A baked apple on a weekday, not just for special occasions

For a long time, a baked apple felt like something for a weekend or a holiday table, with a big dish of them and a jug of custard. Then one grey weekday, I had two apples going soft in the fruit bowl and twenty minutes before supper was ready. I cored them, filled them with whatever was in the cupboard and put them in the oven next to the potatoes. By the time we had finished eating, the kitchen smelled of cinnamon and the apples were soft enough to eat with a spoon. Since then, a baked apple is a weekday pudding in our house, not a special-occasion one.

It is one of the simplest desserts there is. One apple per person, a spoon of filling, and the oven does the rest. I like a firm, slightly sharp apple such as a Bramley for a soft, fluffy result, or a sweet eating apple like a Braeburn or Cox if I want it to keep its shape. Apples that have gone a little wrinkly in the bowl are perfect here, as long as there are no bruised brown patches or mould. Those parts go in the food waste.

I wash the apples, then take out the core with an apple corer or a small sharp knife, working from the top and leaving the bottom closed so the filling doesn't run out. With a knife, I go slowly and turn the apple on the board, keeping my fingers well away from the blade. Then I score a thin line around the middle of each apple, just through the skin. This small cut stops the skin from bursting in the oven.

For the filling, I mix a spoon of rolled oats, a spoon of raisins or chopped dried apricots, a teaspoon of brown sugar or honey, a pinch of cinnamon and a small knob of butter for each apple. In autumn, I add a few chopped walnuts or hazelnuts, but not when someone at the table has a nut allergy. I press the filling into the hollow with a teaspoon and put a little extra butter on top.

The apples go into a small ovenproof dish with two or three tablespoons of water or apple juice in the bottom, so the juices don't burn. They bake at 180°C (160°C fan) for 25 to 35 minutes, depending on the size and the variety. I check with the tip of a knife: when it slides in easily and the skin has wrinkled, they are ready. A Bramley will start to collapse a little, which is exactly what I want.

The one thing to be careful with is the heat. Baked apples are very hot inside, much hotter than they look, and the sugary juice in the dish can burn. I let them stand for five minutes before serving, and for children, I cut the apple open on the plate and let it cool for a little longer. For a baby or toddler, I leave out the honey, because honey is not suitable for babies under one, and skip the whole nuts, which are a choking risk for young children.

We eat them warm with a spoon of natural yoghurt, a little custard, or a scoop of vanilla ice cream, with the juices from the dish poured over. A leftover baked apple keeps in the fridge, covered, for a day or two, and it is lovely cold with yoghurt for breakfast. If I warm one up again, I make sure it is hot all the way through.

On a Halloween evening, when the children come in cold and the house smells of carved pumpkin, a dish of baked apples in the oven is my favourite way to finish the day. If you have more apples than you need, my easiest apple charlotte is the next thing I make. What do you put inside your baked apples?

Weekday baked apples. Serves 4. About 40 minutes. You need 4 apples, 4 tbsp rolled oats, 4 tbsp raisins or chopped dried apricots, 4 tsp brown sugar or honey, ½ tsp cinnamon, 30 g butter, 3 tbsp water or apple juice, chopped nuts (optional). Core the apples, leaving the bottom closed, and score around the middle. Mix the oats, fruit, sugar, cinnamon and half the butter; fill the apples and top with the rest of the butter. Bake in a dish with the water at 180°C (160°C fan) for 25–35 minutes until soft. Stand 5 minutes before serving.