Apples and Apple Dip

Image via WikipediaI love apples.  They make great snacks.  They're good with popcorn, good with peanut butter, really good with this apple dip recipe I tried recently.  They're also good in pies, crisps, cakes, and muffins.

The problem I have is remembering which apples are good for what - which ones are for eating, which ones for baking and cooking.  So, when I found a list in the food section of my newspaper describing apple varieties and what they're good for, I saved it.

These are some of Wisconsin's favorite apples:

• Gala apples are small to medium in size with a yellow-pinkish skin.  Sweet and juicy, they are good for salads and cooking.
• Paula Red apples are medium-sized and are red over green skin.  Juicy and sweet, they are great for both cooking and eating.
• Fuji apples are large, with a reddish-pink skin.  They are sweet and best for eating and salads.
• McIntosh apples are small to medium in size with a bright red skin.  Mild, they are good for cooking, eating, and sauces.
• Honeycrisp apples are larger, with a red and green skin.  They are juicy, sweet and crisp.  Great for eating.
• Golden Supreme apples are medium-sized and sweet.  They are good for eating, salads and sauces.
• Ginger Gold apples are medium to large with a yellow skin.  Juicy and sweet, they are good for eating and baking.

I'm not sure if that helps or not.  I'll probably still buy my apples the way I usually do - by smelling them and buying the ones that smell the best.  I do know that I like tart apples like Granny Smith with that Apple Dip!  What?  You want the Apple Dip recipe?  All right, here you go.  I went looking for an apple dip recipe online - there are lots - and combined a couple that sounded good.

Apple Dip

• 1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 c. crunchy peanut butter
• 3/4 c. brown sugar
• 1 tsp. vanilla

Mix all ingredients together, then stir in some Heath bits o brickle (baking bits). I didn't measure them, just poured some in.

Serve with sliced apples. Tart apples are best.

This stuff was really popular!  It can be made without them, but the toffee bits really add something.  Somebody asked if it was peanut brittle in there, so next time I make this I am trying peanut brittle.  It sounds like it will be good.

Related articles

• Focus on Fruit: Apples (totaltranslucency.wordpress.com)
• Ode to Apples (thesevenblog.com)
• Apple Season (jenawix.wordpress.com)