Apple Dessert Recipe
Cranberry Apple Crisp
Ingredients
4 large green apples
1 c. fresh cranberries
¾ c. brown sugar
½ c. flour
½ c. Rolled Oats
¾ tsp. ground cinnamon
¾ tsp. ground nutmeg
⅓ c. butter
Directions
Heat oven to 375 degrees F.
Lightly coat an 8-inch-square baking pan with butter. Add apples and cranberries to the pan. Combine the sugar, flour, oats, cinnamon, nutmeg, and softened butter in a bowl. Sprinkle over the fruit and bake until golden brown–about 30 minutes.
Serve hot with ice cream or cold with whipped cream.
Apple Crisp
Ingredients
For the crumb topping:
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
dash of salt
1/3 cup unsalted butter, diced into small chunks
For the Apple filling:
3-4 large Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced thin
3 Tbsp butter, melted
2 Tbsp flour
1 Tbsp lemon juice
3 Tbsp milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
dash of salt
Serve with Vanilla Ice Cream and Homemade Caramel Sauce
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
In a medium size bowl combine the crumb topping ingredients with a fork or pastry blender until it resembles small crumbs. Refrigerate while you prepare the apple filling.
For the Apple Filling: In a small bowl, combine melted butter and flour until well blended. Add lemon juice, milk and vanilla and stir well. Stir in brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Pour butter mixture over apples and toss to coat. Pour apple mixture into an 8×8-inch baking dish and spread into an even layer. Sprinkle crumb topping evenly over the apples. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown and top is set. Remove from oven and allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.
Sweet and Salty Bourbon Cinnamon Pecan Caramel Apples + Chocolate Drizzle
Ingredients
Sweet and Salty Bourbon Cinnamon Pecans
1 egg white
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2-3 tablespoons bourbon
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3 cup finely chopped raw pecans
Caramel
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup bourbon (you may use apple cider or water)
1/4 cup butter
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips, melted
6 of of your favorite apples (I used granny smith and honeycrisp)
6 twigs or wooden sticks
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Line a baking sheet with foil or a silicone baking mat. In a bowl whisk together the egg white, bourbon, vanilla, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt until frothy. Add pecans and stir to coat evenly. Transfer nuts to prepared baking pan. Bake for 15 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until toasted. Allow to cool 10 minutes and then remove from the pan and add to a shallow dish that will allow you to easily roll the apples in the pecans.
While the nuts roast, start the caramel. Push the twigs or wooden sticks into the top of the apples. Return apples to the refrigerator until caramel is ready for dipping. Line a baking sheet with wax paper.
Place sugar, corn syrup, and bourbon in a large saucepan. Bring to a boil, boil, without stirring, 9 minutes or until light golden. Add the heavy cream, butter, vanilla, and salt, slowly stirring into pan. Boil until candy thermometer reaches 235°, stirring frequently. This took me a total of about 25 minutes.
Swirl apples in caramel, allow the excess caramel to drip off and then drag the bottom half of your apple through the pecans. Place on baking sheet lined with wax paper. Repeat with remaining apples.
Let the caramel apples set for about 15-30 minutes (in the fridge or on the counter), then drizzle each apple with melted chocolate. Dig in and get messy!
Apple Pie Bars
Ingredients
Crust:
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and diced into cubes
¼ cup 2% milk
1 egg yolk
Filling:
5 cups Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and diced
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup granulated sugar
⅓ cup packed brown sugar
1½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
Topping:
1 egg white
1½ tablespoons Turbinado sugar (or granulated sugar)
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons 2% milk
½ teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350ºF.
Pie crust: Add flour and salt to a food processor bowl and pulse ingredients together. Add cold, cubed butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add milk and egg yolk and pulse until mixture comes together and can be formed into a ball. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate while preparing filling.
Filling: Place diced apples in a large mixing bowl. Add vanilla and toss to coat. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Pour flour mixture over apples and toss until evenly coated.
Assemble the pie: Divide pie crust dough into 2 equal portions. Roll first portion into a 13×9″ rectangle on a lightly floured surface. Transfer dough into the bottom of an ungreased 13×9″ baking dish by placing a rolling pin in the center of the dough, folding one side up over the pin, then folding the other side on top. Lift the rolling pin over the baking dish and unfold both sides into the dish. Carefully dump apples over the crust and spread them up to ½” around the edge of the crust. Roll out the 2nd dough portion i the same manner about ½” larger on each side. Transfer dough over apples and tuck sides of dough down into the baking dish, sealing the apples inside the crust. In a small bowl, whisk the egg white until foamy and brush over top of the pie. Combine the Turbinado sugar and cinnamon in another small bowl and sprinkle evenly over pie. Bake in preheated oven for 50-60 minutes until crust is golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool for at least 1 hour on a baking rack before cutting into squares. Serve bars drizzled with glaze (see instructions below) or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Glaze: Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until smooth. Thin with additional milk if necessary and drizzle over bars.
Caramel Apple Cake with Salted Caramel Buttercream
Ingredients
For the cake:
3¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1½ tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp salt
1½ cups packed brown sugar
¾ cup canola or vegetable oil
¾ cup unsweetened applesauce (not chunky)
¾ cup jarred caramel dessert sauce (I used Trader Joe’s Fleur de Sel Caramel Sauce)
1 tbsp vanilla extract
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1½ cups buttermilk, at room temperature
1 apple, peeled, cored, and finely diced
For the salted caramel frosting:
3 cups granulated sugar
1½ cups buttermilk
1 lb 2 oz ounces butter, divided use
1 tsp baking soda
¾ tsp salt
3 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
For the caramel apple decoration:
3-4 mini apples (mine were about 2½ inches in diameter, smaller is okay)
7 ounces soft caramels
1½ tsp cream or water
Lollipop sticks, wooden skewers, or wooden popsicle sticks
Instructions
To make the cake:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line two 9-inch cake pans with parchment paper, and spray the pans and paper well with nonstick cooking spray. (Note: these cake layers bake up high, so it’s best to use cake pans that are at least 2 inches high.)
In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt, and whisk them together. Set aside.
In the bowl of a large stand mixer,combine the brown sugar and oil, and whisk them together on medium speed until well-combined. Add the applesauce, caramel sauce, and vanilla extract, then mix well again. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Finally, with the mixer running on low, add a third of the dry ingredients. Once that’s mostly mixed in, add half of the buttermilk, then half of the remaining drys, then the rest of the buttermilk, and finally the rest of the drys. Stop the mixer when there are just a few streaks of flour remaining. Fold in the rest of the dry ingredients with a spatula, scraping the bottom and sides of the mixing bowl well. Add the diced apples and fold them in as well.
Divide the batter evenly between the two cake pans. Bake the cakes at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes, until the top springs back lightly when pressed and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cakes cool at room temperature, then when they’re barely warm to the touch, invert them from the pans and let them cool completely. Wrap them well with plastic wrap and place them in the freezer for 30 minutes to firm up before cutting them and assembling the cake—otherwise, the somewhat heavy frosting will tear the light and fluffy crumb of the cake.
Once the cakes are firm (they do not need to be completely frozen), remove them from the freezer. Use a very long, sharp serrated knife to cut them in half through the middle, so that you have four cake rounds. If the tops are very domed, trim off the tops to make them even as well.
Place one cake round on a cardboard circle the same size as the cake. Spoon about ¾ cup of frosting in the center of the cake, and use an offset spatula to spread it out to the edges of the cake. Top the frosting with another cake round, and repeat this process, until you have stacked all 4 cake rounds on top of each other. Place a generous spoonful of frosting on top of the cake, and use the spatula to spread it to the edge of the top in random, artful swirls.
Now get a good scoop of frosting on the edge of the spatula, and spread it on the sides of the cake, repeating until the sides are covered. While this frosting can be smoothed out with a hot spatula, I think it looks great with some rustic swirls from the spatula. Top the cake with a few small caramel-covered apples.
To make the salted caramel frosting:
Combine the granulated sugar, buttermilk, 12 ounces of butter, and baking soda in a large pot. It will bubble up a lot, so use a 6-quart pot. If you don’t know the size of your pots, make sure that the mixture has room to expand to at least 3 times its size. Place the pan over medium-high heat, and stir until the butter melts and sugar dissolves. Bring the mixture a boil, and insert a candy thermometer.
Continue to cook the mixture, stirring occasionally, until it reaches 240 degrees Fahrenheit (115 C). It will get dark brown and fragrant. Once at 240, remove the pan from the heat and pour the hot mixture into the bowl of a large stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whip the mixture on medium speed until the caramel has slightly cooled and thickened, about 6 minutes. It might start to look a little grainy; that’s okay.
Add the remaining 6 ounces of butter, the salt, and the vanilla extract, and mix well. Add the powdered sugar in ½-cup increments, mixing on well after each addition. Once all the ingredients are added, whip on medium-high speed for about 10 seconds, until it’s light and fluffy. Use immediately.
To make the caramel apples:
Wash the apples, and dry them extremely well. Twist out the stem, and insert the lollipop sticks or wooden skewers in the top of each apple. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray the foil well with nonstick cooking spray.
Unwrap the caramels, and place them in a medium microwave-safe bowl, along with the cream or water. Microwave the caramels in 30-second increments, stirring after every 30 seconds, until it’s completely melted and smooth. Holding an apple by the stick, dip it until it is mostly submerged in the caramel. If necessary, use a spoon to spoon some caramel over the sides of the apple. Let the excess caramel drip back down in the bowl, and use the spoon to scrape the bottom of the apple to get excess caramel off. Place the apple on the baking sheet and repeat until the rest of the apples are dipped.
If the caramel pools at the bottom of the apple a bit, and you want to tidy it, wait until it’s barely warm, then wet your hands, and shape it around the apple, smoothing it with wet hands until it’s round and neat. Store caramel apples in the refrigerator.
Apple-Cardamom Cakes with Apple Cider Icing
Ingredients
2¼ c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cardamom
2 eggs
1½ c. sugar
1½ tsp. vanilla extract
1 c. Applesauce
½ c. butter
2 tbsp. butter, melted
½ c. sour cream
1½ tsp. lemon zest
1½ c. peeled and chopped Granny Smith apple
1¼ c. confectioners’ sugar
3 tbsp. apple cider
Directions
Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Butter and flour 24 3 1/2-ounce cake molds or 2 12-cup cupcake tins and set aside.
Sift the flour, baking soda, salt, and cardamom together and set aside.
Beat the eggs and sugar together, using a mixer set on medium-high speed, until the mixture forms a thick ribbon when the beaters are lifted from the bowl. Reduce speed to low and mix in the vanilla and applesauce. Add 1/2 cup of the melted butter, sour cream, and zest and beat until combined. Gradually add the flour mixture and mix until smooth.
Fold in the apples and divide the batter among the prepared molds (about 1/4 cup per mold). Bake until a skewer inserted in the center of the cake tests clean — 20 to 25 minutes.
Cool for 5 minutes in the pan on a wire rack. Unmold the cakes and cool completely on the rack.
Stir the remaining melted butter, confectioners’ sugar, and apple cider together in a medium bowl until smooth and drizzle over the cooled cakes and let the icing set before serving.
Apple-Cheddar Crumble Pie
Ingredients
Cheddar-Cheese Crust:
1¼ c. all-purpose flour
½ tsp. salt
.13 tsp. cayenne pepper
½ c. unsalted butter
¾ c. grated sharp cheddar cheese
3 tbsp. cold water
Crumble Topping:
⅓ c. all-purpose flour
3 tbsp. brown sugar
3 tbsp. cold unsalted butter
½ c. grated sharp cheddar cheese
Apple Pie Filling:
3 c. cored, peeled, and thinly sliced crisp apples
3 c. cored, peeled, and thinly sliced sweet apples
4 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 tsp. finely grated lemon zest
¾ c. sugar
2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. fresh-grated nutmeg
.13 tsp. ground allspice
Directions
Make the crust: In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, and cayenne. Add the butter and, using a pastry cutter, two knives, or your hands, cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add grated cheese and toss. Add cold water, by the tablespoon, until a rough dough forms. Gather dough into a ball, flatten into 3/4-inch-thick disk, and tightly wrap in plastic. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into an 11-inch circle about 1/4 inch thick. Transfer dough to a 9-inch pie pan, turn overhanging dough under itself to form an edge along the top of the pan, and crimp edges. Chill for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line the crust with parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until the crust is lightly browned — about 15 minutes. Cool on a rack and remove the pie weights.
Make the filling: Add both types of cut apples to a large bowl and toss with lemon juice and zest. In a small bowl, mix sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, and allspice. Sprinkle the spice mixture over the apples and toss to mix thoroughly. Spoon the apples into the prepared crust.
Make the crumble topping: In a small bowl and using a fork, toss flour, brown sugar, butter, and grated Cheddar cheese. Sprinkle the top of the pie with the crumble mixture. Place pie in the middle of the oven and bake until the topping is golden brown — 50 to 60 minutes. Cool on a rack for at least 30 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Fall Apple Cranberry Pie
Ingredients
Crust
2¼ c. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. sugar
¾ tsp. salt
½ c. cold unsalted butter
2 tbsp. cold unsalted butter
¼ c. Vegetable shortening
7 tbsp. iced water
Filling
½ c. granulated sugar
¼ c. packed brown sugar
3 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. grated nutmeg
¼ tsp. salt
3 lb. baking apples
½ c. dried cranberries
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
2 tbsp. cold unsalted butter
Directions
Crust: In a food processor, mix the flour, sugar, and salt. Add butter and shortening; pulse until the mixture resembles meal, with pieces of butter the size of small peas. Turn the mixture into a large bowl. Add 4 tablespoons of the water and toss with a fork. Drizzle in 2 to 4 tablespoons of the remaining water, tossing with a fork, until the dough starts to clump together. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and gather into a ball. Divide the dough into 2 pieces, one slightly larger, and press each into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap; refrigerate 2 hours or up to overnight.
Adjust racks to lower third of oven; heat oven to 425°F. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9-inch pie plate.
On a lightly floured surface, roll the larger piece of dough to a 13-inch circle. Ease into the pie plate, gently pressing dough against the sides and bottom of the plate. Trim edge, leaving 3/4-inch overhang. Fold overhang under and press to make edge; refrigerate. Roll the remaining dough to an 11-inch circle, and with 2- to 3-inch leaf-shaped cookie cutters, cut out leaves. If desired, using the back of a paring knife, trace lines to make veins. Gather scraps and re-roll to make more leaves if desired. Transfer leaves to a plate and refrigerate.
Filling: In a large bowl, mix the sugars, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Add sliced apples, cranberries, and lemon juice; toss well to coat with sugar mixture. Turn filling into pie plate, arranging apples to minimize spaces between slices, and dot with butter. Brush edge of dough lightly with water and arrange leaves, starting some at the edge, randomly over apple mixture, overlapping slightly and pressing lightly.
Bake 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F and bake 25 minutes. Cover edge of crust with foil and slide a sheet of foil onto rack under pie to catch any drips; bake 25 to 30 minutes longer, until crust is browned and juices have thickened and bubble at edge. Transfer pie plate to a wire rack; cool completely.
Apple-Fig Compote
Ingredients
- 1 lemon
- 2 lb. Rome Beauty or Jonagold apples
- 1½ c. apple cider
- 1 package dried Calimyrna figs
- ½ c. dried tart cherries
- ⅓ c. sugar
- 1 stick cinnamon
Directions
- From lemon, remove peel with vegetable peeler in 1-inch-wide strips, then squeeze 2 tablespoons juice.
- In 4-quart saucepan, combine lemon peel and juice, apples, cider, figs, cherries, sugar, and cinnamon; cover and heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer, covered, 20 minutes or until apples are tender, stirring occasionally.
- Pour fruit mixture into bowl; serve warm or cover and refrigerate to serve within 4 days.
Apple Pie Spice Rugelach
Ingredients
Basic Cookie Dough
⅓ c. all-purpose flour
1 c. dried currants
.67 c. walnuts or pecans
¼ c. brown sugar
1½ tsp. apple pie spice
3 tbsp. granulated sugar
½ c. apple butter
Directions
Prepare Basic Cookie Dough, stirring additional 1/3 cup flour into dry ingredients in step 1. Divide dough into 4 equal pieces. Flatten each piece into a disk; wrap each disk with plastic wrap. Refrigerate dough 4 hours or overnight, until firm enough to roll.
Meanwhile, in small bowl, mix currants, walnuts, brown sugar, and 1 teaspoon apple pie spice. In cup, mix granulated sugar with remaining 1/2 teaspoon apple pie spice.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Between 2 sheets of waxed paper, roll 1 disk of dough into 9-inch round. Remove top sheet of waxed paper. Spread dough round with 1 heaping measuring tablespoon apple butter; sprinkle with 1/2 cup fruit mixture, leaving 1/4-inch border around edge.
With pizza wheel or sharp knife, cut round into 12 wedges. (If dough becomes too soft to work with, place in refrigerator 10 to 15 minutes to firm up.) Starting at curved edge, roll up each wedge jelly-roll fashion. Place cookies, point side down, 1 inch apart, on ungreased large cookie sheet; shape into crescents. Brush tops lightly with water and sprinkle with some spiced sugar. Bake cookies 15 minutes or until golden-brown. Transfer cookies to wire rack to cool. Repeat with remaining dough, fruit mixture, and spiced sugar.
Store cookies in tightly sealed container, putting waxed paper between layers, at room temperature up to 2 weeks or in freezer up to 3 months.
