Happy 5784! Rosh Hashanah begins fairly early this year, so maybe you to have not yet gathered all your Rosh Hashanah apple recipe ideas together in time! Then again, Rosh Hannah falls squarely over the weekend, which means for those of us who cook over the holidays, we have Saturday and Sunday to fit in all the deliciousness.
For my family, the best part of a Rosh Hashannah celebration is always the apples dipped in honey, and that means making Rosh Hashanah apple recipes the centerpiece of our dinner — or at least dessert — is a guaranteed hit.
Here are some creative Rosh Hashanah apple recipe that I absolutely love, should you be putting together a Rosh Hashanah menu (or two) to celebrate the Jewish New Year with family and friends.
Honey optional…or, wait. No. It’s definitely not. Not optional at all.
Related: Cool Mom Eats Apple Guide: The best apples for baking and cooking.
Honey Apple Cake
Honey Apple Cake recipe for Rosh Hashannah | Torey Avey
Bundt pan desserts are a solid choice for a Jewish New Year celebration, since circular foods and desserts represent renewal and the circle of the life as we start another year. (And aren’t these the most beautiful bundt pans you’ve ever seen?) So I headed to Tori Avey, one of my go-to food writers for authentic Jewish holiday recipes, to see what she’s offering. For a Rosh Hashanah apple dessert recipe on the traditional side, I would be totally down for trying her Honey Apple Cake recipe for Rosh Hashanah. Or other holidays, really. Be sure to follow her directions: She suggests that because it’s a very moist cake, it’s best decorating just before serving so it doesn’t absorb the powdered sugar.
Easy Apple Tart
Easiest Apple Tart | See and Savour
When you have apples and honey to work with as your main ingredients, there’s no shortage of dessert ideas to choose from. I’m drawn to anything with “easy” in the recipe title TBH, and this Easiest Apple Tart from See and Savour looks like it would please even my picky dessert eaters on Rosh Hashanah. It doesn’t get more simple than puff pastry right out of the freezer, topped with apple slices, then tossed with a few simple ingredients.
Ginger Apple Torte
Ginger Apple Torte | Food 52, photo by Mark Weinberg
Since it’s been such a tough, hot, humid summer for all of us, I’m up for a slightly more fall twist on the traditional Rosh Hashanah apple recipes to get me moving past this humidity (if only in my head). This Ginger Apple Torte from Food 52 looks exquisite! Recipe contributor Dr Babs had me at “a fusion of gingerbread and apple cake.” In fact, if it turns out great, I bet you could reprise it at Thanksgiving.
Apple and Honey Pie Pops
Apple and Honey Pie Pops for Rosh Hashannah | The Nosher
If you’ve got kids over for dinner — or, not — these Apple and Honey Pie Pops at The Nosher are nothing short of brilliant. Sheri Silver calls them “a cinch to make” and that sounds good to me! (Also, I appreciate a good baking pun.) I especially like that they can be assembled and frozen in advance, which means one less thing to do when you’ve got a lot of hungry people to feed. Plus, less silverware to wash at the end of your meal.
Caramel Apples
Caramel Apples recipe| Stella Parks for Serious Eats, Photo by Vicky Wasik
While we’re talking desserts on a stick, Caramel Apples are a wonderfully simple idea, and it’s totally crowd-pleasing, especially for the kids. Serious Eats has a smart, easy recipe — just five ingredients. And that includes water and the apples. Just a warning: If this becomes your Rosh Hashanah apple recipe this weekend, your kids will be begging to eat them all year.
For more ideas, also check out the excellent Rosh Hashanah recipe archives on Serious Eats, conveniently sorted by parve and non-parve.
Related: Fabulous Rosh Hashanah menu ideas, from apps right through dessert
Apples and Honey Donuts
Apples and Honey Donuts recipe | What Jew Wanna Eat
Donuts aren’t just for Hanukkah! (Thank goodness!) Amy Kritzer, author of the Sweet Nothings dessert cookbook has a fantastic Rosh Hashanah recipe category worth checking out on her site What Jew Wanna Eat. I was instantly drawn in by her recipe for Apples and Honey Donuts.It’s essentially apple slices dipped in the donut batter before frying–so easy! I love the creativity and the rustically delicious results. Especially with that simple honey glaze.
Skinny Apple Pie Wontons
Skinny Apple Pie Wontons | The Merchant Baker
As a native New Yorker, I can attest that Jews and Chinese food go together like…well, Jews and Chinese food! We published a post on 10 delicious twists on apple pie recipes a few years ago, and I’ve had these these, light, simple Skinny Apple Pie Wontons on my mind ever since. Created by The Merchant Baker, you can find instructions for making them as cups or turnovers. Either way, you can give each guest their own little personal pie (or two) — complete with a scoop of good vanilla ice cream on the side. Should you be less worried about the “skinny” aspect of the recipe.
Shana tova everyone!
Top image: Sarah Gualtieri via Unsplash
