These baked apple chips make a perfect healthy snack. They’re incredibly simple to make and they taste great.  All you do is slice an apple really thin, and then bake the slices at a really low temperature until they turn nice and crispy. The actual baking part takes awhile, but the prep work only takes about 5 minutes. You can season them however you want, but I like them with a really light coating of cinnamon and sugar. Mike loves these and would eat them every day if I’d make them.  The best part is that they are so healthy you don’t have to feel guilty for eating them. 🙂 Try them and let me know what you think!

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By now I’m guessing most of you know that I love soup. I’m always trying new soup recipes, and recently this recipe for apple cheddar soup with bacon caught my eye. I love cheese soups, and the combination of apple, cheddar and bacon sounded really interesting. This soup was really quick to make, which was good because I was in a huge rush to have this ready for dinner. It only took about 30 minutes, and the end result tasted great!  The apple flavor is very prounounced, and overall we both really liked this soup. It’s creamy and cheesy with a surprising flavor twist from the apple. And of course, you can never go wrong with bacon.  Don’t skip the cheesy croutons either – they were my favorite part. 🙂

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Aren’t these apple pie bites cute? The concept is pretty simple – just take some pie dough, coat it in cinnamon sugar, wrap it around apple slices and bake. The end result is basically a mini apple pie in bite size form. In the picture you can see that I left the apple skins on, but next time I make them, I would definitely peel the apples first. Other than that, these were great. They were perfect for Fall and really did taste like apple pie. Plus they’re just so cute. Really, you can’t go wrong with a bite sized version of a classic Fall dessert!

Apple Pie Bites

Ingredients:

1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 pkg (14.1 oz) refrigerated pie pastry (or make your own)
3 Tbsp butter, melted, divided
2-3 medium tart apples, peeled and cut into medium sized wedges (about 10 wedges per apple)

Directions:

In a small bowl, combine sugar and cinnamon. Set aside 1 Tbsp. On a lightly floured surface, unroll the pastry. Brush with 2 Tbsp of melted butter, and sprinkle with the remaining cinnamon sugar mixture.

Cut the pastry into thin strips. Wrap each strip around one apple wedge, placing the sugared side of the pastry against the apple. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet. Brush the tops with the remaining melted butter and sprinkle with the reserved cinnamon sugar mixture.

Bake at 425 for 13-15 minutes or until pastry is golden brown. Serve warm.

from Taste of Home, October 2011

There is not much better than baking with apples in the Fall. It makes your whole house smell like cinnamon and the end result almost always ends up being delicious. That is definitely the case with this apple streusel bread! The bread is moist and tender, and I think you can tell from the picture below that it is completely chock full of apples. But what really takes it over the edge is the streusel topping.  Similar to a crumb topped apple pie, the streusel topping is crumbly and sweet. It really makes this apple bread taste like something special. So if you’re looking to enjoy a seasonal treat, give this apple streusel bread a try – we loved it!

Apple Streusel Bread

Yield: 2 loaves

Ingredients:

Bread:
4 cups peeled and chopped apples
4 large eggs, beaten
1 cup canola oil
2 tsp vanilla
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar

Topping:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease 2 standard loaf pans and set aside.

In a large bowl, beat the eggs with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add the oil and beat until combined. Add the vanilla, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Beat until thoroughly mixed. Next, add the flour and sugar and mix on low just to blend. Turn the mixer to high and beat until mixture is smooth. The batter will be very thick. Gently fold in the chopped apples. Divide the mixture between the two loaf pans.

For the topping: combine the flour, sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Cut the butter into the mixture with a fork (or your fingertips) until all ingredients are moist and crumbly. Sprinkle the topping equally over the two loaf pans and lightly press into the batter.

Bake for 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool for 5 minutes before removing from the pan to cool completely.

from The Penzey's Spice catalog

This is a fun post to write – not only because I’m excited about sharing these delicious muffins, but also because it’s part of a virtual baby shower for a blogging friend of mine! Jen from My Kitchen Addiction is expecting a little baby girl and some fellow bloggers are celebrating by participating in a blog version of a shower.  Jen is one of the sweetest girls I’ve met through this whole experience and I am so excited for her. I decided to bring these apple spice muffins to the event – not only because they taste really good, but also because they are an adaptation of a recipe Jen posted recently! I shared her recipe for spiced zucchini apple muffins in a recent Friday Favorites post, and I just couldn’t wait any longer before trying them.

These muffins are perfect for Fall. They are perfectly sweet and full of warm Fall spices. I love the texture that the shredded apple gives them, and the flavor is absolutely perfect. I’ve made plenty of apple muffins in previous years, but suffice it to say, these are now my favorite. So thanks, Jen for a wonderful recipe, and I hope you enjoy your shower! 🙂

Ingredients:

2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 cups shredded apple
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup applesauce
1/4 cup canola oil
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350. Line muffin tins with paper cups and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spices. In a separate bowl, mix together the apple, sugar, applesauce, oil, eggs and vanilla. Stir the wet mixture into the dry mixture until just combined. Be careful not to overmix. Fill the muffin cups 2/3 full and bake for 20 – 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the muffins cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

adapted from My Kitchen Addiction and The Naptime Chef

Be sure to check out the other participants! 🙂

Bluebonnets & Brownies | Raspberry Lemon Fruit Dip
Sugarcrafter | Sweet Potato Cake with Honey Buttercream
My Baking Addiction | Mini Pumpkin Pies
Simple Bites | English Eccles Cakes
Stetted | Roasted Red Pepper and Caramelized Onion Dip
Food for my Family | Homemade Pear Italian Sodas with Cardamom Cream
eat. live. travel. write. | Goat Cheese and Tomato Tartlettes
Gimme Some Oven | Creamy Caramel Apple Dippers
Dessert For Two | Caramel Apple Cookie Cups
Bake at 350 | Soft Sugar Cookies for a Baby Shower
A Thought For Food | Fingerling Potato Salad
TidyMom | Apple Pomegranate Spritzers
i am baker | Advice to a New Mommy
Healthy Green Kitchen | Guacamole with Pistachios
Tracey’s Culinary Adventures | Caramelized Onion, Gruyere and Bacon Spread
What Megan’s Making | Apple Spice Muffins
Cookin’ Canuck | Gorgonzola Cheese Cups with Pear & Hazelnut Salad
Bellalimento | Frozen Berry Shortcake
Shugary Sweets | Caramel Apple Truffles
GoodLife Eats | Coconut Lemon Banana Bread

We love pizza around here. It is one of our favorite meals and we probably eat it once a week, whether homemade or take-out. A few weeks ago, I was looking for new recipes to use up some leftover chicken I had in the fridge, and this chicken, caramelized onion, and apple pizza caught my eye. It was such a unique flavor combination, and I was pretty excited about it. Thankfully it lived up to all my expectations. The caramelized onions give the pizza lots of flavor, and the apples provide a nice hint of sweetness that you wouldn’t normally expect on a pizza. And of course, chicken is always a nice addition. 🙂 I loved this pizza, and other than the onions, this was very quick and easy to make. I was a little worried what Mike would think, but his exact words were “It’s different, but I really like it!” I hope you like it too. 🙂

Chicken, Caramelized Onion, and Apple Pizza

Ingredients:

• Unbaked pizza dough, at room temperature - enough for 2 10-inch pizzas (I used this pizza dough recipe)
• 2 Tbsp olive oil, plus extra to brush on the pizza crust
• 1 cup thinly sliced yellow onion (about 1 large)
• 1/4 tsp dried thyme
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 2 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup shredded cooked chicken
• 1 - 2 Granny Smith apples, cored and thinly sliced (amount depends on personal preference)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 500 degrees.
2. In a large saucepan over medium heat, warm 2 Tbsp of oil until a few droplets of water sizzle when carefully sprinkled in the pan. Add the onion and thyme. Cook, stirring often, until soft and caramel colored, about 20-30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from the heat.
3. Roll out the pizza dough on parchment paper into 2 10-inch circles. Brush eash crust with olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle the cheese evenly across both crusts. Evenly spread the chicken, onions, and apples across the pizzas. Bake until the crust is golden brown and the toppings are hot, 10-12 minutes.

from Simply Suppers

As soon as I saw this recipe for Apple Pie dip, I knew it had to be made immediately. Both because it looked so good, but also because it looked so easy! I’m happy to report that it was just as simple and delicious as I expected. It really tastes like the filling of apple pie, and when eaten on top of cinnamon sugar pita chips, it’s almost too good to be true. I loved this warm, right off the stovetop, but I have to admit, I ate more than my share cold out of the refrigerator as well. Also, I can imagine this would make a pretty great ice cream topping! If you’re like me and can’t wait any longer for Fall recipes, hopefully this one will be a good start. 🙂

Apple Pie Dip

Ingredients:

2 cups peeled, cored, and diced apple
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
3 tbsp brown sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 Tbsp butter
1 tsp cornstarch dissolved in 1 tsp water
Cinnamon Sugar Pita Chips, for serving

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan. Heat on medium until it’s boiling and has extracted juice from the apples. Turn the heat down to low and continue cooking/stirring until the sauce has thickend and coated the apples. Serve warm or cold with cinnamon sugar pita chips.

adapted, just slightly, from The Peach Kitchen

Every year around this time I start craving caramel apple cider from Starbucks. If you haven’t tried it, you’re definitely missing out. It tastes like apple pie in a cup! We like to buy apple cider from the local farm market to drink at home, but of course it never compares to the Starbucks version. When I ran across this recipe on Pinterest and saw that it claimed to re-create what you get at Starbucks, I knew I had to click over and try it out. I’m so glad I did because this stuff is amazing. I won’t go so far to say it’s as good as the Starbucks version, but it’s pretty close! The recipe calls for cinnamon syrup, which I didn’t have, so I was definitely missing a component. The cider combined with the spices, whipped cream and caramel was pretty good on its own, though! Give it a try while it’s still apple cider season and let me know how you think it compares.

Mulled Apple Cider

Yield: Serves 4-6

Ingredients:

4-6 C 100% apple juice or cider
1-2 cinnamon sticks
4-6 whole cloves
1-2 pinches nutmeg
4 Tbsp cinnamon syrup (optional)
whipped cream
caramel syrup

Directions:

Combine juice or cider and spices together in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Strain spices and add cinnamon syrup, if using. Portion into mugs and top with whipped cream and caramel syrup

from domessticated

This apple cranberry parfait makes a fun and unique breakfast. I got this recipe from Michigan Apples back in September at their apple cooking event. The chef had prepped for this recipe but we didn’t actually have time to make it. We were able to taste-test the unassembled ingredients, however, and from that taste I knew I would be making this recipe when I got home. I actually made this a few weeks ago but was unsure if I would share it because I wasn’t thrilled with my pictures. (Taking a picture of clear glass is not my strongpoint! I can’t seem to avoid the glare.) In the end, the quality of the recipe won out over the pictures, so here you go. 🙂 These parfaits are perfectly sweet with a fun variety of textures. The almond/cranberry crumble is the perfect accompaniement to the chopped apple mixture, and the end result is a fun and unique breakfast recipe that’s sweet and healthy at the same time.

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

Apple Mix:
2 Gala or Honeycrisp apples, peeled, cored, and cubed (1/4 inch)
1/2 cup sweetened dried cranberries

Apple Puree:
2 Gala or Honeycrisp apples, peeled, cored and cut in fourths
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 Tablespoons almond milk (or regular milk)
3 Tablespoons agave nectar (or honey)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Almond Crumble:
1/2 cup raw almonds
1/4 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup sweetened dried cranberries

Directions:

For the Apple Mix: Cut the apples in cubes and mix in the cranberries. Set aside.

For the Apple Puree: Place all ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth.

For the Almond Crumble: Place all ingredients in the food processor and process until mixture resembles wet sand.

Mix the Apple Mix into the Apple puree. Add 1-2 Tablespoons of this mixture to a parfait glass. Top with 2 Tablespoons of the almond crumble. Alternate until you end with 1 Tablespoon of the apple mixture.

from Michigan Apples

This quick and easy apple strudel makes a great Fall dessert! It’s so simple to put together and tastes like a lighter version of apple pie.

I made this for a snack for my Sunday School class a few weeks ago and everybody seemed to really enjoy it. The crust (just some rolled out puff pastry) is light and flaky, and the inside is full of soft cinnamon apples and sweetened dried cranberries.

Best of all, the end product looks a little more fancy than something you only spent 15 minutes on!

If you need a quick Fall dessert, give this one a try! And have some vanilla ice cream on hand to serve with it. 🙂

Quick and Easy Apple Strudel

Ingredients:

1 egg
1 tbsp. water
4 tbsp. granulated sugar
1 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
2 tbsp. sweetened dried cranberries
1/2 of a 17.3-ounce package Pepperidge Farm® Puff Pastry Sheets (1 sheet), thawed
Confectioners' sugar

Directions:

Heat the oven to 375°F. Beat the egg and water in a small bowl with a fork. Stir the granulated sugar, flour and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Add the apples and dried cranberries and toss thoroughly to coat.

Sprinkle additional flour on the work surface. Unfold the pastry sheet on the work surface. Roll the pastry sheet into a 16 x 12-inch rectangle. With the short side facing you, spoon the apple mixture onto the bottom half of the pastry sheet to within 1 inch of the edge. Roll up like a jelly roll. Place seam-side down onto a baking sheet. Tuck the ends under to seal. Brush the pastry with the egg mixture. Cut several slits in the top of the pastry.

Bake for 35 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown. Let the pastry cool on the baking sheet on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with the confectioners' sugar, and slice to serve.

from Puff Pastry