Golden, delicious: 6 cozy apple recipes perfect for fall

If you’ve got a ton of apples to work through, this recipe for Easy Apple Butter will knock out at least eight of them—even more if you scale up your batch. While most people think of apple butter as sweet and dessert-like, the homemade stuff can be made as sweet, buttery, or savory as you desire; you can play around with add-ins like herbs, maple syrup, or even peanut butter in order to achieve the flavor balance that’s right for you. Get the recipe for Easy Apple Butter here.

The picturesque apple pies you see at bakeries and in magazines each autumn season usually feature a perfect flaky pie crust, which is tough to replicate at home. Even if you’re a pie expert, you might not have the time to put so much effort into a casual fall dessert. Swedish Apple Pie ditches the pie dough and instead involves pouring a sugar-cookie-esque batter over the apples to form a crust while baking. Technically it’s more like a buckle or a crumble, but it’s got everything we love about apple pie, and it hits the table much faster than the classic version. Get the recipe for Swedish Apple Pie here.

How about a recipe for the folks with less of a sweet tooth? These savory stuffed apples contain Italian hot sausage, rice, and cheese, and while they’re practically a meal in themselves, you can also serve them as a side dish to something like roast chicken. This recipe is a nice reminder of how versatile apples can be, and they look great on a holiday buffet spread, too. Get the recipe for Baked Stuffed Apples here.

Scoop up 6 cups’ worth of your apple-picking haul and throw it in this delightful recipe for Fresh Fruit Crumble, courtesy of The Chopping Block in Chicago. It’s a bit of a choose-your-own-adventure recipe: which fruit do you want to feature most prominently (apples, pears, peaches, blueberries, raspberries, apricots, etc.)? Do you prefer adding in oats or nuts for texture (or both)? What’s your ideal topping-to-fruit-filling ratio? Study the ingredients, then take the reins and make the crumble of your dreams. Get the recipe for Fresh Fruit Crumble here.

You’ll want this to become your go-to recipe during apple season. An Apple Cake With Chocolate Chunks works as breakfast, dessert, or a snack that pairs great with coffee or tea. You’re likely to have all the ingredients sitting in your cabinets already, and best of all, the large chunks of dark chocolate create surprising pockets of bitter creaminess that offset and balance the sweetness of the apple. Get the recipe for Apple Cake With Chocolate Chunks here.

This recipe for Apple Sweety Drop Mostarda is a perfect demonstration of how much range a bushel of apples can have. Once you’ve baked your way through the sweet stuff, try going hot with this jarred condiment. It features many of the familiar fall flavors—apples, butter, brown sugar—but mixes them up with the tart tang of mustard, cherries, and vinegar, as well as a host of other unexpected flavors and textures. The result is a spread that works great with grilled and roasted meats, and one beautiful enough to stick a bow on and gift to friends. Get the recipe for Apple Sweety Drop Mostarda here.