Baked Apples - Cooks Illustrated

Published September 1, 1995.

Choose the right apple variety, then bake it uncovered at 350 degrees.

The Problem

Despite their simplicity, baked apples can set a number of traps for the unprepared cook. For example, the unwary may find themselves with a baked apple that is sweetened or seasoned improperly or, more commonly, with an apple that collapses and loses its shape during baking. Fortunately, both pitfalls are easy to avoid.

The Goal

Baked apples are a comforting, old-fashioned dish that should be easy to execute once you know the rules; we set out to discover them.

The Solution

After testing a number of varieties, we ended up choosing Northern Spy, Cortland, and Golden Delicious as our favorites, based on their availability as well as their appearance and flavor. We preferred baking the apples uncovered versus wrapped in foil because the apples caramelized better. To allow steam to escape and thereby keep the apples from bursting, we found that removing a strip of skin around the apple's stem end with a vegetable peeler did the trick. As for flavorings, we found that the addition of cider and cinnamon greatly improved the flavor of the apples.

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