I have been feeling more hormonal than usual lately. It’s not baby fever kicking in per se…but just squishy, helpless, things fever where I am feeling this completely irrational urge to cuddle all the animals, and pet all the things. And when this happens, I usually end up eating all the things. Like this.

Huck is natrually, the first and foremost victim on this list of must-cuddle-with-creatures. Unfortunately for him, he’s my dog and first in line. Sure, I cuddle with Ben – when I see him. But with nursing school keeping him hermetically sealed in our room studying until after I go to bed most nights, Huck is who I’ve been turning to for my cuddly moods in the waking hours of my day. Me trying to canoodle with Ben while he is studying is highly counterproductive…

Ben sayyys he cuddles with me everynight, but as I can’t verify that he actually does – I have to assume that all cuddling happens between me and Huck when he sets his head on my lap as I’m perched at the computer screen every night. Between the sad seal eyes, the velveteen ears that feel like a otter, and the paddies I can’t help tickle when he’s asleep – just to futz with the kid – I’m taking an unusually hard turn into the fevers of suishy, cuddle things.

Before you go thinking that this kid is just all cutesy, and adorable – he’s ranks up there as the weirdest mutt you may everk now. He bounces around like Joey from War Horse, all four off the floor, has allergies that render him useless, he can’t retreive worth a damn and he walks backwards on his own, even bouncing backwards out of the kitchen to avoid the line deliniating the carpet of the living room and linolium of the kitchen waiting with unmovable concentration until we allow him to launch himself at his dinner bowl every night.

And the best/oddest trait about this dog – he loves apples. This isn’t a will-eat-a-couple-apple-pieces, he eats the Whole Damn Apple, core and all. He used to get an apple (or two) a day when he would come to work with me from the Boss and Huck’d carry it around to everyone in the office showing it off so proudly before he would hunker down and devour the whole thing in 67 seconds flat.

So as soon as these apples made a appearance in the kitchen, Huck was there – immoveable on his line, sitting just outside the kitchen with his paddies hanging over the edge into the kitchen, hoping to scrounge up any pieces of apple the fell to the floor. The mutt also makes an excellent Swiffer.

Two apples were cored, using a knife to score out the middle of them and a spoon to dig out the seeds and the rest of the middle. Squeeze some lemon juice into the cavity and swirl it around to coat the inside. No one wants the brown soggy middle here people.

Into a food processor add walnuts, brown sugar, butter, oats and a little cinnamon for good measure, pulsing to chop the nuts, incorporate the butter and make a tasty, cozy crumble to fill the apples. Spoon and pack in to the middle of each apple and  set aside.

I wrapped these apples with a traditional ol’ pie crust, that you can make or use from the store. The dough to a 9″ pie crust, split into two and rolled out should be enough to wrap two moderately sized apples – but since I used large Jonagolds, they came out a little short on top. In retrospect – wrapping the apples from the top-down would be better if you’re worried about presentation – I was just more concerned about shoving a self-encased apple pie into my face as fast as humanly possible. Presentation be damned!

And just like with any apple pie – or baked apple creation – make sure you’re using apples that will hold up to the heat and not fall to mush. Granny Smith’s are always a good one with their tart taste and tough exterior, with honeycrisps, braeburns and jonagolds all doing well, too.

This pie crust is a whiz in the kitchen using the food processor that you used to make the crumble filling – and it takes all of 5 minutes to make. For someone like me whom pie crusts typically hate – this has been a fail-free crust. Thank Comfortably Domestic for this one. She’s a genius. So pulse it out, split it up in two, roll it out and wrap it around your apples, using a beaten egg to wash the crust so it turns that delightful caramel color as it bakes.

Set to bake for 25 minutes at 375 was just the trick to make these delicious wrapped crumbles. You can be kind an share onei large apple with someone you love, or just unhinge your jaw and devour it yourself. There are no heroes here.

Or if you’re like me – give a slice to your favorite mutt. He patiently waited, drooling over your linolium for a bite – he earned it.

And it was good. Nee, great. Mama loves her pupper. And I also love these.

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Close-up of Wrapped Baked Apple Crumble

Wrapped Baked Apple Crumble

  • Author: Country Cleaver
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 25 minutes
  • Total Time: 45 minutes
  • Yield: 2 apples 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Oven
  • Cuisine: American
Print Recipe

Description

Baked apples, wrapped in pie crust and filled with cinnamon crumble filling.

Ingredients

Scale

Pie Crust:

  • 3/4 cup Flour
  • 6 Tbsp butter, cubed and frozen
  • 1/4 tsp Salt
  • 2 Tbsp Ice Water
  • -or- use 1 pre-made 9″ pie crust

Apple Filling:

  • 3 Tbsp Butter
  • 1/4 cup Oats
  • 2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
  • 1 tsp Cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup Walnuts
  • 2 Apples
  • 1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
  • 1 Egg, beaten for pie crust wash

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Score apples with a sharp knife around the top and well into the apple to create a scoring pattern that you can use to dig out the center of the apple.
  3. Using a spoon, dig out the center of the apple, removing the core and seeds. Don’t dig all the way through the apple. When cleaned out, pour in lemon juice and swirl around each apple. Set aside.
  4. In food processor, pulse together all ingredients of the crumble filling until the nuts are chopped into small chunks. Spoon filling into the two apples, packing it down and filling the apple cavities completely. Set aside.
  5. To make pie crust, if you’re not using a pre-made crust, pulse the flour and salt in the food processor. Add in cubes of butter and pulse until small pea size balls form.
  6. Add in ice water and turn on processor until the dough starts to form and creates a ball. Divide into two halves and roll out on a heavily floured surface.
  7. Lay the pie crusts over the top of each apple, and wrap them around the apple. Using a brush and the egg wash, brush the egg over the apples, and in between any creases in the pie dough to make sure it all sticks together.
  8. Place the apples on a foil lined baking sheet that has been sprayed with non-stick coating. Bake apples until crust turns golden brown, about 25 minutes.
  9. Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly. Serve while still warm.

Notes

Pie crust is from Comfortably Domestic.