Apple Butter Grilled Cheese: Little Bites of Fall |Cooking With Amanda

I have a confession to make. I tend to overdo it when it comes to Fall cooking. Fall baking, too. Well, I get pretty much fanatical about anything Fall. And while I never regret my complete immersion in my favorite season, sometimes my family gets a little annoyed with my habit of making everything 'apple and pumpkin' for months on end.

So what was I supposed to do when I find myself with a freezer full of apple butter after our epic trip to the orchard back in September? I mean, I made several batches of this apple butter recipe and knew that I couldn't eat it all in a short time, so I popped countless jars of the sweet and slightly spiced spread into the freezer for safe keeping.

The problem is, my family is over it. As in, completely over it and has no interest in me shoving apple anything into their face for the next 9 calendar months. Challenge accepted.

I usually try not to blatantly ignore my family's food requests, but I also I didn't want this apple butter sitting in my freezer come jelly season - freezer space is at a premium around these parts. (Hello, have you SEEN Tracy's Rhubarb Jam Recipe?!)

I needed to get creative and reinvent the traditional fall fare (read: apple butter) into something that could easily be passed off as good old fashioned anytime food. Why not spread a little onto a grilled cheese sandwich? Apple Butter Grilled Cheese is born!

I'm not sure how it is in your house, but grilled cheese sandwiches are always welcome around here - in any way, shape or form. My kiddos never turn down an ooey gooey grilled cheese sandwich and these Apple Butter Grilled Cheese bites with salty bacon were no exception.

One of my favorite flavor combos is cheese and apples (apples dipped in cheese fondue, anyone?), so I thought that spreading a little apple-y sweetness on a grilled cheese could only be a good thing. Then I figured it wouldn't be a bad idea to throw a bit of salty bacon on top to round out the flavors. The first time I made these was for my kiddos lunch and they went crazy over them! There were no negative comments about the fact that I had snuck some Fall flavors into their meal, which made me infinitely happy.

Because of their welcome reception at lunch time, I decided to make these sandwiches for a family party and cut them into little bites for a quick and simple appetizer. These Apple Butter Grilled Cheese Bites flew off the platter and I realized that my instincts were correct - you can't go wrong with a grilled cheese sandwich.

Apple Butter Grilled Cheese Recipe

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Ingredients

12 slices french bread, 1/2" thick
3/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1/4 cup apple butter
3 thick slices bacon, cooked crisp and drained
3 tablespoons butter

Directions

Lay all 12 slices out on a work surface.
Spread about 1 teaspoon of apple butter on all 12 pieces of bread; set aside 6 pieces for the tops of the sandwiches.
Cut bacon strips in half and place a 1/2 strip of bacon on each of the remaining 6 pieces of bread.
Top each bacon piece with 2 Tablespoons of grated cheese and place a reserved piece of bread on top.
In a large skillet or on a stove top griddle, melt the butter over medium high heat.
Grill the sandwiches until golden brown, about 2 minutes per side.
Allow sandwiches to cool for a minute or two before cutting.
Cut sandwiches in thirds and serve!

via Food Fanatic http://www.foodfanatic.com/2013/12/apple-butter-grilled-cheese-little-bites-of-fall/