Apple picking adventures in the Hudson Valley + Vermont! We picked so many heirloom apple and enjoyed hiking in the beautiful fall colors! Then I made Apple Walnut Cookies full of fall spices, of course!
We spent every day on our road trip picking apples and hiking some beautiful trails in southern Vermont down through the Hudson Valley in New York. The air is crisp and clean. It feels wonderful and certainly gets you in the mood for cinnamon and spices, pumpkins, hot chocolate and APPLES! All things fall.
The orchards had a bumper crop this season and the trees were hanging heavy with fruit.
In fact, there were so many apples on the ground it was hard to walk around.
I asked some of the proprietors what they did with all the dropped apples and unfortunately the answer was nothing. There was just too many to keep up with. It’s a shame they aren’t collected each day for the local food banks.
We came home with about 10 different apple varieties in all. So far I’ve made this apple sauce twice – thank goodness for my new food mill, no peeling and chopping for me!
My favorite orchard to pick apples is in Southern Vermont. It’s called Scott Farm Orchard. They have the most heirloom apples by far. You can’t pick most of them, but they have bins full of them to choose from! And their apple cider is amazing! We always bring back a couple big mason jars full of it!
In the Hudson Valley there are so many orchards you can just plot a map from google and drive around picking apples. Which is kind of what we did! Check out a few orchards online, see what apple varieties they have ready and decide what direction you’ll travel! Soons Orchard is a fun stop in NY because they have a alcohol tasting room – pick yourself up some fine apple spirits only available in the Hudson Valley! Westwind Orchard in Accord, NY serves up some amazing Italian style thin crust pizza in a super cool setting. Just another reason to stop and get some apples!
Mini apple pies are all ready for Thanksgiving festivities. Aren’t they cute?
And last but not least, my favorite new creation for breakfast, mid-morning, afternoon stretch and post-dinner snack – Apple Walnut Cookies. These cookies are packed full of fall spices, nuts and fresh apple pieces for a healthy treat! One of the twists in these cookies is walnut oil – elevating the nutty flavors and all perfect in salad dressings!
These Apple Walnut Cookies are packed full of fall spices, nuts and fresh apple pieces for a healthy treat!
- ½ cup oat flour
- ½ cup brown rice flour
- 2 tbsp tapioca flour/starch
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp allspice
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ¼ cup walnut oil
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 flax egg 1 tbsp flax meal + 3 tbsp water, mix and let sit about 5 min
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 small/medium red apple unpeeled - finely diced and tossed with a bit of cinnamon and sugar
- ¾ cup rolled oats quick oats would work too
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
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Preheat oven to 375-degrees
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In a mixing bowl combine: flours, starch, baking soda, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, allspice, cinnamon and set aside.
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In a second bowl combine oil, sugar, flax egg, and vanilla.
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Pour the liquid into the dry mix and mix together until well combined. Next, add in oats, apples and walnuts and fold together.
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On a nonstick cookie sheet, drop a heaping tablespoon of the mix. Really press the mix into your tablespoon so that it forms a nice compact ball.
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Bake for 10-12 minutes until slightly golden.
For an extra crunchy top, I like to pop them under the broiler for a minute. Since there is fresh apple in these, by nature, the cookies will get softer each day they are stored.
*If you're not gluten free or vegan, all-purpose flour and a regular egg can be used.
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