This apple galette is easier than pie, but just as delicious. Drizzled with a salted maple glaze and served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, this is the tastiest way to eat the season’s best apples. As much as I love a fancy dessert, this time of year what I love even more is …
This apple galette is easier than pie, but just as delicious. Drizzled with a salted maple glaze and served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, this is the tastiest way to eat the season’s best apples.
As much as I love a fancy dessert, this time of year what I love even more is a dessert that seems fancy but is actually really easy to make.
Galettes are perfect for this! They are meant to look rustic and are quick to throw together, but somehow end up looking really pretty when sliced and served up with a scoop of ice cream.
This apple galette recipe originally comes from my friend Allison over at Some the Wiser. It is so simple to make, but when paired with the salted maple glaze, is a real stunner!
If you haven’t yet settled on a Thanksgiving dessert, I think this should be it. It will definitely be a hit!
Cranberry apple crisp is sweet, tart, and perfect for the holiday season. This post contains affiliate links. What are you planning to make for Thanksgiving dessert this year? Is your family all about one big statement dessert – such as pumpkin cheesecake or chocolate pecan pie – or do you like to have a few different …
Cranberry apple crisp is sweet, tart, and perfect for the holiday season.
This post contains affiliate links.
What are you planning to make for Thanksgiving dessert this year? Is your family all about one big statement dessert – such as pumpkin cheesecake or chocolate pecan pie – or do you like to have a few different desserts?
I have to say, I like the idea of having two or three simple yet flavorful desserts so that everyone can try a bit of everything. Pecan bars, no-bake pumpkin cheesecake, and an apple crisp would be a dessert spread to go crazy for!
The idea for this cranberry apple crisp originally came from my friend Emily over at Jelly Toast as a spin on her grandma’s traditional holiday apple crisp.
I love the combination of the tart cranberries with the apples and sweet oat topping and think this would be a beautiful addition to your Thanksgiving menu.
This easy apple salad recipe is a delight, starring crisp fruit, greens, cheese crumbles, and a zingy maple vinaigrette.
Got an apple? Here’s a simple way to turn it into a beautiful side dish: this stunning Apple Saladrecipe! If we could eat one salad for the rest of time, this one is it. Crisp tart apple slices pair with pops of pomegranate seeds, creamy goat cheese, and crunchy, cinnamon spiced pecans. Toss them all over fresh greens with a zingy maple and apple cider vinegar dressing, and it’s truly salad perfection. Here’s our best ever apple salad recipe, ideal for weeknights, dinner parties, Thanksgiving, and more.
Ingredients in this apple salad recipe
This apple salad recipe is all about minimal ingredients with maximum impact. It’s fancy enough for entertaining, yet simple enough to pair with an easy weeknight meal. The flavors make it a great fall salad or winter salad (ideal for Thanksgiving or Christmas), but it works in any season. Here’s what you’ll need for this tasty green salad:
Maple Vinaigrette dressing (or other dressing variations; see below!)
Best types of apples for a salad
What are the best types of apples for an apple salad? A crisp tart applevariety is best here. You’ll want an apple that has a lovely crunch when you bite into it, and a bit of tartness in the flavor profile makes for the best pop. Here are our top apple varieties for a salad:
Pink Lady: our favorite apple, hands down! The flavor is intensely sweet tart and it has a lovely, bright red color
Granny Smith: it has a great tart flavor! We suggest mixing this with another red apple, like a Pink Lady or Honeycrisp
Honeycrisp: a bit sweeter and juicier than Pink Lady, but still a great option
Jonathon or Jonagold: these are apples you can pick at an orchard; they’ve got a nice sweet tart flavor as well
There are lots of other great apple varieties: let us know your favorites in the comments below.
Candied pecans add big flavor
What makes this apple salad stand out? All the elements contribute, but the candied pecans really add a kick of sweet, cinnamon-spiced goodness. Here are a few notes on candied pecans and a few substitutions:
Candied pecans take just 35 minutes and make a large batch that’s easy to store. It’s absolutely worth the time to make a batch that works for salads for weeks or months.
Store at room temp 2 weeks or frozen 3 months. These nuts stay perfectly crisp and delicious for the entire storage time.
Alternatively, try purchased candied pecans or make toasted pecans. Don’t want to make your own? You can find them at the store, or simply make toasted pecans! Toasting nuts on the stovetop brings out their unique flavor.
Or, try candied walnuts or any other nut you like. Candied walnuts are another great choice! Or try the salad with pistachios, almonds, or hazelnuts: it’s just as tasty!
Apple salad variations: dressing, mix-ins and more
There are many ways to vary this apple salad recipe: as noted above with the nuts. But you can try it with different dressing options and other mix-ins. Here are a few ideas for alterative dressings and mix-ins:
Dried cranberries or cherries can stand in for pomegranate seeds
Use Parmesan, gorgonzola, gouda,Manchego, or omit the cheese
Vary the nuts to almonds, walnuts, pistachios, or hazelnuts
Add pepitas or other crunchy mix-ins
More salad recipes
This apple salad is a favorite green salad recipe of ours that works for holidays just as well as a laid-back weeknight. But there are so many more riffs on this concept! Here are a few more of our favorite tasty salads:
If using, prepare the candied pecans in advance (or use purchased).
Make the dressing: In a medium bowl, whisk the maple syrup, vinegar, Dijon mustard, salt, and black pepper. Whisk in the olive oil 1 tablespoon at a time until a creamy dressing forms. (If desired, make in advance and refrigerate up to 2 weeks; bring to room temperature prior to serving).
Thinly slice the apple.
Place the greens on a large platter or individual plates. Top with apple slices, candied pecans, goat cheese or feta crumbles, and pomegranate seeds or dried cranberries. Top with about 6 tablespoons of the dressing (or more as desired) and serve immediately. (To make ahead, keep all components separate with fresh ingredients and dressing refrigerated. Toss the apples with lemon juice to prevent browning. Bring dressing to room temperature and add all ingredients together directly before serving.)
This fluffy, soft pull-apart bread is just as the name suggests; you simply pull it apart to eat a slice! Infused with apple cider and cinnamon, it’s a variation on my Apple Cider Cinnamon Rolls. You’ll also find a Lemon Pull-Apart Bread in…
This fluffy, soft pull-apart bread is just as the name suggests; you simply pull it apart to eat a slice! Infused with apple cider and cinnamon, it’s a variation on my Apple Cider Cinnamon Rolls. You’ll also find a Lemon Pull-Apart Bread in my Baking for the Holidays cookbook. I’ve used apple cider in both the dough and the icing for this bread, rather than apple chunks or bits or shreds. I find the pieces very distracting in my breads or buns; they tend to just fall out on the plate and need to be eaten with a fork at a later time. Apple cider takes care of this problem nicely. The apple flavor is light but bright, and does shine through especially with a hit of apple brandy in the icing. It’s as fun to eat as it is delicious, and makes a great Autumn weekend breakfast, especially if you’ve just been to the apple orchard and came home with cider. How to Make Pull-Apart Bread: Although this bread is a little time consuming to make, it is always worth the effort. Make the sweet dough. It will have a rise time of 2 hours. Grease and line a […]
It’s that time of the year again. When bakers, cooks, and even bartenders, are baking, roasting, and shaking things up for the holidays. Here’s a round-up of recipes from my blog, my personal favorites, that are great for Thanksgiving and winter holiday fêtes. There are cakes, cocktails, spreads, dips, candied nuts, cheesecake, ice cream…and more! Pecan Pie with Bourbon and Ginger What’s more traditional than pecan…
It’s that time of the year again. When bakers, cooks, and even bartenders, are baking, roasting, and shaking things up for the holidays. Here’s a round-up of recipes from my blog, my personal favorites, that are great for Thanksgiving and winter holiday fêtes. There are cakes, cocktails, spreads, dips, candied nuts, cheesecake, ice cream…and more!
What’s more traditional than pecan pie for the holidays? (That wasn’t really a question, because most of us already know the answer.) I love this zippy variation, with a triple dose of ginger and a belt of bourbon to boot. It’s especially good with a scoop of white chocolate-fresh ginger ice cream.
This apple dumplings recipe is truly the best! Tender, cinnamon-spiced apples are baked in a flaky pastry crust.
Want to make dumplings? Have we got the recipe for you. Introducing…Grandma’s Old Fashioned apple dumplings recipe! Yes, this really is Grandma’s recipe: we worked with Alex’s mom to adapt her famous fall favorite for your home kitchen. Tender, cozy-spiced apples are baked up in a flaky pasty crust with a spiced brown sugar syrup. The result is a revelation: there’s a reason Grandma is famous for these! Here’s what you need to know to make the very best apple dumplings.
About this apple dumplings recipe
Apple dumplings are a dessert of apples that are baked or boiled wrapped in pastry crust. They originated in England in the early 1700’s, then later spread to America where they become popular. Each cook has their own way of making an apple dumpling. A common method is to core apples, place sugar and cinnamon inside, wrap them in pastry crust, and bake in a spiced sugar syrup.
This apple dumplings recipe is truly Grandma’s famous recipe: Alex’s mom makes these dumplings every fall in huge batches and sells them to the surrounding farm community. People come from far and wide to get ahold of them! So we were excited to work with her to share the secret family recipe! Here we’ve adapted her original recipe for 26 dumplings to make a pan of 6.
How to make apple dumplings: an overview
Here’s the basic outline of what you’re getting yourself into with this apple dumplings recipe. The process takes about 2 ½ hours total. This recipe makes a pan of 6 dumplings; you can multiply it as desired. You can refrigerate or freeze leftovers. Here’s an outline of what you’ll have to do (jump to the recipe for full details):
Mix thepastry dough
15 minutes active
Rest
30 minutes to 1 hour, hands off
Make the apple filling
~30 minutes active (during rest time)
Assemble the dumplings
20 to 30 minutes active
Bake the dumplings
1 hour
Best apples to use
This apple dumplings recipe works with many different types of apples. Because it’s a rustic family recipe, Alex’s mom has made it with just about every variety from any tree in the surrounding area. This is a great recipe for apples from apple picking, and it works with most types of purchased apples. However, here are a few things to note:
Crisp tart apple varieties work best. They hold their texture inside the pastry crust, and a tart finish makes for the best flavor (in our opinion). Varieties we like are Pink Lady, Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, and Jonathon or Jonagold.
Soft apple varieties are harder to work with. Stay away from apple varieties like Gala or Red Delicious, which can fall apart when you’re working with them.
How to cut apples for apple dumplings
The only part of this apple dumpling recipe that requires a little technique? Peeling, coring and slicing the apples. An apple peeler-corer-slicer is the quickest and easiest way to accomplish this. There are many manual versions of this tool, and also a type that connects to a stand mixer (which we used here).
You can also peel and cut the apples manually with a vegetable peeler and knife. The trick to cutting the apples is to cut around and pull out the core, then cutting the apples into 1/8th inch slices width wise. See the photos below! We tried it both ways and it worked with either. The machine makes it look very professional, but you won’t notice in the finished dumpling.
Apple preparation methods: peeler-corer-slicer vs vegetable peeler and knife (background). Either works!
How to form apple dumplings
The other tricky part of apple dumplings: how to form them! Here are a few tips:
Fill: Take the apple and place spiced sugar and a small pat of butter inside the hole where the core was.
Roll: Roll out the dough to a circle about 8 inches in diameter and place the apple on top.
Fold: Fold up the sides to wrap the apple in pastry. Gently press the top to seal. This apple dumplings recipe is very rustic, so don’t worry if it doesn’t look perfect. See the photos below!
Multiply the recipe as desired
This apple dumplings recipe is adapted from Grandma’s original recipe that makes 26 dumplings: intended for giving away, selling, or freezing the leftovers. The recipe below makes 6 dumplings, but you can double, triple, or quadruple it as needed to make 12, 18, or 24 dumplings.
Storage info for apple dumplings
Got leftover apple dumplings or using them to give away? These dumplings are delicious cold, room temperature, or warm. (We actually loved eating leftover refrigerated dumplings cold!) Here’s what to know about dumpling storage:
Refrigerate dumplings for up to 1 week. To reheat, place in a 250 degree oven for about 20 to 30 minutes until warmed through.
Freeze dumplings for up to 6 months. Place the dumplings in a freezer safe container, wrap it in plastic wrap, then aluminum foil, and then plastic wrap again. Per Grandma, this should last for up to 1 year (though we suggest 6 months to be on the safe side). Reheat frozen dumplings in a 250 degree oven for 30 to 40 minutes until warmed through. Or, you can microwave them!
Dietary notes
This apple dumplings recipe is vegetarian. But it can easily be made vegan by using vegan butter! This type of butter works well as a substitute in vegan pastry crusts and desserts. For gluten-free, you can certainly try 1-for-1 gluten-free flour, but we haven’t tested this swap.
Serving apple dumplings
Last up: serving apple dumplings! This recipe is perfect for a fall dessert or winter dessert, great for Thanksgiving, Christmas or other family gatherings. These little balls of goodness are so tasty, you don’t need any toppings. However, serving with a bit of vanilla ice cream takes it to the next level. Or, you can add other toppings! Here are some ideas:
In a large bowl, mix the flour, salt, and baking powder. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or fork until a pebbly texture forms (with butter chunks about the size of peas). Add the milk and stir to combine, adding more milk by the tablespoon until the dough comes together (we usually add about 2 more tablespoons). Divide the dough into 6 equal balls (about 100 g each). Place in a covered container and refrigerate the dough for 30 to 60 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Peel the apples, then cut out the cores with a knife. Slice the apples into 1/8th thick rings width-wise, so the apple can stack after being cut (see the photos above). You can do this with an apple peeler-corer-slicer, or by hand. Check to make sure there are no extra seeds left inside the apple slices.
In a small bowl, mix the filling ingredients: granulated sugar, cinnamon, allspice, and ginger. Cut the 3-tablespoon piece of butter into 6 small stick shapes that fit inside the hole in the center of the apple.
Remove the dough from the fridge. Roll out one piece of dough wide enough to cover the apple when folded, about 8 inches in diameter. Place an apple in the center. Place 1 butter pat and 1 tablespoon of spiced sugar into the center of the apple. Wrap the dough up and around the apple from each side. Pinch the top gently to seal. Repeat for each dumpling, placing the finished dumplings in an ungreased 9 x 13” pan.
Bake the dumplings for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, make the syrup: bring the brown sugar, water, cinnamon and butter to a boil, stirring often, then remove from the heat.
After the first 15 minutes of bake time, spoon a few tablespoons of the syrup over each dumpling, using about half of the syrup. Bake for another 30 minutes, then spoon the remaining syrup over the dumplings. Bake for a final 15 minutes (to make a total of 1 hour bake time). Remove from the oven and allow to cool a few minutes before serving. Serve with vanilla ice cream.
Notes
*For vegan, substitute vegan butter, which works well as a substitute in pastry crusts and desserts.
Category:Dessert
Method:Baked
Cuisine:American
Diet:Vegetarian
Keywords: Apple dumplings, apple dumpling recipe, apple dumpling, apple dumplings recipe
This baked apples recipe is an easy, cozy fall dessert! Stuff the fruit with oats, spices, and brown sugar and bake until tender.
Got a craving for a cozy fall dessert? Try this Baked Applesrecipe! It’s like a short-cut apple crumble, but lighter, easier and tastier. Stuff the sweet tart fruit with oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger and allspice, then bake until sweet and tender. The tart tang of the apple against the spiced crumbles is a bit of a revelation! It’s especially good with a bit of vanilla ice cream, but it tastes just as good solo. You’ll be surprised at how the simple ingredients make a big flavor impact (we were!).
Ingredients in this baked apples recipe
Baked apples are whole apples that are stuffed with a crumble-style filling and baked until tender. The concept takes all the flavors of an apple crisp or apple crumble, but focuses on the apple instead: making it a lighter, healthier spin on the classic dessert.
It’s hard to get a baked apples recipe just right, because it needs to be just sweet enough and the apples must be fully tender. In fact, we tried a baked apples recipe years ago and it came out bland and crunchy (which made us almost swear the idea off altogether). Luckily, we tried again this year with some apples picked at a local orchard and it turned out perfectly. Here’s what you’ll need for baked apples:
Crisp-tart cooking apples (see below)
Old Fashioned rolled oats
All purpose flour
Pecans
Brown sugar
Butter
Cinnamon, ginger, and allspice
Salt
Types of apples for baked apples
This baked apples recipe is best with a specific type of cooking apple: use any firm, crisp sweet tart apple variety. A firm, crisp texture is crucial for baking, otherwise the fruit becomes mushy and grainy. A sweet tart apple has the best flavor because the acidity makes the flavor pop. Here are a few of the varieties that shine here:
Pink Lady
Honeycrisp
Golden Delicious
Granny Smith
Jonathon or Jonagold
Ida Red
For the photos, we used a variety we got at an orchard: simply taste test and see if the texture is crisp and the flavor is medium tart. There are lots of other great varieties of apples for baking: ask your grocer or at your apple orchard for what they recommend. Types to avoid? Pass on varieties like Gala, Fuji or Red Delicious: the flavor and texture don’t hold up here.
How to hollow out the apples
The other most important part of baked apples? Hollowing out the apple cavity. Here are a few tips to follow when cutting the apples to prepare them for baking:
Use a paring knife to cut a funnel shape. Start from the top of the apple and end about 2/3 of the way down the fruit. See the photo!
Remove and discard the seeds and core. Pull out the core, seeds and extra flesh. You don’t want too much extra flesh or it will take longer to cook the apples.
Making sure the baked apples are cooked
The most crucial part of a baked apples recipe? Making sure the apples are cooked through. The cook time will depend on the size and type of apples, and how much you’ve hollowed out the apples when removing the cores (see the photo above). Here are a few tips for baking:
Test by sliding in a pairing knife to the thickest point. It should slide in easily with no give. If not, bake a few minutes longer.
Resist the urge to overbake. Overbaking can make for mushy apples, though it all depends on the apple variety. Use your best judgement! The overall bake time should be approximately 45 minutes, but again: it depends on the size and type of apples.
How to serve baked apples
Once your baked apples are nice and tender, you can enjoy them right away! You’ll want to serve the apples with a knife and fork, so you can cut bites off of the whole apple. (It won’t be tender enough to eat with just a fork.) They’re delicious plain, but we like them with a little vanilla ice cream on the side. Here are a few serving suggestions:
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Bring water to boil in a tea kettle.
Remove the core of each apple with a paring knife: cut a funnel shape from top of the apple to about 2/3 of the way down. Remove and discard the seeds and core.
In a medium bowl, stir together the rolled oats, flour, pecans, brown sugar, and melted butter. Spoon the filling into the apples.
Place the apples in a small baking dish. Cover the bottom of the dish with about 1/4” of the boiling water.
Bake for 25 minutes, then cover loosely with foil. Bake 15 to 20 minutes until tender when pierced with a knife, but not mushy (or more, if necessary).
Drizzle each apple with maple syrup, and if desired serve with vanilla ice cream. Serve with a knife and fork.
Notes
*The best varieties for this recipe are sweet tart in flavor with a crisp texture.
Category:Dessert
Method:Baked
Cuisine:Dessert
Diet:Vegetarian
Keywords: Baked apples, baked apples recipe, baked apple recipe, baked apple
Apple hand pies are everything you love about fall in one tiny, edible package. Flaky, tender pie crust with spiced apple pie filling will just make your day! This post contains affiliate links. Is there anything that screams fall more than apple pie? There’s just something special about the combo of flaky pastry, tart apples, …
Apple hand pies are everything you love about fall in one tiny, edible package. Flaky, tender pie crust with spiced apple pie filling will just make your day!
This post contains affiliate links.
Is there anything that screams fall more than apple pie?
There’s just something special about the combo of flaky pastry, tart apples, and warm spices that makes me feel happy from the inside out.
Last year I was all about making apple crumb pie, and this year I am all about making these little apple hand pies.
They are so much fun to make, and who doesn’t love a mini dessert?
In fact, I think they’d be right at home on your Thanksgiving menu alongside mini pecan pies. How cute would it be to have a whole lineup of mini pies for dessert?
Apple cider donuts are loaded with delicious fall flavors and will remind you of trips to the apple orchard. Celebrate the season with this old-fashioned treat the whole family will adore! This post contains affiliate links. It’s finally chilly here in Ohio, which means it’s almost time for sweater weather, fall decorating, and pumpkin spice …
Apple cider donuts are loaded with delicious fall flavors and will remind you of trips to the apple orchard. Celebrate the season with this old-fashioned treat the whole family will adore!
This post contains affiliate links.
It’s finally chilly here in Ohio, which means it’s almost time for sweater weather, fall decorating, and pumpkin spice everything.
I may have put out all my fall decor weeks ago, but I’m so glad it’s finally appropriate now. I couldn’t wait anymore!
One of my absolute favorite things about fall is our annual trip to the orchard. We round up the family to spend the afternoon together picking apples, going on hay rides, and winding our way through the corn maze.
And although I adore all of those things, my absolute favorite thing about our day at the orchard are warm apple cider donuts served up with a piping hot cup of spiced apple cider.
These sweet apple cider donuts are everything you want in a fall treat. Whip them up before a chilly day out enjoying the fall leaves, or make them at night to go with a fun fall movie and some popcorn.
Caramel apple cake is perfectly spiced, moist, and topped with a decadent salted caramel frosting. Make with all-purpose flour or follow the alternate method for a gluten-free version. This post contains affiliate links. We’re deep into apple season over here. A visit to the apple orchard is a fall must around here. Even if we …
Caramel apple cake is perfectly spiced, moist, and topped with a decadent salted caramel frosting. Make with all-purpose flour or follow the alternate method for a gluten-free version.
This post contains affiliate links.
We’re deep into apple season over here.
A visit to the apple orchard is a fall must around here. Even if we don’t have time to pick the apples ourselves, we at least have to run by and pick up bags of fresh apples for everything from apple crumb pie to apple fritter bread.
This caramel apple cake is another great recipe from my friend Erin at Texanerin Baking. This cake is so simple to make but is so flavorful and moist, it will be a must for all of your fall gatherings.
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