Recipes & Kitchen · 5 min read

5 Ways to Use Apples This Fall

A bag of fresh Wisconsin apples goes fast around here — but not always by the handful. These are the five things we make every single fall, in the order we make them. Number one comes with the full recipe.

Way #1 — Apple Crisp

Easier than pie, nearly impossible to ruin, and the pan never makes it to the next day. Here's the version we actually use.

Farm Apple Crisp (serves 8)

Filling

• 6 cups apples, peeled and sliced about 1/4 inch (about 6 medium — mix a tart apple with a sweet one)
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon flour

Topping

• 1 cup old-fashioned oats
• 3/4 cup flour
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup cold butter, cubed

Method

1. Heat the oven to 350°F and butter a 9x9 pan.
2. Toss the apples with sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, and flour. Spread them in the pan.
3. Stir the topping dry ingredients together, then cut in the cold butter with your fingers until it looks like coarse crumbs. Don't overwork it — pea-sized lumps are what make it crisp.
4. Scatter the topping over the apples. Bake 45–50 minutes, until the topping is deep golden and the fruit bubbles at the edges.
5. Rest 15 minutes. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream. That part isn't optional.

Way #2 — Apple Pie

Two pounds of apples per pie, and always two varieties — one tart for structure, one sweet for flavor. That's the trick nobody's grandma wrote down. A tablespoon of cornstarch keeps the bottom crust from going soggy.

Farm Apple Pie (one 9-inch pie)

Filling

• 2 pounds apples (about 6 medium — half tart, half sweet), peeled and sliced 1/4 inch
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon butter, cut into small pieces

Also needed

• 2 pie crusts (homemade or store-bought — no judgment here)
• 1 egg, beaten, for the top

Method

1. Heat the oven to 425°F. Line a 9-inch pie plate with one crust.
2. Toss the apples with sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and lemon juice. Pile them high in the crust — they cook down.
3. Dot with butter, then lay on the top crust (lattice if you're feeling fancy). Crimp the edges, cut vents, and brush with the beaten egg.
4. Bake at 425°F for 20 minutes, then drop to 375°F and bake 35–40 minutes more, until the crust is deep golden and the filling bubbles through the vents. Shield the edges with foil if they brown too fast.
5. Cool at least 2 hours before slicing. The hardest step in the whole recipe.

Way #3 — Apple Salsa

The one nobody expects. Ten minutes, no cooking, and it disappears faster than the dessert. Excellent on pork tacos or straight off a chip.

Fresh Apple Salsa (about 3 cups)

Ingredients

• 2 crisp apples, finely diced
• 1/2 red onion, finely diced
• 1 jalapeño, seeded and minced (leave some seeds if you like heat)
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon honey (optional, if your apples are very tart)

Method

1. Combine everything in a bowl and toss well.
2. Rest 15 minutes so the flavors get acquainted, then taste and add more salt or lime as needed.
3. Serve with tortilla chips, spooned over grilled pork or chicken, or on fish tacos.

Way #4 — Apple Chips

Lunchbox gold, and they store for a week in a jar — if they last that long.

Cinnamon Apple Chips

Ingredients

• 2–3 firm apples
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon sugar (optional)

Method

1. Heat the oven to 200°F and line two baking sheets with parchment.
2. Slice the apples as thin as you can — about 1/8 inch. A mandoline earns its keep here. No need to peel or core; just flick out any seeds.
3. Lay the slices in a single layer and dust with cinnamon (and sugar, if using).
4. Bake 1 hour, flip every slice, then bake about 1 hour more, until the edges curl and the slices look dry.
5. Turn the oven off and let them sit inside 30 minutes — they crisp up as they cool. Store in an airtight jar.

Way #5 — Apple Butter

Applesauce's slow-cooked, deeply caramelized cousin. Jars of it make the easiest gifts of the season.

Slow Cooker Apple Butter (about 4 half-pints)

Ingredients

• 5 pounds apples (about 12 medium — a mix of varieties is best)
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon vanilla

Method

1. Quarter the apples — no need to peel, but do remove the cores — and pile them into a slow cooker.
2. Stir in the sugars, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Cook on low for 8–10 hours, stirring once or twice, until the apples are dark and completely soft.
3. Blend smooth with an immersion blender (or carefully in batches in a regular blender).
4. Cook uncovered on low 1–2 more hours, until thick and spreadable. Stir in the vanilla.
5. Spoon into jars. Keeps 2 weeks in the fridge, 3 months in the freezer — or can it properly and give it away at Christmas.

Five ideas, one bag of apples, and a kitchen that smells like October.

Get Yours at Midwest Harvest Hills

Everything above tastes better with apples that came off the tree this week. Come grab your bags of apples with us in Rice Lake during fall season — plan your visit here, or see what else is happening on the Fall Fun page.

Want more apple ideas? We rounded up 15 more here, and the caramel apple bar is its own kind of party.