Bloomin Caramel Apples

Well, it's officially fall, and even though it is my favorite season of the year, summer went by WAY too fast! This season focuses on some of the yummiest flavors of the year; apples, pumpkin and spice. It's the season of jeans and a sweatshirt (especially here in the UP), eating a bowl of apple cobbler with ice cream on top, sitting by a bonfire and sipping on hot chocolate. This recipe highlights the apple, adding some familiar flavors that go along with them like caramel and brown sugar.

Ingredients:

2 apples (I used Braeburn, you can use honeycrisp or fuji or any crisp apple)
2 Tbs. margarine
3 Tbs. brown sugar, heaping
1 Tbs. flour
2 tsp. cinnamon
4 caramels, soft, taken out of plastic
* Frozen vanilla yogurt, low fat
* Caramel ice cream topping

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Take each apple, and cut about 1/5 of the top off. Using a melon baller (not an apple corer, that goes in too far), scoop out the seeds from the inside leaving a hole in the center of both (as shown in above picture). Using a paring knife, cut two internal circles spaced out evenly, and make sure not to go all of the way down to the bottom. Flip the apples over, placing them cut side down. Starting at about 1/3 inch down from the top, use the paring knife to make narrow cuts around the apple. Flip them back over and place them in an oven safe baking dish. Place two caramels in the center of each apple.

In a small microwave safe bowl, heat the margarine and brown sugar together for about 25 seconds or until the butter is most of the way melted. Add the flour and cinnamon, and stir until a thick sauce forms. Pour the mixture on top of both apples, letting the sauce run over the top and cover the sides. Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes, depending on the size of the apple.

Remove from the oven and place each apple in your serving dishes. Spoon the brown sugar sauce on top of each. Spread out the "petals" slightly so that the sauce seeps into the cracks. Top with frozen yogurt and caramel sauce if desired.