Apples are loaded with impressive health benefits, they are highly nutritious and contain nutrients like fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that help promote long-term health.
Apples are a sweet treat and perfect for snacking on the go. They are a great addition to a cheese or charcuterie board for entertaining. Apples are great for in between meal snacks. And finally, we are super blessed to have some of the greatest fresh apples in the US grown in Western North
Carolina and readily available.
September is prime apple-picking season at North Carolina orchards. The largest North Carolina crops come from Henderson County, just outside of Asheville, and include Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, Rome Beauty and sweet Gala varieties. At most locations your family can pick a peck of apples, sip on cider and sample homemade apple butter, apple-cider doughnuts and
apple-cider slushes. If you are looking for a spot to take your family go to PickYourOwn

Be sure to call ahead, apple harvest can also be affected by weather, wind and rain.

Turtle Apple Slices with Cheesecake Dip

(This is a Pinterest Recipe that a friend made and shared with me, we did not have the dip but they are sooo good)

For the Turtle Apple Slices

• 4 large apples, such as Granny Smith or Honeycrisp, sliced into thin wedges
• ½ cup caramel sauce, store bought or homemade
• ¼ cup chopped pecans
• ¼ cup mini chocolate chips

For the Cheesecake Dip

• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• ½ cup powdered sugar
• ½ cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the cheesecake dip, in a medium bowl beat the softened cream cheese until smooth and creamy. Add the powdered sugar, sour cream, and vanilla extract. Mix until combined and smooth. Refrigerate while you prepare the apple slices.
For the apple slices, slice the apples into thin wedges and arrange them on a serving platter.
Drizzle the caramel sauce over the apple slices allowing it to drizzle and cascade down.
Add the toppings, sprinkle the chopped pecans over the drizzled apple slices. Follow by sprinkling with the mini chocolate chips.
Serve with the cheesecake dip on the side, or without.

Apple Pie Oatmeal Cookies

• 1 cup instant oats
• ¾ cup whole wheat flour
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ cup agave sweetener
• 1 cup finely diced red apple, with peeling

Whisk together the oats, flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl whisk together the butter, egg, and vanilla. Stir in the agave. Add in the flour mixture, stirring until incorporated. Fold in the diced apple and chill for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Drop the cookie dough into 15 rounded scoops onto the prepared cookie sheet and slightly flatten. Bake for 11-14 minutes. Cool on the pan for 10 minutes before removing.
Yields 15 cookies, each cookie contains; Calories 97, Fat2g., Sodium 73mg., Carbohydrates 18g.,
Fiber 2g., Protein 2g.

Apple Pie Granola

• 1 cup walnuts, (raw, unsalted)
• 1 cup almonds, (raw, unsalted)
• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds, (raw, unsalted)
• 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1 Tablespoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/2 cup almond butter, (creamy unsweetened)
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 2 Tablespoons unsweetened butter, melted
• 3 ounces unsweetened dried apples, (about 1 1/2 cups), chopped

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Cover a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the "s" blade, pulse the nuts and seeds about 10 times until coarsely chopped.
Pour the chopped nuts and seeds into a large mixing bowl and toss together with the butter, cinnamon, and salt.
In a small bowl, stir together the almond butter, maple syrup, and coconut oil until combined.
Add the wet (almond butter) mixture to the dry (nuts and seeds) mixture and stir until well combined.
Turn the mixture out onto the prepared baking sheet and press firmly into an even layer about 1 inch; thick. It does not have to cover the whole pan.

Bake for 20-25 minutes until the top is slightly crisp. Remove from oven and cool completely on the pan before using your finger tips to crumble into large or small clusters.
Sprinkle the apples over the top of the clusters.
Once fully cooled, to an airtight container.

Old Fashioned Apple Pie Bars

For the Crust

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup lightly packed light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/3 cup finely chopped walnuts
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

For the Filling

• 3 pounds apples or about 4 medium apples (gala, golden delicious, pink lady, etc.), peeled, cored and cut into 1/4 inch slices
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1.5 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Prepare a non-stick 8×8 square baking pan by lining it with parchment paper cut 8 inches wide but long enough to hang over two edges of the pan. This will make removing the bars from the pan very easy!
For the crust, using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a hand mixer, place butter, sugars and vanilla in the bowl and beat on medium speed for 2 minutes, or until lightened in color and creamy. Whisk together flour, kosher salt, cinnamon and walnuts and slowly add to the butter-sugar mixture, with the mixer on low speed. Beat until just combined. Scatter two-thirds of the dough into prepared baking pan and press down lightly so that it covers the bottom
and 1/2 inch up the sides. Reserve the remaining 1/3 dough for topping. Refrigerate pan for 20 minutes and then remove from fridge and bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until the crust is golden brown. Set aside to cool.
Prepare the filling, while crust refrigeration and cooking is happening, prepare the filling. Melt the butter in a large, heavy pot and then add the apples, lemon juice, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Cook on medium-low heat, stirring often, for about 15 minutes. The apples will be tender and most of the liquid will have evaporated. Add the cornstarch in the last minute of cooking and stir until thickened. Remove apples from heat and spread evenly over the baked crust, leaving a 1/2-inch border.

Smush pieces of the remaining dough with your fingers and scatter evenly on top of the apples (they will not be covered completely). Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the topping is browned.
Cool, lift out of pan using parchment handles and cut into bars.

Apple Cheesecake Bars

For the Crust

• 2 cups shortbread cookie crumbs
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 4 tablespoons salted butter, melted

For the Cheesecake

• 16 ounces whipped cream cheese
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Apple Filling

• 2 cups apples, diced, about 3 apples
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• ½ cup light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch

For the Oatmeal Crumble

• 1 cup 1-minute oatmeal
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup light brown sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and finely diced

For Optional Toppings

• Caramel sauce
• Whipped cream

For the crust, preheat the oven to 350°F and line a 9″x 9-inch baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.
Combine shortbread cookie crumbs and sugar in a medium bowl and make a small well. Pour the melted butter in the well and mix until evenly combined.
Transfer the crust mixture to the prepared baking pan and gently press the mixture evenly into the bottom of the pan. Bake for 8 minutes.
While the crust is baking, beat together the cheesecake ingredients in a medium bowl until smooth and creamy and set aside.

For the apple filling, add the diced apples and lemon juice to a medium saucepan and cook over medium-high heat for 5 to 7 minutes until apples are tender and juice has started to form.
In a separate bowl, combine the brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cornstarch. Then stir it into the apple mixture and cook for another 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Once the mixture has thickened and resembles pie filling, remove from heat.
To make the oatmeal crumble, combine all ingredients in a large bowl and use a pastry cutter or your fingers to mix the ingredients together, squishing the cubes of butter and creating a coarse crumble.
Now it’s time to start assembling the cheesecake bars. Pour the cheesecake mixture over the baked crust and spread out evenly. Top the cheesecake mixture with the apple filling. Top the apples with the crumble topping.
Bake cheesecake bars for 50 to 70 minutes, until the top of the crumble is a light golden brown.
Remove from the oven and let cool in pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes. Transfer to the refrigerator to cool for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
Slice into square bars and drizzle with caramel just before serving. Top with a dollop of whipped cream if desired.

Shredded Brussels Sprouts Salad

• 1 bunch Lacinato kale, thinly sliced
• 3 cups (6 ounces) shredded Brussels sprouts
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 2 Honeycrisp apples, thinly sliced (⅛" on mandolin)
• ⅔ cup hazelnuts
• ½ cup walnuts
• ½ cup (4 ounces) shaved parmesan
• juice of 1 lemon
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• ½ teaspoon ground black pepper

Combine the kale and Brussels sprouts in a large mixing bowl and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Massage the olive oil into the leaves for at least 30 seconds.
Toast the walnuts and hazelnuts in a small frying pan over medium-high heat for 3 minutes or until crispy and browned. Roughly chop them.
Add the apples, walnuts, hazelnuts, and parmesan cheese to the salad, reserving a small amount of each of the ingredients to top the salad before serving.
Combine the lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and salt and pepper. Whisk briskly to combine.
Drizzle dressing across the salad and toss to combine.

Plate the salad in a large serving bowl or salad bowl. Top with your reserved ingredients.

Savory Apple Chicken Cheddar Galette

• 1 tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1/2 cup Raw Onion
• 1/2 cup Diced Apple
• 1 cup Cubed Chicken Breast
• 1 teaspoon Pepper
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 4 Sprigs of Thyme
• 1 package of Prepared Pie Crust
• 1/2 cup Cubed Cheddar Cheese

Topping

• 1/2 Apple Sliced
• 1/4 Onion Sliced
• 2 Sprigs of Thyme
• 1 Egg

Pre-heat oven to 425.
In a large skillet, sauté raw onions and a diced apples in olive oil. Once onions and apples begin to soften, add diced chicken, pepper, salt, and thyme.
While the chicken is cooking (about 8 mins), start to prepare pie crust. On a clean surface, sprinkle flour so your dough doesn’t get to sticky. Roll out the prepared pie crust so there is enough dough to hold the filling and fold over. (About 12 inches)
Take thyme out of chicken filling. Pour chicken filling onto the middle of the pie crust. Add diced cheddar cheese on top of the filling.
Make the galette pretty by adding sliced apple and sliced onion.
Fold the outside of the prepared crust over the edges of the chicken filling.
Pinch openings together so that the pasty does not fall apart. It does not have to be perfect.
Beat one egg and brush on the outside of the dough. (You may not use the whole egg)
Sprinkle additional thyme on top.
Bake for 25 minutes or until your crust is fully cooked and golden brown. Let cool for about 10 minutes. Slice and enjoy.