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Monday, August 8, 2016

Apple Recipes - Making the Most of Apple Picking Family Adventures

Apple picking season is almost here! Starting around Labor Day weekend and continuing through October, orchards around the bay area offer families the chance to pick their own apples.

Experience the most fun part of growing fruits, combined with fresh air, sunshine and a little sweat - it's a whole lot of fun for the kids and the entire family! Don't forget your camera! Here you will find a list of local orchards.

You had a great day at the apple orchard, picking organic apples, and now you have too much apples at home? Here are a few apple recipes for kids and families to try. Whether you’ll let your children help out, or you’ll only let them lick the spoon, these recipes will be a great success!

Baked Apples
This is my favorite holiday recipe. My grandma used to make it, and she always said we can help, but we can only eat after dinner. Every year we believed her, and every year she would make a small batch for us to eat when we couldn’t resist the smell.
Ingredients:
6 big Granny Smith apples
Juice from ½ lemon
6oz Walnuts
6 teaspoons sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Core the apples and brush cut sides with lemon juice.
Chop the walnut coarsely, and fill each apple. Sprinkle with cinnamon and 1 tsp of sugar.
Place in a cake pan with about 1” of water in it, and bake about 40 min., until the apples are soft. Every 15 minutes, scoop some of the water on to the apples.
Take the apples out, and keep the sauce.
Serve with vanilla ice cream, and drizzle the sauce on the ice cream and apple.
Baked Apples
Inside Out Caramel Apples
Ingredients:
2-3 Granny Smith apples
1 cup caramel candies
1 tablespoons water
Juice from ½ lemon
Optional: Toppings like walnuts, chocolate chips, sprinkles, or anything else your children like
Directions:
Slice apples in half and brush cut sides with lemon juice. Scoop out the inside of the apples using a melon baller, or any small scooping tool. Make sure to leave a thick enough edge all way around.
In a microwave-safe bowl, place unwrap caramel candies and water. Microwave on high for 1 minute, stir, and repeat until caramel candies are completely melted.
Scoop the melted caramel into each apple, be careful as it is very hot! Top with your favorite fixings.
Let sit for about an hour, cut each half apple into thirds, and keep refrigerated.

Apple Chips
Ingredients:
2 Golden Delicious apples, cored and thinly sliced
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 ½ teaspoons sugar
½ teaspoon nutmeg
Directions:
Preheat oven to 225 degrees F.
Arrange apples slices on a metal baking sheet.
Mix sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg together, and sprinkle over the apple slices.
Bake 45-60 minutes, until apples are dried and edges curl up. Let sit for 20-30 minutes.

Mini Puff Pastry Apple Pies
Ingredients:
1 package of puff pastry – thawed according to directions on package.
3 red apples
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons flour
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
1 egg
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Peel, core and chop apples up coarsely; Mix with sugar, flour, lemon juice, cinnamon and nutmeg.
Flour surface lightly and cut the pastry into 4x4 squares (or use big cookie cutters like we did). Place mixture on each square, brush the edge with beaten egg, and cover with another piece of pastry. Press down the borders with your fingers or the edge of a fork, and brush with beaten egg. Make a small X shaped incision, and place on parchment paper covered cookie sheet.
Bake 20 minutes until golden.
Tarte Tatin
French upside-down pastry in which the apples are caramelized in butter and sugar. You can’t go wrong with this recipe!
It requires preparations and planning ahead, but it is my husband’s favorite, so it got into the list!
Ingredients:
For the dough:
1 1/3 cups flour
1 stick cold butter
2 tablespoons ice cold water
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon lemon juice
For the filling:
3 lbs. Granny Smith apples
Juice from ½ lemon
1 stick butter
¾ cup sugar
Directions:
In a food processor, mix all the dough ingredients until combined. Make a ball, wrap with plastic wrap, and chill for 3-4 hours.
Take the dough out and roll on a lightly floured surface to about 13” circle. Cover with plastic wrap and return to the fridge.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Peel, core and cut apples into quarters. Sprinkle with lemon juice.
In an iron cast melt sugar and butter. Once melted, arrange the apples in two layers and cook fir 5 minutes.
Cover with the chilled dough, and bake for about 25 minutes, until golden. Chill for 15-20 minutes. Place a serving plate over the top of the pan and carefully invert to release tarte from the pan. Scrape any remaining apples stuck to the pan back on top of crust.
Serve hot with vanilla ice cream.

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