Baked Apples with Jack Daniel's and Brown Sugar

Jordan and I have a pig cooker that a bunch of our friends chipped in and bought us as a wedding gift. We cooked a pig for a friend's surprise birthday party on Saturday and Jordan asked if I would make some baked apples to go along with it. I've never had baked apples before let alone made them. (must be a southern thing) He pointed me to these baked apples on the NC BBQ Society web page. They came out pretty juicy but Jordan said they were supposed to be that way. Everyone at the party liked them so I guess that's what matters most!

Ingredients:

8 cut, cored, quartered and unpeeled apples ~ Red Delicious, Rome or McIntosh apples are recommended ~ (I can't follow directions very well. I used granny smith and peeled a few of mine before I realized, oops!)
1-3/4 sticks salted butter
1/2 cup Jack Daniel's black label whiskey (to taste)
3-3/4 cups brown sugar lightly packed
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup water
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:

The directions called for a 15x10 baking dish, which I don't have. The only thing I had was a 9x13 so that's what I used. Place quartered, cut and cored apples skin side up 2 layers deep and add water.



Place additional apple pieces over the holes created by the first layer until you have a relatively even surface (enough to fill dish to 3/4 full). Cut butter into 1/4inch pats and place over apples.



Drizzle whiskey over apples. Next pat brown sugar firmly over apples.



Cover brown sugar with white sugar. I could only fit 3 cups of brown sugar and 1/2 a cup of the white sugar on my pan and they turned out plenty sweet. Do not pat. Simply smooth white sugar over brown sugar by hand. Sprinkle ground cinnamon lightly on top of white sugar.



Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place baking dish on baking tray or cookie sheet in case apples bubble over the baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

I had to take these apples and put them in a pan with a lid so we lost the nice cripsy topping which I was a little bummed about. No one knew any different though but next time I'll make sure to cook them in a pan that can travel. We just served this along with the pig and other sides but the BBQ site has this as being a dessert. With all the sugar on it, it certainly could be! Below are the directions to make it a dessert if you choose too. You'll enjoy these either way!



Place 1 or 2 apple pieces in a dessert bowl and pour a tablespoon of the apple juices over the apple slices. Top with a tablespoon of sea salt toasted English walnut pieces and finish with a dollop of whipped cream.