Thanks for following along as we share another month of our blog series, The Cooking Collective. It’s officially fall and we are soaking up as much of the beautiful color, warm sun and brisk breeze as possible. One of the best parts of fall is the transition into the seasonal fall food. Apples, pumpkins, chili; these are the foods that instantly provoke those cozy fall vibes.

As I mentioned the whole reason behind starting The Cooking Collective series is to share the fabulous cooking skills and recipes of certain people in our lives. We have shared my mother in law’s Asian Salmon recipe, her pesto pasta recipe, and we teamed up with some of my favorite local ladies on yummy recipes for the kiddos lunch boxes.

Today, we are sharing another special lady in my life. My step sister. In a family everyone always has their talent. No one is exactly the same, and as we have grown older it has been fun to see what each person really becomes an expert in. My step sister Rachel has become the best cook. She specializes in her yummy desserts and baked goods. When we started this series I knew right away that I wanted to feature some of these goodies for all of you. So today, Rachel is sharing her delicious Apple Pie and Apple Cider Donuts recipe!

Apple Pie Recipe

There might be a million Apple Pie recipes out there, and yet I often stumble on one to pick. There is something comforting about using a recipe that you know has been tried and approved. We actually have a Pinterest board called “Tried and True Recipes” for all the recipes we have  tried and loved! {This recipe is now on there!}

When making new recipes, it’s always nice to know the secret tips that make the recipe great! For this recipe, make sure you use tart apples. With the sugar and sweetness that is in this recipe, the tart apples really off set the other ingredients and create this perfect combination of sweet and tart in the pie.

Doesn’t the pie look amazing? My favorite part of this recipe is how delicious and beautiful the finished product is!

A quick break while the pie bakes and of course our Hunter wanted to get all the attention he could…

Apple Cider Donuts

These donuts are so delicious and a fairly simple recipe to follow. They are more of a cake like donut and our kids loved them! {Tip: The apple cider in them makes them dark, so don’t panic and think they are getting burnt as they bake!}

Simple recipes that are flavorful, timeless, and go to staples are our favorite! These 2 recipes are sure to be added to your go to fall treats in years to come.

A special thanks to Rachel for sharing her wonderful recipes with us! We would love to hear if you try these recipes! I’m sure you won’t be disappointed!