I might be wrong but clarified butter has no milk in it, it's just the fat. Not sure if that helps. There are also non dairy butter substitutes that may function as needed.

Thanks, H B. Yes, I've thought about trying that, but I wonder if it would work since the water is also driven out when you clarify. I avoid the butter substitutes because I tend to have weird reactions to all sorts of things, but I agree that normally I would have just gone to one of those. Sorry, I should have mentioned that.

Anyway, yeah, I still have a little piece of butter left, so I may try clarifying that and see what happens. Thanks.

When I want something like that, I've never used butter. :p Depending on what I'm having it with, I just use brown sugar and optional add-ons like raisins, dried cranberries, various nuts, etc.

But party_music, when I've tried that, the sugar doesn't melt at all, just stays all grainy so it's just like an apple stuffed with sugar. Does it melt for you?

I've never had a problem. Might be the amount used? or perhaps the sugar... I use only cane sugars.

I've never used any butter for baked apples. Nor do I peel them. Just cut out the core, stand in a pan of your choice, and fill center with white sugar & cinnamon mixture. Bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees until done. I've never paid any attention to the time, I check them when they start to look a bit brown instead of red. Seems like the heat and juice of the apple itself does a thorough job of melting the filling. Maybe the 'hole' you make when coring is too large, so the sugar doesn't have time to melt before the apple is done? I don't know, just an idea.

I make apple dumplings the same way, but stand them on a round of pie crust, then fill and bring the crust up around the apple, making a kind of 'ruffled crown'. Sprinkle a bit of the cinnamon sugar mixture over the top, then bake the same way, 350 degrees until the crust is crispy and a nice golden brown. So-o-o-o-o-oo good!

Rusty

Thanks. Yes, I only use cane sugar. Luckily, it's local so we rarely see beet sugar for sale in the stores here.

Rusty, your way is exactly how I do it, but traditionally with a bit of butter on top of the sugar/cinnamon. I don't know, maybe I am making the hole too wide. I'll try with a narrower one.

When doing them whole, I core the apples then stuff the core with dried fruit and nuts, then top it off with a spoon of brown sugar. The amount of brown sugar I use depends on sweetness of the apples, the filling I use, what other foods I'm serving, etc. I use the oven if it's already on and have also done them in the microwave when they were a last-minute thought for a meal. Works for me. :)

On the butter question: if the reason for avoiding butter is lactose intolerance, consider this:

Lactose-intolerant people can consume up to 12 grams of lactose at a
time without symptoms, and one tablespoon of butter contains nearly
undetectable levels (3).

I am incredibly lactose intolerant, but butter has never been a problem.

I have a baked apple recipe that I've used forever. I think you could leave the butter out altogether and be just fine. This is so sweet you might want to reduce the sugar! Note: the microwave suggestion at the end is mine. I make this recipe so infrequently (Christmas, sometimes) that the timing on that is suspect. Watch carefully.

Baked Apples

Better Homes and
Gardens New Cook Book, 1970 Ed.

Core:

6 large
baking apples

Pare strip from top of each. Place in 10 x 6-inch baking
dish.

Fill apples with:

3/4 c.
raisins

Combine:

1 c. brown
sugar

1 c. water

2 T. butter

1/2 tsp.
ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp.
ground nutmeg

Bring to a boil. Pour hot syrup around apples.

Bake at 350° about 60 min., basting occasionally.

ALT: microwave for 15-20 min.

I've used honey, molasses &/or maple syrup for baked apples & really don't recall butter ever being essential - except for flavor!

If you're just wanting to dampen the sugar so it melts into the apples, why not try a squeeze of lemon, lime, orange or a sprinkle of water or wine?

I would use lard or schmaltz.

I successfully substitute non-dairy margarine when cooking anything for my vegan friends. I like the brands Nancy mentions and usually keep some on hand, tho' I always use butter otherwise. I don't think you'd be able to tell the difference.

Possibilities--Add a bit of liquid. Water, apple juice...

Bake in a covered dish (to retain moisture.)

Use brown sugar (has added moisture due to the molasses.)

Bake longer.

If you're baking whole apples, consider baking sliced apples instead.

I've never really made baked apples except for apple dumplings or an apple pie. I do make 'fried apples'...slices w/ spices, sugar, a bit of water & some butter in a covered saute pan. You could use a little coconut or walnut oil since you're avoiding butter.

Given the qualifiers you've posted, I'm guessing that it's the syrupiness, that's as much from the combination of the apple's juice and the butter, that you're really missing, If it's just the texture of the sugar, you can melt it with a little apple juice before you bake the apple, and perhaps baste a few times to make sure the caramel qualities stick. Perhaps it would be better in that case to do halves so you could keep the syrup in the channel from the core.

For that sauce with butter in it velvetiness, it would be hard to make a substitute. The closest would be margarine, but that is also a problem. My only contribution there is to ask if you've looked at/tried Earth Balance (I see someone else also recommended it). It doesn't have anything weird in it, and it's totally non-dairy, but it might be just as bad as the other butter substitutes you don't care for. It's fine in cookies and some sauces though I'm less confident that it wouldn't break in a baked apple.

If other animal fats are okay, I think the suggestion of schmaltz is a good one, but it would have to be rendered without onions or seasoning. You might also consider duck fat, which I think tastes better than chicken fat.

Good luck finding a satisfactory method!

Gingerale is a good way to add moisture. My mother used to do it. I never use butter. And YES, I would react to it.

Thanks, everyone. You've given me a lot of ideas to try.

Put in dish, cover with cling film and microwave for 3 minutes. It will make its own, sweet juice. No need for anything else, if you love just good appley goodness!

There is also imitation butter flavoring found in the spice aisles with vanilla and such.

Just to follow up, I had a bag of apples I had bought that were labeled as Fuji but turned out to be Rome, so I used those as my test. What I found is that greatly reducing the amount of cinnamon makes it work without any other changes, so that's solved. With brown sugar I could add as much cinnamon as I normally do.

So thanks, everybody, for all your helpful suggestions.