Kid-Friendly Recipes To Make After Apple Picking

Fall means pumpkin spice, cozy sweaters, trick-or-treating, and – of course – apple picking! It’s such a fun autumn activity – something the whole family can get in on – but inevitably you come home with, well, TONS of apples!  That’s great news if your family is an apple-loving crew like mine is, but even the most ambitious of just plain apple eaters like to mix things up every now and then. So that brings me to the purpose of this post: To arm you with a selection of apple picking recipes that you and your family can enjoy making – and EATING – together! Who knows? One of these might even become a go-to fall recipe your family starts to request year after year as a post-orchard treat. If you are looking for a great spot to pick apples, click here to visit our directory of local Apple Farms!

apple recipes for kids

Oh, and first a couple of quick notes on how to safely involve younger children in the making of these recipes:

Grating apples:

If your child is new to grating, you can help them get used to using the kitchen tool safely. Using a box grater, hold the apple with one hand and have your child place their hand on top of yours. Help them hold the top of the grater with you, too, to keep it in place. Talk about how you move the apple back and forth to cut it into tiny pieces, and how we want to keep our fingers and hands away from the grater’s “teeth” in order to stay safe. If you then feel comfortable, let them try grating a bit on their own (but perhaps not the whole apple!).

Chopping apples:

It’s nice to have child-friendly knives on hand (we love the ones by Zulay Kitchen at our house!) to be able to involve your kiddo in food prep. In this case, those kid-safe knives will allow them to help you with some of the apple chopping for a recipe!

Okay, let’s get into some recipes, shall we?:

• Apple Cinnamon Muffins: This recipe calls for one large apple, but go ahead and double or triple it to use even more apples AND to have more of these delicious muffins on hand. You can pop any extras in the freezer to have on hand all season long! (These make for the perfect grab and go breakfast option, by the way.) You might even enjoy making them in mini muffin tins, especially for smaller kiddos.
• Applesauce: You can’t go wrong with homemade applesauce which, just like homemade macaroni and cheese, is a completely different experience from its store-bought counterpart. You can enjoy it on its own or keep it on hand to use as a component in other recipes (like the Apple Cinnamon Muffins linked above)!
• Apple Mess: This is such a fun way to use apples, and your family can customize it based on what y’all like since there’s no real recipe. We personally like ours drizzled with almond butter, mini chocolate chips, sprinkles (my daughter’s favorite addition to any recipe), and hemp hearts for a protein boost. (Scroll down – it’s the second recipe listed in this post.)
• Apple Cider: Ready to get nice and cozy on a chilly fall day? Mix up a batch of this tasty apple cider, pop some popcorn, and watch a movie as a family!
• Apple Cinnamon Snack Cake: This easy, one-bowl recipe results in tasty treats the whole family will love! (Got extras? Pop them in the freezer for quick snacks down the road!)
• Apple Bread: This recipe uses LOTS of apples (about four cups, or five small apples), so it’s a good one to bake up if you’re really trying to get through lots of apples quickly. And you’ll be left with a delicious loaf of apple-packed bread, so that’s a win all around!
• Easy Apple Pie Bites: Wanting to push the easy button, but end up with an apple pie-reminiscent dessert? Here’s your answer! With just five ingredients and 10 minutes of prep, these come together in a snap – and they’ll be eaten just as quickly, too!

By TMoM Team Member Anna Keller

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