Apple-licious! Delicious recipes to use all of those wonderful freshly picked apples!!!

It is apple picking season!! YAY! This is a big deal in Michigan. Fall is all about going to the cider mill, going on a hayride, picking apples, then having cider and fresh hot doughnuts. My boys were so totally bummed last year when, because of bad crops, there was no apple picking. That was the first year that we missed it (but we did manage to get some cider and doughnuts!!)  The only problem with apple picking with three kids is that we come home with a ridiculous amount of apples – more than we could ever eat before they go bad. So this year I put a call out to my amazing friends on Facebook for some yummy (and of course, easy) recipes using just-picked-off-the-tree apples.

Before we jump into the delicious recipes – I thought I would just take a few minutes and talk apples! There are TONS of different varieties of apples – So below are some of the more common types and their recommended uses:
Baking apples – McIntosh, Braeburn, Granny Smith, Empire
Pies – Honey Crisp, Jonagold, York, Granny Smith
Sauce – Jonathan, Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Fuji
Just for eating and enjoying – Golden Delicious, Red Delicious, Granny Smith, Gala, Fuji

So now on to the good eats!

Caramel Apple Chips

Caramel Apple Monkey Bread

Apple Pie Bites

Apple Cinnamon Crumb Cake

Granny Smith Apple Crisp (and it’s gluten free!!)

Crock Pot Applesauce