Baked apples and other desserts or preserves made with apples are traditional late summer dishes in Finland.

small, tart apples (preferably Finnish)
sugar
soft brown sugar (firmly packed)
cinnamon
butter

If the apples are not organically grown, peel them. None of the Finnish apple varieties (grown in Finland) have to be peeled, since they are not waxed or sprayed with insecticides.

In picture on left: Finnish apples.

Remove the cores of the whole apples with a knife or an apple corer, but be careful not to pierce the base. Place the apples snugly in a buttered oven casserole.

Mix equal amounts of white and brown sugar, add some cinnamon and fill the apple cavities with the mixture. Seal with a pat of butter. Shave lots of butter over the apples and sprinkle the top generously with white sugar and cinnamon.

Bake the apples first at 200 °C for 15 minutes, then reduce the heat to 175 °C and bake for about 30 minutes or until the apples are thoroughly soft. Test doneness by inserting a knife in one of the apples  —  it should sink in easily.

In picture on right: baked apple with vanilla sauce.

Serve the apples hot with cold vanilla sauce or vanilla ice cream. Drizzle the sugary syrup formed in the casserole on the apples.

Recipe source: "Uuniomenat", an unknown Finnish magazine, 1980s.