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The Half Baked Harvest Cookbook: The Cookbook Is Here + Giveaways!
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This honey, apple, cheddar, and bacon Panini is high on my Monday “to-do” list.
And with good reason. We all know that around here, I like to keep Mondays fun, different, and delicious. Trust me when I say, this apple Panini fits the bill. I’m even going to go out and say that if you make this today, you’re going to have a pretty darn good (err delicious?) Monday.
Let me explain, its real simple…
buttered sourdough bread…I mean, that right there is close to perfection.
apple butter…I used a homemade apple butter that I’ll be sharing with you all very soon, it makes this Panini.
sharp cheddar cheese…honeycrisp apple’s best friend.
buttery havarti cheese…for its buttery flavor and major “melt” factor.
honeycrisp apples…my very favorite apple variety.
crispy bacon…its salty, savory flavors are the perfect balance in this sweet Panini.
honey…to add just one more layer of deliciousness.
fresh thyme…my current favorite herb and a favorite pairing with apples and cheddar.
You see? SO GOOD.
I am pretty excited that the month of all things apples is finally here. To me, September is all about apples, I like to save the pumpkins for October and November. Every September I always have a million and one apple recipes I want to share with you guys, and this year is no different.
I’m happy to be sharing this Panini as my very first apple recipe of the season. And while I have many more to come, this sandwich is near the top of my list of the most crave worthy, comforting, and cozy recipes.
As mentioned above, this Panini (or grilled cheese, it’s really whatever you’d like to call it) is pretty simple. You’re going to butter some bread, layer it with apple butter, cheese, fresh apples, bacon, honey, and a sprinkle of fresh thyme (lemon thyme is my favorite) and then press everything together in a Panini press (this is my favorite). If you don’t have a Panini press, just make it on the stove top. No matter what, it’s going to be freaking-a-mazing.
It’s sweet, salty, and extra cheesy. Slice the apples thin so that they soften up while cooking and then as soon as the sandwich comes out of the Panini press, drizzle it with a touch more of honey and a sprinkle of fresh thyme. No debating this step, you just have to do it. It might not seem all that necessary, but I promise you, it’s what makes this sandwich so extra special…okay and it’s kind of a signature HBH step.
DO IT.
Speaking of doing things, let’s go over some weekend stuff. We had some serious fall like weather int the late afternoons here, and the leaves have definitely started to turn. Autumn happens so fast up here in the mountains. The leaves are almost all off the trees by the second week of October. So you see, FAST.
Since it’s was kind of chilly and cloudy later in the day on Sunday (summer mornings in the mountains are often sunny, then later in the day the clouds move in ), I decided to make a big pot of chili. Along with my favorite beer bread from the HBH cookbook (did you catch the video of this recipe on Instagram?!). While the chili slowly simmered on the stove, I did some serious online shopping damage.
Ahhhh. YIKES.
I am not a good in store shopper, but give me a blanket and a computer and I can do some serious damage. I was shopping for both clothes and barn items for the upcoming HBH retreat here in Colorado at the end of the month. I am in need a few outfits and things for around my house. I found lots, and while I have some cute things on the way, I may have gone just a smidge overboard. What?! Like you’ve never done that before…
All I have to say is that online shopping is both amazing and scary. My finger tips love it, my credit card…not so much!
Also, I am still looking for few home items if you guys have suggestions of cute places to look. Let me know your favorite shops! I will be sharing everything I bought in this week’s Nine Favorite Things, so if interested, stay tuned!
In the meantime, I think we all know how our Monday needs to end.
Pick up some apples, cheese, and bread from the store, head home and make this Panini…
Honey Apple Cheddar and Bacon Panini.
Servings: 4 servings
Calories Per Serving: 710 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Shop ingredients at your local Target store. Learn more
Ingredients
- 8 slices sourdough bread
- 4 tablespoons butter, at room temperature
- 4 tablespoons apple butter
- 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 1/2 cups shredded havarti cheese
- 1 honeycrisp apple, thinly sliced
- 8 slices cooked bacon
- honey, for drizzling
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
Instructions
- 1. Heat a Panini press or large skillet over medium high heat. 2. Spread the outside of each slice of bread with butter. Spread the inside of half of the slices of bread with apple butter. On top of the apple butter, evenly layer the cheeses, apples, and bacon. Drizzle honey over top and sprinkle with thyme. Add the top piece of bread, buttered side facing up.3. Place the sandwiches, one at a time, into the Panini press and cook until the cheese is melted. Serve each sandwich with a drizzle of honey and fresh thyme. EAT.
ps. tomorrow is the BIG day! The Half Baked Harvest cookbook will officially be out for the world to see. Fun post coming at you with a couple awesome giveaways!
OMG! This is an amazing sandwich! We thought at first -“What, these ingredients don’t go together!” But WOW! We love it! It’s a staple in our home.
Hey Shawna,
Happy Holidays!! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I love to hear that it turned out well for you!🎁🎅
Absolutely delicious!!! That’s really all I need to say 🙂
Hey Jennifer,
Happy Friday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for making it and sharing your review:)
absolutely LOVED everything about this panini! even my husband did so too! only thing i changed up was using whole wheat bread instead of sourdough which worked out perfectly! can’t wait to try your other panini recipes.
Hey Sonny,
Happy Friday!! I am so excited that this recipe was enjoyed, I appreciate you giving it a try!! xTieghan
This recipe was something different my husband requested, we really enjoyed it!!! What an interesting combination of flavors!!! I don’t have a panini press so I just heated my iron skillet and put it in top and it worked out well.
Yes!! I love to hear that! Thank you Candace! xTieghan
Holy crap, this panini looks INSANE! I’m headed to the store as we speak to get everything I need to make this for dinner tonight, my stomach is grumbling just thinking about it.. Lactose intolerance be damned!
Yes! I hope you love this recipe, Zander! Thank you so much! xTieghan
This was as awesome as I thought it would be. Maybe more bacon (because of course). The apple and the cheese really came through, and the honey and thyme were a nice accent.
Thank you so much James! I am so glad you loved this! xTieghan
I just got a Panini press as a present to myself, and was searching recipes and found this. Oh my, this looks and sounds awesome. I work in the produce department at a major chain, and while I’m in the height of summer, I am absolutely going to have to try this. Thanks!
I am so glad you like this and perfect timing! I hope you love this recipe James! xTieghan
Would you recommend thin or thick slices from the bakery? I find sometimes with paninis if it’s too thin it’s soggy but if the sandwich itself is big, thick bread makes it impossible to take a clean bite!
Hi Mary! I would use thin slices, but not paper thin! Please let me know if you have any other questions. Hope you love this recipe! 🙂
Mhhh – would do it without bacon, but other than that it sounds super yummy. Especially with the apples 🙂
I hope you love it! Thanks Maja!
Hi Tieghan! I am so excited to have your new cookbook in my possession! Love it!! I have a question….I am dying to make the Death By Chocolate Icebox Cake….does this really require 6 cups of heavy cream…..or is that a typo? Thanks for your help!!! Love, love, love the book…I actually bought 2…. one for my daughter as well!
Hey Diane! Thank you SO much! So happy you are enjoying the book.
Nope, not a typo! The cream is the base of the recipe, so you need LOTS of it! Please let me know if you have any other questions. Hope you love the icebox cake!! 🙂
This panini is all of my sweet and savoury dreams rolled into one crunchy bite! I will be making these for breakfast tomorrow1
Woo! Happy you’re loving this recipe Rachael and I hope you love it when you try it! Thank you!
Honey?? Apple?? Bacon?? Cheese?? Sourdough?? OMG, I’m dying over here! I don’t have any apple butter so I’m making a quick apple compote (we use it on ham, brie, and apple paninis), and I just sent husband out to get bacon and sourdough. I am literally counting down the minutes till we can eat this!!! (And as always, your pics are just perfection. Congrats on the book!)
Sounds perfect! I hope this turns out amazing for you & you love it! Thank you so much (& let me know how it is? )!
This was even better than expected! Honey + bacon + cheddar > ham + brie I usually do with apples! Making them again tonight 🙂
LOVE to hear that! Thank you!
September has been so rainy and cold where I live this year, and this is the perfect comfort food for days like these. Can’t wait to try it out.
Totally perfect for colder weather! Thank you Pike & I hope you love it!
I absolutely love this panini. So beautiful and tasty.
Thank you Andre! I am so glad you enjoyed it!
I love this panini for apple season – absolute perfection! 🙂
Thank you Laura!