What apples are best for what recipes?

Fall is here! That also means its apple season! There are so many amazing apple recipes, but sometimes there is a big difference in taste by which type of apple is used. Different varieties of apples all have different uses that they work best for.

There are so many flavors of fall, apples being one of the most common. You can get apples all year round, but they are in season here in the fall.

There are so many apple varieties. Some varieties are better for specific uses than others. Choose the right apple for your specific baking needs.

What apples are best for what recipes?

If you're making apple pie or applesauce know which apples are best. Here are some favorite apples for eating, cooking, and baking.

Eating apples  - Apple slices or a whole apple is a great snack for anyone to enjoy. Grab an apple that suits your favorite taste. Sweet or tart there are many.

Baking apples  - Some apples hold up better while baking. Choose the right apple for all your apple desserts.

Cooking apples - Apple cider, applesauce, apple butter are all great ways to use good cooking apples.


Apples Varieties                   Uses                                      Flavor

Cortland                                 Baking, Cooking, Eating      juicy and tart
Fuji                                        Eating                                   sweet and a little tart
Gala                                       Eating, Baking                     sweet and crisp
Granny Smith                        Eating, Baking                     crisp and tart
Golden Delicious                  Eating, Baking, Cooking      sweet and crisp
Honey Crisp                          Eating, Baking                     sweet and juicy
Johnathon                              Baking                                  tart and tangy
Jonagold                                Baking                                  sweet and tart
McIntosh                               Cooking                                sweet and crisp
Red Delicious                        Eating                                   sweet

Find a local apple orchard to go to this fall. Next time you go apple picking think about what you would like to do with the apples you pick and you can pick the right apples that are best for the recipe. Find your favorites for eating, cooking, and baking and enjoy several varieties of apples!

Check out my favorite apple recipes!

Apple Cream Pie

Fried Cinnamon Apples 

Apple Turnovers

Apple Salad

Homemade Applesauce

Have you ever made your own applesauce? Here is a super easy recipe to make your own homemade applesauce for the freezer. You will love it!

My mom has taught me a lot of my freezing and canning recipes and this one is a must to make sure I get stocked up in the freezer each year. The fall season is when apples are harvested here in the Midwest, so I always buy the apples in bulk from a local apple orchard and make my favorite apple recipes, including putting up several of them in the freezer. 

My whole family loves homemade applesauce so it is also a bonus there. We like it slightly on the chunky side with just a hint of cinnamon. Any sauce apples will do, but I prefer a slightly tart apple like Cortland or McIntosh. 

Some Good Applesauce apples:

Corland

Gala

Golden Delicious

Honey Crisp

McIntosh

Rome

Here is the delicious recipe, You will love this applesauce time and time again, It is truly an easy recipe for something that can be a snack, part of a meal, and made from scratch, and doesn't take much time at all. 

Homemade Applesauce

(I don't measure with this recipe as it is all in taste.)

-Peel, core, slice, and cube your apples. Place them in your pan on the stove. Sprinkle fruit fresh or lemon juice on your apples to help prevent them from browning. 

-I use a large oval roasting pan and fill that with my apples. I place it on my stove over 2 burners. 

-Add about 2 cups of water at the bottom of your pan so the apples don't burn. 

-Cook apples until soft. 

-Add sugar and cinnamon  (start with small amounts at a time...this is all by taste and what you prefer!)

-I use a handheld blender and blend the apple chunks to mostly smooth. I like my applesauce slightly lumpy so I don't blend it all the way smooth. 

-Taste test your applesauce. If you prefer it a little sweeter or with more cinnamon, add more to the mixture and blend again. (Applesauce tip - if you want to use less sugar, make your applesauce with a sweeter apple or combine a sweet apple with a tart apple). 

-Spoon your completed applesauce into plastic freezer containers or into jars leaving a inch or so at the top for freezing. Let the applesauce cool completely then place in the freezer. 

                      
   

You'll love having homemade applesauce in your freezer! Enjoy!