The best part about making baked apples is the aroma it fills your house with.

And being that it’s Christmas Eve, it’s the perfect time to pare these wonderful holiday fragrances with an easy treat to enjoy before you settle in for that “long winter’s nap.”

Now this recipe has some extras that I love. But if you don’t, they’re optional. The only things really required are apples, a little brown sugar and cinnamon.

But once you taste baked apples with jam, I don’t think you’ll want to have them any other way!

Wonderful baked apple recipe with jam

Serves 4

• 4 Fuji, Gala or Granny Smith apples (The Granny Smith apples will be a little more tart)
• ¼ cup of Wild Oats strawberry or raspberry fruit spread
• ¼ cup of chopped walnuts
• 4 teaspoons brown sugar
• 4 patties of butter
• Cinnamon to sprinkle on top
• Optional – ½ cup of apple juice (to cover bottom of baking dish)

Core the apples leaving the bottoms intact. Make sure to remove all of the apple seeds and hard “pieces” in the core.

Peel about an inch of the skin off the top of the apples (around the hole you just made).

Place you apples in a baking dish, hole side up, and fill each one with an equal portion of fruit spread, walnuts and brown sugar. Top each hole with a patty of butter and sprinkle with cinnamon.

Cover bottom of baking dish with either water or apple juice (or a combination of both) and bake at 350 degrees for around an hour.

When done, the apples will be soft but still be shaped like apples!

Serve plain or topped with some (real) whipped cream.

Enjoy…and merry Christmas to all!