Wednesday, October 14, 2015

The Season for Apples

Fall is my favorite season of the year for many reasons. One of those reasons is local orchards filled with sweet, tart, juicy, can't-get-enough apples. I eat a lot of apples this time of year - probably at least five per week. For snacking, I prefer Gala and Fuji. They find their way into salads, slices eaten with peanut butter or, frequently, eaten on their own. Just the pure, sweet taste of apple. Baking is something else I enjoy this time of year. Granny Smiths are the apple of choice for my baking and they star in many of the dishes I bake. Here are a few of my favorite recipes.



APPLE CRISP

5 cups sliced, pared apples (I use Granny Smith)
1 cup Bisquick
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup firm butter

Heat oven to 375. Arrange apples in an ungreased 9x9x2 baking pan.

Mix Bisquick, brown sugar, cinnamon, and butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over apples.

Bake until apples are tender, about 30 minutes.

I love mine with a scoop (or two) of vanilla ice cream!



PJ'S APPLE PIE SQUARES

8 medium apples, cored, peeled and thinly sliced (I use Granny Smith)
3/4 cup sugar

2 TBSP all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
dash of nutmeg
2 TBSP butter
2 pie crusts
1/2 TBSP lemon juice
Powdered sugar
Milk
Pure vanilla extract



Sprinkle sliced apples lightly with lemon juice. 

Combine sugar, flour, spices and a dash of salt; toss with sliced apples. Roll one pie crust to a 9x11 rectangle and place it in the bottom of a baking dish of the same size. Fill with the apple mixture then dot with slices of butter. 

Roll the second pie crust to the same dimensions and place over the top of the apple mixture, sealing the edges. Cut slits in the top crust to allow the steam to escape and lightly sprinkle with sugar. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 400° F. for 50 minutes or until done.

Stir together powdered sugar, milk and a squirt of vanilla to make a glaze. Drizzle over slightly cooled pie and cut into squares. This is great hot or cold, either with ice cream or on its own.


APPLE COCO-NUTTY MUFFINS

1-1/2 cups all purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2 eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup Crisco Oil
2 cups peeled and diced apples (your favorite type)
1-1/2 cups chopped walnuts
3/4 cups shredded coconut

Preheat oven to 350 F.

In a large bowl, mix flour, baking soda, salt and nutmeg.

In a medium bowl, mix eggs, sugar, and oil. Stir in apples, nuts, and coconut.

Stir apple mixture into dry ingredients until moist.

Grease 16 muffin cups. Fill each cup 3/4 full.

Bake at 350 F for 25 to 30 minutes. Cool at least 15 minutes before removing muffins from the pan.


What about you? Do you enjoy apple snacks? What are your favorite varieties?

Do you bake with apples? Any recipes you'd like to share?





13 comments:

  1. Your recipes sound yummy! In a few days we are headed to North Georgia where there are several apple orchards. I am hoping to stock up on apple cider and fried apple pies. I might even pick some apples and try out one of your recipes.

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  2. I even love the look of apples in a hand-thrown bowl on a counter in the kitchen. I have to try the apple crisp recipe, PJ. It sounds simple, and simple is my preferred speed these days.

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    1. Oh, me too, Janga! The apple crisp recipe is an old stand-by in my family and my favorite!

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  3. I can't remember the last time I baked but that first recipe looks mighty tempting. I like the two apples you mentioned plus MacIntosh and a few others that I can't remember what they're called lol.

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    1. My mom always baked with MacIntosh when I was a kid but I prefer the firm tartness of Granny Smith.

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  4. I'm with Janga. I think I'm going to try the apple crisp recipe. Sounds yummy! I'm one of those people that loves anything with apples in it, like pie, but not fond of just eating an apple off the tree.

    My husband planted an apple tree in the yard years ago and we've just started reaping the benefits in the past year or so. Now we have to learn how to control the bugs that seem to love the apples as much as we do! We did salvage a few this year and I made homemade apple sauce. Super easy!
    1/2 cup of water
    About 10 apples (peeled, cored and cubed)
    1 teaspoon of cinnamon
    1/2 - 1 cup of sugar
    Put it all in the crock pot on high for about 3-4 hours and you've got applesauce. I've been using it as a dip with graham crackers or a topping on my oatmeal pancakes.

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    1. Your very own apple tree! I'm so jealous!

      Thanks for the applesauce recipe. I'm going to make that one!

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  5. A friend actually turned me on to caramel dip. I love to eat with this. So addictive.

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    1. I like apples with caramel dip but I can only eat a little.

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  6. Thanks for the recipes PJ! I love apples and am grateful that I can get them year round. :-) I like different ones for different things - Galas are great for just eating, Granny Smiths are my favorite for baking, and Honeycrisps are the absolute best for caramel apples! Honeycrisps are super sweet and also great to just munch on.

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    1. I need to try some Honeycrisps for caramel apples. I usually use Rome.

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  7. I love baking with apples. Will be adding these recipes to my collection of those using apples. MacIntosh are my favorite. We grew up in the middle of Mac country in Northern NY.

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