An Apple a Day...

A favorite activity for my family to do during the fall months is apple picking! It's a great way to spend some time outdoors, my kids love that they can pick something that they can eat as well as pull a cute wagon to carry all the apples in.

(my cute family apple picking)

 

We don't usually go so early in the season but that particular Saturday was suppose to be a nice cool day, perfect for apple picking. We tried to go apple picking at the farm we like to visit however, they were not ready for anyone to pick apples yet. Luckily up the street from them there was a farm all ready for us called Strawberry Hill Farm. The owner let my kids feed their chickens and let us know where all the apples were and which were ready for picking, we had a nice time.

Since we picked so many apples I searched Pinterest to see if I could find any good sounding apple recipes, I came across two. The first one was Crock Pot Apple Butter, I wasn't feeling well but still wanted to make something with the apples and I figured something using a crock pot would make things easier! The recipe is simple and the finished product is great.

Ingredients:

12  apples
3/4 cup water
1/2 tsp all spice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup light brown sugar

Directions:

Core, peel and cut apples into small chunks. (They break down faster the smaller you cut the chunks.) Mix in all the spices, sugar and water. Cook on low in your crock pot, I checked on mine and stirred it a few times throughout the day. Once it's broken down and pretty mushy I broke out my immersion blender and blended it till it was smooth. Place into jars for storage and let cool.

The apple butter was tasty, I could eat it on its own. I did put it on a bagel with cream cheese as well as warm biscuits. My family loves it as well, my daughter wanted to eat it on its own too!

The second recipe I found was Caramel Apple Crisps for Two. My husband and I wanted a nice quick treat after dinner and this was perfect. It was super easy to make and man was it good!

Ingredients: 2 medium apples, peeled and sliced
2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoon butter
4 tablespoons quick-cooking oats
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 to 2 heaping tablespoons Caramel Topping
Cream or Ice Cream (optional)

Directions:

Place apple slices in two small, greased ramekins.  Spoon Butterscotch Caramel topping over the apples.  In a bowl, combine flour and brown sugar; cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add oats and cinnamon.  Sprinkle over apple slices and caramel.

Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 35-40 minutes or until tender. Serve with cream or ice cream if desired.

I definitely recommend this for a nice treat, it was easy to make, didn't take a lot of dishes, took no time to cook and was delicious. I do want to try this again with vanilla ice cream, I'm sure it will taste fantastic.