Pre-heat the oven to 375 and get out an 8 x 8 baking dish. First prepare the apples. Rinse and dry them thoroughly. Then use a paring knife to cut out the cores of the apples and use a spoon to scoop out the seeds. Leave about 1/2 inch on the bottom of the apples for a sturdy foundation. Then combine the brown sugar, raisins, chopped almonds, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, mace and vanilla in a bowl and stir them all together thoroughly. Spoon the mixture evenly in each of the apples, then top each apple with one of the quarters of butter.

Fill the 8 x 8 dish with the water, then place the apples in it. Bake them for 40-45 minutes to really make them tender and the filling bubbly. When they are done, take them out and paste them with the juices in the pan. Let them cool enough to handle, then serve immediately with either whipped cream or ice cream!