simply GRAND recipes! apples! apples! apples!

1 hour ago

9 min read

Friday, September 25,, 2026

Fall has officially arrived,

and we Grands are happily jumping into the season

with one of our favorite fall flavors,

APPLES!

Whether you’re a Grand, a Little, or somewhere in between,

there’s just something irresistible about apples…

Especially when they’re paired with caramel, cinnamon and a little bit of fun!!

So, in true Simply GRAND fashion,

we’re keeping things easy, simple and delicious with a few apple-inspired treats

that are sure to bring smiles to everyone you love!

In this post, Laura is sharing three new recipes we think you’ll want to try!

We’ve got a fun and oh-so-easy take on monkey bread,

a refreshing beverage with just the right touch of fall flavor,

and a super simple caramel apple dip that’s perfect for snacking or sharing

And because some recipes are too good to forget,

we’ll also revisit a few of our past apple favorites along the way.

Isn’t that simply GRAND?

So grab a bag of apples and let’s celebrate fall,

one delicious bite (and sip!) at a time!

My youngest daughter loves monkey bread

so, over the years, I’ve made it countless times

and in various formations, too!

Here’s one of our favorite twists for fall!

I made this dish to serve with breakfast

during the recent Labor Day weekend at the lake!

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cans (12.4 oz each) Pillsbury Cinnamon Rolls

• 1 can (20 oz) apples

• ½ cup melted butter

• ⅓ cup brown sugar

• 2 tsp cinnamon

NOTE: My hubby and I have also enjoyed this dish by ourselves but we cut the recipe in half, using only one can of cinnamon rolls and half of the other ingredients. Then, instead of a 9 x 13 pan, we used an 8 x 8 one.

We speak from experience!

Add some whipped cream or ice cream and

It makes a yummy dessert, too!

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease or spray a 9 x 13 pan (if making the full recipe using 2 cans of cinnamon rolls).

2. Cut each cinnamon roll into six pieces and put the pieces into a mixing bowl.

Then take the apples out of the can and chop each larger slice into 3-4 smaller pieces. Add the apples to the mixing bowl with the cinnamon rolls.

3. Melt the butter in a small dish. Add the brown sugar and cinnamon to the melted butter and mix together until the sugar dissolves.

Pour the butter mixture over the cinnamon roll pieces and apples in the mixing bowl. Stir together until the cinnamon rolls and apples are coated in the butter mixture. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan.

4. Bake for 45 minutes until lightly brown and cooked through. (NOTE: When I halved this recipe and only used one can of cinnamon rolls in a small pan, I shortened the bake time to about 30 minutes.)

5. While still warm, drizzle the can of icing (from the package of cinnamon rolls) over the casserole.

Serve warm and enjoy!

We couldn’t resist jumping on the latest craze!

This version of a dirty soda combines

the cozy flavor of apple cider with a fizzy, creamy surprise!

INGREDIENTS (per each soda)

• ½ cup soda (Sprite, sparkling water, ginger ale)

• ½ cup apple cider

• 1-2 tbsp caramel macchiato coffee creamer (or sweet cream creamer)

• 4-5 ice cubes

• whipped cream or cold foam for topping

• dash of cinnamon and or chopped Snickers candy bar nuggets to garnish

DIRECTIONS

1. Prepare the glass! Fill the glass with ice cubes. If you have a squeeze bottle of caramel sauce you can drizzle some around the inside walls of your serving glass.

2. Pour the soda (Sprite, sparkling water or ginger ale) into the glass and then gently pour the apple cider into it, too.

3. Time to make it dirty! Pour the caramel macchiato coffee creamer slowly over the top. (You could replace the creamer with cream or half-and-half, too OR a different type of creamer - I love sweet cream coffee creamer!)

4. Garnish and serve! Top with whipped cream or cold foam, an added drizzle of caramel and a dash of cinnamon or even a few chopped Snickers candies for added fun!

Cheers!

With only 3 ingredients, this recipe couldn’t be easier to pull together…

Plus, it’s absolutely delicious!

I served it at a recent family birthday party and it was a hit!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 carton (24.3 oz) Philadelphia No-Bake Cheesecake Filling

• Caramel sauce or dip

• Toffee bits

DIRECTIONS

1. Spread the no-bake cheesecake into your serving dish. Depending on the number of people you’ll be serving, you can use the entire carton for a larger dish or less. I used about ½ to ⅔ of the carton to evenly fill the bottom of a glass pie dish.

2. Spoon caramel sauce/dip over the cheesecake to create a yummy caramel layer.

3. Sprinkle toffee bits over the top for a crunchy added texture!

4. Chill until you are ready to serve. Serve with sliced apples, graham crackers, pretzels or vanilla wafers… or a combination of them all!

We couldn’t resist taking a quick trip back

through the Simply GRAND recipe box

to revisit a few apple favorites we’ve shared in the past.

Some are perfect for the grown-ups,

while others are sure to be Little-approved!

There’s bound to be something delicious for everyone to enjoy!

APPLE RECIPES FOR THE GROWN-UPS!

Check out these two recipes… a hand held app and a cocktail, too!

Caramel Apple Bites!

Not only are these quick and simple to make, but they are a bite-sized, chewy and sweet and salty snack that will definitely bring back memories of biting into a caramel apple (without all the sticky mess)!

INGREDIENTS

• 2 apples - Granny Smith or Honeycrisp work well

• lemon juice or lemon-lime soda

• I package pretzel Snaps (I’ve also used mini pretzels)

• 1 package Rolo chocolate candies, unwrapped

• toothpicks

DIRECTIONS

1. Wash the apples and chop them into small chunks (no need to peel the apples). To prevent the apples from turning brown, squeeze a small amount of fresh lemon juice over the apple chunks (or toss with lemon-lime soda) Stir gently so all of the apple chunks are covered. Or you can try our Grand Tip shared above!

2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat your oven to 250 degrees. Place the pretzels on the baking sheet and cover each with a Rolo chocolate candy.

3. Bake until Rolos are slightly softened, about 3-4 minutes.

4. Spear each apple chunk with a toothpick. Then gently press each chunk into a melted Rolo and push the toothpick through the apple and into the melted chocolate, too..

5. Let your Caramel Apple Bites cool and firm up before transferring them to a serving tray!

The pretzel-chocolate combo is always a yummy one

(and a well known one, too)!

But the addition of the apple chunk brings this sweet treat to a new level!

A delicious fall treat… Ready in no time!

Apple Ginger Fall Fizz!

This delicious drink comes to us, compliments of Laurie! It’s versatile and can be served as either a mocktail or a cocktail. It tastes refreshing either way!

INGREDIENTS (Mocktail Version)

• 3 oz still apple cider

• 1 oz freshly squeezed lime juice

• Pinch of cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

• ice cubes

• 6 mint leaves

• 3 oz ginger ale

• Cinnamon sticks for stirring

DIRECTIONS

1. Place apple cider, lime juice, cinnamon, apple cider vinegar and a few ice cubes into a cocktail shaker. If you don't have a shaker, anything with a tight lid will work, such as a mason jar or drink bottle.

2. Clap the mint together in your hands to release the scent, and add to the shaker. Shake for about 20-30 seconds until ingredients are combined.

3. Pour into an ice filled glass and top with ginger ale.

4. Stir gently, garnish with mint, dried citrus or a cinnamon stick, and serve.

Would you prefer a cocktail?

If desired, add brandy or whisky to the above mocktail!

Either blends very nicely with this drink!

APPLE RECIPES FOR THE LITTLES!

Below you’ll find three of our Little friendly favorites!

Plus, the LIttles will love helping you make these, too!

Caramel Apples on a Stick!

These were so simple and so yummy AND were a brilliant way to reign in the stickiness for young Littles while still enjoying the flavors of a traditional caramel apple!

After a visit to the apple orchard with the Littles, we took two apples and sliced them into eighths. Then, we stuck a craft stick into one end of each, turning each apple slice into a lollipop of sorts!

NOTE: If you don’t have craft sticks, you can use lollipop sticks or skewers. Straws might work, too, but you’d probably need to make an indent into the apple with a knife first OR try using a spoon by pushing the handle into the apple slice (and then holding onto the “spoon” of the utensil when eating)!

Before we began, we looked in the pantry for things we could add to our dipped apples. We found mini chocolate chips and sprinkles! Jackpot! We had picked up some delicious caramel sauce during our visit to the apple orchard so I put some in a mug and melted it slightly. Another option would be to melt caramels on the stove.

The dipping began… Followed by the sprinkling…

And then the best part… the sampling!!

It was a bit sticky but, oh so, good!

While we were enjoying these, I kept thinking of different combinations we could try… Dipped in chocolate and then sprinkled with toffee bits, chopped nuts or coconut… You could even set up a caramel apple “bar” with all the goodies.

Apple “Donuts”!

We called these snacks Apple “Donuts” even though we didn’t make a hole in the middle. (We wanted to see the “star” inside the apple instead! Keep reading if you want to know more!)

We cut our apple in slices about ¼” thick and then spread peanut butter on each. We, of course, also had to add our sprinkles and chocolate chips. The Littles insisted!

The Littles used craft sticks as "knives" to spread the peanut butter on their "donut"!

Again.. The combinations are endless! For example, you could spread nutella, vanilla frosting or yogurt on the apple slices and then top with mini m&m’s, coconut, chopped nuts… you get the idea!

Apple Pizzas!

This is an oldie but a goodie - my kindergartners would make these each year after our field trip to the apple orchard and then we’d march our pans down to the school kitchen to be baked before enjoying them in class! Such a fun memory!

It’s hard to believe it’s been 3+ years since I first made them with Little L!