A Fall Backyard Bonfire Party Featuring Michigan Apples

This post is sponsored by Michigan Apples. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

When fall arrives in Michigan it can only mean one thing – it’s apple season! In case you didn’t know, Michigan happens to be the nation’s third largest producer of apples. Pretty amazing right? I love getting apples from local apple growers, or buying Michigan Apples at my local grocery store during the fall. To celebrate apple season I partnered with Michigan Apples to showcase some fun recipes, and a fall-inspired activity to try with your family. This fall backyard bonfire party featuring Michigan Apples is such a great way to enjoy this fall season.

Fall Backyard Bonfire Party Featuring Michigan Apples

With the weather getting cooler it’s a great time of year to have a backyard bonfire. My family enjoys a bonfire during the fall season, and creating some of our favorite camping dishes. Since apples are the star of the show, I created some fun campfire dishes featuring Michigan Apples. This is such a wonderful activity to try with your family this fall, and these recipes are super easy to make. Grab some chairs, turn on some music, get cozy by the fire, and let’s make some delicious apple dishes.

Fun Facts about Michigan Apples

Did you know Michigan has 14.9 million apple trees? That’s quite a lot of apples! You can also find quite a variety of different varieties of apples grown here in Michigan. For our backyard bonfire we’re using Honeycrisp and Gala apples from Michigan. In case you’re unfamiliar with these apple varieties here are a few things to note.

Honeycrisp Apples – If you love a crisp apple then you’ll love Honeycrisp apples. These apples have a distinct red and green color, and are perfect for snacking on. The sweet flavor of these apples are great to cut in fresh slices and enjoy in salads or our campfire pies recipe.

Gala Apples – Gala’s are Michigan’s third most popular apple! These apples are great for eating or cooking with their crisp texture and mild sweetness. These apples are perfect for our campfire apple pie recipe.

For more information and fun facts check out this article from Michigan Apples.

DIY Campfire Pies

These campfire pies (or mountain pies) were always a favorite of ours while camping. You can make sweet or savory campfire pies using a pie iron. For our backyard bonfire party we created DIY campfire pies featuring Honeycrisp apples and a variety of different ingredients. My husband made a pulled pork, BBQ, white cheddar cheese, caramelized onion, apple slices and apple slaw campfire pie. I created a vegetarian campfire pie with cinnamon raisin bread, brie cheese, apple slices, arugula, and homemade caramelized onions. My dad made a campfire pie with ham, gouda cheese, and apple slices. It was really fun trying different combinations, but the apples were truly a highlight in these savory pies.

To re-create this DIY campfire pie spread start with a couple different bread options. You want the bread to be a square shape to fit inside the pie iron. I used cinnamon apple bread and Italian bread for our campfire pies. Cheese is key for these campfire pies so add a few options like gouda, brie or white cheddar cheese. Just make sure you pick cheeses that melt well for these pies. Then add a few meat options like ham or pulled pork to your board. Next think about toppings like BBQ sauce, caramelized onions, arugula and apple slaw (recipe below). Last but not least, add some sliced apples to your board.

Apple S’mores

You can’t have a bonfire without s’mores. Am I right?! Instead of traditional s’mores we created apple s’mores with thick cut slices of Honeycrisp apples. With roasted marshmallows, a salted caramel sauce and variety of different chocolates these s’mores were amazing! If you like caramel apples, you’ll definitely enjoy these s’mores.

To create these apple s’mores start by cutting Honeycrisp apples into thick slices. It helps to remove the core of the apple first, and then cut the slices for the s’mores. I used a variety of different chocolates for these s’mores, and you can totally use your favorite or try something new. I also did walnuts and caramel sauce to essentially create a twist on s’mores and caramel apples. Don’t forget the marshmallows for your s’mores!

These apple s’mores are definitely kid approved! My nephews loved roasting the marshmallows and creating their own s’mores. The sweet Honeycrisp apple really pairs well with these s’more ingredients.

Campfire Apple Pie

Our backyard bonfire wouldn’t be complete without apple pie! I made my own apple pie filling for our campfire apple pie using both Honeycrisp and Gala apples. I thought making my own apple pie filling would be difficult and time consuming, but I was totally wrong. This apple pie filling was really easy to make and tasted so good with the Michigan Apples.

To make this campfire apple pie you’ll need a cast iron pot with a lid. Add the apple pie filling to the bottom of the cast iron pot. Top with one package of refrigerated biscuits that have been cut into quarters. Sprinkle the biscuits with cinnamon sugar and 1/2 stick of melted butter. Cook for 20 minutes allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving. Top your campfire apple pie with caramel sauce and walnuts and you’re all set!

Festive Apple Cider

Along with all the delicious bonfire recipes, I also served some apple cider for a drink option. To make the apple cider a little more festive I added a few cinnamon sticks and frozen cranberries. The apple cider paired really well with the food, and my nephews loved drinking this apple cider by the bonfire!

I hope you enjoyed this fall backyard bonfire party featuring Michigan Apples! I had so much fun creating these campfire inspired recipes with Honeycrisp and Gala apples.