Honey Baked Apples

Anyone who ever saw Nancy Reagan shouldn't be surprised to hear she paid attention to what she and President Reagan ate.  She knew the importance of fiber, built menus around chicken and fish, and insisted on plenty of vegetables and fruits.  

Honey Baked Apples not only met many of Mrs. Reagan's nutritional guidelines, they also allowed The President to indulge in dessert.

What's In It:

6 medium to large apples (Fuji, Rome, and Granny Smith are good choices)

3 tbs. raisins (You may use golden if you like, but dark raisins are preferred)

3 tbs. chopped walnuts

1/3 c. honey + more for drizzling (Local honey is always best)

1 tbs. fresh squeezed lemon juice (1/2 lemon usually yeilds 2 tbs.)

1 c. water

Cinnamon stick

Ground cinnamon

How To Make It:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray shallow, medium baking dish with cooking spray.

Core apples, peel top 1/3 and place in prepared dish.

Mix nuts and raisins and stuff into apples, dividing mixture equally between them.

In small saucepan, combine water and honey.  Add cinnamon stick and bring mixture to a boil.

Reduce heat to simmer and cook 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice.

Remove cinnamon stick and pour mixture over stuffed apples.

Cover dish, tightly, with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes. (Every 15 minutes or so, spoon juices in pan over apples to baste)

Allow to cool 5 minutes.

Drizzle tops of apples with honey and sprinkle with cinnamon just before serving.