Created by Nancy Vallarella, who brings farm-fresh recipes and local food knowledge to Long Island through farmers’ markets, demos, and more.
Earlier this month, we went to the orchard. This month, we’re heading to the kitchen.
Apple season may begin with a trip to one of Long Island’s local farms but bringing home that bag of freshly picked apples is only the beginning. With Thanksgiving and the holidays just around the corner, it’s time to put our local harvest to work.
Apple pie will always have a place on the holiday table, but there are so many other delicious possibilities.
I’ve chosen three recipes that take the humble apple from a casual fall morning to an Old-World afternoon treat and, finally, an elegant holiday dessert: Baked Apple Cinnamon Donuts, German Apple Cake with Sour Cream, and an Apple Frangipane Tart.
The secret is choosing the right apple for the job.
Holiday Morning: Baked Apple Cinnamon Donuts
There is something about the smell of apples and cinnamon that immediately says fall. Add a cup of coffee or warm cider and you have a pretty perfect October morning.
These baked donuts capture much of what we love about the cider donuts we bring home from the farm stand but freshly made apple sauce goes right into the batter. Baking rather than frying also makes them easy to prepare at home.
Macoun and Cortland are my picks here. Macoun brings wonderful fragrance and sweetness, while Cortland has a slight tartness that works beautifully with cinnamon.
Ingredients (Makes 12)
For the donuts:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1-1/2 tsp apple pie spice
1/2 tsp Kosher salt
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce*
1/4 cup olive oil
3/4 cup milk
1 Tbs pure vanilla extract
For the topping:
4 Tbs unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon or pie spice
LIL Tip: Save the cinnamon-sugar coating until shortly before serving so the outside stays beautifully textured.
For homemade apple sauce – use 3 small or 2 large McIntosh, Macoun, Cortland or Mutsu apples peeled and small diced. Add 1/4 cup water over medium heat. Simmer until soft and mash with a potato masher. Add water if needed.
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 400℉. Grease two donut pans with butter or baking spray. Set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, apple pie spice, and salt until combined. Set aside.
3. In another mixing bowl, whisk together the applesauce, olive oil, milk, and vanilla until smooth and combined.
4. Fold the applesauce mixture into the dry ingredients, until just mixed and no streaks of flour remain.
5. Transfer the batter to a large piping bag (or a Ziploc bag), snip off the corner, and pipe the batter into the donut pans. Each donut mold can be filled by half for a modest donut. Just about to the top for a mega donut.
6. Bake until golden brown, and a toothpick inserted into the center of each donut comes out clean, for about 10-12 minutes.
7. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pans for 10 minutes before transferring to a baking rack to cool.
8. When the donuts are cool enough to handle (15 minutes or so), add the melted butter and cinnamon-sugar mixture to two small shallow bowls.
9. Dip each donut in the melted butter followed by the sugar topping until well-coated.
Old-World Comfort: German Apple Cake with Sour Cream
The next recipe takes our Long Island apples on a little trip to Germany.
German Apfelkuchen comes in many forms, but this version combines a tender pastry base, layers of sliced apples and a creamy sour-cream custard. It isn’t overly sweet, allowing the apples to remain the star.
This is the cake I envision sitting on the kitchen table when friends or family stop by during the holidays. Put on a pot of coffee, dust the cake with confectioners’ sugar and let everyone help themselves.
Ingredients (Serves 10–12)
For the pastry
1.5 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
For the apples
4 medium apples
1 Tbs fresh lemon juice
2 Tbs granulated sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
For the sour cream topping
1.5 cup sour cream
2 large eggs
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 Tbs all-purpose flour
Pinch of salt
Confectioners’ sugar for serving
Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-inch springform pan.
- Combine flour, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, cream butter and sugar until light. Beat in the egg and vanilla, then gradually incorporate the flour mixture to form a soft dough.
- Press the dough across the bottom and approximately one inch up the sides of the prepared pan.
- Peel, core and thinly slice the apples. Toss with lemon juice, sugar, and cinnamon and arrange them in overlapping layers over the pastry.
- Whisk together sour cream, eggs, sugar, vanilla, flour, and salt until smooth. Pour over the apples.
- Bake for 50–60 minutes, until the apples are tender and the sour-cream layer is set and lightly golden.
Cool completely and refrigerate for at least two hours before removing the spring form ring. Dust with confectioners’ sugar before serving.
LIL Apple Pick: Try Cortland, Empire or Mutsu—or mix two varieties. Combining a sweeter apple with a tart one gives the cake much more interesting flavor.
Better yet, make this one the day before. It slices beautifully after an overnight rest in the refrigerator.
The Holiday Showstopper: Apple Frangipane Tart
Now it’s time to dress up our apples.
Frangipane sounds complicated, but don’t let the French name intimidate you. It’s essentially a rich almond filling made with butter, sugar, egg and ground almonds.
Add a buttery pastry crust and carefully arranged slices of local apple, and something wonderful happens in the oven. The almond filling puffs around the fruit while the apple edges become tender and golden.
This is the dessert I’d bring to the Thanksgiving table.
Ingredients (Serves 8–10)
For the pastry
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/4 tsp salt
8 tsp unsalted butter, softened
1 large egg yolk
1–2 tsp cold water, if needed
For the frangipane
6 Tbs unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup almond flour
1 Tbs all-purpose flour
1 large egg
1/2 tsp almond extract
Pinch of salt
For the apples
2–3 firm apples
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
1 Tbs granulated sugar
2 Tbs apricot preserves
1 tsp water
Directions
Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Combine flour, confectioners’ sugar and salt. Work in the butter and egg yolk until a soft pastry forms, adding a teaspoon or two of cold water only if needed.
- Press into the bottom and sides of a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, beat butter and sugar until light. Add almond flour, flour, egg, almond extract and salt and mix until smooth.
- Spread the frangipane evenly over the chilled crust.
- Core the apples and slice very thinly. Toss gently with lemon juice and arrange the slices in overlapping circles over the frangipane. Sprinkle lightly with sugar.
- Bake for 40–45 minutes, until the frangipane is puffed and golden and the apples are tender.
- Warm the apricot preserves with one teaspoon of water and brush over the warm apples. That simple glaze gives the tart its beautiful pastry-shop shine.
LIL Apple Pick: Cortland or Mutsu. Both have enough structure to hold their shape, while their slight acidity balances the rich almond filling.
Make Room for the Apple
Pumpkin gets plenty of attention this time of year, but before it takes over every coffee, muffin and holiday dessert, let’s make some room for New York’s state fruit.
Buy an extra bag of local apples now. Store them unwashed in the refrigerator, where the cool temperature will help preserve their crispness far longer than the fruit bowl on your counter.
Then put them to work.
Bake cinnamon apple donuts for a leisurely Sunday breakfast. Make the German apple cake a day before family arrives and serve it with afternoon coffee. And when it’s your turn to bring dessert to Thanksgiving, walk in carrying that glossy apple frangipane tart.
Sometimes eating locally doesn’t require reinventing what we cook. It simply means looking at what’s growing around us and giving it a place at the table.
Pick local. Cook seasonally. And this holiday season, save a little room for the apple.
Created by Nancy Vallarella, who brings farm-fresh recipes and local food knowledge to Long Island through farmers’ markets, demos, and more.
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DM @lilocavore495 on Instagram or email lilocavore495@gmail.com
