Alton Brown's Baked Apples

We're all big fans of Alton Brown; my family appreciates his wit and thoughtful culinary explanations.  My daughter, Lauren, is especially fond of pointing out when my way of making something differs from Alton's.  If she doesn't care for mashed potatoes, it's probably because I'm not making them the right way (Alton's way).

Lauren emailed a link to this recipe to us in Poland and suggested that we try making them when were home for Christmas.  It was our Christmas Eve breakfast and very yummy indeed.  I've made baked apples before, but these were the best.

Ingredients

3/4 cup oats
3/4 cup flour
2/3 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
pinch salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, diced
4 Braeburn apples (or Fuji)
4 teaspoons honey
Vanilla ice cream (optional)

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350
• Combine oats, flour, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and salt.

• Cut in butter until the mixture resembles crumbs

• Cut a small slice from the bottom of each apple to make a stable base

• Cut a 1 inch circle around the stem, much like cutting the top off a jack-o-lantern

• With a melon baller, remove the rest of the stem, making sure you don't puncture the bottom

• Put a teaspoon of honey inside each apple

• Fill apples with the oat mixture, packing it in
• Place apples in a baking dish and bake for 40 minutes

• Let sit for 10 minutes before serving

• Serve with ice cream, if desired