Stuffed Sweet Potato Apples

Okay, so Autumn is a ways out (almost 2 months out), but yesterday was one of those rainy, cool (75 degrees) summer days that made me think of the coming of autumn. As I stared at my newly planted and hopefully soon to be large pumpkin patch, the want for something with the flavor of autumn came to mind. With a sweet potato and apple, this is what I came up with:

Ingredients:

• 4 Macintosh or Braeburn apples, cored to the middle (not all the way through) with about a teaspoon to tablespoon size hole cut out at the top
• 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut
• 6 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup molasses or honey
• 2 tablespoons cinnamon, plus some for sprinkling
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ginger
• 1/4-1/2 cup walnuts or chopped pecans

Directions:

Stuffed Apple

1. Preheat oven to 350. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a square baking dish.
2. Bring potatoes to a boil in a large pot, until softened. Then mash in a small to medium mixing bowl. Add 1-2 tablespoons butter, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, half the brown sugar, half of the nuts, and half of the molasses or honey. Mix together till blended.
3. Place the remaining butter inside each of the apples, along with some of the brown sugar. Then stuff the apples a teaspoon at a time with the sweet potato mix until filled. Sprinkle the remaining nuts on top, along with the molasses or honey, and brown sugar. For some added flavor, take a few pinches of cinnamon and sprinkle over the apples.
4. Cook for 45 minutes to an hour, until the apple is nice and soft. After 30 minutes of cooking, drizzle some of the melted butter from the dish over the apple skins and continue cooking.

Once they are done, serve with ice cream or whipped cream and a side of apple cider or some tea. This is a great dish to get one in the mood for fall or for an autumn event.