Apple Pie Baked Apples

Despite the popular phrase “easy as apple pie,” homemade pie can be quite an undertaking. And unless you’re serving a crowd, you’ll have a lot of leftovers—and isn’t apple pie best when served fresh? Enter this adorable dessert, which offers all the flavors and aroma of a warm apple pie, pre-portioned into single-serve treats. Each apple is filled with homemade pie filling and topped with a swirl of pecan-oat crumble. The combination is so good it will have you licking the spoon. Though other varieties work in a pinch, Honeycrisp apples work best because they hold their shape when baked. As far as the crust goes, we love a traditional lattice, but feel free to get creative with all sorts of designs. We recommend serving the whole thing a la mode.

INGREDIENTS

1  Grannysmith apple

6  Honeycrisp apples

1  tablespoon granulated sugar

5  tablespoons brown sugar, divided

3  tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided

½  teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon cornstarch

1  tablespoon lemon juice

½ cup old-fashioned rolled oats

¼ cup chopped pecans

2  tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1  batch Basic Flaky Piecrust dough or store-bought pie dough, chilled

1  egg

    turbinado sugar, for sprinkling

DIRECTIONS

Cut the Grannysmith apple and 1 Honeycrisp apple into a small dice (about 2½ cups) and place in a medium-sized bowl. Add the granulated sugar, 3 tablespoons brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and cornstarch; stir to combine. Stir in the lemon juice.

In a small bowl, combine the oats, remaining 2 tablespoons brown sugar, remaining 1 tablespoon flour, and pecans. Add the pieces of butter and incorporate them with your hands until a crumble forms. Add the crumble to the apple mixture and stir to combine.

Slice off the very tops of the remaining 5 Honeycrisp apples and, using a spoon and a paring knife, hollow out the insides of the apples, being sure to remove the core and seeds. Using the very tip of the paring knife, cut two horizontal slits on either side of each apple, just barely piercing the skin, being careful not to slice through the apple’s wall (this acts as a steam vent for the apples while baking). Divide the apple filling evenly amongst the apples.

Preheat oven to 375° F. Remove the piecrust from the refrigerator and cut into small strips (just longer than the width of each apple). Weave the strips into a lattice pattern atop each apple. Add 1 inch of water to an 8-by-8 inch baking dish and place the apples inside.

Whisk the egg in a small bowl and brush the egg wash onto each apple’s lattice. Sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Cover the baking dish with foil, ensuring the foil isn’t touching the tops of the apples. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake an additional 20-25 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and the apples have softened.