Apple Butter Grilled Cheese

Grilled cheese is synonymous with fall, but we took the coziness one step further and put our apple orchard spoils to work. This apple butter grilled cheese takes Muenster cheese, dark apple butter and sauteed apple slices, and sandwiches them between slices of cinnamon raisin bread. Everything is toasted together until the bread is aromatic and deeply golden brown, and the Muenster is melting down the sides and caramelizing in the pan. It’s sweet, salty and wonderfully autumnal. I’m starting to think apple pie with cheese makes sense after all.

Ingredients for Apple Butter Grilled Cheese

• Sliced apples: Core, peel and slice your apples into 1/8-inch-thick slices. Buy tart, firm apples like Honeycrisp or Granny Smith. Apples like Red Delicious will be too soft and mealy for this.
• Butter: You’ll need 3 tablespoons of softened butter for this recipe. One tablespoon is used to sautee the apples, while the rest is used coat the outside of the sandwiches before griddling.
• Apple butter: Go ahead, buy that jar of apple butter from the apple orchard! You can also find it at your local grocery store or even make it from scratch.
• Cinnamon-raisin bread: We love the sweet, warming flavors of cinnamon and raisins in this fall-forward grilled cheese. Feel free to use regular sandwich bread if you prefer.
• Muenster: When I was growing up, Muenster was the only cheese my dad used to make our grilled cheeses. It’s mild, buttery and just a little tangy, and it works perfectly with the apples, cinnamon and raisins.

Directions

Step 1: Sautee the apples

In a large skillet, cook the apple slices in 1 teaspoon of butter until they’re fork-tender.

Editor’s Tip: Fork-tender just means the apples can easily be pierced with a fork.

Step 2: Assemble the sandwiches

Spread the apple butter over two slices of bread. Layer them with the Muenster cheese, followed by the sauteed apple slices and the remaining bread slices. Spread the remaining softened butter over the outsides of each sandwich, making sure to reach the edges.

Step 3: Griddle the sandwiches

In a large skillet coated with cooking spray, toast the sandwiches until they’re golden brown and the cheese is melted, one to two minutes on each side.

Recipe Variations

• Change the cheese: Instead of Muenster, try other melting cheeses like Gruyere, Gouda, mozzarella, Havarti, Brie or cheddar. A mix of a few would be fantastic, too—just make sure to pair a stronger cheese with a milder one, like mozzarella.
• Use a different bread: Not a fan of cinnamon raisin bread? Try sourdough, country bread or regular sandwich bread instead. If you’re slicing the bread fresh from a loaf, try to stay somewhere between 1/4 and 1/2 inches thick.
• Add caramelized shallots: I love the savory sweetness that caramelized shallots add to burgers, pizzas and steaks, and they’d work great here, too. Caramelize shallots just like you’d caramelize onions.
• Use mayo instead of butter: I always make my grilled cheese with mayo instead of butter. It spreads more easily across the bread, and gives it more consistent browning and extra crispness. If you really like butter, though, try the butter-mayo mixture we use in our best-ever grilled cheese.

How to Store Apple Butter Grilled Cheese

Allow any leftover apple butter grilled cheese to cool completely to room temperature. Transfer leftovers to an airtight container in the fridge. Reheat your grilled cheese in a pan over low heat until it’s warmed through.

Can you make apple butter grilled cheese ahead of time?

Yes, you can make certain components of apple butter grilled cheese ahead of time, but I’d wait to assemble and toast the grilled cheese until just before serving it so the bread doesn’t go soggy. Sautee the apples in butter until they’re tender, then let them cool to room temperature. Store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. That’s one less step to complete on the day of cooking!

Apple Butter Grilled Cheese Tips

What are the best apples for this grilled cheese?

The best apples for this grilled cheese are tart, firm apples. Anything mild, sweet or mushy would not pair well here. You want tart, bright flavors to cut through the cheese and buttery bread, and firm apples to give the sandwich some much-needed texture. Go for Honeycrisp or Granny Smith. Mealy apples, like Red Delicious, are best for homemade apple sauce or apple butter.

Why is my bread almost burnt, but the cheese hasn’t even melted yet?

If your grilled cheese is cooking unevenly, the flame is likely set too high. Too-high temperatures will burn your bread before the heat can even reach the inside of the grilled cheese. Always cook your grilled cheese over medium-low heat. If the apple butter grilled cheese is already almost burnt, turn the heat to low, add a tablespoon of water to the pan, and quickly cover it with the lid. The steam will melt the cheese, and the low heat will toast the bread much more slowly.

How do you serve apple butter grilled cheese?

Serve apple butter grilled cheese with the best sides for sandwiches. This sandwich would pair beautifully with brothy French onion soup, crispy Caesar salad, sweet potato tots or a classic bowl of homemade tomato soup. Any sides that lean into fall produce or fall flavors would work perfectly with this autumnal grilled cheese. I always love to eat it with a cup of fall soup.