Chilly mornings call for hot breakfasts, and with apples lining farmers’ market stalls, I made two versions of baked apples this week. First up: a modified version of granola-stuffed baked apples from Macheesmo.com. With all the ingredients in my pantry (see list below), I threw together a batch in less than five minutes (while William stumbled out of bed and groggily got dressed). The apples baked while we walked Bruno in the cold and were ready—steaming and oozing syrupy goodness—when we got home. Soft apple flesh caved under our forks. Brown sugar and butter made a sweet sauce, and nutty granola from Not Just Rugelach provided textural contrast. I served the apples with plain, whole-milk yogurt and a fat cup of coffee. Our hot breakfast craving was satisfied.
William and I favor savory breakfasts, so apple recipe No. 2 used bread crumbs leftover from my stuffed pumpkin, along with cream cheese, sharp cheddar and cream. The cheesy apples were equally (borderline more) delicious than the granola apples, and with a hint of black pepper they also could work as an autumn side dish. If you like a slice of cheddar with your apple pie and apple-cheddar sandwiches (as I do), this is the breakfast for you.
The methods for both recipes are the nearly the same. Just preheat your oven to 350°. Remove the apples’ cores and scrape out a little extra flesh to leave more room for stuffing. I used a pairing knife-spoon combo to do the work, but an apple corer and melon baller would make an even more effective team. For the granola apples, mix together granola, brown sugar and cinnamon; stuff the apples and top each with a teaspoon of butter. For the cheese apples, combine bread crumbs, cream, cream cheese, cheddar, salt and pepper; pack the stuffing into the apple. Next, pop the apples onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, and bake for 30 minutes. Enjoy!
Granola-stuffed baked apple ingredients
2 medium apples
4 tablespoons granola
2 tablespoons brown sugar
Dash cinnamon and/or powdered ginger
2 teaspoons unsalted butter
Cheddar-stuffed baked apple ingredients
2 medium apples
3 tablespoons fresh bread crumbs
Splash cream or milk
1 tablespoon cream cheese
2 tablespoons shredded cheddar cheese
Salt and pepper to taste