Recipe

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• 8 large golden delicious apples
• 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 6 tbsp pure maple syrup
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 cup water
• vanilla ice cream

• 1 Peel skin off top quarter of each apple. Using melon baller, scoop out core, leaving bottom intact.
• 2 Stand apples in 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Mix sugar and spices in bowl. Reserve 2 tablespoons mixture.
• 3 Fill apple cavities with remaining sugar mixture. Spoon 1/2 tablespoon maple syrup into each cavity.
• 4 Scatter 3 tablespoons butter pieces over apples. (Can be made 4 hours ahead. Cover; chill.)
• 5 Preheat oven to 350°F.
• 6 Pour water into pan with apples, then add reserved 2 T. sugar mixture, 2 T. maple syrup, and 1 T. butter.
• 7 Bake until apples are tender when pierced with skewer, about 1 hour. Transfer apples to 8 bowls.
• 8 Place baking pan atop 2 burners; boil over medium-high heat until syrupy, about 2 minutes.
• 9 Spoon sauce over apples. Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, if desired.