Here in the Mountain South, it’s apple season!

Our area orchards are full of ripe, juicy apples just waiting to be picked. And these family-owned operations also serve up some tasty apple-filled treats. After a recent trip to a high country orchard with my family, I was inspired to bring the flavors of the orchard to my kitchen. I hope you will ‘pick’ a few to try for yourself!

 

Apple Pie Syrup

All of the delicious flavor of an apple pie, in a delicious syrup! Pour over pancakes, waffles, ice cream, drizzle over your fried apple pie…or you can use it to flavor your favorite beverage.

4 cups of apple cider (NOT apple juice!), boiled down to 2 cups

1 tsp apple pie spice

3 tablespoons butter

1/3 cup brown sugar

Juice of two lemons

2 tablespoon cornstarch dissolved into 3 tablespoons cider

Super simple! Boil the 4 cups of apple cider until it boils down to 2 cups. Notice I said cider, not apple juice. While hot, mix in the rest of the ingredients, except for the cornstarch slurry. While stirring, pour in a little of the cornstarch, and keep adding until it’s as thick as you want it to be. Put into a container and store in the refrigerator until ready to use. Can be reheated.

 

Apple Pie Filling

6 apples (about 2 ½ pounds)

½ cup white sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar

3 tablespoons AP flour

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (more if needed for tartness)

¾ tsp apple pie spice

¼ tsp salt

2 tablespoons butter

Peel, core, and thinly slice your apples. I used Granny Smith and Mutzu, but you can use Golden Delicious, Gala, Fuji, Winesap, Jonathan, etc. Place apples into a large bowl and add all the other ingredients, except for the butter. Place apples, spread out evenling, onto a half sheet, or other baking pan with some sides to hold in the juices. Bake at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until apples are fork-tender and cooked through. Use right away, or keep refrigerated until ready to be used in pies, as a topping, etc.

 

Mini Apple Crumbles

Apple Pie Filling

Mini pastry shells (I used VIP brand, in the frozen pastry section at Food City)

Streusel:

2/3 cup AP flour

2/3 cup finely chopped pecans (I use pecan chips to save time)

2/3 cup brown sugar

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ tsp salt

Mix the streusel ingredients together well. It will be very crumbly. Fill mini pastry shells with apple filling, heaping up a little, not just even with the top. Cover the top with streusel filling by pressing it on. Place pastry shells on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees until crust is browned, about 40 minutes. Let cool on a rack before serving. You can eat them in their pan with a fork, or remove the pan and serve on a plate with a side of vanilla ice cream. And a drizzle of Apple Pie Syrup. Yummy!

Fried (not really) Apple Pies

These are a throwback to my childhood, when my mom, who made almost everything from scratch, would buy canned biscuit dough to make these little apple pies, ‘frying’ them on our electric pancake griddle. I can still remember the aroma that filled our little trailer’s kitchen, and me eating the pies while they were still warm. You can certainly fry them in a skillet with an inch or so of oil, but I’ll make mine like Mom did.

Apple Pie Filling

Canned biscuit dough, just not crescent dough (not the right shape for this method)

A little flour

A little water

Non-stick spray

Take one biscuit and lightly dust it with flour. Roll it out into a thin circle. Place a small scoop of apple pie filling on one half, about 2 tablespoons. Put a little water on your fingertips and dampen the edges on the filling half. Fold over the top half and press edges together. Use a fork and crimp the edge. Place on hot, non-stick sprayed griddle. If your griddle is too hot, the sides will darken quickly but the inside dough will be gooey. I put my griddle at 275 degrees. Turn over and bake the other side, finishing with the unsealed bottom. Check the crimped area, as sometimes dough there takes longer to bake. These can be eaten right away or saved for later. Drizzling with the apple pie syrup is a great way to serve them!

You don’t have to cook these on a griddle. It’s just as easy to bake them in the oven, with two small adjustments: cut a few small slits into the crust so they don’t puff up, and I brush mine with a little cream and sprinkle with large-grained sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes. You may need to adjust the time based on your oven.

 

Apple Cider Donut Holes

What my kids love most about apple picking is the warm apple cider donuts the orchard serves, made hot and fresh on site. I thought it would be great recreate this treat at home, without the need for a donut machine or lots of hot oil. I made these muffins in mini muffin tins so they resemble donut holes. But you can certainly make them full sized if you like. Just adjust your baking time.

2 cups AP flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon ginger

¾ teaspoon nutmeg

1/3 cup dark brown sugar

1 cup apple cider (I start with 2 cups and boil it down to one to intensify flavor)

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

(for rolling….1 stick melted butter, 1 cup or so of cinnamon sugar)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together in a bowl all the dry ingredients, ending with the brown sugar. You will need to break up the clumps with your hands. In another bowl, whisk together the cider, egg, vanilla, and oil. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ones and use a spatula to mix them together, just until dry disappears. Use a mini ice cream scoop to fill up the well-greased mini muffin pan and bake for 9 minutes. Before they cool completely, roll in melted butter and toss in cinnamon sugar.