Celebrate the sweet and tartness of apples this month with recipes that will take you from the beginning of your meal through to the end. Here are a few easy recipes that use apples as an appetizer, an entrée, and of course, a dessert.
CREAM CHEESE CARAMEL APPLE DIP
8 ounces cream cheese softened
¼ c. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
½ tsp. lemon juice
¼ c. caramel sauce
2 Tbsp. toffee bits
apples for serving
Combine the softened cream cheese, powdered sugar, vanilla, and lemon juice in a bowl. Beat until smooth. Move the cream cheese mixture to a shallow dish.
Top the cream cheese dip with caramel sauce and toffee bits, making sure to cover every part of the cream cheese layer.
Serve chilled with sliced apples. Be sure to put lemon juice on the apples slices to keep them from turning brown.
APPLE CIDER CHICKEN
4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
salt & pepper
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 apples, sliced into ½ inch wedges
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp. sage, chopped
1 tbsp. all-purpose flour
⅔ c. apple cider
½ c. heavy cream
⅓ c. low-sodium chicken stock
Preheat oven to 350°F. Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper and place skin-side down. Cook undisturbed for about 8-10 minutes, or until the skin is browned and the chicken easily releases from the skillet. Flip and cook for another minute. Remove and set aside.
Reduce heat to medium and add butter. Add the onion and apples and cook for 5-7 minutes or until translucent. Add garlic and sage and cook for another 30 seconds. Next, add the flour and whisk until it is absorbed, about 1 minute. Add the apple cider, heavy cream, and chicken stock to deglaze the pan. Bring sauce to boil then reduce to simmer.
Return chicken to skillet, skin-side up and spoon some of the sauce over it. Bake for about 10 minutes or until cooked through, spooning some sauce over the chicken halfway through.
Once ready, turn the broiler on and broil until the skin is golden brown and sauce is bubbling, about 1-2 minutes.
APPLE DUMP CAKE
Apple Mixture
5 cups apples, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
2 tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
Topping
2 1/3 c. flour
1 1/4 c. sugar
1 tbsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
3/4 to 1 c. butter, melted
Combine cinnamon, nutmeg, sugar, and vanilla; add to apples and mix well. Spread into a greased 9×13 baking dish.
Using the same bowl, make the topping by combining the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Pour over top of the apple mixture and spread it out evenly.
Pour melted butter all over the top of the cake. Tilt the pan if necessary to get the butter to cover as much of the surface of the cake as possible.
Bake at 350° for 45 to 50 minutes until bubbly and lightly browned.
Eat warm or cold as is or serve with milk, whipped cream, or ice cream.
CREAMY APPLIE BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 c. diced sweet onion
1 tbsp. minced garlic
4 c. cubed butternut squash
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and chopped
4 c. chicken stock
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1/4 c. half and half
Instructions
Heat the olive oil in a heavy bottom stock pot over medium heat. Add the onion to the pot and cook until softened. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
Add the squash and the apple to the pot. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Stir the stock into the squash mixture and bring to a boil. Turn the heat to low and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until the butternut squash is fork tender.
Transfer the mixture to a blender and cover with a lid. (Hold the lid with a towel to prevent burns.) Puree the mixture until smooth. Pour the puree back into the pot and return to a simmer.
Stir the cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, salt and pepper into the puree. Simmer for an additional 5 minutes.
Add the half and half to the soup. Stir to combine.
Serve immediately with fresh grated nutmeg, diced apples and sour cream, if desired.
APPLE CRISP BITES
I give this one 4 stars!
Oatmeal Cookie crust
1 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. rolled oats
3/4 c. brown sugar
12 tbsp. butter softened
for the homemade Apple Filling Option
2 tbsp. butter
3-4 medium apples peeled, cored and diced in to 1/4-inch cubes
1/3 c. brown sugar
3 tbsp. water
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1 tbsp. + 1 tsp. cornstarch
2 tbsp. water
You can also use canned apple filling
Caramel topping optional
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 24-cup mini-muffin tin.
In a medium size pan, melt butter, add apples, spices, brown sugar and 3 Tbsp water. Cook over medium-high heat, for 4-6 minutes or until apples very slightly softened.
In a small dish combine cornstarch and 2 Tbsp water. Add to pan while stirring and continue to cook until apples are tender, and filling is thickened, about 4 to 5 minutes. Cool.
Combine flour, oats and brown sugar in a large bowl. Cut the butter into the flour mixture with a pastry cutter until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs.
Place a heaping tablespoon of the crust mixture into a mini muffin cup. Press along the bottom and sides to make a “cup”. There will be crust mixture left over.
Place about 1 tbsp of apple filling in the crust. Sprinkle about 1 tsp of the remaining crust mixture on the filling.
Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Use a knife to loosen from pan and they should pop right out.
Drizzle with caramel topping if desired.
BEST BLOOMIN’ APPLE RECIPE
Ingredients
Cooking spray
4 tbsp. melted butter
1 tbsp. packed brown sugar
1 tbsp. granulated sugar
1/2 twp. ground cinnamon
4 apples
8 chewy caramel squares
vanilla ice cream for serving
caramel sauce for drizzling
Preheat oven to 375° and grease a medium baking dish with cooking spray. In a small bowl, whisk together butter, sugars, and cinnamon.
Slice the top off of each apple then use a melon baller (or a teaspoon) to scoop out core. Using a paring knife, make two circular cuts in apple. Place apple cut side down on a cutting board and slice crosswise, being careful not to cut through the core. Place cut apples in a small baking dish. Fill each apple with two caramel squares, then brush melted butter on top. Bake until the apples are tender, about 30 minutes.
Serve warm with ice cream and drizzle with caramel.
FOR AIR FRYER
In a small bowl, whisk together butter, sugars, and cinnamon. Slice top off of each apple then use a melon baller (or a teaspoon) to scoop out core. Using a paring knife, make two circular cuts in apple. Place apple cut side down on a cutting board and slice crosswise, being careful not to cut through the core. Fill each apple with 2 caramel squares, then brush melted butter on top. Please cut apples in basket of air fryer. Bake at
350° for 15 to 20 minutes. Serve warm with ice cream and drizzle with caramel.
