Fried Apple Pies

 From: Southern Living 1988 cookbook

Ingredients:

1 8-oz package dried apples or 3 cooking apples

1 cup water

1/3 cup sugar

1 Tbsp butter

1 10-oz can flaky biscuits

Vegetable oil

Combine apples and water in a saucepan; bring to boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes or  until tender. Cool. Mash slightly, if necessary. Stir in sugar and butter; set mixture aside.

Because I used cooking apples, I peeled and diced them, then boiled them in a small amount of water for about 10 minutes, then added the sugar and butter.

Roll each biscuit into a 5-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Place about two tablespoons of apple mixture on half of each biscuit circle. To seal pies, dip fingers in water and moisten edges of circle; fold in half, making sure edges are even. Using a fork dipped in flour, press edges firmly together.

Pour oil to depth of 1/2 inch into a heavy skillet. Fry pies in hot oil over medium-high heat on both sides until golden, turning once. Drain well on paper towels.

Verdict:

HUGE thumbs up! Wow... so easy to make and these tasted absolutely incredible! We dusted them with sugar as they were coming out the oil as well. We devoured these. I will definitely make these again for a simple breakfast or dessert item!

Apple Fritter Rings

From: Taste of Home

Ingredients:
1 egg
2/3 cup milk
1 tsp vegetable oil
1 cup flour
2 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp baking powder
Dash of salt
5 large tart apples
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

In a bowl, beat egg, milk and oil. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt; stir into the egg mixture until smooth (batter will be thick).

Peel, core and cut apples into 1/2 inch rings. In a deep fryer or skillet, heat oil to 375 degrees. Dip apple rings into batter; fry a few at a time until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.

Combine sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over hot fritters. Serve warm.

Verdict:
Ohhhh my. These were SO good! They were incredibly easy to make, too. I have a ton of apples so I'm trying to find new ways to use them. I only used two apples because I wasn't sure how much we were going to like them. The outside was so much like a funnel cake, and then there was that burst of apple flavor on the inside. MORE, PLEASE!!

Stuffed Baked Apples

From: Cooking Light

Ingredients:
4 medium cooking apples
1/4 cup raisins
3/4 cup water
1 tsp lemon juice
Cinnamon

Core apples to within 1/2-inch of bottom, leaving a 1-inch wide cavity. Peel around top third of each apple.

Arrange apples in an 8-inch square or 9-inch round baking pan. Fill cavity of each apple with 1 tablespoon raisins. Combine water and lemon juice; pour over apples. Sprinkle lightly with cinnamon. Cover and bake at 375 degrees for 50-60 minutes or until apples are tender.

Verdict:
I don't really love baked apples, but I am overrun with apples right now, so I'm trying a few new recipes. This recipe was good, but not my favorite. I feel like it was missing a little something but I'm not sure what. So if you've made a recipe similar to this with extra ingredients, let me know!

Oatmeal Apple Cookies

From: Ladies' Home Journal

Ingredients:
2 cups AP flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 cups dark brown sugar
1 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups rolled oats
1 tart apple, peeled and finely chopped

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. In large bowl, combine brown sugar and butter; beat until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Add flour mixture and oats separately to creamed mixture, blending well after each addition. Stir in apples.

Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned.

Verdict:
I liked these cookies, but they weren't my favorite. They are best when warm. If I made them again I would use less oats. I felt that the oats made them a bit dry for my tastes. That being said, my son (4 years old) loved them and ate a ton, so maybe it's just my taste buds.  

Apple-Oat Muffins with Brown-Sugar-Cinnamon Swirl

From: Shape magazine

Ingredients:
1 cup AP flour
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup quick-cooking oats
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, divided
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp warm water
1 cup milk
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 egg
1 Tbsp canola oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 apple, peeled, cored and diced 

Preheat oven to 400 F. Coat a muffin pan with cooking spray or use cupcake papers.

In a large bowl, combine both flours, oats, granulated sugar, baking powder, 1/2 tsp of the cinnamon, baking soda, salt and cloves. Mix thoroughly with a fork, make a well in the center and set aside. In a small bowl, combine remaining teaspoon of cinnamon, along with brown sugar and water. Whisk until brown sugar is dissolved. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, applesauce, egg, oil and vanilla. Pour liquid mixture into center of dry ingredients and stir until just blended. Fold in diced apple.

Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups and then top each muffin with 1/4 teaspoon of the brown sugar-cinnamon mix. Using a toothpick, swirl the mixture gently into each muffin. Bake 12 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of one muffin comes out clean. Cool in pan for 5 minutes before removing from pan.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! I liked these yummy muffins. I did tell my mom I think I'd like them better without the diced apples, but that's just a texture preference. They are extremely moist and have a bouncy texture due to the applesauce in them, and I like that. They're very easy to make and have a great flavor. I definitely recommend this recipe.

Baked Apple Chips

From: Here

Ingredients:
2 apples
cinnamon

Remove apple core. Thinly slice the entire apple. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and place apple slices on it. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Bake at 275 degrees for two hours. At the end of one hour flip them over so they bake evenly.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! Um, I was going to take a picture of the finished product but they didn't last long enough...  I love easy snack recipes like this! The only "con" is how long it takes to make these. But it's worth the wait. And the house smelled incredible! Highly recommend! I will be making these again!

Caramel Apple Pudding Cake

From: Better Homes and Gardens cookbook

Ingredients:
2 cups thinly sliced, peeled tart cooking apples, such as Granny Smith or Rome Beauty
3 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 cup raisins or cherries
1 cup flour
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup milk
2 Tbsp butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
3/4 cup caramel ice cream topping
1/2 cup water
1 Tbsp butter

Grease a 2-quart square baking dish. Arrange apple slices in the bottom of dish; sprinkle with lemon juice, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Top evenly with raisins.

In a large bowl combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and baking soda. Add milk, the 2 tablespoons melted butter, and vanilla; mix well. Stir in pecans. Spread the batter evenly over the apple mixture. In a small saucepan combine the caramel topping, water, and the one tablespoon butter; bring to boiling. Pour mixture over batter in baking dish. Bake in a 350 oven about 35 minutes or until center is set. While warm, spoon cake, apples, and caramel mixture from bottom of dish into dessert bowls, If desired, serve with ice cream.

What I did differently from the recipe:
Did not use "cooking" apples. I only used a palm-full of pecans because I don't really like pecans.

What I'll do differently next time:
I think I would make less of the caramel mixture that you pour over the cake. It made a TON and did make it a little soupy. Probably half of that would suffice.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! Oh, this smelled so good coming out of the oven. When will someone invent a way to put smells on computers!? It was delicious. The "soupy" part did not bother me one bit. It is definitely sweet, but man it was good!

Caramel Apple Pudding Cake

Ingredients:
2 cups thinly sliced, peeled tart cooking apples, such as Granny Smith or Rome Beauty
3 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 cup raisins or cherries
1 cup flour
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup milk
2 Tbsp butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
3/4 cup caramel ice cream topping
1/2 cup water
1 Tbsp butter

Grease a 2-quart square baking dish. Arrange apple slices in the bottom of dish; sprinkle with lemon juice, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Top evenly with raisins. In a large bowl combine flour, brown sugar, baking powder, and baking soda. Add milk, the 2 tablespoons melted butter, and vanilla; mix well. Stir in pecans. Spread the batter evenly over the apple mixture. In a small saucepan combine the caramel topping, water, and the one tablespoon butter; bring to boiling. Pour mixture over batter in baking dish. Bake in a 350 oven about 35 minutes or until center is set. While warm, spoon cake, apples, and caramel mixture from bottom of dish into dessert bowls, If desired, serve with ice cream.

Spiced Apples

From Busy People's Slow Cooker Cookbook

Ingredients:
4 Jonathan apples, peeled, cored, and sliced into 1/4-inch slices
2 Tbsp Butter Buds Sprinkles
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
2 Tbsp water

Spray a slow cooker with nonfat cooking spray. In the slow cooker mix together the apples, Butter Buds, cinnamon, brown sugar and water. Cover and cook on high for 3 1/4 to 4 1/2 hours or on low for 7 to 9 hours.

What I did differently from the recipe:
Am I the only one who doesn't know what Jonathan apples are? No matter. I used Red Delicious which we just happened to have at the house already. I went online to look up a Butter Buds substitution chart. I used 1/2 cup of butter instead of Butter Buds.

What I'll do differently next time:
Same as above.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! I didn't get a picture of the end product but they were great. I don't really think they're any different from baked apples (which I've never made) but they were certainly easy to do and a great, light side dish. Yum!

Printable version:

Ingredients:
4 Jonathan apples, peeled, cored, and sliced into 1/4-inch slices
2 Tbsp Butter Buds Sprinkles
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
2 Tbsp water

Spray a slow cooker with nonfat cooking spray. In the slow cooker mix together the apples, Butter Buds, cinnamon, brown sugar and water. Cover and cook on high for 3 1/4 to 4 1/2 hours or on low for 7 to 9 hours.