15 unconventional ways to use up fall apples

These are super easy and super, super healthy (a plus after all that pie). Slice apples very thinly cross-wise, spread them in a single layer on a baking sheet, sprinkle them with cinnamon or sugar (or both, or neither) and bake at 200° F for 2.5 hours. After that, turn the oven off, flip the apple slices over and leave them in the oven for another hour. Cooking them low and slow gives them plenty of time to dehydrate and get crunchy.

Apples can add a tangy sweetness to savoury soups. Check out this recipe for broccoli-apple soup, this fragrant curried carrot-apple soup, or this super-seasonal butternut squash-apple soup.

Pamper your pooch with these all-natural, homemade dog treats, featuring apples, eggs and whole-wheat flour. And if you run out of apples, never fear—you can substitute other healthy ingredients, like sweet potatoes, bananas, or carrots.

All you needs is a melon baller to create pretty tealight holders—simply scoop out the top of an apple (including the stem), fit a tealight into the hole and voila—lovely, simple, sweet-smelling candle holders that can be lined up on a table or floated in water.

Turns out apples make good stamps as well as snacks. Just cut one in half, dip it in paint, and stamp whatever you’d like—fabric bag, t-shirts, and paper wrapping could all benefit from a little apple-ing.

Combine orange peels, cinnamon sticks, nutmeg, and cloves with dried apple slices, and you have a lovely warm potpourri. Follow the recipe here, or experiment with your own ingredients.

Apple pickles are a great condiment to add to pork roast or grilled chicken. The fennel and juniper berries in this recipe add a little extra flavour and crunch.

These can either be cute little apple dolls or freaky-looking shrunken heads—your choice. If you’re having a Halloween party, shrunken apple heads are perfect—in a gross kind of way—for bobbing. They’re also amusing floating in cider.

The combinations are endless, but favourites include green apples and brie, Macs with sharp cheddar, or curried Pink Ladies with smoked gouda.

Apples add bulk and a little sweetness, which is a nice addition to spicy, smoky chili. Try this recipe, or add some grated apples to your favourite chili concoction.

Apple-tinis are much, much better when you make them with your own homemade apple-infused vodka. Chop up your apples, put them in a jar, and cover them with medium-grade vodka. Wait a week or so, and then enjoy.

The pectin in apples is great for your skin—simply grate one up and apply it to your face for 15 minutes. You can also add grated apples to oatmeal and honey for another skin-softening treat.

Take a tall vase. Add apples. Or use a tray. Add a line of apples. If you want to get really creative, add a little greenery, or a lemon or two. But really, apples and something to hold them in are all you really need for a last-minute centrepiece that still has some drama to it.

Sure, cabbages are fine, but apples make slaw that much more interesting. Try this recipe for an unexpected side dish, perfect with pulled pork.

Still got a few apples left? Use them for holiday decorations! You can thread dehydrated apple slices together for a rustic, sweet-smelling garland. If you’ve got a crabapple tree, stitch the crabapples together with a sturdy needle and some thick thread for a variation on the cranberry-and-popcorn garland idea.