Sure, we all know, “An apple a day keeps the doctor away,” but do you ever get tired of eating the fruit? Even though apples are conveniently packaged, minimally messy and produce little waste, eating around the core the same old way day after day can get a wee boring – even if you pep up your picks with a ‘Honeycrisp’ or ‘McIntosh’. Sometimes dressing up healthy foods a bit can help us keep them mainstays in our diets.
Using an apple baker or a microwave-safe bowl, add a teaspoon of butter and a teaspoon of brown sugar to the center of your cored apple. Microwave 1-3 minutes.
Photo Credit: Megan Bame
Before serving, slice the apple so it butterflies open, then sprinkle with cinnamon.
Photo Credit: Megan Bame
The slicer/corer is a must-have apple gadget. It makes easy work of slicing and coring.
Photo Credit: Megan Bame
One little trick that’s helped apples stay a part of my family’s regular menu is to bake them, using a wonderful apple baker I discovered at a display of North Carolina pottery at the State Fair. The apple baker resembles a small Bundt pan – it’s basically a small bowl with a peg protruding from the base. The recipe that came with it was really what sold me on the pottery. It was simple enough – you can even make it in the microwave. And it sounded delicious.
Baked Apples
When I got home to try it, it was even easier than I had expected (and tasted great, too)! All you do is core an apple and place it over the peg. (And if you don’t have an apple baker, you can closely replicate this in a microwave-safe bowl.) Add butter, brown sugar and cinnamon (to your taste) in the apple hole, then microwave for 1-3 minutes, depending on the size of the apple. When it comes out, the fruit is baked and flavored. It’s a great snack that could even double as dessert. (You could add caramel, pecans or even ice cream to dress it up a bit more.) The glazed pottery cleans up in a jiffy, and it’s pretty enough to display.
Another handy apple tool is the slicer/corer, which makes eating apples easier for small hands and mouths to handle. The tool is safer than a knife, and in one action it cores and slices a whole apple into 8-10 wedges. While caramel has become the apple dip of choice, it seems, I grew up eating peanut butter on apple wedges for a kick of protein rather than sugar. But if you need to entice a picky eater, try dipping an apple wedge in Jell-O® powder for an extra tasty treat.
If you’re looking for a quick, protein-packed snack to make with apple wedges, try this recipe:
Sweet and Nutty Apple Sandwiches
Ingredients
- 2 apples
- ½ cup peanut butter
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 teaspooons ground cinnamon
- 9 graham crackers
Use an apple slicer/corer to make wedges. Place wedges in a single layer on a microwave-safe plate and microwave for 4 minutes. While apples are cooking, combine peanut butter, honey and cinnamon in a small bowl. Snap graham crackers in half to make 18 squares and spread the peanut butter mixture on half of the squares. When the apples have finished cooking, they should be tender, but still hold their shape. Pour off excess juice and place two apple wedges on each prepared graham cracker. Top with the remaining graham crackers and serve.
No matter how you slice them, apples are an easy way to get a serving of fruit into our diets. Dress them up or eat them plain – this is one healthy snack the whole family can enjoy.
