Bushels of flavor: Baked apples in moments

When I was little my grandmother would make baked apples as a special treat on cold nights, she'd load up apples with cinnamon and sugar and let them cook for what seemed like hours. I still crave a tasty baked apple every now and then, but I don't spend as much time in my kitchen as my grandmother spent in hers. The Apple Baker Set from Harriet Carter, however, lets me make baked apples in just a matter of minutes. The tasty treats this set, as it turns out, are healthier than quite a few other cold weather treats, such as the traditional caramel apple.

The set comes with a corer. You can use it to remove the seeds and stem of your apple before placing it in the plastic baker. Next, you add your seasoning of choice--personally, I recommend extra cinnamon--to the apples and microwave them. The Apple Baker Set includes two baking cups and lids as well as the corer and core ejector. The baking cups are made of dishwasher-safe plastic and have vents to let air circulate while your apples bake and to allow steam to escape. The cups are sized to hold even large apples. The whole set is priced at $7.98.