Apple pies baked in apples

A friend sent me this amazing recipe some time ago, and now I finally had the time to try it (and adapt it, here's the original). Don't be put off by the prospect of removing the inside of the apples, it's easily done with a small knife and a tablespoon.

So here is the recipe for 4 people:

• 4 Granny smith apples (make sure that they can stand on their own)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp sugar or maple syrup
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp raisins
• 1 tbsp shredded or sliced almonds
• pie crust (I used ready made one, here's a recipe if you want to try making your own)

Start by cutting the top off the apples, then start removing the inner bits. Be careful not to puncture the peel (although if that happens, don't worry, just wrap the bottom into some tin foil when baking so that the juice doesn't flow escape into the oven). Keep the apple bits and cut them into small pieces.

Mix the apple pieces with all the other ingredients (except for the pie crust), then spoon this filling into the hollow apples. 

Roll out the pie crust and cut it into thin slices. Weave these together into small squares and put them on top of the apples. Place them into a pan (so that the juice won't flow everywhere) and bake for 40-45 minutes (you can vary the baking time depending on how soft you want your apples).

It looks a bit burned here, but that's just the picture quality...

Voilà.