This fried apples and onions recipe is about as old-fashioned and pioneer as you can get. Plus, apples, bacon, and onions are a wonderful fall trio of flavor.
Who knew that apples and onions go together like peanut butter and jelly? Mother Wilder sure did. As a matter of fact, this dish was one of Almanzo Wilder’s favorites as boy. You can read about his birthday breakfast of apples and onions in the book, “Farmer Boy”, from the “Little House on The Prairie” series.
Caramelized apples and onions made a delicious side dish for just about any meal back in the pioneer days. It had the sweetness of the onions, combined with the tartness of the apples. The salty of the salt pork or bacon brought the flavors together in a wonderful way.
Now, you can be a modern day pioneer, and channel your inner Ingalls family, with this easy recipe. If you grow your own onions and know when to harvest and how to cure and string onions for long-term storage, you’ve already got a headstart with 1/4 of the ingredients on hand.
What kind of apples should I use?
The original recipe calls for tart apples. This would include such varieties like Granny Smith, Cortland, Pink Lady, or Jonathon apples. While some are more tart than others, these all lean more towards the “tart” side and are great for baking, and in this dish.
However, if you want to add more sweetness, or tone down the tart, add some more sweet flavors of apples such as Fuji, Honeycrisp, or Golden Delicious. I used a combination of both Granny Smith, Cortland, and Red Delicious apples to get the best flavor.
What kind of bacon should I use?
Originally, the recipe was made with homegrown pork. This would be cured bacon that they made, or with a side of salt pork. Salt pork is what they would have removed from the belly to make the bacon or ham, but it was a great flavor additive.
That being said, you can use nearly any type of bacon you desire with this. For my family, we used turkey bacon. Try duck, chicken, or bison bacon for a unique flavor blend. If you use a lower fat bacon like turkey, you will need to add a bit of olive oil or butter to cook the onions.
Do I have to use brown sugar? Can I sub honey for this recipe?
Since this only calls for 2 Tablespoons of brown sugar, I wasn’t too worried about that amount. If you want to substitute honey, I would suggest adding a bit of butter as well to help it caramelize. Start with 1-2 teaspoons of butter at the same time you add the honey. Or go with maple syrup, I think maple bacon, apples and onions would be delightful!
Another sub that you can try if you want to watch the sugars you are eating is brown sugar Swerve. It melts and cooks up just like the regular brown sugar, and is very diabetic friendly.
This Little House Cookbook fried apples and onions recipe is an old-fashioned treat and part of our cooking like Ma Ingalls series!
Ingredients:
- 1/2 pound bacon or salt pork
- 6 yellow onions
- 6 apples
- 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
Instructions:
- Cut bacon into strips, then fry until crisp.
- While bacon is cooking, slice onions and core apples.
- Remove cooked bacon to a warm platter.
- In the remaining bacon grease, add onions and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add apple slices in even layer over onions and then sprinkle the brown sugar over all.
- Cover skillet, and cook an additional 2-3 minutes, until apples begin to soften. Stir only to prevent burning or sticking, approximately once every 45-60 seconds.
- Serve warm.
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Fried Apples ‘N’ Onions Recipe – Just like Mrs. Wilder made
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound bacon or salt pork
- 6 yellow onions
- 6 apples
- 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
Instructions
- Cut bacon into strips, then fry until crisp.
- While bacon is cooking, slice onions and core apples.
- Remove cooked bacon to a warm platter.
- In the remaining bacon grease, add onions and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add apple slices in even layer over onions and then sprinkle the brown sugar over all.
- Cover skillet, and cook an additional 2-3 minutes, until apples begin to soften. Stir only to prevent burning or sticking, approximately once every 45-60 seconds.
- Serve warm.
Notes
There you have have it, fried apples and onions straight out of a pioneer kitchen into yours! Have you ever made or tried this before? How do you like it?
More Recipes and Tips to Live Like the Pioneers
- Old Fashioned Ginger Water
- Vinegar Pie – Old Fashioned Recipe From Ma Ingalls
- 5 Frugal Tips from Ma Ingalls and the Pioneers
- 9 Ways to Have a Frugal Pioneer Christmas like Laura Ingalls
I guess I’m missing the part about the cabbage. Couldn’t find it in the recipe.
Sorry, it wasn’t his birthday breakfast, it was the next day; ice cutting day. 😁 Reading it right now.
Can’t wait to try this!
LOVE it! It’s a definite reminder to when LHotP was broadcast. I learned my EngRish and Embraced the American culture because of this series. I don’t remember this dish from the show, but it’s probably because EngRish was still as new language for me. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
I love the recipe!! BUT!? you neglect to include the recipe breakdown on instructions.
I wish you would have told me what to do with the bacon? At what temperature do you cook? You don’t say in translation for us new folk. But how many cups of this? My point is… for us laymen out there I just prefer the full breakdown of any said recipe.
This is my first attempt and the outcome remains to be seen.
Thanks for recipe and a little less on the embellishments of history et.al.,
Will sign up on the newsletter and I have full confidence on future recipes.
You eat the bacon separately.
You just use the grease to fry the apples and onions.
Remember, if substituting honey, that heating honey too phigh or too long takes away the healthy things for which honey is best.
When do I add the bacon?
So do I add back in the bacon or am I just using the bacon grease?
To me, this recipe from Apple looks great. So I want to make the recipe. Please, can you tell me can I use any others pan instead of cast iron skillet for frying them?
You could any other skillet of choice.