Edam cheese is a floral mild, nutty tasting, low-fat cheese.  The only time I have used this cheese is when I baked apples. Baked apples make me feel cozy. Eating a baked apple is my alone cuddle treatment.

There seem to be health benefits to eating apples, thus, the old wives tale “an apple a day keeps the doctor away.”  Apples are chocked full of antioxidants, flavonoids, and fibers. Word on the street says apples may help ward off developing cancer, hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, and may help you lose weight.

BAKED APPLES

6 Granny Smith wash and core apples, 10 tablespoons sugar, 1/2 tablespoon raw honey, 1 teaspoon apple pie spice, 1 tablespoon self-rising flour, 1 cup unsweetened apple juice, 2 1/2 tablespoon salted butter, 1 cup Edam cheese, shredded, 6 slices bacon, fried crisp and crumbled, 1/4 cup hazelnuts, chopped.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place apples in a baking dish set.  Get out a small bowl, add 1/2 tablespoons of sugar and the honey, cinnamon, and flour, whisk until well blended.  Pour this mixture into the hollowed out core of the apples.  Get out a saucepan, add the remaining sugar and apple juice, cook down to 3/4 cup, pour this mixture over the top of the apples.  Add 1 teaspoon of salted butter on top of each apple.  Bake for approximately 1 hour. To check doneness, pierce the apples with a fork, if they are slightly softened and easy to pierce they are done.  Remove from the oven, evenly distribute the cheese on top of each apple; return to the oven bake until the cheese melts, remove from the oven.  Evenly top each apple with the crumbled bacon and nuts.  Serve hot or cold.