Maple syrup, dates make healthful baked apples

Walnut and Date-Stuffed Baked Apples (The Washington Post/Laura Chase de Formigny)
Walnut and Date-Stuffed Baked Apples (The Washington Post/Laura Chase de Formigny)

The aroma filling your kitchen as this dessert bakes will have you swooning well before it's time to dig in.

It's an anticipation that makes eating it even better, priming you for the reward of digging your spoon through the softened peel of the whole apple to arrive at its tender inside, scooping bits of spiced, sweetened walnuts and maple-kissed juices along with it. This recipe offers that supreme, homestyle enticement in a more healthful way to boot, without much added sugar at all.

This new spin on the homey, old-fashioned dessert has much less added sugar than the traditional version, with just a little maple syrup drizzled on top, and a walnut filling sweetened with finely chopped dates. The dried fruit melds in seamlessly with cooking so you don't even realize it's there — you just get its sweet essence punctuated with the aroma of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.

Walnut and Date-Stuffed Baked Apples

  • ½ cup (2 ounces) walnut pieces
  • 4 large cooking apples, such as Rome, Cortland, Gala or Braeburn
  • 3 tablespoons finely chopped pitted dates
  • 4 tablespoons maple syrup, divided use
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1 pinch kosher salt
  • ½ cup unsweetened apple juice

Heat oven to 350 degrees.

Place the walnuts on a small, rimmed baking sheet and toast in the oven until fragrant and slightly darkened, about 5 minutes. Transfer the nuts to a cutting board, let cool, then finely chop.

Core the apples, leaving their bottoms intact. (Use a melon baller to scoop out the core, but not all the way through.) Place the apples upright in a baking dish just wide enough for the apples to snugly fit, such as an 8-by-8-inch pan.

In a medium bowl, combine the walnuts, dates, 2 tablespoons maple syrup, the cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt.

In a small bowl, stir together the apple juice with the remaining 2 tablespoons maple syrup. Stuff the center of each apple with the walnut-date mixture, then pour the apple juice around the apples. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until the apples are tender.

Serve hot or cold, drizzled with the pan juices.

Leftover baked apples can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition information: Each serving contains approximately 292 calories, 3 g protein, 9 g fat, 52 g carbohydrate (41 g sugar), no cholesterol, 41 mg sodium and 7 g fiber.

Carbohydrate choices: 3.5

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