Apple Recipes
Apple Basics
There are thousands of apple varieties, with a range of colors including red, russet, yellow, and green. Textures and flavors vary from tart and crisp to soft and sweet.
In Season: Apple-picking season begins in late August or early September and lasts through November. Because apples keep well in cold storage, they are available year-round.
What to Look For: Choose apples that are heavy for their size and feel firm when pressed gently. Avoid bruised fruit.
How to Store: For the longest shelf life, store apples in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator. Use within three weeks.
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Classic Applesauce
This super-simple recipe can be made without any added sugar, making it a healthy snack or a tasty not-too-sweet topping for roast pork or potato pancakes.
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Apple Brownies
Loaded with fall flavor, apple brownies mix up as quickly as the chocolate version -- just the thing for a school bake sale. Any sweet, firm variety of apple will work in this recipe.
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Caramel Apples
Traditional caramel-covered treats are made even better with a sprinkling of sea salt or a drizzle of white chocolate. For a prettier presentation, use apple-tree cuttings as sticks -- ours are from Martha's farm.
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Hints and Tips for Picking Apples and Making Applesauce
Some apples are best baked, others best in salads, and some are just meant to be eaten out of hand. With so many varieties of apples available, choosing the one best can be overwhelming. Watch our guide to choosing the best apple for your recipe.
Learn How to Select the Perfect Apple and Get Tips for Making Sauce
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Mile-High Apple Pie
Flaky pate brisee pastry encases three different kinds of apples in Martha’s favorite apple pie, and it tastes even better the day after it has been baked.
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Apple-Cherry Cobbler
It's easy to have dessert on demand when you portion this crowd-pleasing cobbler into individual containers and sock them away in the freezer until a craving strikes.
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Apple-Maple French Toast
Sauteed in butter until they're tender and caramelized, maple-glazed apple slices make a must-have topping for French toast.
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Apple, Grape, and Celery Salad
Apples and grapes, which shine in early fall, take center stage in this mayo-free reinterpretation of Waldorf salad. Toasted pecans offer some crunch.
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Apple and Oat Scones with Cinnamon and Nutmeg
These scones are light and healthful yet hearty. Fresh apple keeps them moist, buttermilk contributes tenderness, and oats add a pleasantly toothsome texture.
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Apple Fritter Rings
Make your apple fritters the easy way! Simply dip fresh apple rings in buttermilk batter and fry to a golden crisp.
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Apple-Raisin Cookies
These iced cookies are moist and sweet, thanks to raisins and diced Granny Smith apple. Ground nutmeg and cloves add warmth.
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Tarte Tatin
This traditional French apple tart is made like an upside-down single-crust pie. To achieve the wonderful caramelized surface that defines this rustic tart, you need to use a cast-iron skillet.
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Grilled Cheese with Bacon, Apple, and Sprouts
There's nothing like a grilled-cheese-and-bacon sandwich. When you add slices of crisp apple and fresh-tasting sprouts to balance the richness, why, you have yourself a new instant classic.
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Apple Betty
Similar to an apple crumble, this brown Betty boasts rum-glazed apples baked under crisp, buttery cinnamon-sugar breadcrumbs.
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Apple Pie
Maine pomologist John Bunker has dedicated his life to apples, and this is his go-to pie recipe. It’s lightly spiced with cinnamon, nutmeg, and clove, but the flavor of Gravensteins, Galas, and Golden Delicious really shine through.
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Quinoa-and-Apple Salad with Curry Dressing
Pleasingly crunchy, nutty-tasting quinoa is tossed with fresh apple wedges, toasted almonds, fresh mint, and a honey-curry dressing. Add tofu or beans to turn this into a fabulous vegetarian main dish.
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Barbecued Pork and Apple Kebabs
Pork tenderloin, sweet red onion, and tart Granny Smith apples are a winning combination. The unlikely trio of apricot jam, cider vinegar, and tomato paste creates a sumptuous barbecue sauce for these kebabs.
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Apple Crisp
One of the definitive desserts of fall, apple crisp is easy and economical. Empire, Gala, or Braeburn apples are especially good in this recipe.
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Martha's Pink Applesauce
Why pink applesauce? Because it's prettier and because it lets you skip the tedious step of peeling the apples, since the color comes from the skins.
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Apple-Parsnip Mash
This sweet puree of parsnips and apples is a unique and fiber-rich alternative to mashed potatoes. It makes an excellent side dish for roasted meats, especially when drizzled with pan juices.
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Baked Apples with Mexican Chocolate
Marshmallows and Mexican chocolate become gooey and luscious when baked in halved apples. (Mexican chocolate is a solid disk of bittersweet chocolate flavored with cinnamon. It's commonly labeled "hot chocolate" or "drink mix" and is available at most major supermarkets.)
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John's Three-Layer Apple Cake
Enhanced by the warm flavors of cinnamon and ginger, moist apple cake is spread with a super-fluffy buttercream icing. This cake can also be baked in a 9-by-13-inch pan.
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Apple-Raisin Pandowdy
A pandowdy is closely related to a pie -- without the bottom crust. Its pastry top is broken with a spoon halfway through cooking so the collapsed bits soak up the juices and soften. For ours, we used brown sugar and apples and raisins laced with cardamom and allspice.
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Triple Apple Cake
This sticky-sweet cake stars apples in three forms: Applesauce and fresh apples are baked into the cake and an apple-cider glaze finishes off the fruity fall dessert.
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Cheddar-Crusted Apple Pie
Cheddar cheese is a popular complement to apples. Here, the cheese is part of the flaky crust, which surrounds pleasingly tart Granny Smith apple wedges.
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Apple-and-Cheddar Frittata
This frittata is filled with a simple, flavorful mixture of cheddar cheese and sliced apples. Serve this unique egg dish with sausage and a green salad for brunch or dinner.
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Apple-Oatmeal Muffins
McIntosh apples and oats add a boost of nutrition to these easy, crowd-pleasing muffins.
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Apple Strudel
Spiced apples, raisins, and prunes are folded into layers of flaky store-bought phyllo for a tempting dessert. Honey, which softly sweetens the filling, is balanced by a dash of brandy.
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Apple Butter
Intense apple flavor abounds in this spread made from apples simmered in apple cider and perked up with a little lemon juice and cinnamon. Apple butter is fabulous on toast, spice cake, or in just about any place you would use jam.
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Rustic Apple Tart
This luscious, buttery apple tart takes only 15 minutes to put together, thanks to store-bought frozen puff pastry. After baking, the apples are glazed with melted apple jelly or apricot jam for a glossy sheen.
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Caramel Apple Sundae
Caramel-coated apples, pecan-oat crumble, cinnamon ice cream, and whipped cream make for a tantalizing riot of flavor and texture. If you don't have an ice-cream maker, this dessert is just as good with store-bought ice cream.
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Escarole Salad with Apples and Pecans
Sweet apples and rich, crunchy pecans are an excellent complement to the slight bitterness of escarole. The vinaigrette of olive oil, white-wine vinegar, and Dijon mustard is quick and easy to make.
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Apple-Pie Cake
You can make this delicious, dramatic dessert with just six common ingredients: flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, butter, Granny Smith apples, and a little lemon juice. The brown-sugar crumb mixture serves as the crust as well as the topping.
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Kale-and-Apple Salad
Call On Them For Crunch
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Apple Crumble
Bake a Classic Dessert
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Spiced Apple Oatmeal
Stir Them Into Breakfast