Cozy sweaters and boots. Warm soup. Crisp air. Fall is my absolute favorite time of the year!
I’m all about the pumpkin flavors, but I also enjoy a tart and sweet apple treat. It doesn’t quite feel like Fall until my family takes our annual trip to our favorite apple orchard. There’s something special about baking a delicious treat with apples we picked ourselves.
One of my favorite orchard memories was when my oldest was 4. He got it in his head that we needed to bake apple-stuffed pretzels. We had made pretzels from scratch a few times during Covid. So he wanted to try apple ones. As we walked around the orchard, he kept saying, “Dump apples, salt, sugar, and cinnamon in a bowl and bake until they are pretzels”. He was so proud of himself!
When baking with apples, I typically use a Granny Smith or Honeycrisp apple. Both hold up well with baking; you don’t want an apple that will get too mushy. I use Granny Smith when I want a mix of tartness to balance out the sweetness of the dessert. Honeycrisp is what I use if it’s something for my boys – it’s the favorite type and still has a good balance of flavors.
Here are a few of my favorite apple creations I’ve made over the years:
Apple Pie Cupcakes
Early on in my baking adventure, I made these delicious apple pie cupcakes. I mixed and matched different recipes to create this adorable treat. The cupcake batter was packed with apple pie flavors – diced apples, nutmeg, and cinnamon. It was topped with a crumble of flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and chopped pecans. After baking, I used a caramel buttercream to create the lattice “crust” of the apple pie. While I was still learning a lot at this point, they were still as sweet to look at as they were to eat! They are the essence of fall packed into a cupcake.
Apple Butter Cupcakes
My husband doesn’t love the texture of apples in a cupcake, so this next one was his favorite. This cupcake starts with your favorite vanilla cupcake batter. After filling the cupcake liners 1/2 full, you add some apple butter and then top with a final layer of vanilla cupcake batter. After baking, I topped it off with cinnamon buttercream. Another little cupcake packed with flavor!
Apple Petal Tarts
Apple tarts are one of my favorite ways to bake a quick and easy dessert with apples. Last year, though, I tried an elevated version where the pastry dough and thin apple slices were rolled into petals before baking. You slice the apples paper-thin and then soften them by soaking them in lemon juice and then heating them in the microwave. You also spread apple jelly, butter, and cinnamon sugar over the pastry dough. It’s perfect with caramel or ice cream.
What’s your favorite apple treat?
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