"Baked" Apples

For a snack lately I've been making hot cinnamon-sugar apples on the stove. I've had many recent culinary failures, and I thought this classic was something I could not ruin. So, I chopped up an apple (skins on) and added a little water, brown sugar, and cinnamon to a saucepan, heating it until soft.

Unfortunately, I had some trouble figuring out how to work the sprinkle function on my cinnamon shaker, and over-doused the first batch. In my second batch, a large chunk of brown sugar dropped suddenly from the bag to the pan, making my sauce dense and sticky. These mistakes, however, are not disastrous because you can simply pull the apples out of the pan, leaving stickiness behind.

Rachel Ray makes these as a side with pork chops, which could be good. She uses apple juice instead of water, and also adds nutmeg and a ginger root. In addition to a compliment to pork chops, these apples would also be good for dessert with ice cream on top. Few snacks will transition from dinner to dessert like that.