Here in New England, as the days grow shorter and the evenings grow chilly, it is apple picking season!  Fresh, local apples are in abundance and there are many varieties to choose from. What do do with so many apples?

While great to eat raw as a snack, you might be looking for some additional ideas to use up your apples before they go soft. Here are a couple of easy and healthy ideas to try out:

1) Baked apple chips

Ingredients: apples & ground cinnamon

Instructions: 

• Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.
• Line a cookie sheet or baking pan with parchment paper.
• Slice apples fairly thin, lay on the baking sheet and sprinkle with cinnamon.
• Bake in the oven for an hour, then flip and bake second side for 30 min to an hour… depending on how crispy
  you like them.
• Cooking time may vary depending on thickness of apple slices and type of pan used.
• Store cooked apple chips in a covered container.

2) Crockpot applesauce

Ingredients: apples, ground cinnamon, water

Instructions: 

• Wash and quarter 6 apples of whatever variety you like (take out seeds and hard bits of core as you get to them)  Note: no need to peel the apples, unless you prefer to do so.
• Put in a crockpot with a half cup (4 ounces) water and 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon.
• Cook on high in slow cooker for 4-5 hours, or low for 7-8 hours, occasionally mashing the apples.
• Store in the fridge for up to 4 days. Great on it’s own or served as a side dish with a meal.  Also a delicious breakfast topping for pancakes or oatmeal!

3) Apple crisp (gluten & dairy free) – this one is a bit more indulgent, but still a reasonably healthy treat as it uses much less sugar than traditional apple crisp recipes! 

Ingredients (apple layer)

• 3 – 4 apples
• 1/4 cup real maple syrup or honey
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Ingredients (oatmeal crisp topping)

• 1 1/2 cups rolled gluten free oats
• 1 cup gluten free flour (can use wheat flour if you’re not gluten free)
• 1/2 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1/3 cup real maple syrup or honey
• 1/3 cup melted coconut oil (can use butter if you’re not dairy free)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

 Instructions: 

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Peel and and quarter enough apples (3 – 4 medium) to fill an 8×8 baking dish or a bread loaf pan (take out seeds and hard bits of core as you get to them)
• Mix together the ingredients in the “apple layer” and put in the baking dish
• Separately mix the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients in the “oatmeal crisp topping” section, then combine
• Crumble the oatmeal crisp topping over the apple mixture in the pan. Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes.
• Take off the foil and bake for 25 – 30 more minutes.
• Cool slightly and serve warm.  For an extra treat, top wth a scoop of dairy free or regular ice cream (depending on what you can eat!). Store in the fridge for up to 4 days. Individual servings can be reheated in the microwave for 30 – 60 seconds.