The Best Ever Baked Apples in Pastry!

Katie and Ben went to a cool restaurant for dinner one night and had baked apples wrapped in pastry for dessert. It sounded so good that I decided to try to duplicate it. One apple will easily serve two people. There is an optional syrup that is delicious and can be poured around the apples after baking or before. Here's what I came up with:

Baked Apples Wrapped in Pastry

4 servings

4 Granny Smith apples, peeled and cored (don't cut through bottom)
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup butter, softened
1/2 t. ground cinnamon
1/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

1 egg
1 T. milk

Puff Pastry (thawed)

Optional Syrup :
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup water
1/4 t. ground cinnamon
1/8 t. nutmeg
1/3 cup butter

Place apples in water with lemon juice after they are peeled to prevent browning. Mix the next four ingredients. Remove apples from water and dry. Fill the cavity of each apple with the mixture. Cut puff pastry in 5 inch squares. Whisk milk and egg together and brush over the pastry squares. Place one apple in the center of each pastry square and gently bring pastry up around the apple and smooth into pleats. Bring the corners up to the top of the apple and twist, forming a "stem." Brush the pastry with the egg wash and place each apple in a baking pan lined with parchment paper. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes or until pastry is lightly browned.

Optional Syrup: Mix all ingredients except butter and bring to a boil. Add butter and stir till melted. Pour around apples after baking or about 10 minutes before removing from oven.

Serve with vanilla bean ice cream.