My 5 Favorite Apple Recipes for Fall.

Now that it’s almost October, I’m starting to get on board with all the fall things! The weather has turned a little bit cooler and the leaves are starting to change, so I’m starting to accept the fact that summer is over and fall is here.

Yesterday my friend and I picked apples and  now I have no less than 50 apples to use up. So, here are my favorite apple-based recipes in case you pick up some fresh fruit, too! These recipes scream fall to me and are tried-and-true. Some of them are pretty indulgent, so enjoy in moderation.

Easy Crock Pot Apple Butter

If I have to choose one apple recipe to make each year, it’s this one!! It’s fool-proof. I’ve been making this for years and it always turns out fantastic. It’s so easy to do because I let it cook in the crock pot overnight. In fact, I made this last night and woke up in the middle of the night to the sweet aroma of apples and cinnamon. I LOVE the way it makes my house smell, and the taste is even better! Make a large quantity and freeze some of it for later.

The Best Apple Pie Ever. 

Now, if my husband could pick just one apple recipe for me to make, it would be this one. I use my one-minute homemade pie crust to hold in those sweet, juicy apple slices. They get tossed in a rich butter/sugar/cinnamon mixture before baking, and some of that lovely mixture gets brushed on the crust. It is sooooo ridiculously good.

Apple Crisp Muffins

Super sweet muffins with real chunks of apple in the batter, then finished with an oat topping reminiscent of an apple crisp (hence the name). There’s enough sweetness that these can be dessert instead of breakfast!

Autumn Chopped Salad

This salad is ahhhhmazing. There’s lots of yummy things like crunchy romaine, feta, peanuts, cranberries, bacon, a pear, and (of course) an apple! Toss the whole thing in a combination of poppyseed dressing and balsamic vinegar (seriously, so delicious) and dive in!

Easy Crock Pot Apple Sauce

Here’s another super easy crock pot recipe. You can make this refined sugar free by simply omitting the sugar. Like the apple butter, it all cooks down in the crock pot, but the apple sauce takes about half the time (6 hours). When it’s done it looks like this:

What is your favorite apple recipe? Let me know in the comments!

Easy Crock Pot Apple Sauce

This fall I found out making homemade apple sauce in the crock pot is easy! A cinnamon stick, apples, and sugar (optional) are all you need to make this recipe. The crock pot does all the work for you (well, except for chopping the apples!). A nice perk is that your house will smell like cinnamon and apples as it cooks away. I just love crock pot recipes, don’t you? (P.S. If you haven’t checked out my crock pot apple butter recipe, click here!)

You will want to adjust the amount of cinnamon/sugar you use depending on your apples. I used apples I picked myself but they were very, very tart, so I did have to add about 1/2 cup sugar to the batch. If your apples are sweeter, however, there may not be a need for sugar at all. For this reason, you may want to wait and add the sugar AFTER the apples cook down.

Did I mention you can double this recipe for a larger quantity or even half it for a small batch? This recipe is SO versatile I hesitate to even call it a recipe! Feel confident to adjust it any which way you like! After the apples cook down for about 6 hours, you can take a whisk or immersion blender to the apples to make the apple sauce smooth, or you can leave it chunky. Be sure to taste and add more cinnamon or sugar. It should look something like this when it’s done:

Ready to be jarred and used in delicious recipes, given away to family and friends, or just eaten as is!

Everything is better homemade, am I right?? The answer is yes. 🙂 Enjoy!

Easy Crock Pot Apple Sauce

Ingredients:

• 10 apples, cored, peeled, and chopped
• 1/4-1/2 cup sugar (white or brown will work. You may want to wait and add this after the apples cook down unless they are very tart!)
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon (optional)

1) Spray your crock pot with cooking spray for easy clean up. Add the apples, lemon juice, cinnamon stick, and sugar (or add sugar at the end).

2) Set crock pot to low for about 6 hours (this can vary depending on your crock pot), stirring occasionally. Blend with immersion blender for a very smooth apple sauce.

3) Taste and add more sugar and cinnamon, as needed. Allow to cool before refrigerating.

Recipe courtesy of Audreysapron.wordpress.com.