Autumn Apples

Yesterday I shared about our super fun ladies night!  Of course you can't have an amazing gals night without amazing food.  Since it is Autumn here in Australia, I decided to make some of my favourite Autumn dishes including apple crisp and apple cider.  

Here's the problem.  I struggled to find the ingredients I would normally use in order to make both of these dishes (story of my life here in the land down under), so I made up the two recipes and they turned out pretty fabulous.  I would love to share the recipes with ya!

Spiced Apple Cider

3 liters apple cider

3 cups orange juice

3 cinnamon sticks

12 whole cloves

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 a lemon sliced.

Super simple!  Just combine all the ingredients in a stock pot on the stove and head until boiling.  Then shut off and put the lid on the top.  Let it set for a couple hours so all of the flavors can be absorbed.  Then, when ready to serve, simply turn back on the burner briefly.  

I love making this dish, because the whole house smells incredible!

I don't know about you, but I have a really bad habit of buying a bag of apples and eating all but one or two, which then those one or two seem to become lost somewhere in the fridge.  After a couple weeks of this, I find I have about 5 apples lying around in my fridge, all different types, textures, and tart levels.  That's when I usually make some sort of apple crisp.  It is a great way to use up a lot of those apples, even some that may have been rolling around in the fridge a bit too long and have lost that perfect crisp level.  

Caramel Apple Crisp

(the caramel apple filling)

5 apples peeled and diced

1/2 cup butter

3 tablespoons flour

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup water

(the oatmeal crisp)

1/2 cup butter melted

1 cup flour

1 cup white sugar

1 cup oats

1 tablespoon cinnamon

(the extra buttery topping)

1/4 cup butter melted

1 tablespoon cinnamon

Being by making the caramel apple filling

1. Melt 1/2 cup butter in a pot on the stove and then whisk in the 3 tablespoons of flour to create a paste.  

2. Now add the 1/2 cup white sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar and 1/4 cup water.  Stir.

3.  Add the diced and peeled apples and let simmer for 5 minutes stirring constantly.

4. Pour into a greased 9x13 pan.

Next make the oatmeal crisp topping.  

1. Simply combine 1/2 cup melted butter, 1 cup flour, 1 cup white sugar, 1 cup oats, and 1 tablespoon cinnamon.  The mixture will be course.

2. Sprinkle over the caramel apple pie filling in the 9x13 pan.  

Finally, add the extra butter topping.

1. Drizzle the 1/4 cup melted butter over the top of the crisp

2. Sprinkle the top with the 1 tablespoon cinnamon.

Bake on 350 for 45 minutes.  Best served warm and with ice cream (of course).

I can't believe I didn't snag a final pic of this dish.  It turned out so well, we just gobbled it up.  woops.

Mmmm, so much applelicious goodness!  I hope you will enjoy these two recipes!   Christy