Fall Plus Harvest Equals Delicious Apple Desserts
Fall plus harvest equals delicious apple desserts.
Back to school days are here,
but this is addition for your kitchen
that you won’t learn in grade school.
Fall plus harvest equals delicious apple desserts.
That’s the kind of addition we like at this Back-to-School time of year.
It’s the simplest sort of math that you don’t need a college degree to understand.
It has more to do with sight and smell and feel than with brains and calculators and pencils.
Because every year, when the satellites tell my weather station that the temperatures are going down,
and I walk outside in the morning and feel crisper air,
and hummingbirds begin flying into my neighborhood from all over North America,
then
I know it’s time to head for the fruit department at my grocery store
and buy new season apples.
Because it’s time for Yummy Apple Desserts!
When fall arrives, my heart goes back home for the comfort recipes my family made.
And our family’s cookbook, I’m Thinking Jam*, locked those recipes between two paper covers forever.
We’ll share two delicious fall harvest apple desserts with you today.
Yay! I know you’re so excited!!
Fall Harvest Apple Cheesecake Quesadillas
Most Sunday evenings our son and his family come over.
Of course snacks are involved.
Actually, sometimes it’s more than just snacks.
But we always need a yummy dessert,
and this one falls into that category, plus it’s last minute and easy.
It also helps that it uses ingredients we almost always have around, even when it’s not apple harvest time.
Here’s the printable recipe:
Apple Cream Cheese Quesadillas
Ingredients
- 4 tortillas
- 1 can apple pie filling
- 4 oz cream cheese softened
- cinnamon sugar
Instructions
- Heat frying pan over medium heat with cooking spray or butter.
- Spread 2 tortillas with the softened cream cheese.
- Place a tortilla with cream cheese into pan. Top with a layer of apple pie filling.
- Place another tortilla on top of the apple layer. Press together lightly with spatula.
- When bottom tortilla is browned, press top tortilla down again, then flip over.
- While bottom tortilla is browning, sprinkle the top with cinnamon sugar.
- Turn onto plate when browned to your specs. Cut into wedges with pizza cutter.
- Serve with ice cream. Every self-respecting Penner dessert is served with ice cream.
Apple Turnovers
I have to admit that the classic comfort dessert, Hot Crunchy Apple Crisp, is our family’s favorite of favorites.
However, no one will turn down a turnover. (Yep, I caught that.)
So here is my big sister’s Phyllo Apple Turnover recipe:
Flaky Phyllo Apple Turnovers
Ingredients
- Apple filling, see below
- 1 egg separated
- 2 tbsp flour
- 4 oz cream cheese softened
- 1 pkg frozen puff pastry thawed
Apple Filling
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 apples, Granny Smith preferred
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1/8 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a skillet.
- Add the apples, sugar and cinnamon.
- Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, 4 or 5 minutes.
- Remove from heat and cool a little.
- Mix in the softened cream cheese, egg yolk and flour.
- Unfold 1 pastry sheet and roll into a 12" square. Slice into 9 pieces, about 4" x 4"
- Spoon 1 tbsp apple mixture on each square. Fold in half diagonally to form a triangle.
- Press edges with fork to seal. Place on an ungreased baking sheet.
- Whip egg white until frothy, then brush over the tops of the turnovers.
- Bake at 400 for 14 to 15 minutes until golden brown.
