Apples are at their peak of freshness from mid-August through early November, and we are not wasting any time whipping up some easy apple cocktails and recipes to celebrate fall. An apple a day, as they say!

While the apples called for in these recipes are being freshly picked right now, you can get many varieties year round thanks to a nifty storage method called Controlled Atmosphere Storage. The apples are harvested during the fall season and then stored in an airtight, temperature and humidity controlled warehouse. This controlled environment keeps the apples from rotting and able to be sold throughout the year. Nice to know they are not injected with a shelf stabilizer, right? Whew!

We absolutely love to experiment with this fleshy fruit and experiment we did! We pair tart green apples with Gruyere cheese, turn traditional apple crisp into a snickerdoodle heaven and bathe spinach salads in a crisp and delicious apple vinaigrette dressing. We even made an amazing cocktail using apple cider, bourbon and ginger beer!

Anyone else have a hankering for some apples?


6 easy apple recipes to celebrate fall!


apple crisp with a snickerdoodle cookie topping | everydaydishes.com1. Snickerdoodle apple crisp

apple crisp with a twist. If you are a fan of snickerdoodle cookies (and let’s be honest, who isn’t?), you are going to love our delectable apple crisp update. Traditionally calling for oats or oatmeal, our recipe bakes a snickerdoodle cookie on top of a fresh granny smith apple filling and becomes the “crisp.” Unexpected and ever so yummy, be prepared to share this recipe—it’s a total winner!


apple puffs with caramel sauce & ice cream | everydaydishes.com

2. Apple filled puffs

bye bye apple pie. OK, we know this recipe won’t replace the traditionally delicious apple pie but it will sure give it a run for its money! We filled biscuit-sized cream puffs with a homemade apple pie filling and served them warm with caramel sauce and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. WOW. Our puffs can be filled with any pie filing under the sun, so feel free to experiment.


hot buttery spiked cider with bourbon & cinnamon | everydaydishes.com

3. Hot buttery spiked cider

do we smell fall? Whether baked in the oven or on top of the stove, few things smell as good as hot apples. So trust us, our hot buttery mulled cider recipe is gong to make your house smell amazing! Made with a bonanza of wonderful fall favorites—apple cider, bourbon, brown sugar, fresh lemon, orange, cloves and cinnamon—this tasty and satisfying libation is perfect for combating a chilly night. The recipe yields four servings, so feel free to share with your favorite people.


gruyere green apple grilled cheese sandwich with strawberry vinaigrette | everydaydishes.com

4. Grilled apple & Gruyere sandwich

grown-up grilled cheese. Basic grilled cheese is a classic but our Gruyere and green apple grilled cheese sandwich really takes basic to a new level of yum. Never considered this particular flavor combo before? Trust us, your taste buds are going to do a total happy dance when you wrap your lips around this baby—absolutely scrumptious!


apple vinaigrette dressing for fall salads | everydaydishes.com5. Apple vinaigrette dressing for fall salads

fresh is best. Expensive dressings from the store tend to be packed with sodium and a variety of fillers. With a few simple ingredients from your pantry and fresh apple cider, you can make our healthy apple vinaigrette dressing that tastes just as good as anything found in a bottle or at a gourmet restaurant. Try it on spinach topped with apples, walnuts and crumbly blue cheese for an exceptional salad experience. Total yum!


ginger beer cider cocktail | everydaydishes.com6. Ginger beer cocktail

cider+ginger beer+bourbon=YES! When the air turns crisp and the leaves begin to turn, it’s time to put the margaritas down and try something to match the season. With apple cider in abundance, we mixed up an easy cocktail using only two other ingredients—ginger beer and bourbon. This tangy, flavorful and full-bodied potion is the perfect accompaniment to all things fall.


Cheryl Says

Did you know that there are an estimated 7,500 different varieties of apples grown all over the world?