Cider and fritters and dumplings, oh my!

It is now officially Fall (woohoo!!) and 'tis the season for APPLES! We took the kids to the Lebanon Apple Fest on Saturday and boy, was there some good food there! Apple fritters, dumplings, pies, cider, all kinds of delicious things. Ella and Cade were so excited to sample everything (and we were, too- I'm not gonna' lie! =). We came home with some great ideas for new fall desserts, plus a big ol' bag of McIntosh apples- yum! We had these wonderful apple dumplings at the festival. They were made from whole apples wrapped with a flaky crust and baked with all kinds of spices. Definitely my favorite of the day. I couldn't wait to try my hand at them. I didn't have a recipe to follow, so I improvised. I peeled and cored the apples, rolled them in a mixture of cinnamon, nutmeg, and sugar, and wrapped them in a simple butter pie crust. I baked them until the crust looked crispy, about 35-40 minutes, and voila! A new fall fave! Absolutely delicious!!And because it's the appropriate post for it, I'm also going to share my new favorite apple crisp recipe. I have a few similar recipes that I love, but they all take a bit longer to put together. This one is so quick (which is super important these days!) and just as yummy. Ella helped me put it together last week as we talked about Johnny Appleseed's upcoming birthday. She couldn't resist a taste test. =) Placing the apples very carefully... I don't have a picture of the finished product. You've just gotta trust me on this one! =)
Spiced Apple Crisp

4-5 apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
1 tsp cinnamon
1/3 c white sugar

1/2 c brown sugar
1/2 c flour
1 c quick cook oats
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
4 T cold butter, cubed

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toss apples with cinnamon and sugar. Place in a small, greased casserole dish. Mix together remaining dry ingredients, then cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Pour over apples and bake for 40-45 minutes, until top is brown and crispy. Delish!

Happy apple baking!!