Fall is a time of long walks in the crisp October air, raking leaves and jumping in the pile, preparing Halloween costumes and picking apples at an orchard. Biting into a fresh, crisp apple you picked yourself is the epitome of fall, and various local restaurants, bakeries and shops offer other delicious ways to eat this in-season treat. Whether you are in the mood for something sweet or something savory, one of the dishes on this list will be sure to satisfy your apple cravings.
Caramel Apple Cream Cheese Spread
Love That Olive
Owner of Love That Olive, Terri Chaffer, creates her delicious caramel apple cream cheese spread year-round for people of all ages. “You always need to make two plates of them because [people] go through it really fast; they just love it,” she says. The Sutter Butte Salted Caramel Sauce can be purchased at Love That Olive for $10.50. Chaffer can sometimes be found serving her caramel apple cream cheese spread at after-hours events.
Ingredients:
• 8 oz. cream cheese
• Jar Sutter Butte Salted
Caramel Sauce
• Sliced apples, pears, pretzels
or cookies for serving
• Garnish with toffee bits (optional)
Directions:
Place cream cheese on a serving dish. Then pour the caramel sauce, as much as you want, evenly over the cream cheese. Sprinkle with a generous helping of toffee bits and serve with apples, sliced pears or pretzels.
Apple Gorgonzola Salad
Daily Dose
One of the Daily Dose’s most popular salads continues to delight taste buds this month. Crisp, sliced apples on a bed of mixed greens, combined with gorgonzola cheese and candied pecans, create an incredible flavor, which is why it is the favorite salad of owner Ben Havn. The house made vinaigrette is on the sweet side, which “balances off the tartness of the apples,” Havn says. Using Granny Smith apples allows for a unique and sweeter vinaigrette than most salads to harmonize all of the flavors. $7.45. Chicken and bacon can be added for $1.
Green Ghost
Dave & Busters
With Halloween approaching, Dave & Busters has a festive adult beverage to celebrate this spooky season. The Green Ghost is a part of Dave & Buster’s Glow Kones, which are best described as adult snow cones that light up. This particular ghostly concoction is a blend of Crown Royal Regal apple whisky, Monin Granny Smith apple, Smirnoff green apple vodka, sweet ‘n’ sour and Sprite. This gleaming drink packs a sour punch while also celebrating the Halloween season. $8.99.
Apple Fritters
Great Harvest Bread
No need to fret about a lack of fritters because Great Harvest Bread sells fresh, hand-cut apple fritters every day. These delicious pastries are made around 3 or 4 a.m. and sell out very quickly. Great Harvest Bread’s apple fritters retain their moisture because they always use fresh apples. Despite their large size, the treats are surprisingly light and fluffy. The hint of cinnamon combined with fresh apples and homemade dough allow the pastry to melt in your mouth. $2.25.
Caramel Apples
Painted Turtle Chocolatier
A traditional October treat has been perfected by Painted Turtle Chocolatier. While typically using fresh Granny Smith apples to add a bit of sour to each bite, the shop also uses other apples from the University of Minnesota’s Landscape Arboretum or various orchards west of the cities. The apples are coated in caramel with nuts optional. There are also options to use milk, dark or white chocolate to cover the apple. Owner Patricia Godfrey says the caramel apples are a very popular item in the fall. “Slice it and share it with people because they are really big,” she says. $5.95-$10.95.
Apple Cream Cheese Stuffed French Toast
Henry’s Café
Sometimes mornings can be tough, but a perfect breakfast can help make any day better. Inspired while on a trip to Las Vegas, owner Henry Lange had French toast stuffed with raspberries and decided he wanted to try serving a similar dish at his café. The dish is comprised of two pieces of French toast created from homemade bread with cream cheese and apple filling in the middle. Although French toast is usually considered a breakfast food, Henry’s Café serves this dish all day long. $4.99.
Warm Apple Crostata
Olive Garden
Olive Garden proves that it’s not just about the breadsticks with this incredible dessert. Northern Spy apples are baked into a pastry crust, topped with vanilla ice cream and drizzled with caramel. The warm apple crostata combines hot and cold with the warm apple pastry and the cool ice cream. Being a little sweeter than some other deserts, this dish, similar to an apple pie, will slay any sweet tooth. $7.79.
Apple Chibouste Pastry
Patrick’s Bakery
In the past, this apple-based dish was only made seasonally, but it was so popular that the pastry chef now makes it year-round. The tart begins with fresh pie crust that is packed with apple filling and apple cinnamon. Then, flan, with a hint of vanilla, is placed on top of the creation along with a vanilla chibouste cream and apricot glaze. $5.75.
