10 Things To Make With Apples

They say an apple a day keeps the doctor away. They’re also a highly versatile ingredient that can make everything from crispy chips to all-American pies. Here are 10 cooking suggestions for your next apple harvest (or trip to the grocery store). We’ve even included some ideas for the leftover peel.

Photo by Claire Lower.

1. Perfect Pies: This one is obvious, but the apple has no higher calling than a perfect pie, and Serious Eats has a recipe for just that.
2. Apple Cake: Everything is better when cooked in cast iron, and this Apple Cake in a Skillet from the Pioneer Woman is caramelised, apple-y comforting goodness at its finest.
3. Sweet and Savoury Sandwiches: A slice of apple can brighten up any sandwich — even breakfast sandwiches — but it absolutely belongs in a melty grilled cheese, particularly if that cheese is brie or the sharpest cheddar.
4. Super Easy Galettes: The galette is the rugged, rustic cousin of the pie that just happens to me startlingly easy to make. I happen to be partial to this maple-bourbon one I developed for Yahoo Food, but you can’t go wrong with this one from Jacques Pepin.
5. Don’t Forget the Peels: Throw any and all peels into a bottle of (cheap) bourbon with a cinnamon stick and infuse your way to fall.
6. Quick Apple Chips: Set your microwave on the “defrost” setting, pop some apple slices in there, and let them cook for half an hour. You know have a chewy, tasty, healthy snack.
7. Slow Cooker Butter: Make your bounty spreadable with a little help from your slow cooker. All you need is fruit, sugar, salt, chopsticks (to prop open the top and let steam escape) and 10-12 hours of inactive time.
8. Grill Them: Grilled apples make a great side, especially for smokey meats and hearty, bitter greens. You can marinate them beforehand, or you can just brush them with a little neutral oil and let their natural juicy goodness do all the work.
9. Apple Pie Cookies: These are basically tiny, portable pies, and they are as delicious as they are cute.
10. Comforting Crisps: Apple crisps are all about that marriage of textures, and this one from Food Network is a perfect pairing of soft, supple apples with a crispy, crunchy, cinnamon-y topping.

I could go on like this for many more recipes, but that should be enough to get you going and, hopefully, take care of however many bushels of apples you manage to pick this season.