5 Ways to Use Those Apples You've Just Picked at the Orchard

So you've gone apple-picking at your local fruit orchard. Now you have five bags of fresh apples sitting by your back door and are determined to utilize them before they go bad. Since odds are that your family do not live by the "An apple a day keeps the doctor away" mentality, here are some great alternatives:

 Apple-Cinnamon Pancakes

Perfectly paired with a glass of orange juice and a piece of toast, this decadent concoction provides the perfect remedy for chilly mornings this autumn.

2 eggs

2 cups Bisquick

1 cup milk

2 tablespoons butter

1 apple- peeled and grated

Ground cinnamon

Begin by mushing up apple so that it becomes soft—either a food processor or a simple cheese grater would work here. Then mix Bisquick, milk, and eggs, and apple pieces together in a medium-sized bowl. Smooth out any lumps.

Grease pan with butter, and then add medium-sized circles of the size you'd like each pancake to be. With a spatula, check bottoms to make sure they haven't burned. When they are able to be removed the pan, flip over. Continue every 2 minutes to make sure they are soft.

When they become firm, stick fork inside to see if they have cooked all the way through. A fork should be easily pulled out with little moisture when finished. Add cinnamon on top as desired. Feeds 4 people.

Apple-Caramel Pie

Ideal as a post-dinner treat, this dessert is both sweet and light in moderation. Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream for an extra-special addition.

½ cup sugar

5 apples, peeled and cored

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon rum

Corn starch

3 tablespoons caramel sauce

½ cup flour

1/3 cup brown sugar

¼ cup butter/margarine

1 unbaked deep dish pie crust

1/3 cup flour

Mix sugar, pumpkin pie spice and corn starch in bowl. Add lemon juice and rum to dry mixture. Cut apple slices into 2/4 inch slices and place in bowl. Dust apples with lemon juice and rum. Stir to combine. Mix thoroughly. Spread with two tablespoons of butter and drizzle with caramel sauce for flavor. Preheat oven 400F degrees.

Stir flour and brown sugar together, and cut ¼ cup butter until it is properly mixed. Spread on top of pie.

Bake for 8-10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350F and bake until brown. This should take about 45 minutes.

 Fresh Apple Slices with Peanut Butter

A vacation from bad-for-you after-school treats like cookies or chips, this simple and healthy snack can be assembled easily. What's more, your child will be getting the necessary fruit requirement for the day.

1 jar peanut butter (depends on the amount of servings)

3 apples

Cut up apples vertically with a knife. Dip in a dollop of peanut butter on the side for a sweet kick. Serves 3 people.

Both recipes below were created by the baking connoisseurs of the Wilkens Fruit and Fir Farm, located in Yorktown Heights.

Carefully following these directions will 100 percent guarantee more than a few requests for second helpings by your friends and family.

 Hot Spiced Cider

1 Gallon Wilkens Apple Cider

2 Tablespoons honey

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

Combine all ingredients in pan, heat to low simmer.

Applesauce

10 apples

¼ to 1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup apple cider

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Core and cut apples into eighths without peeling. Place in saucepan with cider. Simmer until apples are soft. Process through food mill or press through sieve. Add cinnamon and sugar, one tablespoon full at a time to taste. Chill. Feeds 4-1/2 cups.