8 Delicious Apple Recipes
Dive into apple season with apple oven cake, pie, crisp, galette, muffins, applesauce, salads, and more.
Apple Oven Cake
This pancake-like cake is great for after dinner or as a breakfast treat. And it comes together in less than 30 minutes.
Yield: Serves 6
Total: 30 Minutes
Ingredients
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1 sweet apple such as Fuji, peeled and sliced
3 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup milk
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 425°. Melt butter in a 12-in. ovenproof frying pan over high heat. Add brown sugar and cinnamon, swirling to combine. Add apple and cook until just starting to soften, about 3 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a blender, whirl together eggs, salt, flour, and milk. Pour egg mixture into pan and bake until puffed and brown, about 15 minutes. Sprinkle with lemon juice and powdered sugar.
Note: Nutritional analysis is per serving.
Nutritional Information
Amount per serving
Calories:189
Calories from fat:43%
Protein:5g
Fat:9g
Saturated fat:4.8g
Carbohydrate:23g
Fiber:0.7g
Sodium:203mg
Cholesterol:124mg
More sweet breakfast treats
Apple-Cranberry-Currant Pie with French Topping
Studded with tart cranberries and sweet currants, laced with brandy and finished with a buttery, crisp topping, this dressed-up apple pie is a Sunset favorite.
Yield: Makes 10 to 12 servings
Ingredients
1/4 cup brandy
1/4 cup currants
1 1/2 cups fresh or thawed frozen cranberries
About 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
6 tablespoons plus 1 cup unbleached or regular all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon finely shredded orange zest
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 cups sliced peeled Granny Smith apples (about 2 1/4 lb.)
10-inch pie pastry for a single-crust pie
2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup (1/4 lb.) butter or margarine, cut into chunks
Preparation
1. In a small bowl, combine brandy and currants. Cover and let stand until currants are plump, at least 1 hour or up to 1 day.
2. Preheat oven to 375°. Sort cranberries and discard any that are bruised or decayed. Rinse and drain berries.
3. In a large bowl, mix 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar, 6 tablespoons flour, orange zest, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. With a slotted spoon, lift currants from brandy; reserve brandy. Add currants, cranberries, and apples to sugar mixture and mix well. Taste and add more granulated sugar if desired. Pour filling into unbaked 10-inch pie pastry in pan. Drizzle evenly with reserved brandy.
4. In another bowl, mix 1 cup flour and the brown sugar. Add butter and cut in with a pastry blender or rub with your fingers until mixture forms small lumps. Sprinkle topping evenly over filling. Set pie in a foil-lined 12-inch pizza pan or 10- by 15-inch baking pan.
5. Bake on the bottom rack until juices bubble around edges and through topping, 55 to 65 minutes. If pie browns too quickly (check after 30 minutes), cover loosely with foil.
6. Set pie, uncovered, on a rack until cool to touch, 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Cut into wedges.
Note: If making it up to 1 day ahead, cover and chill. To warm the cold pie, bake uncovered in a 350° oven 10 to 15 minutes.
Nutritional Information
Amount per serving
Calories: 428
Calories from fat: 34%
Protein: 3.6g
Fat: 16g
Saturated fat: 0.0g
Carbohydrate: 69g
Fiber: 2.5g
Sodium: 219mg
Cholesterol: 31mg
More of our favorite dessert recipes
Grill-Baked Apple Crisp
Planning a fall camping trip for the family? This this easy apple crisp cooks on the grill so you can make it outside your tent. The recipe makes a generous amount of dessert, but we like having leftovers for breakfast.
Yield: Makes 8 to 10 servings
Ingredients
1/2 cup (4 oz.) butter
10 apples (about 5 lb. total), preferably a mixture of Granny Smith and Golden Delicious
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
Vanilla ice cream (optional)
Preparation
1. Melt butter over low heat; set aside.
2. Peel, core, and cut apples into 1/3-inch-thick slices. Place apples in a 9- by 13-inch baking pan (see Notes below); spread level.
3. In a bowl, mix flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt. Drop in eggs and mix with a pastry blender or fork until crumbly (the mixture will resemble streusel). Spread topping evenly over apples. Drizzle with melted butter.
4. Prepare your grill for indirect heat. The temperature inside your grill should be between 350° and 400° (insert a long-stemmed thermometer through lid vent to measure temperature). Place the apple crisp on the grill (not directly over the coals or burners). Cover barbecue.
5. Cook until the topping is browned and the apples are bubbling, 40 to 45 minutes. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream, if desired.
How to set up your grill for indirect heat
On a charcoal barbecue: Ignite about 60 briquets on the firegrate of your barbecue. Let burn until coals are dotted with ash, about 25 minutes, then push coals to one side and lay a drip pan on the other side. Set grill in place.
On a gas barbecue
Turn heat to high and close lid for at least 10 minutes. Adjust heat to medium and turn off burners as needed to create a hot and a cool zone for indirect cooking. Set drip pan in cool zone; set grill in place.
Smokin' Apple Crisp
If you really love the flavor of smoke, you can actually smoke this apple crisp: Cover 1/3 cup applewood chips with water and soak for about 30 minutes, then drain. Just before you place the apple crisp on the grate, scatter the chips over the coals (if using a charcoal grill), or place the chips in the metal smoking box of your gas grill (or in a foil pan directly on the heat in a corner)
Notes: Use a disposable aluminum pan or a foil-wrapped metal 9- by 13-inch baking pan to bake this crisp on the grill. The recipe makes a generous amount of dessert, but we like having leftovers for breakfast. Wrap in plastic and keep overnight at room temperature.
Nutritional Information
Amount per serving
Calories: 376
Calories from fat: 26%
Protein: 4.2g
Fat: 11g
Saturated fat: 6.2g
Carbohydrate: 68g
Fiber: 4.3g
Sodium: 379mg
Cholesterol: 67mg
Apple Pumpkin Galette
Basically an open-face pie, this is a great dessert for pie-phobes to make because the crust is so easy to handle.
Yield: Makes 6 to 8 servings
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1/4 lb.) plus 2 tablespoons cold butter
1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten
1/2 cup walnuts
2 pounds tart apples (3 to 5), such as Pink Lady or Granny Smith
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 large egg, beaten to blend with 1 tablespoon water
Preparation
1. In a food processor or large bowl, combine flour, granulated sugar, and salt. Cut 1/2 cup butter into pieces and add to flour mixture; pulse motor, cut in with a pastry blender, or rub in with your fingers until mixture resembles coarse meal. With motor running (or stirring with a fork after each addition), add egg yolk and 3 to 4 tablespoons cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time; process or stir just until mixture comes together in a ball. Form dough into a flat disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill until firm but still pliable, about 1 hour.
2. Meanwhile, spread walnuts in a baking pan and bake in a 375° oven until barely golden under skins, 6 to 8 minutes (leave oven on). Coarsely chop nuts.
3. Peel and core apples; cut each into eight wedges. In a 10- to 12-inch nonstick frying pan over medium heat, melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter. When it's foamy, add apples and stir often until slightly softened and brown at edges, 10 to 12 minutes. Sprinkle brown sugar and nutmeg over fruit and stir until liquid is syrupy and bubbling, about 5 minutes. Stir in walnuts. Remove from heat.
4. Unwrap dough. On a lightly floured surface, with a lightly floured rolling pin, roll into a round about 15 inches in diameter. Line a 12- by 15-inch baking sheet with cooking parchment (or butter the sheet well) and carefully transfer dough round to sheet (edges will hang over sheet).
5. Pour apple mixture onto center of pastry, mounding wedges in a circle about 8 inches wide and 2 inches high. Gently fold edges of dough over apples, pleating as you go, leaving an opening about 4 inches wide in the center. Brush pastry all over with beaten egg.
6. Bake in 375° oven until pastry is golden brown and apples are tender when pierced, 40 to 45 minutes (35 to 40 in a convection oven). Transfer galette (with parchment, if using) to a wire rack to cool. Transfer to a large plate, gently pulling parchment from under tart. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature, cut into wedges.
Nutritional Information
Amount per serving
Calories: 390
Calories from fat: 48%
Protein: 4.9g
Fat: 21g
Saturated fat: 9.8g
Carbohydrate: 49g
Fiber: 2.8g
Sodium: 233mg
Cholesterol: 92mg
Apple Corn Muffins
Of all the baked goods that her grandmother made using homegrown apples, these caramelized upside-down apple muffins were reader Elsa Kleinman's favorite.
Yield: Makes 12 muffins
Ingredients
1/4 cup (1/8 lb.) butter
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 pound sweet apples, such as Fuji, rinsed, peeled, cored, and sliced lengthwise
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 large egg
3 tablespoons salad oil
Preparation
1. Melt butter in a 10- to 12-inch frying pan over medium heat; stir in brown sugar until dissolved and bubbly. Stir in apples and cook until they are barely tender when pierced, about 5 minutes. Divide the apple-and-sugar mixture equally among 12 buttered muffin cups (1/2-cup capacity).
2. In a bowl, mix cornmeal, flour, granulated sugar, baking soda, and salt.
3. In another bowl, mix buttermilk, egg, and oil to blend. Stir into cornmeal mixture just until evenly moistened. Spoon batter equally into muffin cups.
4. Bake in a 350° regular or convection oven until tops are lightly browned and feel firm when pressed, 15 to 20 minutes. Immediately run a knife between each muffin and cup rim and invert over a baking sheet to remove muffins (if any apple slices remain inside muffin cups, replace on muffins). Serve warm or at room temperature, apple side up.
Nutritional Information
Amount per serving
Calories: 236
Calories from fat: 32%
Protein: 3.3g
Fat: 8.3g
Saturated fat: 3.2g
Carbohydrate: 38g
Fiber: 1.5g
Sodium: 274mg
Cholesterol: 29mg
Raw Spiced Applesauce
Forget snackpacks. This warm homemade applesauce on a cool autumn morning satisfies the body and soul. Keeping the skin on the apples retains their natural flavonoids; pecans and cinnamon are also antioxidant-rich.
Yield: Serves 4
Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Ingredients
4 Red Delicious apples (about 1 1/4 lbs.), left unpeeled, cored, and cut into small chunks
1/2 teaspoon orange zest
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch kosher salt
1/4 cup plain low-fat Greek yogurt
1/4 cup chopped toasted pecans
Preparation
1. Combine apples, zest, juice, cardamom, cinnamon, and salt in a food processor and whirl until smoothly puréed, 3 to 5 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl if necessary. (Bits of peel will be visible.)
2. Divide among 4 bowls. Top each serving with a dollop of yogurt and some pecans.
Note: Nutritional analysis is per 1/2-cup serving.
Nutritional Information
Amount per serving
Calories: 129
Calories from fat: 38%
Protein: 2.2g
Fat: 5.4g
Saturated fat: 0.7g
Carbohydrate: 21g
Fiber: 3.9g
Sodium: 35mg
Cholesterol: 0.9mg
Warm Buckwheat Salad with Roasted Shallots, Apples, and Frisee
Buckwheat, a hugely popular grain in Eastern Europe, makes a fantastic wintertime salad. Its sweet earthiness links right into the roasted shallots, and the sweet-tangy apples and slightly bitter radicchio give layers of flavor and texture to the dish.
Yield: Serves 3 as a main course, or 6 as a side (serving size: 1 cup)
Total: 50 Minutes
