Apples

An apple a day keeps the doctor away

Fall recipes to enjoy this year during apple season

Anna Mossing mossiann000@hsestudents.org

Apples are present in grocery stores all year round, but according to the Food Network, apples reach their peak in the fall harvest months of September, October and November. There is an abundance of recipes to make during peak apple season including apple bread, sparkling apple cider, caramel apples and apple crisp.

Apple Bread

Making the sparkling apple cider was fast, cheap and easy. Only three ingredients are needed: apple cider, ginger ale and maple syrup. There is little to no preparation for this drink, the process simply includes adding ½ cup of apple cider, ½ cup of ginger ale and a dash of maple syrup. In order to keep the drink cool and refreshing, it is recommended to add a few cubes of ice. The process of making five sparkling apple ciders took less than five minutes. “It was a nice cool drink for a perfect fall evening,” senior Morgan Casey said. She suggested the addition of some lime to the drink to give it a little more of a tang. It was given a rating of 4/5 stars because of the missing zest.

The apple bread recipe is similar to other bread recipes such as banana and pumpkin. Ingredients for this recipe were simple and easily accessible, and preparation only took about 25 minutes. The most time-consuming part of preparing the bread was cutting up the apple into small pieces because there has to be a lot in order to make the bread flavorful. After a 50 minute bake, taking the bread out of the oven filled the kitchen with a lovely fall smell. “It was flavorful with a good texture and wasn’t too dry or dense,” junior Will Jansen said, “But I wish it had some more apple pieces.” Sophomore Sydney Meyer suggested spreading butter on top, as she thought it would make the bread taste better. The rating

Infographics by Anna Mossing Sparkling Apple Cider

of the apple bread was 3.5/5 stars because it was a little plain.

Caramel Apples

This treat only requires 3 ingredients: which are apples, caramel pieces and nuts. The caramels are the most expensive and difficult ingredient to find, the ideal kind to get is the individually wrapped pieces. Melting the caramel can pose a challenge, but the most effective way is to melt them in a bowl with some water in the microwave. Make sure to microwave in intervals and add water between each to prevent burned caramel. In order to avoid hands becoming covered in caramel, consider putting sticks into the apples before beginning the coverage. Caramel covered hands are a recipe for a sticky disaster, especially while adding nuts on top. “I would make the caramel less chewy and thick and cool them [the caramel apples] before eating,” Jansen said. The caramel apples received a rating of 2/5 stars due to the fact that they were a bit messy and difficult to eat.

Apple Crisp

This layered dessert was simple to make, and similar to the bread, the ingredients were straightforward and readily available. All ingredients were dry, so it made the mixing fast and easy. The apple slices took the most time because the recipe calls for thin slices. The layering of this treat consists of the foundation of the mixture, a layer of apple slices and a final blanket of the mixture. After 45 minutes of baking and five minutes of cooling, the dessert was ready to go. “It was so delicious, and I would love to make it for my friends,” Meyer said. “The only thing I would say would be more apples.” The crisp was by far the fan favorite, as it received an outstanding 5/5 stars for its delicious and fall taste. Preparing and sharing some of these desserts with friends or family makes for a fun fall activity. If baking and eating with them isn’t an option right now, consider dropping one of these treats off to add some delightful apple joy to their day.