Jennifer Alexander Ruple

It’s officially fall, y’all, and there is nothing sweeter to help welcome the change of seasons than picking apples from a local orchard and then baking them into a scrumptious dessert. Served warm, cold, or à la mode, apples just have a way of making everyone smile. If you’re looking for something to bake other than a traditional apple pie, try sweet-tart Apple Crumble or decadent Salted Caramel Apple Galette. Whichever you choose, don’t forget to top it with a heaping scoop of vanilla bean ice cream.

Salted Caramel Apple Galette

Layers of sweetly seasoned, sliced apples are arranged in a rosette pattern then drizzled with salted caramel sauce and topped with chopped walnuts in this galette or rustic pie.

Galettes are easy to assemble, especially when using a store-bought refrigerated crust.

6 servings

• 1 refrigerated pie crust, room temperature
• 2-3 large apples, peeled and sliced into ¼ inch slices, about 4-5 cups
• 1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice to keep apples from browning
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts, optional
• Vanilla ice cream

Heat oven to 375 F. On a parchment lined baking sheet, unroll pie crust. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine apple slices with brown sugar, flour, lemon juice, cinnamon and nutmeg.

Over the pie crust, arrange apple slices in a circular pattern, leaving a 2-inch border of crust. Fold the crust up and over the outer part of the filling, leaving the center of the pie open. Press gently to seal the edges. Drizzle 2-3 tablespoons of salted caramel sauce over the filling, not the crust.

Brush the crust edges with egg. Sprinkle walnuts over the pie and crust, if desired.

Bake 35-38 minutes until the filling is bubbly and the crust is golden brown. Tip: after baking 15 minutes, cover the edges of the crust with strips of aluminum foil to prevent over browning.

Allow pie to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before slicing. Drizzle with more salted caramel sauce and finish with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Apple Crumble

An autumn crowd pleaser, this apple crumble takes just minutes to pull together and is perfect for any get-together. To save even more time, don’t peel the apples. They will become soft while baking. When deciding on apples to use for this recipe, choose a type that will hold their structure while baking. Keep Granny Smith, Honeycrisp or Braeburn in mind when heading to the orchard.

8 servings

Crumble:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Filling:

• 2 ½ pounds apples, peeled, cored and chopped (about 6 cups)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons corn starch
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice to keep apples from browning
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon apple pie spice

Heat oven to 375 F. Coat an 8 x 8 baking dish with baking spray.

For the crumble: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Add melted butter and stir until crumbly.

For the filling: In a large bowl, combine chopped apples, sugar, corn starch, lemon juice, salt and apple pie spice.

Pour filling evenly into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle crumble mixture evenly over the top of the filling.

Bake for 35 minutes or until filling is bubbling and the topping is golden brown.