Fruit and Nuts Stuffed Tipsy Baked Apples

Preheat the oven to 180 C.

Wash, peel and core apples with a paring knife or any sharp knife from stem side. Be careful not to core it all the way through. It should be a hollow space to hold the filling. Also make sure you don't split them in half.

The hollow should be 1/2 to 1 inch wide. Remove the top peel for about an inch. Brush all the cut surface of the apples with lemon juice.

Arrange apples , cavity side up, in a baking tray.

In a bowl add roasted chopped walnuts, chopped dates and other dry fruits and nuts, grated ginger, 2 tablespoons of brown sugar, nutmeg and cinnamon powder and mix well and set aside.

In a sauce pan melt the butter and add the remaining brown sugar. Stir it continuously till the butter melts and sugar gets properly incorporated.

Now, put a little of butter in the bottom of the apple hollow and then using a small spoon and a toothpick gently stuff the cavity of the apples with the dry fruit mixture till the top. Repeat with each apple.

You can press he mixture gently and super fill it like I do.

Line up the apples in a baking tray and pour a little caramel sauce over each of them and let it pool at the bottom of the apples.

You can add a little dark rum or whiskey to the caramel sauce before spooning over the apples or you can directly spoon a little of it over the apples as a finish.

Heat 1/4 cup of water with a tablespoon of brown sugar, nutmeg and cinnamon and a few cloves till the sugar melts and pour around the apples for a more intense flavoured glaze. Alcohol can be added in this too.

Bake the apples in the middle rack for 30-40 minutes or until desired tenderness. Do rotate the baking dish halfway through the baking time.

Once done, remove from oven and let them sit for five minutes before serving them hot with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream or just enjoy them without any additional toppings.