My Favorite Apple Recipes

Who else feels like breaking into culinary cartwheels when the season's first apples begin to appear, first at local farmers markets, soon even in grocery stores? Those early apples call for an "apple a day" but after that, what to make with all those crispy, sweet apples that come home with us by the bushel? Here I've collected my favorite apple recipes over many years, savory and sweet, from a super-simple sugar-free applesauce to the apple pie in my flaky tender pie crust that home cooks say makes their "best crust ever". Grab an apple and c'mon in!

Happy happy fall, everyone! May our baskets ever be full, enjoy the apple recipes!

~ Alanna

~ Skip Straight to the Recipes ~

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The Collection:
My Favorite Apple Recipes

~ Apple Basics ~
~ Breads with Apples ~
~ Salads with Apples ~
~ Vegetables with Apples ~
~ Dinners with Apples ~
~ Sweets! ~

and most of all
~ Make Your Best Apple Pie, Ever ~

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THE BASICS
Easy & Somehow Essential

• THE RECIPE How to Make Homemade Applesauce No added sugar!
• ANOTHER TAKE Roasted Applesauce with Raspberries Glorious color and brightness!

• THE RECIPE Naturally Sweetened Apple Butter Apple Butter as it should be, naturally sweet with just a touch of butter.
• ANOTHER TAKE Homemade Applesauce Just apples, no added sugar!

• THE RECIPE Roasted Applesauce with Raspberries Glorious color and brightness!
  
• ANOTHER TAKE Naturally Sweetened Apple Butter Apple Butter as it should be, naturally sweet with just a touch of butter.

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BREADS
with Autumn Apples

• THE RECIPE Cornmeal Muffins with Apple Studded, garnished with fresh apple.
  
• ANOTHER TAKE Savory Cornbread Muffins Cornmeal muffins spiked with chili powder, a little jalapeño and red pepper.

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SALADS
Extra Good with Sweet Fruit

• THE RECIPE Healthy Waldorf Salad My makeover recipe for Waldorf Salad, reducing calories and Weight Watchers points by more than 80%.
• ANOTHER TAKE Easy Coleslaw with Blue Cheese & Apple Just three ingredients!

• THE RECIPE Apple Yogurt Salad Perfect for holiday & winter brunches.
• ANOTHER TAKE Winter Fruit Salad Colorful fruit salad when fresh fruit is available.

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VEGETABLES
Pair with Apples, Too

• THE RECIPE Roasted Butternut Squash & Apple Unexpected layers of flavor and color, a very pretty dish.
• ANOTHER TAKE Steamed Butternut Squash in a Collapsible Steamer Basket

• THE RECIPE Swedish Red Cabbage & Apples Savory not sweet.
• ANOTHER TAKE Sweet 'n' Sour Cabbage Classic skillet dish.

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Especially in the Fall,
DINNERS Call for Apples

• THE RECIPE Chicken with Apple & Creamy Cider Gravy Another one-skillet dinner, chicken thighs in a mahogany-colored sauce.
• ANOTHER TAKE Chicken Cacciatore The classic Italian dish, chicken slow-cooked in a rich tomato sauce.

• THE RECIPE Thick Chops with Sauerkraut & Apples A Quick Supper, moist chops in apple-chunky sauerkraut.
• ANOTHER TAKE Thick Iowa Chops with Easy Stuffing Crust Thick Iowa chops capped with a stuffing-like crust.

• THE RECIPE Chicken Cider Stew Another Quick Supper, one skillet perfect for fall.
• ANOTHER TAKE Chicken with Creamy Cider Gravy Another Quick Supper, moist chicken in a mahogany sauce.

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SWEETS!

• THE RECIPE Extra-Crispy Apple Crisp My very own "perfect" recipe, barely sweet apples firm and tart, topped with an extra-crispy topping, thanks to a secret ingredient.
• ANOTHER TAKE Estonian Apple Cake A wordly, neighborly cake

• THE RECIPE Baked Apples Fall's best apples baked in a warm apple-flavored browns-sugar sauce.
• ANOTHER TAKE Cinnamon Apples Festive color for the holiday table.

• THE RECIPE Estonian Apple Cake A wordly, neighborly cake.
• ANOTHER TAKE Banana Nut Cake with Caramel Frosting A special-occasion cake yet simple to make.

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This Year,
Your Best Apple Pie Ever

If there's ever a cooking skill to develop, it's making pastry for homemade pies – but not just any pie crust, a flaky and tender pie crust so tender you'll want to break pieces off the edge just to savor. We call them "mouse bites"!

Three years ago right now, I was up to my elbows in flour, re-learning how to make pie crusts. I "got it" and now, so are so many Kitchen Parade readers, both new and experienced pie bakers.

There's a recipe, of course. But a good pie crust is more than a list of ingredients. It's technique, timing, even useful pie crust tools. I'm just thrilled that so many are inspired by the step-by-step photos and insider tips here, How to Make Flaky Tender Pie Crust.

• THE RECIPE American Apple Pie Savor every single tender, flaky apple bite.
  
• OH! THE CRUST! Flaky Tender Pie Crust Savor every single bite.

COMPLIMENTS!

• "Thank you, thank you, thank you!! I'm 54 years old and have been baking most of my life but I never could bake a pie that I felt worthy of serving ... until now! I made this apple pie and it is perfect." ~ Janice from Ontario
• "It was the most wonderful pie I have ever made. And I thank you from the bottom of my heart." ~ Julia from Utah
• "I absolutely loved this recipe. I made it the other day, and it was the best pie crust I had ever made, hands down! Thank you for helping me out of my pie crust rut!!" ~ Chris
• "I made the apple pie with your recipes and it was absolutely scrumptious!" ~ Anonymous
• "I also had problems with pie crust [before]. Then I did this recipe for my "tortierre" pie for Xmas and they were the most amazing crusts ever." ~ BJ from Montreal
• "This is THE best pie crust I have ever made! ... The reminder of a hot oven and cold dough stuck with me all throughout, and because of that, the crust turned out perfectly!" ~ Jennifer
• "I've been making pies since I was 13 and with your recipe and instructions, I finally made a tasty, flaky crust. I'm so excited to make pies for guests now!" ~ Mary
• "I've tried to make crust before but because of no success, had given up and settled for store bought crusts...not today. I made your recipe and it was fantastic, absolutely the best pie crust I've ever made. THanks SO MUCH for the step by step instructions. ... I especially appreciate the comment about not worrying about what it looks like when it goes in the oven...mine looked not so nice going in but great coming out." ~ Louise

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Bushels of Apples Still to Go?

still more
~ apple recipes ~
~ apple cider recipes ~

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More "Best & Favorite" Recipe Collections

~ My Best & Favorite One-Pot Supper Recipes ~
~ Favorite Summer Soup Recipes ~
~ Favorite Summer Salad Recipes ~
~ Favorite Apple Recipes ~
~ Favorite Recipes for Fall Baking ~
from
Kitchen Parade

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~ Six Years of Favorite ASPARAGUS Recipes ~
~ Falling In Love with GREEN BEANS: Favorite Recipes ~
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~ My Favorite PUMPKIN Recipes ~
~ My Favorite SWEET POTATO Recipes ~
~ My Favorite WINTER SQUASH Recipes ~
from
A Veggie Venture

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Kitchen Parade is written by second-generation food columnist Alanna Kellogg and features fresh, seasonal dishes for every-day healthful eating and occasional indulgences. Quick Suppers are Kitchen Parade favorites and feature recipes easy on the budget, the clock, the waistline and the dishwasher. Do you have a favorite recipe that other Kitchen Parade readers might like? Just send me a quick e-mail via recipes@kitchen-parade.com. How to print a Kitchen Parade recipe. Never miss a recipe! If you like this recipe, sign up for a free e-mail subscription. If you like Kitchen Parade, for more scratch cooking recipes using whole, healthful ingredients, you're sure to like my food blog about vegetable recipes, too, A Veggie Venture. If you make this recipe, I'd love to know your results! Just leave a comment below.

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