Improving my baked apple recipe

In the Stonebow Inn Cookbook there is recipe for baked apples stuffed with our own granola mix. It’s pretty good, but does suffer from one problem common to most baked apple dishes – occasional implosion! I warn against temperature variations in the recipe – the result may be apple sauce in the dish at unexpected moments. This is all too common apparently, but the good folks at Cook’s Illustrated have taken on the problem and solved it! So here is the definitive baked apple version- I have tried it several times in the past month (and tested its limits with regard to temperature and loose handling) and it has come out just fantastic every which way. This is the apotheosis of baked apples.
Serves 4
4 Granny Smith Apples
3 T. unsalted butter, softened
3 T. light brown sugar
½ cup granola (preferably Stonebow Inn Premium!)
Little less than ½ cup Maple Syrup
Equal volume of Apple Juice or Apple Cider
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Cut ½ inch top stem end off apples and trim base to allow apple to stand flat in the baking dish. Core the apples and peel them (see notes).
Put the granola, brown sugar and 2 T. softened butter into a medium bowl and blend it with your fingers (as if making a streusel topping mix). Set aside.
Melt the remaining butter in a large skillet; add apples, cut side down and brown them, about 3 minutes.
Flip the apples into a baking dish and fill the cavities with the granola/sugar/butter mix.
Top the apples with the reserved apple caps; add the maple syrup and apple juice to the baking dish. Transfer to the preheated oven, and bake for 35 -45 minutes, basting the apples every 10 minutes. Discard the caps (optional).
Plate the apples and spoon some of the thickened sauce over the tops before serving.
Notes:
Cook’s Illustrated hollows out the apples but does not cut all the way through the bottom; I do and it doesn’t seem to make any difference, except that you can then eat the whole thing!
You can fill the apples with a bunch of different fillings – figs and nuts, dried cherries and hazelnuts, raisins and walnuts, whatever. Be creative!
The science: why doesn’t the apple explode in this recipe? Apparently the key is in removing the peel! When an apple bakes it creates steam; if the peel is left on it forms an outer seal which prevents the steam from escaping; the steam rebounds into the cells of the apple and – well, boom. Peeling the apple allows the steam to escape through the side membranes. I know, I didn’t believe it either until I tried it.