Easiest Ever "Baked" Apples--Two Ingredients, Tasty Results, in Less than 20 Minutes!

You say you’ve been hankering for some old-fashioned whole baked apples, but don’t like to wait 45 minutes for them to get done?  And that you think maybe they’re too much trouble when you’re rushing to get a meal on the table?

I have a great solution: My Easiest-Ever Microwave “Baked” Apples. Don’t be skeptical; they are every bit as good as the regular oven-baked ones. But they can be on the table in about 20 minutes.  Besides the apples, only one ingredient   is needed for this recipe—brown sugar.  Cinnamon is entirely optional—sometimes I add it, but with really fresh, full-flavored varieties like the Honeycrisp shown above and below, I prefer to just let the pure, sweet apple taste stand alone.

I’ve streamlined the prep time, too. Just wash the apples; core them; and set them in a deep-sided, microwave-safe dish. (Beware, the juices will boil over in a shallow bowl.)  If you have a corer similar to the sturdy and effecient OXO model shown above, simultaneously plunging and twisting down through an apple and neatly pulling out its core will literally take less than 15 seconds. (I've found that because it makes coring so quick, I actually ready baked apples more often. I hated to give up the pointy, toothed one with a wooden handle that my grandmother always used, but, in truth, the new-fangled style does a much better job.)

I’ve been micro-baking apples to go with our suppers three or four times a week ever since I bought some in a Maryland farmers’ market at the end of August. I always think baked apples when I see the Honeycrisp variety, because I once did a side-by-side apple bake-off comparing of over 30 kinds (really!) to find the best ones for baking whole and they were among the winners.

If you check out the results of my test, you’ll see that I gave Macintosh apples a low grade because they collapsed and looked drab, and the flesh had an applesaucey taste and texture. Some huffy Macintosh fans from New England actually e-mailed me to vigorously object, saying that this was the way baked apples were supposed to be. But I think they’d just never been served the better alternatives and am sticking with my original judgment.

Honeycrisps, as well as Rome, Empire, and Jonathan apples, hold their shape and color well. The Honeycrisps are also  juicy; taste wonderful; and are  large enough to yield big, succulent, baked apples. As you can see below, their flesh  has a pretty tawny hue. The three shown in the baking dish  weighed in at between 9 ½ and 11 ½ ounces each, not too much for a generous adult-sized portion. 

Easiest-Ever (Microwave) “Baked” Apples

Some dishes are much better cooked in the oven than the microwave, but apples are delicious prepared either way. Serve these plain or with unsweetened table cream for breakfast, snacks, or as a lunch or dinner side dish.  Or top each with a scoop of ice cream for a simple, but yummy dessert.

Tip: If you wish to ready more than 4 apples at once, add 3 or 4 minutes to the “baking” time for each one. If you ready fewer, subtract 3 or 4 minutes for each omitted from the cooking time.  Also, be sure to check each apple for doneness by piercing the thickest part with a fork. Especially if you prepare different varieties or sizes at once, they will cook at different rates.

2 to 4 large (9 to 11-ounce) full-flavored fresh apples, washed and dried

3 or 4 tablespoons packed light or dark brown sugar

4 generous pinches ground cinnamon, optional

Using an apple corer (or paring knife if necessary), remove the cores, leaving an open channel running from the top to the base of the apples.  Arrange  the apples upright in a deep microwave-safe dish large enough to generously hold them. Don’t crowd or their juices may bubble over the dish sides. Spoon a tablespoon of sugar, and, if desired a pinch of cinnamon into the center cylinder of each apple, pushing it  into the cavity. Drizzle about a 1/2 tablespoon of water into the cavity. Cover the dish with a microwave oven cover or lid.

Microwave the apples, covered with a microwave-safe cover, at 100% power: The baking time will vary depending on the variety and the total weight of the apples. At 8 minutes begin checking the thickest part by piercing with a fork; baking time may range up to 12 to 15 minutes. Keep checking every 2 or 3 minutes until they are tender.  Let apples stand a few minutes before serving. Transfer apples to individual bowls and spoon the cooking juices over them, dividing equally.Makes 3 or 4 servings.

Makes 3 or 4 servings




If you're in the mood for an apple dessert check out this fine apple crisp.