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Bloomin' Apples

A visually stunning and delicious baked apple dessert cut to resemble a blooming onion, baked with cinnamon sugar and topped with vanilla ice cream and caramel.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings: 4 apples
Course: Dessert, Sweet Treat
Cuisine: American, Autumn
Calories: 450
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Apples
  • 4 large baking apples Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, or Fuji
Filling
  • 0.25 cup unsalted butter melted
  • 0.33 cup dark brown sugar packed
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 0.25 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1 pinch kosher salt
Toppings
  • 4 scoops vanilla bean ice cream
  • 0.5 cup caramel sauce warmed

Equipment

  • Paring Knife
  • Melon Baller
  • Baking Dish
  • Aluminum Foil

Method
 

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Grease a rimmed baking dish.
  2. Slice off the top 1/3 inch of each apple to remove the stem. Use a melon baller to scoop out the core and seeds, leaving the bottom intact.
  3. Use a paring knife to make two deep concentric circles inside the apple. Then, make radial slices from the center outward, stopping just before slicing through the bottom.
  4. In a bowl, mix melted butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
  5. Place apples in the baking dish. Spoon the butter mixture over the apples, pushing it deep into the sliced crevices.
  6. Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 10-15 minutes until tender and opened up.
  7. Transfer hot apples to plates. Top immediately with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a heavy drizzle of caramel sauce.

Notes

Place a chopstick on either side of the apple while cutting the radial slices; this acts as a knife-stop to prevent you from accidentally cutting all the way through the base.