Baked Apples with Cream Cheese & Medjool Dates

Serves 6

These tender baked apples eat like a healthy apple pie! The dates are tossed in cinnamon and a bit of dried sage before they’re stuffed in the hollowed out apples with some cream cheese, toasted walnuts, and a bit of maple syrup. We like to serve these apples in a pool of silky creme anglaise (to make this recipe even easier, we use  softened vanilla ice cream in place of making our own custard), but you can also simply top your baked apples with a scoop of ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream.

We’ve found that Honeycrisp apples work best here. They’re a great juicy baking apple that holds its shape, is sweet, but also has nice tartness. They have a soft skin, so you don’t need to peel them. If you can’t find Honeycrisp, you can use Pink Ladies, Golden Delicious, and Braeburns. Granny Smiths are a little more tart but will also work here.

Ingredients:

• 6 Honeycrisp Apples
• 1½ cups chopped and pitted Rancho Meladuco medjool dates (about 14 dates)
• 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon dried sage
• Pinch of kosher salt
• 4 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
• ⅓ cup chopped toasted walnuts
• 2 Tablespoons maple syrup, plus more for drizzling
• 4 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into six slices
• Softened vanilla ice cream, for serving
• Flaky sea salt, for serving

1. Preheat the oven to 375°. Using a paring knife, core and de-seed your apples, creating a funnel shape from the top of the apple to about two-thirds of the way to the bottom. Be careful not to pierce through the bottom of your apples. A melon baller or ½ teaspoon will help with this, too. If needed, remove a thin slice from the bottom of the apple so it stands upright on a flat surface.
2. In a medium bowl, toss the chopped dates with the cinnamon, sage, and salt, separating any clumps of dates. Add the cream cheese, walnuts, and the 2 Tablespoons of maple syrup. Using your fingers, work the softened cream cheese into the other ingredients. Divide the filling between your apples, gently pressing it down.
3. Arrange the apples in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Pour 2 cups of water around the apples, covering the bottom of the baking dish by about ½-inch. Drizzle each apple with a little more maple syrup and top with a pat of butter. Cover loosely with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil. If desired, baste the apples with some of the pan juices. Bake uncovered for 15 to 25 minutes more, or until your apples are tender when pierced with a paring knife, but not mushy. Remove your apples from the oven if the skin is starting to split.
4. Gently transfer the apples to shallow bowls. Pour the softened vanilla ice cream around the apples and drizzle with more maple syrup, if desired. Sprinkle with a little flaky sea salt and serve right away.

Recipe &  Photos by Julia Heffelfinger @juliaheff