Small round cookie cutter (I got mine in a set from Sur la Table)
Optional Supplies:
Raisins
Lemon – to keep apple from turning brown
Toothpicks – helps hold sandwich together in a lunchbox that likely gets tossed all around!
Before I dive right into the 8 easy steps for making an apple sandwich I’d like to make sure everyone knows about our sponsor, No More To Go…as in No More “To Go” Meals! They are a meal planning service that will email you 5 complete dinner recipes along with a corresponding grocery list every week. All recipes have modifications for gluten free, vegetarian, and kid friendly meals. They are offering 30% off to our readers so when you check out be sure to use the “100Days” coupon code.
1. Cut off the top of the apple and then make the first thin slice (a.k.a. the top of the sandwich).
2. Make another slice, which will become the bottom of the sandwich. If you started cutting near the top of the apple you can get four slices (2 sandwiches) out of one apple.
3. Cut out the core with a small round cookie cutter. You can also use a table knife and go around in a circular motion, but it’s not nearly as pretty. :)
4. Add some nut or seed butter (like peanut butter).
5. If desired, add some raisins as well.
6. Put on the top of the sandwich.
7. If you don’t trust your child to keep their lunchbox in one position all day long then secure with wooden toothpicks (plastic ones can break in apple). Also be sure to instruct your child to remove the toothpicks before taking a bite. :)
8. Squirt with lemon juice to help keep apple from turning brown. You can also mix lemon with a little water so it doesn’t taste so “lemony” or like “cleaner” as my daughter once told me.
And voila…there’s lunch! This apple sandwich is paired with a whole-wheat zucchini muffin, frozen peas (that defrost by lunchtime), and cheddar cheese cubes.
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I make turkey Swiss sandwiched with apple slices for potlucks and weekends. Devoured. Apple skidded slices with curried chicken salad, no ghost, are a huge hit.
We use natural peanut butter. Will it be too runny to make in the morning and eat by lunchtime? I’m just afraid with the peanut butter being so thin it will be runny. I could always make my own peanut butter in the food processor too…just wondering!
Hi Abby. It could be a little runny. I often drain much of the oil from the peanut butter that I need to be more sturdy. I keep another container fully intact and that’s the one I use for spreading on sandwiches and crackers.
I bought the circle cutters. When I used it for the apple it split the side. I was wondering if my slices are too thick or if the apple is too small. They are small apples from my parents orchard.
I never made them into sandwiches (can’t believe I never thought to) but when I make apple “rings” I use an apple corer and then slice on my mandolin slicer, I did these for the kids at my daycare so slicing by hand would have taken to long
There’s a lot of voter spamming, which turns the entire directory into a popularity contest with no information
on if a server’s a good fit for YOU. Then, open up the text editor gedit and create
a file called op. Google Docs in particular is a bit of a lifesaver forr group projects now.
Instead of using lemon to keep your apples fresh, use pineapple juice. Pineapple juice contains the asorbic acid that prevents the apple from turning brown and yet isn’t sour-it even adds an natural touch of sweetness!
Wow, these are simple to make and taste great.. who would of thunk it!
Day one on my 10 day challenge.
Great job on this one great idea and tasty treats!
You can use cream cheese in an apple sandwich or you could use alternating slices of apple & cheese like cheddar, or pumpkin butter or apple butter. all of that as an alternative to peanut or nut butter sandwiches. Also in order to keep apples from turning brown…float them in pineapple juice. Kroger, a local grocery store, makes fresh apple salad in the store. I used to work there and that’s what we did. We’d float the apples in pineapple juice then pour the apples and pineapple juice through a strainer into another container to make room for more apples when the container was full. it’s much tastier than lemon :)
If your making more than one or two, mix about a teaspoon of lemon juice to two cups of water and put that in a bowl with your apple slices. I do this when preparing apples for a fruit tray. I use a Tupperware bowl and lid and gently shake to get all of the fruit covered. If you’re not a fan of citrus or you want to avoid the “cleaner” taste (thought that was cute) I would recommend you get a product called Fruit Fresh. It uses asorbic acid instead of the citric acid that’s in the lemon.
Also regarding the nut butter, mixing in some local honey is a nice flavor enhancer along with the added health benefits you get with honey. (just reminder, don’t give honey, especially raw honey, to the little ones three and under.)
My son has a possible nut allergy, so we only have sunbutter in the house (but I am the only one who likes it).
Assistant to 100 Days (Jill)
Hi Nicole. This post shares some information about nutella. Jill
Katrina
Nutella, besides containing a lot of sugar, does contain hazelnuts so that wouldn’t be a great choice.
Jennifer
Cheddar cheese is awesome with apple and drizzle a little honey to stick it together. The savory of the cheese and sweet of the apple and honey are a great combination.
I’ve made these quite a few times now (LOVE them, thank you for the post!). I wanted to share one thing I’ve changed that has made them so much easier for my three year old to eat (and me too ;) ). I also put a smear of peanut butter on the top slice too. Even just a smidge makes the sandwich stick together and I don’t even have to use toothpicks. That’s it!
Oh and like I commented on an above post, I do one other thing. I core the apple first (rather than use a cookie cutter after it’s sliced). This way I can use all the apple (generally get about six slices of about the same size thickness shown in the pics above from most apples) which gives me about three sandwiches per apple.
A good thing to do (to waste no apple) is to core the apple first. Then slice them medium thick. Most apples give me six slices. Since I core it first I can use the top and the bottom and I get three decent snack size sandwiches. If I happen to only get five slices, I eat the extra one ;)
Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods make good peanut butter. If you don’t have one near you, regular grocery stores generally have a health food section. I find Woodstock’s brand to be particularly good. Just peanuts (and some salt in the crunchy pnut butter)!
LOVE your cute and healthy ideas! I would like to see you ditch the plastic containers and go with something more eco friendly…stainless steel! ;D You’re super awesome..love your blog!
I make turkey Swiss sandwiched with apple slices for potlucks and weekends. Devoured. Apple skidded slices with curried chicken salad, no ghost, are a huge hit.
We use natural peanut butter. Will it be too runny to make in the morning and eat by lunchtime? I’m just afraid with the peanut butter being so thin it will be runny. I could always make my own peanut butter in the food processor too…just wondering!
Hi Abby. It could be a little runny. I often drain much of the oil from the peanut butter that I need to be more sturdy. I keep another container fully intact and that’s the one I use for spreading on sandwiches and crackers.
Where do you get the divided containers?
Hi there. Here’s the low-down on the containers. ;) https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2014/09/23/lunch-box-rumors-true/
I bought the circle cutters. When I used it for the apple it split the side. I was wondering if my slices are too thick or if the apple is too small. They are small apples from my parents orchard.
What almond butter do you use ? What do you recomend ? I got MaraNatha Natural Raw Almond Butter and I was wondering if it’s good ??? Thanks :)
Hi Roda. MaraNatha is a fine brand. I go for the raw organic version. :) Brad’s is another good brand. ~Amy
I never made them into sandwiches (can’t believe I never thought to) but when I make apple “rings” I use an apple corer and then slice on my mandolin slicer, I did these for the kids at my daycare so slicing by hand would have taken to long
There’s a lot of voter spamming, which turns the entire directory into a popularity contest with no information
on if a server’s a good fit for YOU. Then, open up the text editor gedit and create
a file called op. Google Docs in particular is a bit of a lifesaver forr group projects now.
Instead of using lemon to keep your apples fresh, use pineapple juice. Pineapple juice contains the asorbic acid that prevents the apple from turning brown and yet isn’t sour-it even adds an natural touch of sweetness!
Wow, these are simple to make and taste great.. who would of thunk it!
Day one on my 10 day challenge.
Great job on this one great idea and tasty treats!
Forgot to mention I used a twist off wine cap to get my holes. lol worked great.
You can use cream cheese in an apple sandwich or you could use alternating slices of apple & cheese like cheddar, or pumpkin butter or apple butter. all of that as an alternative to peanut or nut butter sandwiches. Also in order to keep apples from turning brown…float them in pineapple juice. Kroger, a local grocery store, makes fresh apple salad in the store. I used to work there and that’s what we did. We’d float the apples in pineapple juice then pour the apples and pineapple juice through a strainer into another container to make room for more apples when the container was full. it’s much tastier than lemon :)
From Cooks Illustrated… dissolve 1 tbsp. honey in one cup of water to prevent apples from browning. Works and tastes much better than lemon juice. :)
Great to know!! I haven’t heard this one before but I will definitely try it. Thank you!
If your making more than one or two, mix about a teaspoon of lemon juice to two cups of water and put that in a bowl with your apple slices. I do this when preparing apples for a fruit tray. I use a Tupperware bowl and lid and gently shake to get all of the fruit covered. If you’re not a fan of citrus or you want to avoid the “cleaner” taste (thought that was cute) I would recommend you get a product called Fruit Fresh. It uses asorbic acid instead of the citric acid that’s in the lemon.
Also regarding the nut butter, mixing in some local honey is a nice flavor enhancer along with the added health benefits you get with honey. (just reminder, don’t give honey, especially raw honey, to the little ones three and under.)
I’m doing this immediately!
Has anyone used something other than a nut/seed butter? My kids do not like nut/seed butter. Thank you for any suggestions.
How about Nutella?
My son has a possible nut allergy, so we only have sunbutter in the house (but I am the only one who likes it).
Hi Nicole. This post shares some information about nutella. Jill
Nutella, besides containing a lot of sugar, does contain hazelnuts so that wouldn’t be a great choice.
Cheddar cheese is awesome with apple and drizzle a little honey to stick it together. The savory of the cheese and sweet of the apple and honey are a great combination.
pimento cheese! You could also do hummus or a bean dip if they like either of those.
Love that circle cookie cutter set!
I’ve made these quite a few times now (LOVE them, thank you for the post!). I wanted to share one thing I’ve changed that has made them so much easier for my three year old to eat (and me too ;) ). I also put a smear of peanut butter on the top slice too. Even just a smidge makes the sandwich stick together and I don’t even have to use toothpicks. That’s it!
Oh and like I commented on an above post, I do one other thing. I core the apple first (rather than use a cookie cutter after it’s sliced). This way I can use all the apple (generally get about six slices of about the same size thickness shown in the pics above from most apples) which gives me about three sandwiches per apple.
My mom would put apples in salt water to prevent browning. I bet the salty apples would taste good with the sunflower butter!
I love this! what do you do you usually do with the left over apple?
A good thing to do (to waste no apple) is to core the apple first. Then slice them medium thick. Most apples give me six slices. Since I core it first I can use the top and the bottom and I get three decent snack size sandwiches. If I happen to only get five slices, I eat the extra one ;)
Hi Karlee. I usually just slice it up and eat it! Jill
I am having a difficult time finding a suitable peanut butter. What kind of peanut butter do you use and where do you get it?
Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods make good peanut butter. If you don’t have one near you, regular grocery stores generally have a health food section. I find Woodstock’s brand to be particularly good. Just peanuts (and some salt in the crunchy pnut butter)!
Hi Jessica. I get the unsalted organic peanut butter at Trader Joe’s. The only ingredients are raw peanuts. Jill
LOVE your cute and healthy ideas! I would like to see you ditch the plastic containers and go with something more eco friendly…stainless steel! ;D You’re super awesome..love your blog!
I just used my Mellon ball tool to take the center out! Super easy! Just pushed down and turned in a circle!