An Apple A Day

“An apple a day keeps the doctor away.” So goes the familiar saying. I remember as a kid I could polish off half a bag of small McIntosh apples after school. My mom usually had to ask me to quit eating them. I needed to save some for everyone else.

So many apples so little time

There are so many apples to enjoy, if you missed my article from a few months back, you can sneak back and read “Red Apple Beauties” https://www.mandyandmichele.com/red-apple-beauties/. On my top five list of great apples to eat are:

1. MacIntosh- great eating apple
2. Courtland- great for making pies and pie filling
3. Fuji- great for eating and wonderful for dips
4. Granny Smith- love them in salads and for dips
5. Honey Crisp- another great pie apple

You probably have a list of apples you enjoy eating, use in cooking, as well as baking. I thought a few apple recipes would be just what the “recipe doctor ordered”. Sit back and enjoy a variety of apple recipes for your fall kitchen fun.

Apple Crumb Pie

Make one 8 or 9-inch pie crust. Fill the pie crust with apples, cinnamon, and 2 tbsp. sugar.

Mix together: 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 large tbsp. sugar- sprinkle this over top of the apples. Add a few chopped nuts. Bake in a 350° degree oven for 1 hour.

This next recipe comes from a recipe book I found at my mom’s. It has no cover, the pages are not numbered, and it has 3 punch holes with the rings keeping everything together- well, sort of.

My hat is off to whoever sat and typed this all up. I would have used so much correction fluid they’d have asked me to pass the torch to someone more qualified. If you are wondering what “correction fluid” is I bet you never had typing class on a typewriter?

Fresh Apple Bread

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• 1 tsp. soda
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups chopped apple
• 1/2 cup chopped nuts
• 1.tsp.vanilla

Directions

Sift the first 4 ingredients together. Cream shortening sugar and eggs. Add apples, nuts, and vanilla. Stir in flour mixture. Pour batter in the greased bread pan. Sprinkle over top 1/4 cup sugar and 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon mixed. Bake in a 350-degree oven for 1 hour. Turn pan on its side to cool. This bread FREEZES WELL.

Applesauce Squares

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cup flour
• 1/2 tsp. soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp. cloves
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup thick applesauce
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup nuts

Directions

Cream shortening, sugar, egg, and vanilla. Add sifted dry ingredients, nuts, and raisins. Bake in an 8×12 pan at 350° degrees.

Frosting- 1/2 cup powdered sugar and 1 tbsp hot milk, spread on top of oven hot apple squares.

Apple Cream Coffee Cake

Ingredients

• 1/2 c. butter
• 1 c. sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 c. flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 c. sour cream
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1/2 c. sugar
• 1/2 c. nuts- optional
• 2 tsp. cinnamon
• 2 c. apples

Directions

Cream together butter and 1 cup sugar. Add eggs; beat well. Stir in flour, baking powder, baking soda, and sour cream. Add vanilla. Put 1/2 dough in a 9×13 cake pan. Layer apples on dough mixture. Combine 1/2 cup sugar, nuts, and cinnamon. Sprinkle 1.2 the mixture on top of the apples. Spread the remaining dough mixture. Add the rest of the sugar mixture. Bake at 350° degrees for 30-40 minutes.

Apple Kuchen

Ingredients

• 1/2 c. butter softened
• 1 pkg yellow cake mix
• 1/2 c flaked coconut
• 2 1/2 c. sliced baking apples
• 1/2 c sugar
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 c. dairy sour cream
• 2 egg yolks or 1 egg

Directions

Heat oven to 350° degrees. Cut butter into the cake, mix until crumbly. Mix in coconut. Pat mixture lightly into ungreased oblong 13x9x2” pan, building up slight edges. Bake 10 minutes. Arrange apple slices on warm crust. Mix sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle on apples. NOTE: Topping will completely cover apples. Bake 25 minutes or until edges are light brown- DO NOT OVERBAKE. Serve warm.

There we have it, friends. Some fun apple recipes to try out in your oven. As always, here is to good food, good friends, and blessedly free and good life.