Kids in the Kitchen Wednesday: Bloomin' Apples

We're sure you've seen tons of pictures on Facebook and Pinterest of all different kinds of baked apple recipes. You know... the pretty pictures of the hollowed out, perfectly baked apples with a scoop of vanilla ice cream inside. If you're anything like us, you're immediately skeptical. Yeah, the pictures look pretty, but how do the apples taste? Does this actually work? 

The Wisconsin Test Kitchen vetted Bloomin' Apples for you. The verdict? Yes, they are delicious. Yes, they are easy. Yes, they're worth it. Truly, the hardest part of this recipe was cutting and coring the apples. This is also a kid-friendly recipe that your little chefs will love helping make.


Bloomin' Apples
Recipe courtesy of: http://www.thegunnysack.com/2014/09/bloomin-baked-apples-recipe.html

That's our tiny chef... counting out the caramels to go inside the apples. It's a nice opportunity to work on some math skills as well! 

2 Honeycrisp apples (or other crisp apples)
2 tbsp butter
3 tbsp brown sugar, packed
1 tbsp flour
1 tsp cinnamon
4 caramels
Optional toppings: vanilla ice cream, caramel sauce and cinnamon


Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
To get the blooming apple look, you need to cut the apples. Slice off the top 1/4 to 1/3 of the apples. Scoop out the core. I don’t have an apple corer so I used my metal 1/2 teaspoon measuring spoon. Then, use a thin knife to make two, deep circular cuts around the center of the apple. Next, turn the apple over and make narrow cuts all the way around the apple. Flip it back over and you can see all of the cuts.

Place the apples in an oven safe dish and put two caramels into the center of each apple.

Heat butter and brown sugar in the microwave for 30 second, stir and continue heating for an additional 30 seconds. Remove from the microwave and stir in flour and cinnamon. Divide the mixture over the top of the two sliced apples.

Bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes. (Check apples after 25 minutes and continue cooking until tender. Some apples can take 45 min to 1 hour to soften.)
Remove from the oven and use a large spoon to move the apples into bowls.

Top with a scoop of ice cream, drizzle with caramel and sprinkle with cinnamon. The ice cream will cause the caramel in the center to harden so eat quickly or put the ice cream scoop on the side.

We found the apples were most delicious when paired with a little salted caramel ice cream and a small dollop of whipped cream. An apple a day keeps the doctor away, right?

Stay Cool,
The Cool Dads Crew