Take a trip to the orchard and enjoy the delicious bounty!
Fall is one of our favorite seasons. We love the crisp, bright mornings, stunning leaves, and all the produce! So many beautiful squash and root veggies to fill our pantry and grace our table. But best of all, it’s apple season! A more delicious and versatile fruit doesn’t exist (in our opinion), and there’s nothing like going to an orchard and picking your own. We did, and we made some AMAZING fall apple desserts with our harvest that we’re excited to share with you.
This year, we’ve really taken time to focus on what matters most to us—spending time with family, enjoying the outdoors, and generally surrounding ourselves with beauty and positivity whenever possible.
Our fun trip to the orchard and relaxing day of baking hit all those marks, and was the best medicine for our souls. Plus, there’s nothing like making something entirely from scratch to help you feel a sense of contented accomplishment. And of course, the smell of freshly baked apple desserts is simply intoxicating!
A trip to the local orchard
We picked our favorite apples right off the tree, and tucked them into a bag—we love these plaid jute bags or this French Market Bag! The Linen Pinafore kept our clothes nice and clean, too.
We’re so lucky to have the beautiful Apple Hill Orchard & Cider Mill nearby—a quick Google will help you find your local orchard. It’s well worth the trip for the freshest and most flavorful apples you can get, plus you’re supporting a local farmer.
Baking day!
Oooof! It’s SO HARD to choose a favorite apple recipe… so we made three! And not one of them is a pie. Instead, we found three mouthwatering takes on tasty fall apple desserts that we’re excited to share with you. So grab your hand-picked apples and get baking!
To help set the mood, we prepped our kitchen with some of our favorite items: pretty tea towels, a handmade juicer, pretty basket bowls, gorgeous Scandi-inspired bowls, copper-finished measuring spoons, and this glass cloche with pedestal.
Blooming Apples
Makes 4 apples—15 min prep time—1hr total time
Source: Delish
Grab your ingredients:
Cooking spray
4 tbsp. melted butter
1 tbsp. packed brown sugar
1 tbsp. granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
4 apples
8 chewy caramel squares
Vanilla ice cream, for serving
Caramel, for drizzling
Get baking (in the oven):
Preheat oven to 375° and grease a medium baking dish with cooking spray. In a small bowl, whisk together butter, sugars, and cinnamon.
Slice top off of each apple then use a melon baller (or a teaspoon) to scoop out core. Using a paring knife, make two circular cuts in apple. Place apple cut side down on a cutting board and slice crosswise, being careful not to cut through the core.
Place cut apples in a small baking dish. Fill each apple with two caramel squares, then brush melted butter mixture on top. Bake until the apples are tender, about 30 minutes.
Serve warm with ice cream and drizzle with caramel.
Get baking (in the air fryer):
In a small bowl, whisk together butter, sugars, and cinnamon.
Slice top off of each apple then use a melon baller (or a teaspoon) to scoop out core. Using a paring knife, make two circular cuts in apple. Place apple cut side down on a cutting board and slice crosswise, being careful not to cut through the core.
Fill each apple with two caramel squares, then brush melted butter mixture on top. Place cut apples in basket of air fryer. Bake at 350° for 15 to 20 minutes.
Serve warm with ice cream and drizzle with caramel.
Apple Pie Bars
Our favorite of the three! It's like a delicious mix of apple pie, pecan pie, and apple crisp all baked into one—but in the best way possible. Our mouths are watering thinking about it... too bad there are no leftovers!
Makes 18 bars—30 min prep time—2hr 15min total time
Source: Delish
Grab your ingredients:
For the crust:
Cooking spray
1 c. (2 sticks) butter, softened
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1/4 c. packed brown sugar
2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
For the filling:
6 apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
For the topping:
1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. chopped pecans
1 c. packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
3/4 c. (1 1/2 sticks) butter, melted
Caramel, for serving
Get baking:
Preheat oven to 350° and line a 9”-x-13” pan with parchment then grease with cooking spray. In a large bowl using a hand mixer, beat butter and sugars together until light and fluffy. Add flour and salt and mix until just combined.
Press into prepared pan about 1/2” up sides. Bake until lightly golden, 20 minutes.
In a large bowl, toss apples, lemon juice, brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and salt together. Spread apples over crust.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, pecans, brown sugar, and salt. Stir in melted butter until coarse clumps form.
Sprinkle crumb topping over apples and bake until top is golden and apples are soft, about 1 hour.
Let cool at least 15 minutes then slice into squares and drizzle with caramel before serving.
Apple-Walnut Upside-Down Cake
This lovely cake is lightly sweet and so good when paired with vanilla ice cream. It's great for enjoying fresh baked apple flavor without too much sugary sweetness.
Makes 8 servings
Source: Bon Appétit
Grab your ingredients:
1 cup raw walnuts or pecans
10 Tbsp. unsalted butter, room temperature, divided
4 small or 3 large baking apples (such as Pink Lady), peeled, halved, cored
1/2 cup (packed) light brown sugar, divided
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
1-1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon, plus more for serving
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup plain whole-milk Greek yogurt, room temperature
Lightly sweetened, softly whipped cream (for serving)
Get baking:
Place a rack in middle of oven and preheat to 350°. Spread out walnuts on a rimmed baking sheet and toast, tossing once, until golden brown, 10–12 minutes. Let cool.
Meanwhile, heat a 10" ovenproof skillet over medium. Add 2 Tbsp. butter and swirl to coat; arrange apple halves cut sides down in a single layer in skillet. Cook apples, undisturbed, rotating skillet on burner as needed for even browning, until cut sides are golden brown, 5–10 minutes. Turn apples over and cook on rounded sides just until they start to release their juices and the tip of a knife slides through with slight resistance, about 5 minutes. Transfer apples to a plate, arrange cut sides up, and let cool.
Add ¼ cup brown sugar and 1 Tbsp. water to skillet and set over medium heat. Stir with a wooden spoon or heatproof rubber spatula until sugar is dissolved, then cook, swirling skillet occasionally (do not stir at this point), until thick and bubbling in a thin layer, about 1 minute. Let caramel cool in skillet.
Meanwhile, pulse toasted walnuts, flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, nutmeg, and 1½ tsp. cinnamon in a food processor until combined and nuts are finely ground. Transfer walnut mixture to a medium bowl.
Combine granulated sugar, remaining ¼ cup brown sugar, and remaining 8 Tbsp. butter in food processor and process in long pulses until mixture is light and smooth. Add eggs and vanilla and process in long pulses, scraping down sides of processor once, until mixture is smooth. Add half of walnut mixture and pulse to combine, then add yogurt and pulse just until incorporated. Add remaining walnut mixture and pulse just to combine.
Arrange apple halves cut sides down over cooled caramel in skillet, spacing evenly. Fold batter a few times with spatula, scraping sides to make sure everything is well mixed. Scrape batter over apples and work into spaces around apples. Smooth surface (it’s okay if there’s only a thin layer of batter in places; it will rise in the oven).
Bake cake until it is browned across the entire surface and the center springs back when gently pressed, 30–40 minutes. Let cake cool in skillet 10 minutes, then run an offset spatula or a small knife around the sides of the pan to loosen. Set a wire rack upside down on skillet and flip over to release cake; carefully remove skillet. If any apples or cake stick to skillet, scrape them off and press back onto the top of the cake.
Serve cake warm or room temperature. Slice into wedges and top with dollops of whipped cream and a dusting of cinnamon.
