Stepp Family Thanksgiving Classics: Apple Desserts to Elevate Your Holiday Table

Mom’s Apple Cobbler

A recipe that tastes like home. This cobbler is tender, buttery, and deeply infused with apple flavor. Its unique method—rolling apple-filled dough into spirals—creates beautiful layers that soak up a warm, sweet cider syrup.

Ingredients

• ½ cup (1 stick) butter
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 cups apple juice or cider
• 1 ½ cups self-rising flour
• ½ cup shortening
• ⅓ cup milk
• 2 cups finely chopped or grated NC apples
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Melt butter in a 13×9×2-inch baking dish.

Heat sugar and apple juice/cider in a saucepan until the sugar dissolves, then stir in vanilla.

Cut shortening into flour until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Add milk and stir gently until the dough pulls away from the bowl. Roll dough into a ¼-inch-thick rectangle and sprinkle evenly with apples. Roll up jelly-roll style, seal the edge, and slice into ½-inch rounds.

Arrange slices cut-side down in the buttered pan. Pour the warm syrup around the rolls—it will look like too much, but trust the process.

Bake for 1 hour until golden and bubbly.

Apple Snack Cake (A Stepp Family Favorite)

If you love a moist, dense cake filled with warm spice and sweet apple bits, this snack cake deserves a permanent spot in your recipe box. The butterscotch morsels add an unexpected richness that makes every bite irresistible.

Ingredients

• ¾ cup vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 3 cups peeled, grated apples
• 1 cup butterscotch morsels
• 1 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Directions

Combine oil, eggs, and sugar in a large mixing bowl and beat at medium speed until well mixed. Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon and add in small amounts to the batter. Stir in apples, butterscotch chips, and pecans. Spread batter into a greased 13 x 9 x 2 pan and bake at 350 degrees for 55-60 minutes.

Skillet Apple Pie (Farmer Rex’s Specialty)

This pie is rustic, dramatic, and downright delicious—everything a skillet dessert should be. The cast-iron base caramelizes the brown sugar and butter into a glossy, gooey layer that makes every slice shine.

Ingredients

• 5-6 Granny Smith apples
• 5-6 Pink Lady apples
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• ¾ cup flour
• ½ cup butter
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 package refrigerated piecrusts (14.1 oz)
• 1 egg white
• 2 tbsp granulated sugar (for topping)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Peel apples and slice into ½-inch wedges. Toss with cinnamon, sugar, and flour. Melt butter in a 10-inch cast-iron skillet and stir in brown sugar until dissolved. Remove from heat, place one pie crust directly on top of the caramel mixture, then add the apple filling. Top with the second crust, brush with beaten egg white, and sprinkle with sugar. Cut slits in the top and bake 60–70 minutes, shielding the pie near the end if it darkens too quickly. Let cool for 30 minutes before serving.

Apple Cider Donut Bread Pudding (From Farmhand Tammi)

If you’ve ever wondered what to do with leftover cider donuts… this is the answer. Warm, custardy, sweet, and lightly spiced, this bread pudding tastes like Fall in a bowl.

Ingredients

• 3 eggs
• ¼ tsp salt
• ¾ cup sugar
• 3 cups whole milk
• 1 tbsp vanilla
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 4 tbsp butter, melted
• 12 stale apple cider donuts, quartered
• 1 cup sautéed apples (optional)
• ½ cup pecans (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly coat medium baking dish or deep dish pie plate with non-stick cooking spray. In a large bowl, whisk eggs and salt until smooth. Whisk in sugar until combined; whisk in milk, vanilla, pumpkin pie spice, and butter until smooth. Add donuts (and apples or pecans if using); fold to combine. Set aside 10 minutes to soak. Transfer donut mixture to prepared baking dish. Bake on rimmed baking sheet for 30-45 minutes or until set but still slightly jiggly in the center. Let cool slightly.

Apple Crisp (Another Stepp Family Classic)

Simple, comforting, and always dependable—this apple crisp is one of those desserts that tastes like it came straight from grandma’s kitchen.

Ingredients

• 10 apples, sliced
• Sugar (for sprinkling)
• 2 tbsp water
• vanilla
• butter pats

Topping
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup oatmeal
• ½ cup flour
• pinch of cinnamon
• 1 stick melted butter

Directions

Place apple slices briefly in salt water, then drain and sprinkle with sugar. Add to a greased 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan with water, vanilla, and small pats of butter.

Mix topping ingredients and sprinkle evenly over apples. Bake at 350°F for about 45 minutes until golden and bubbling.

Final Thoughts

From bubbling cobblers to skillet pies, these recipes bring the orchard straight into your kitchen. Whether you’re cooking with apples you picked yourself or bringing home a bag from the market, each recipe offers something warm, nostalgic, and deeply satisfying.