Baked Apples with Oatmeal and Brown Sugar

Directions:

To make the crust:

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. Remove the core of the apples, cutting to within a half-inch of the bottom of the apple and creating a well roughly 3/4-inch wide. This is easy to do with an apple corer, but can also be done with a melon baller, grapefruit spoon, or a paring knife.
3. Place the brown sugar, oatmeal, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves in a medium bowl and stir to combine. Divide this mixture between the apples, packing the wells firmly.
4. Arrange the apples in a baking dish (like an 8x8-inch Pyrex dish), and top each one with a pat of butter. Pour the water into the bottom of the dish and cover loosely with aluminum foil.
5. Bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and continue baking until the apples are soft and the brown sugar has melted into a syrup, 20 to 30 minutes more. You can test the apples by poking a paring knife through the oatmeal mixture and into the interior of the apple; it should slide into the apple easily with no resistance. The skin on the apples will also become wrinkled and soft by the end of cooking. Serve with a scoop of ice cream, crème fraîche, or whipped cream.