Easy and Elegant Apples

I have picked too many apples.  The old saying that "the eyes are bigger than the stomach" is quite true in my case.  I am going to be making applesauce, spiced apple rings for our Christmas dinner, and I am going to leave enough out to have a lot of baked apples.  And of course I have my favorite way of doing this.

First I preheat the oven to 350.  Core the apples but not all the way to the bottom.  Then peel them only halfway down from the top.  Place in a baking dish.  In a small bowl, stir together the orange zest, 6 tablespoons chopped raisins, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup of unsalted butter, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon.
Divide the mixture evenly for 6 apples, pushing it down into the cavities.  In a small saucepan combine 1/4 cup honey, and 1/2 cup of orange juice or apple cider.Heat just until the honey dissolves.  Pour the honey mixture evenly over the apples and bake, basting often with the juices, until the apples are tender when pierced with a fork,  just about 45 minutes. 

To serve, let cool to room temperature.  Serve with a dollop of cream or vanilla yogurt. 

Nevertheless, if you have found yourself in the same predicament as myself, remember to save a good number of apples just for baking.  These are easy and elegant.