Our family LOVES apple picking. Unfortunately, when we're picking we get so excited about finding "the perfect apple" that we often wind up with way more than we will ever eat. Of course I don't mind sharing with family members that haven't gone yet or that have already eaten all of their apples, but this year I vowed to actually used the apples for... cooking. Say what?! Yuuuup. I've found so many easy ideas and recipes on Pinterest! So far we've tried a few things and one that I'd like to share are these hollowed out apple cups.
They're suuuuuper easy and can be used for cider, ice cream, oatmeal, anything really! My kids are now obsessed with their "edible bowls!" Full tute after the jump :)
Next slice off the tops. If you're like me and you have an adorable little vision of saving the tops and placing them back on the apple, be prepared for disappointment. Those stems are set really deep so you'd be sacrificing a good portion of the apple cup's depth for it.
Next hollow out the apple. I tried out a few methods here. First I tried using a spoon, then a peeler, then a melon ball-er.
The spoon was pretty crappy. Maybe I was using one that was too big, but I had a hard time keeping my scoops precisely where I wanted them and the lip of the apple (front) was a mess. The peeler was ok, although when I got to the bottom I had to use a small spoon to scoop out the core. The melon ball-er was the boss, going right through the apple core without batting an eyelash. If you have a melon ball-er, that's the way to go!
Fill it up! We made cinnamon spice oatmeal and added in small bits of the apple from our scoopage :) I'm definitely looking forward to serving warm mulled cider in these as well as apple crisp with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream on top!
These were so unbelievably delicious. The hot oatmeal softened the apple cup and infused it with the cinnamon flavor. Eating the apple afterwards was the best part :)
Keep your eyes peeled (har har) for more apple ideas.