3 Easy Apple Recipes for St Euphrosynos
One of the sweetest ways to help children connect with the lives of the saints is through food, especially when the recipe itself has a connection to the saint’s story. Saint Euphrosynos the Cook was a humble monastic who was granted the ability to dwell in Paradise, where he gave away apples from the garden. These simple “Three Baked Apples from Paradise” are a fun way to bring that story to life for your family as you celebrate the feast day of St. Euphrosynos.
The recipe is intentionally simple enough for children to help make, and with just three apples, it’s perfect for a small family—but it can easily be adjusted to make more servings for a larger family, homeschool group, or parish gathering. As you prepare and enjoy these baked apples together, you can remind your children of St. Euphrosynos, his humility, and the beautiful glimpse of Paradise God allowed him to experience.
3 Baked Apples from Paradise
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F
- Mash the vegan butter, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg together until combined. Stir in the oats.
- Core the apple with a sharp knife of apple corer about 3/4 down and scoop out a little and be sure the seeds are removed.
- 4. Place cored apples in a glass pie dish. Spoon filling into each apple, filling all the way to the top. Pour warm water into the dish around the apples, about 1/4 cup. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until apples appear slightly soft.
St Euphrosynos - If you’ve ever noticed an icon in a kitchen, it’s likely an icon of St Euphrosynos, the cook saint, known to be holding a branch of apples. A friend helped me remember to pronounce his name by telling me a silly phrase “You-froze-ya-nose” (you-frose-e-nose) and that has stuck in my mind ever since! Now I can remember his name when I see his icon. He was a humble monastic whose desire was for anonymity. He is known for one incident in his life…
🍎 Story of Apples from Paradise - Euphrosynos was a humble monk who fulfilled his monastic duty as the monastery cook. He spent his days continually praying and fasting. His brothers at the monastery often corrected him, but he never complained. He endured every correction and unpleasant treatment. St. Euphrosynos pleased the Lord by his inner virtue that he concealed from people. One time, a priest of the monastery prayed asking the Lord to show him the blessings prepared for the righteous in the age to come. In a dream it seemed to the priest that he was standing in a garden. In it he also saw Euphrosynos, the cook of his monastery. Amazed at this encounter, the Priest asked Euphrosynos how he came to be there. The saint replied that he was in Paradise through the great mercy of God. The priest then asked if Euphrosynos would be able to give him something from the surrounding beauty. In reply, St. Euphrosynos suggested the priest take whatever he wished, and so the priest pointed to three luscious apples growing in the garden of Paradise. Euphrosynos picked the three apples, wrapped them in a kerchief and gave them to his companion.
When the priest awoke in the early morning, he initially thought the vision was a dream, but suddenly he noticed next to him the cloth with the fruit of Paradise wrapped in it, emitting a wondrous fragrance. Later, the priest found St. Euphrosynos in church and asked him under oath where he was the night before. He replied that he was where the priest also. Fearing vain glory, he soon fled the monastery and was never seen again. The monks always remembered that their monastic brother St. Euphrosynos had come upon Paradise, and that they, in being saved through the mercy of God, would meet him there. The pieces of the apples from Paradise, the brethren reverently kept and distributed. St Euphrosynos was commemorated Sep 11th
Check out these monthly printables to follow the Orthodox Church Calendar:
(Digital Download) This print is intended for a single family home. If you would like to bulk print and distribute to your parish, please purchase the “bulk print” in my shop.
Printables Included: September thru December (4 Months) for 2026 New Calendar Dates
Bundle and Save! The dates are adjusted to reflect the 2026 calendar.
One Page Monthly Liturgical Guide for Orthodox Christians
Living the Orthodox Faith in our modern age takes intention. One of my favorite things about the Orthodox Church is the Liturgical calendar. I love the rich traditions that help us engage in the Liturgical year as well. It is easy to feel overwhelmed by the amount of feast days, saint days, fasting periods, etc. So my hope with these monthly printables is to pair it down for you. Let’s make a goal to learn about ONE saint each month, and do ONE activity each month related to a featured saint. Throughout the month, learn ONE hymn by singing it together every day, or as often as you can. And lastly, intentionally carve out time to create a strong family culture in your home (in the Family Corner section). According to Saint John Chrysostom, the home is a “little church.” By bringing these small experiences of the Church into the home, we more fully recognize and appreciate what it means to be the Church when we gather during the Liturgy. Our lives at home should be a reflection of our life in the Church. I’ve also included a few reminders of common traditions associated with the feast days each month.
For this download, you will receive Sep-Dec.
Each Month Includes :
Important dates in the Orthodox Church Calendar and a few reminders of common traditions associated so you know what's coming up and plan accordingly
One saint focus for the month
Family Corner - building family culture takes intention, so we've included a simple ideas for the whole family to engage in summertime activities as a family.
Activity - one of the best ways to help kids engage in the Liturgical Calendar is by bringing the stories to life! Making those connections outside of church can be really helpful so when they are in church for the services they can make those connections in the Liturgy, icons, and hymnography. And don't worry, you don't have to be a “crafty” parent to do these activities. They are very simple and fun!
Hymn of the Month - let's learn one song a month, shall we? By singing the hymn weekly, you'll begin to familiarize yourself with it so by the time you hear it sung in church, you'll already have it written in your heart ❤️ the Liturgical Hymns hold the meaning behind each Feasts, so learning them will be a great joy
I’ve included some extra information and QR code links to go further into living liturgically.
Your sister in Christ,
Khouria Destinie
One of the sweetest ways to help children connect with the lives of the saints is through food, especially when the recipe itself has a connection to the saint’s story. Saint Euphrosynos the Cook was a humble monastic who was granted the ability to dwell in Paradise, where he gave away apples from the garden. These simple “Three Baked Apples from Paradise” are a fun way to bring that story to life for your family as you celebrate the feast day of St. Euphrosynos.
The recipe is intentionally simple enough for children to help make, and with just three apples, it’s perfect for a small family—but it can easily be adjusted to make more servings for a larger family, homeschool group, or parish gathering. As you prepare and enjoy these baked apples together, you can remind your children of St. Euphrosynos, his humility, and the beautiful glimpse of Paradise God allowed him to experience.