27 Things You Can Do With Apples

By / / 25 Comments
At a Glance

Apples might be available year-round, but fall is when you really get the urge to bake with apples. This post covers 27 ways to use a big apple haul, from apple butter and pectin to three recipes, No-Brainer Apple Crisp, Mom’s Apple Kuchen, and Easy Apple Cobbler. Plus tips on picking the right variety, preventing browning, and turning cores and peels into apple stock instead of the trash. Whether you’ve got a few soft apples to rescue today or a whole bushel to work through this week, there’s something here for it.

It’s apple season again, and if you’ve been to an orchard or a farmers market lately, there’s a good chance you have more apples than your family can eat before they start going soft. That’s exactly the problem this post solves.

Apples are one of the most versatile fruits you can have sitting on your counter, and not just for pie, though obviously also for pie. Between snacks, sauces, baked goods, and even a few practical, prepper-minded uses, a big bag of apples can go a lot further than most people realize.

red apples in a basket

Some of the links in this post may contain affiliate links for your convenience. As an Amazon Associate, I may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases without any increase in price to you.

 

In this post

Things to Do with Apples

Here is what to make with a lot of apples, along with recipe links!

Cosmic Crisp: A New Apple To Try!

Discovering the Cosmic Crisp apple this year rocked my world. I already love apples — keep them in my fridge and for eating, I slice them into thin, chilly slices, but this new apple — wow!

It’s one of the newer varieties on the block — it only hit store shelves in December 2019, after Washington State University spent over 20 years developing it. It’s sweet-tart, ultra-crisp, and juicy, and it holds its shape beautifully in the oven, so it’s a good choice for baking. It’s also one of the best-keeping apples around, staying crisp in the fridge for months, so it’s a smart one to stock up on if you’re buying in bulk this fall.

Tips for Cooking with Apples

  • Choose the right apple: Different apple varieties have different qualities. For baking, tart apples like Granny Smith hold their shape well. For sauces and desserts, sweeter apples like Honeycrisp are delicious.  
  • Prevent browning: To keep apple slices from browning, toss them in lemon juice or water before cooking.  
  • Enhance flavor: Add a pinch of cinnamon to your apple dishes for a classic warm flavor. Other spices like nutmeg, cloves, and cardamom can also be used. Read this post for a list of spices and oils that minimize tastebud fatigue.
  • Don’t discard peels: Apple peels are packed with nutrients. For some recipes, you can cook with the peels for extra flavor and nutrition. Just be sure to wash them thoroughly first. Learn the process to make pectin from apple peels here.
  • Freeze apple cores: Don’t throw away apple cores! You can freeze them to make apple stock, pectin, or apple cider vinegar later.
  • Use a shortcut. If you feel too lazy to peel, core, and slice those apples, or you just plain don’t want to, then buy a few cans of freeze-dried apple slices.
  • Apple stock is a handy addition to keep in the freezer to use as a base for hot apple cider, as a vinegar starter, or for braising meats. See my instructions below for making the stock.
Got apples?  If you've got apples, you've got the basic ingredient for hundreds of delicious treats. Share on X

No-Brainer Apple Crisp

One of my mom’s best dessert recipes, the kind you take to a church potluck, started with a yellow cake mix. All the other ingredients were commonplace and we always had them on hand for a quick yellow cake.

Since then, I discovered the magical combination of sliced apples and yellow cake mix! No-Brainer Apple Crisp. My kids learned to make this at an early age, and it’s a hit at potlucks, family dinners, and even camping. Bake it in a cast-iron Dutch oven over hot coals and you’ll really learn the meaning of “hot deliciousness”!

For something quick and worthy of serving to family and friends, you really can’t beat this. Admittedly, it’s not much to look at, but if you serve it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, no one will complain. I promise.

Recipe

You probably have these 5 ingredients in your kitchen right now! This recipe is super easy and very frugal.

Equipment

  • 9 x 13 baking dish

Ingredients

  • 5-6 Granny Smith apples
  • 1 box Yellow Cake Mix
  • 1/3 cup butter, melted
  • 2 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tbsp cinnamon

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly grease a 9×13 baking dish.
  2. Peel, core, and thinly slice 5-6 Granny Smith apples and spread them evenly in the bottom of the baking dish.
  3. Pour box of yellow cake mix evenly over the top of the apples. Do not mix.
  4. Drizzle 1/3 cup melted butter over the top of the cake mix, and sprinkle with 2 tbsp sugar and 1 tbsp cinnamon. Do not mix.
  5. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes, until apples are tender but not mushy. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Notes

Keep a box of yellow cake mix on hand so you’ll be ready to make this dessert at a moment’s notice! The recipe comes together even more quickly if you have an apple peeler-corer-slicer like this one.

Want More Useful Info From Survival Mom?

Be the Mom Who Knows What to Do

Practical, no-fluff preparedness tips every week sent to your email inbox. No fear. No doom and gloom. Just real skills for real life.

Mom’s Apple Kuchen

My mom got this recipe, circa 1970s, from a church lady. You might know the scenario — a random church lady brings to a potluck the most amazing recipe ever and you simply have. to. have. it! Well, my mom is nothing if not persistent when it comes to tracking down a recipe, so here it is.

Just one more incredibly tasty way to use those fresh apples!

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 1 box yellow cake mix
  • 1/2 cup flaked coconut, sweetened or unsweetened
  • 2 1/2 cups sliced and pared baking apples (or equivalent amount of freeze-dried apple slices)
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 t. cinnamon
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • 2 egg yolks or 1 egg

Instructions

  1. Heat oven to 350˚.
  2. Cut butter into dry cake mix until crumbly. If you’ve never done this before, it’s easier with a dough blender like this.
  3. Mix in coconut.
  4. Pat mixture into the bottom of an ungreased 13×9 inch pan, building up slightly around the edges.
  5. Bake for 10 minutes.
  6. Arrange apple slices on warm crust.
  7. Mix together the sugar and cinnamon, sprinkle over the apples.
  8. Blend together sour cream and eggs.
  9. Drizzle sour cream evenly over the apples.
  10. Bake for 25 minutes or until the edges are slightly brown and apples are soft.

This is good served warm, room-temperature, or cold!

Quick Apple Cobbler

Perfect for using up dehydrated or freeze-dried apple slices, and it’s great made in a Dutch oven over coals if you’re camping or just want that smoky, old-fashioned flavor.

Ingredients

Crust

  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1 cup quick rolled oats
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1/3 cup white granulated sugar
  • 1 cup finely chopped walnuts

Apple Filling

  • 4 cups apple slices
  • 5-6 cups apple juice
  • 3/4 cup white granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup raisins (optional)
  • 1-2 t. cinnamon
  • 1/4 t. grated orange rind (optional)

Vanilla Sauce

  • 2 cups milk
  • 3/4 cup white granulated sugar
  • 2 t. vanilla
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 2 T. cornstarch

Instructions

  1. Melt butter in a medium saucepan. Add sugar and stir. Mix in oats. Add flour and walnuts, mixing until crumbly.
  2. Put half of the crumb mixture in the bottom of a 9×13″ baking pan.
  3. Place apple slices and liquid in a large saucepan and bring to a low boil. Simmer 15 minutes.
  4. Add sugar, raisins, cinnamon, and orange rind. Spoon onto the crust, then sprinkle with the remaining crumbs.
  5. Bake at 350°F for 40 minutes.
  6. While that bakes, make the vanilla sauce: place milk, sugar, and vanilla in a medium saucepan. Heat on low, do not boil.
  7. Add cornstarch and stir well. Beat the egg yolks, then temper them by mixing in about 1/2 cup of the hot milk mixture. Add this back to the pan, stirring constantly until the sauce thickens slightly.
  8. Pour the sauce over the cobbler and bake 20 minutes longer.
  9. Serve warm or at room temperature, with or without ice cream.

How To Make Apple Stock

This is so simple, but if you hate throwing out perfectly good apple scraps, this has a lot of uses.

  1. Save your apple cores, peels, and scraps in a bag in the freezer until you have 3-4 cups worth.
  2. Cover with water in a pot (roughly a 1:1 ratio, scraps to water) and bring to a boil.
  3. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 30-45 minutes.
  4. Strain out the solids and discard (or compost them).
  5. What’s left is your stock. Use right away, refrigerate for up to a week, or freeze for later.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I dehydrate apples?

Yes, dehydrating apples is a great way to preserve them. Apple chips are a popular snack, but you can also use dehydrated apples in baking or as a topping or mix-in for yogurt or cereal. Here are more great reasons for dehydrating food.

How long can I store apples?

Proper storage can extend the life of apples. Store them in a cool, dark place, such as a refrigerator. Unripe apples can be stored at room temperature to ripen.

Can I freeze apples?

Yes, apples can be frozen. To freeze apple slices, toss them in lemon juice to prevent browning before freezing. For whole apples, you can core them and freeze them for later use in baking.

What’s the best apple for baking?

Tart, firm apples hold their shape best in the oven. Granny Smith is the classic choice, but Honeycrisp and Braeburn also bake well without turning to mush. Save the softer, sweeter varieties for eating fresh or for sauce, where you want them to break down.

I have way too many apples. What should I do first?

Start with whatever spoils fastest. Bruised or soft apples should go into applesauce or apple butter today, since cooking masks imperfections that would bother you in a fresh apple. Save your firmest, prettiest apples for pie, baking, or eating out of hand, and freeze or dehydrate anything you can’t get to within the week.

Related Content About Using Fruit

Get your FREE guide to creating a balanced pantry!

Are you prepared for a food shortage? Building a balanced pantry is essential for emergency preparedness. We’ve created a FREE guide to help you get started. Don’t be caught unprepared. Download your FREE Tips to a Balanced Pantry now!

Final Thoughts

Technically, apples are available year-round, but there’s something about fall that makes a bag of them feel different. Maybe it’s the cooler weather, maybe it’s just tradition, but autumn is when apple recipes start feeling less like a task and more like comfort. Between the recipes here, the tips for keeping your apples from going brown or to waste, and 27 different ways to use them up, there’s no excuse for a bag of apples going soft on your counter this fall. Pick one, try it this week, and let me know in the comments what you made.

25 thoughts on “27 Things You Can Do With Apples”

  2. Kristina

    Apple peel jelly- This uses the peels (and I always throw the cores in, too). It is fabulous, easy, and it uses all those peels and cores that you get when processing large batches of apples.

    Reply
      1. Kristina

        This is the recipe I use. I use everything left over from my apple pie, cores and peels.

        Place apple peels (I use cores, too), lightly packed, into a 4.5 qt pot with 5 cups water. There should be about 3-4 inches of peels in the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and boil for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, put the lid on the pot and allow to stand overnight.

        Strain the liquid into a measuring cup, and make certain you have 5 cups. Return to the pot. Gradually dissolve 1 box of pectin into the liquid and bring to a full rolling boil, over high heat. Add 7 cups of sugar (all at once), stirring to dissolve. Return to boiling, and boil hard for 1 minute.

        Remove from heat, skim foam, and pour into hot ½ pint jelly jars. Process ina hot water bath for 10 minutes.

        You can reduce the amount of sugar, and also easily double and triple this recipe if you have a large enough pot.

        Reply
  3. katzien

    A bit off topic here. I was checking out your lists and looking at food storage, and I wonder…can anything be done about the way we download files?? It's horrible…mediafire opens 3 or 4 windows, I have to click a link to download, after I clicked the link from your list, then a new window opens, click again…a new window, etc. I think I got a confirmation that the download completed, but then couldn't find where it downloaded my list to….grrr. Why not just a simple pdf? Or a link ot a web document? There must be an easier way. thanks.

    Reply
    1. TheSurvivalMom

      Kat, I HATE Mediafire for just the reasons you mention. Earlier this week I was checking into GoDaddy\’s document hosting option and will try to make an improvement by the end of the year.

      Reply
  4. Canadianmom

    Behind our home is an abandoned apple orchard. More than 200 trees, many different varieties, many different harvest times. Very convenient maybe for some kinds of disaster. I harvest the apples nearest our property to help discourage bears from coming too close. Some apples go to our 3 horses. I will give you my grandmothers simple recipe for apple squares. I love it because it uses a lot of apples. I double the recipe and usually freeze squares and put the frozen squares in the kids lunch boxes. By lunch time, they are unfrozen. Best of all, this is super fast to prepare.

    1 c flour
    1/2 c sugar
    Pinch of salt
    1/2 c butter

    Mix, sprinkle 1/2 in bottom of 9 x 9 bake pan. Cover with 4 chopped apples. Sprinkle with a dash of cinnamon and
    sugar.

    Sprinkle with rest of the above flour mix. Bake 400F for 1 hour or until rosy in color. Enjoy!

    Reply
    2. Janet

      mmmm .. we’re SO jealous Canadianmom! We’re heading over to Willcox (in SE Arizona) this weekend to get a few boxes of fresh picked mountain apples. 🙂 Thanks for all the tips and links Lisa..!

      Reply
  5. Jan

    This isn't really a recipe, but an easy snack. My kids love apple slices and peanut butter. I zap the peanut butter in the microwave for about 30 seconds. Just so its a little warm, its like a dip at that point. The I add different things to spice it up. My kids like honey, coconut, mini choco chips, jelly, etc. They like when I add a little bit of chili pepper and honey to the peanut butter. They will eat the chili pepper/honey pb on apples, carrots, celery, etc.

    Reply
    1. RightWingMom

      Many of us have purchased dehydrated apple chips. (Mine are from LDS.) A small bowl of those with peanut butter as a dip would make an excellent no cook and healthy snack….or mini meal if needed. Add a little honey, cinnamon, raisins, etc. to increase the nutritional value.

      Reply
  6. alicia

    Dried apple slices keep really well just in a ziplock bag in our pantry. Plus you can keep alot more apples in a smaller amout of space when they're dried. We sprinkle cinnamon on ours – yum!

    Reply
  7. Hayley

    I thought I’d throw in a ‘working apple idea.’ After you peel the apples for one of your recipe, cover with water and and tea towel for several days/ weeks. Then you have apple vinegar for flavoring or cleaning.

    Reply
  11. Ysen

    Although no comments have been left here for awhile, just want to suggest frying up some apples with some onions – WOW. 🙂

    Reply
  13. Loretta

    Chopped, dried apples go well in homemade peanut butter granola bars. Powdered freeze-dried apples go well in all granola bars.

    Reply
    1. Lisa Bedford

      Those sound really good! I prefer homemade granola bars, too. That way you can ensure they don’t have a ton of sugar or additives you’d like to avoid.

      Reply

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *