Ham and Apple Butter Grilled Cheese

Sweet and savory lovers rejoice. Cheddar, ham, and apple butter come together to dress up a classic grilled cheese sandwich.

If I had to pick a sandwich that matched my personality, it would be the grilled cheese. Burgers are a bit aggressive. The chicken salad on croissant, while incredibly tasty, is a bit too upscale. And tuna is…disgusting.

But grilled cheese? Grilled cheese is just right. Classic, warm, likeable, no frills. If grilled cheese sandwiches got dressed in the morning (is this conversation getting out of hand?), they’d likely wear jeans, ballet flats, and a soft gray tee, which is pretty much what I want to wear every single day. See? Me and grilled cheese = the same thing.

Still, just because I’m a grilled cheese doesn’t mean I don’t liked getting fancied up every now and then. A necklace, a dot of perfume, a new dress, a flower in my hair. It can be fun to dress up a classic, and that’s exactly what’s going on with this Ham and Apple Butter Grilled Cheese.

When I saw the panini version of this sandwich over at Annie’s Eats, it spoke to me. I adore apple butter, but I rarely stray from my usual uses–smearing it on biscuits, toast, or eating straight from the jar with a spoon. Combining the sweet apple butter with melty cheddar cheese, ham, and crisp apple slices between buttery toasted bread? Well, that was like dressing up grilled cheese for the prom.

This combo totally delivered in both flavor and loveliness. I’m a sucker for the savory ham/sweet apple combo and the cheese holds everything together in its gooey, warm embrace. This is what cheese was born to do, folks.

I think I’ve officially given the grilled cheese one too many human qualities for a single post so Imma stop now (you’re welcome). Just make these, and while I’m being bossy, why don’t you tell me what sandwich YOU are.

Ham and Apple Butter Grilled Cheese

Yield: 4

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

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Ingredients

• 8 slices sturdy white bread (sourdough, Italian, or tuscan breads work well)
• 4 Tablespoons butter, melted
• 4 ounces white cheddar cheese, sliced
• 8 thin slices deli brown sugar ham
• 1 sweet apple (I used Braeburn), sliced thin
• 1/2 cup apple butter

Instructions

Heat a grill pan over medium heat.

Brush one side of each of the bread slices with the melted butter. Flip slices over so the buttered side is facing down. Stack four of the slices with cheese, ham, and sliced apples. Spread the apple butter evenly over the remaining four slices.

Flip the apple buttered side of the bread on top of each of the four cheese/apple stacks. The buttered side of the bread should be facing out on both sides.

Slide the sandwiches into the preheated skillet. Grill until the first side is browned and crispy. Carefully flip sandwiches with a spatula then grill until the opposite side is browned and cheese is melty. Serve immediately.

Recipe adapted from Annie’s Eats