Cooking with Apples

Satisfyingly sweet and crunchy, apples are the sweethearts of fall and great sources of fiber and vitamins A and C. There are hundreds of varieties, and each apple has its own unique taste – sweet, tart or somewhere in between. Use these tips to choose the best apples for your favorite fall apple-cations!

Apple Pies, Tarts & Crisps: The best baking apples are crisp varieties that bake up soft but don’t turn mushy. For all your delicious baked apple desserts like pies, tarts and crisps, use firm Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, Jonagold, Braeburn and Cortland apples.

Caramelized Apples: A delicious accompaniment for everything from yogurt to meats to ice cream. Choose firm apples that maintain their shape through the process, such as Braeburn, Fuji and Gala. Combine these apple varieties with butter, cinnamon, brown sugar and lemon juice until you get delicious caramelized apples simmering in a buttery, fall-inspired sauce.

Cheeseboard: What’s better than eating apples fresh out of hand? Pairing apples with your favorite cheeses! It’s fun and delicious to mix and match different varieties of apples and cheeses. Whether for a game-day spread or small gathering, create cheeseboards with drool-worthy pairings. Try Red Delicious with Cheddar, Gala and Brie, Golden Delicious and blue cheese, Fuji and Gorgonzola, or Pink Lady and Gouda.

Homemade Applesauce: McIntosh and Golden Delicious apples make an excellent foundation for homemade applesauce. Golden Delicious are soft and cook down quickly, while McIntosh apples soften easily and provide a tangy, sweet flavor. Pink Lady and Fuji also work well. A good rule of thumb is to mix two or three varieties to yield a tasty flavor unique to your kitchen!