Okay, let’s talk about apples. Had a bunch sitting on the counter, starting to look a bit sad, you know? Didn’t want them to go to waste. So, I figured, time to find something quick and easy to do with them. No fancy baking projects today, just needed something fast.
First Try: Simple Baked Apples
Right, so I grabbed like four apples. Gave them a good wash under the tap. Then the tricky part, or what I thought would be tricky – coring them. Didn’t have one of those proper corer tools, so I just used a small knife. Made a bit of a mess, gotta be honest, hacking away in the middle to get the core and seeds out. Left the bottom intact though, so it made like a little cup.
Next, I rummaged through the pantry. Found some brown sugar, cinnamon, and a little nub of butter. Mixed the sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl. Maybe two tablespoons of sugar? And like, half a teaspoon of cinnamon? Eyeballed it, really. Then I put a tiny piece of butter in the bottom of each apple hole, and spooned the sugar mix on top, packing it down a bit.
Put them in a small baking dish. Added a tiny splash of water in the bottom of the dish, maybe a quarter inch, just so they wouldn’t stick too bad or dry out. Popped that into the oven. Think I set it around 375F, maybe 190C? Didn’t really time it strictly, just checked after about 30 minutes. Poked one with a fork, it felt tender. Good enough for me.
Pulled them out. They smelled amazing, house smelled like autumn. Let them cool down a bit because molten sugar is no joke. Tasted one. Yeah, pretty good! Soft, sweet, cinnamony. Definitely easy, and mostly hands-off once they were in the oven. Cleanup wasn’t too bad either.
Second Go: Even Quicker Apple Snack
Later on, still had a couple of apples left. Wanted a snack, like, right now. Couldn’t be bothered with the oven again.
So, I did this:
- Washed an apple.
- Sliced it up. Didn’t bother coring it perfectly, just sliced around the core.
- Got a spoonful of peanut butter.
- Dipped the apple slices in the peanut butter.
That’s it. Seriously. Took maybe two minutes? Can’t get much quicker or easier than that. It hit the spot. Crunchy apple, creamy peanut butter. A classic for a reason, right?
So yeah, dealing with those apples wasn’t hard at all. The baked apples took a bit more effort upfront but were super simple overall and felt like a proper dessert. The apple slices with peanut butter? That’s my go-to for sheer speed. Both were definitely quick and easy, just like I wanted. No fuss, just used up the apples and got something tasty out of it. Done.