over the apples. Yummy goodness!

Here's a little tutorial on how to eat a baked apple:

Take one ugly apple...

Slice into it....

Watch the pretty juices flow out....

Pace yourself, no one likes a piggie...

Take a deep breath.....

And dive right in....

See...ugly but good!

Okay folks that wraps up another Slow Cooker Saturday. I already have a wonderful recipe picked out for next week. Get your forks ready folks. You'll need them.

Toodles and smoochies.xx