Cooking with Apples!

Cider-glazed baked apples (maybe even with a touch of bourbon), apple pie, apple cobbler (my specialty),  skillet baked apples, it's all yummy to me. Now is a great time to take a trip out to an apple orchard (planning to do this with my friends very soon) and pick some fresh apples while enjoying a cup of nice hot apple cider. And then you come home and turn those apples into something magical.

I can across this recipe today and it looks like something that will be on deck very soon: Apple Cake with Honey Sauce

There are ways to make tasty apple treats less fattening and portion controlled. For instance, I am an advocate for Earth Balance instead of butter. Same flavor as butter but vegan friendly. You can also use raw local honey to sweeten your desserts instead of sugar. I will save the rant about different sweeteners for another post but just in case you want a preview here is a good site: Sweeteners

I have also used the little puff pastry cups (for portion control) and served baked fruit in them with a dollop (there's my favorite word again) of whip cream. I actually prefer whip cream over ice cream. Here's a little snap shot of some puff pastry with some baked apples in a little ramekin.

For you "I want all the flavors and ingredients folks" Here a picture of a pie I made for my Bubbie (grandmother) a little while back. It was so YUMMY!

My Bubbie taught me that pears and apples together can take a cobbler to another level! Try it some time!

What are some of your favorite recipes with apples?