Blueberry Baked Apples

There are several Baked Apple recipes on this website, but none are as quick and simple as this recipe for Blueberry Baked Apples that CSA member Helen Darmara shared with us. It is the perfect combo of local ingredients for those of us Mainers who have our freezers packed with the summer’s bounty of frozen berries. Helen told me she cooked the baked apples in the microwave, something I don’t own. So I waited to make them till I came to visit our daughter and her family in (where else?) the Big Apple. While you can bake them in an oven (45 minutes), it’s hard to argue with three minutes in the microwave. And they are really delicious. We ate them warm for a midday snack, cold with yogurt and granola on top for breakfast, and steaming straight out of the microwave for dessert. I tried the recipe with Rolfe, SnowSweet and Wolf River - the Rolfe and SnowSweet took 2 to 2.5 minutes to get soft. The Wolf River took 3 minutes. Thanks for the great idea, Helen.

Ingredients:

  • 1 large cooking apple

  • 2 Tbs frozen, unsweetened blueberries (no need to thaw them)

  • sprinkle of cinnamon

  • 2 tsp maple syrup

  • 1/4 Tbs butter (optional)

Directions:

  1. Wash the apple. Use a small paring knife and a spoon or melon baller to remove most of the core of the apple. You’ll want to leave 1/4” - 1/2” at the bottom. If you use an apple corer you are more likely to push all the way through and out the other side. You are making a basin, not a tunnel.

  2. Remove a 1/2” strip of skin from around the opening.

  3. Place the apple in a microwave safe dish that is deeper than the apple is tall.

  4. Dust the inside of the cavity with a bit of cinnamon, and fill it with the blueberries. Drizzle the maple syrup over the berries. Add a small pat of butter if you want for extra deliciousness.

  5. Cover the dish with a lid or plate. If you don’t, there may be a small blueberry volcano in your microwave.

  6. Microwave for 2-5 minutes until the apples are soft. Check them after 2 minutes, and adjust the time accordingly.

  7. After you remove them from the microwave, they will be really hot. Let them cool a bit or you will burn your mouth.

  8. You can also cook these in a 375 degree oven for 45 minutes. Set them in a baking dish with enough water to cover the bottom.