Finnish Baked Apples
Most of Finland’s apples come from orchards in the Åland Islands. The trees blossom with white flowers in early summer and the apple farmers hire in local bee-keepers so the bees can pollinate the trees. The harvest starts in mid-September and carries on for about two months. Here is a recipe for baked apples which you can enjoy as a desert. Ask an adult to help you in the kitchen.
Ingredients
4 Granny Smith apples, washed
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup old-fashioned rolled oats
½ tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp butter
1 cup hot water
To serve
Chilled custard or vanilla ice cream
Method
Preheat oven to 375° F.
Ask an adult to help you remove the core of the apples, leaving the bottom intact, so that a bowl is formed in the apple for the filling. You can use an apple corer for this.
Mix the brown sugar, oatmeal and cinnamon in a bowl. Use this mixture to fill the bowl in the apples, packing it down firmly.
Seal the tops with a knob of butter.
Place the apples in a baking dish. Pour the water into the bottom of the dish and cover loosely with aluminium foil.
Bake for 20 minutes then remove the foil. Continue baking uncovered for another 20-30 minutes, until the apples are soft and the brown sugar has melted into syrup. Test the apples by sticking a skewer into the apple; it should sink in easily.
Serve with custard or ice cream.
