I love baked apples, especially on a cold winters night, and since I began topping mine with a splash of Apricot Bandy and a really big dollop of vanilla Yogurt they have become one of my favorite desserts!

Step 1: INGREDIENTS (for 3 Apples):

FOR THE APPLES:

3 *firm raw apples (I am using Ambrosia Apples here)
3 TBS brown sugar (1 TBS per apple)
1 TBS ground cinnamon (1 teaspoon per apple)
1 TBS (more or less) Raisins (I used Sun-Maid California Golden Raisins) (1 teaspoon per apple more or less)
A pinch or two of freshly grated nutmeg (for each apple)
3 slices of unsalted butter (about a TBS in total) (1/3 TBS per apple)
3/4 to 1 cup boiling water (for the bottom of the baking dish)

FOR THE TOPPING:

A splash of your favorite flavored fruit Brandy (optional, but oh so good) - I used Apricot Brandy
3 large dollops of Vanilla Yogurt (also optinal, but also oh so good) - Vanilla or your favorite flavor will work fine.
A dusting of ground cinnamon

*NOTE: The first time I made this recipe I used Granny Smith Green Apples - one of my favorites, but they were too soft and got a little mushy when baked. Those pretty red and yellow apples seem to be much firmer and worked really good.

Step 2: INSTRUCTIONS:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit

Wash and dry your apples.
*Remove apple cores and seeds, being careful not to cut throught the bottom of the apples (you want to create a nice round cavity in which to stuff the filling, but you need to leave about 1/2" of apple at the bottom of the "well").
Mix together the brown sugar, cinnamon, ground nutmeg, and raisins and pack as much as you can into each of the apple cavities that you have created.
Top each apple with a slice of butter.
Place the stuffed apples into a suitably sized baking dish and pour enough boiling water into the dish to just cover the bottom of the dish for about 1/4".
Place the dish into the preheated oven and bake for 30 to 45 minutes, or until the apples are tender-crispy (that's the way I like mine and it took about 38 minutes to do this; in any case, you do not want to overcook them because they will become "mushy").

*NOTE: Coring the apples and removing the seeds is the toughest part of this recipe. Although I think there are apple corers that will help you to perform this task, I used a small sharp paring knife to remove the stem as pictured here; then I used a teaspoon to cut down into and around the center of the apple until I find the seeds. In almost every case, I found three black seeds about 2/3 of the way down and was able to scoop them out with the spoon while still leaving about 1/2 to 3/4 fo an inch of meat (flesh) at the bottom of the "well" that I created.

Step 3: TIME TO EAT . . .

Carefully remove the hot baking dish from the oven.

Splash some of your favorite brandy over the top of the baked apples (about a jigger of brandy).

Place a big dollop of your favorite yogurt (maybe a TBS) on top of each apple and dust them with ground cinnamon. (I have no doubt that ice cream would be just as good - maybe even better - than yogurt here).

Serve warm with along with a little of the "syrup" that has formed in the bottom of the baking dish.

Bon appétit . . .