APPLE CRISP - Cooking Light Magazine

I've made a zillion apple crisps,  usually motivated by the fact that I have a 38 pound box of Utah apples and can only eat so many apples a day.  This is another good apple dessert recipe--not too sweet, and would also be great for breakfast with a little Greek yogurt (pretty sure I've mentioned that before).  And my Emma Bridgewater baking dish still makes me happy.

• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/3 cup regular oats
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup chilled butter, cut into small pieces
• 3 tablespoons chopped walnuts
• 7 cups sliced peeled Rome apple (about 3 pounds) (I used Honeycrisp) 
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375°.

Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, sugar, oats, and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon in a medium bowl; cut in butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture is crumbly. Stir in walnuts.

Combine apple and remaining ingredients in a large bowl; toss well. Spoon apple mixture into an 8-inch square baking dish or 1 1/2-quart casserole. Sprinkle with crumb mixture. Bake at 375° for 45 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.

Seven Layer Bars - Again (Improved, if possible)

I've posted about similar bars before but I made them again this time tweaking a different recipe--the classic recipe from Eagle Brand (makers of the delicious sweetened condensed milk).

I made slight changes including doubling the portion of the crust--oh, my.

Ingredients

2 sticks of butter, melted (this is twice the amount in the original recipe)
3 cups of graham cracker crumbs (also twice the amount in the original recipe)
1 (14 oz) can of sweetened condensed milk
1 cup (6 oz) butterscotch chips
1 cup (6 oz) chocolate chips (I used the 60% cacao chips)
1 1/3 cups shredded coconut (I used unsweetened, flaked coconut)
1 cup chopped nuts (I used pecans)

Directions
Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9 x 13 baking dish by lining it with foil (leave a bit hanging over the ends) and spraying the foil lightly with non-stick spray (I use Baker's Joy).

Combine the melted butter with the graham cracker crumbs, mixing well.  Press the crumb mixture firmly into bottom of prepared pan.  Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over the crumb mixture.  Layer evenly the remaining ingredients; press down firmly with a fork.

Bake 25-30 minutes until lightly browned. Cool on wire rack.  After bars are cooled, lift the foil edges and remove bars from pan. Cut into individual bars.

APPLE BROWNIES - Amy Traverso

How did I miss this cookbook? This was published a year ago and I love apples!  The Apple Lover's Cookbook  by Amy Traverso is a gem.  And this recipe is one of the best ever--if you like apples, cinnamon, and walnuts, and of course you do. Thanks to Sunday of Ciao Domenica for mentioning this gorgeous book.

 Ingredients
1 cup (145 g) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
8 tablespoons (1 stick; 113 g) salted butter, melted and coole, plus more for greasing pan
1 cup (210 g) granulated sugar
1 large egg
1/2 cup (60 g) chopped walnuts
2 large firm-sweet apples (about 1 pound total) --I used Honey Crisp--peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch cubes

Directions
1. Preheat ove to 350 degrees and set a rack to the middle position.  Generously butter the baking dish (11 x 7) and set aside.

2.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.  Set aside.  In the bowl of a standing mixer at high speed or using a hand-held mixer, beat together the butter, sugar, and egg until pale, about 2 minutes.  Add the walnuts and apples and stir by hand until evenly combined.  Add the flour mixture and stir until combined, another 30 seconds.

3.  Spread the batter into the prepared pan and bake until golden brown and lightly firm to the touch, 40 to 50 minutes.  Let cool on a rack for 30 minutes, then cut into 12 bars and transfer to serving platter.

Note:  Instead of chopping apples into 1/2 cubes, I chopped them into 1 inch.  So, this turned out to be apple cake instead of apple brownies.  Next time, I will cut into the 1/2 inch pieces which should make it more brownie-like.

PUMPKIN CAKE

From Taste of Home

Every weekend in the fall I want to make apple and pumpkin recipes.  This pumpkin cake won last week.  This weekend it is apple brownies so stay tuned.

Ingredients

• 4 eggs
• 1-2/3 cups sugar
• 1 cup canola oil
• 1 can (15 ounces) solid-pack pumpkin
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ICING:
• 1 package (3 ounces) cream cheese, softened
• 2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 to 2 tablespoons milk

Directions

• In a bowl, beat the eggs, sugar, oil and pumpkin until well blended.
• Combine the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt;
• gradually add to pumpkin mixture and mix well. Pour into an
• ungreased 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan. Bake at 350° for
• 25-30 minutes or until set. Cool completely.
• For icing, beat the cream cheese, confectioners' sugar, butter and
• vanilla in a small bowl. Add enough milk to achieve spreading
• consistency. Spread over bars. Store in the refrigerator. Yield: 2
• dozen.

ETON MESS

In honor of the London Olympics, I am interrupting my stream of Istanbul posts to bring you the easiest, yummiest dessert from the UK--you will love!  Really, the easiest dessert on the planet.

Had this for the first time at the Carriage House, the restaurant at Chatsworth (more on that, soon). You can, of course, go ahead and make the meringues yourself, but it is so much easier to use pre-baked meringues and not heat up your kitchen in August.

Strawberries, cleaned, hulled and chopped
Sugar to taste
Meringue cookies from Trader Joe's
1 cup of heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup powdered sugar

Clean and chop strawberries, add sugar.  Let sit for at least an hour.

Beat cream until stiff, then add vanilla and powdered sugar.  Whip until blended.

Layer in individual cups: one broken meringue cookie, strawberries, whipped cream. Then layer again. The end.

CHERRY ALMOND CRISP - Pioneer Woman Cooks

HAPPY MAY 1ST!  This Cherry Almond Crisp would be the perfect dessert to celebrate May--although, really, isn't this year flying just a bit too fast?!

My family and friends loved this crisp.  But there is a lot of liquid at the bottom of the dish that could be avoided (I think) if the cherries were first thawed.  Although the syrupy sauce is yummy over ice cream.

Ingredients

• 1 cup All-purpose Flour
• 1/2 cup Sugar
• 1/2 cup Packed Brown Sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
• Dash Or Two Of Nutmeg (I used freshly grated)
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 cup Slivered Almonds (I used sliced, not slivered, and toasted them first)
• 1-1/2 stick Cold (salted) Butter, Cut Into Pieces
• 4 bags (12 Ounces) Frozen Tart Cherries (I bought a 64 ounce bag at Costco, not tart, but good enough)
• 1/2 cup White Sugar
• 1/4 cup Cornstarch
• 2 teaspoons Almond Extract

Preparation Instructions

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt.

Cut the cold butter into pieces. Add the butter to the bowl and use a fork or pastry blender to cut it into the flour mixture until it resembles a coarse crumbs. Add the slivered (or sliced) almonds and stir them in.

Place the still-frozen cherries in a bowl, and add sugar, cornstarch and almond extract. Gently stir the cherries to combine.

Put the cherry mixture in a large baking dish. Top generously with the crumb mixture, evening out the surface.

Bake for 45 minutes, or until the topping is crisp and golden brown. If the topping appears underdone, continue baking in 10 minute increments until it’s done.

Serve the crisps warm or room temperature with a dollop of freshly whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

APPLE SHARLOTKA - Smitten Kitchen

I had a bin with some Granny Smiths that needed eating up.  So, even though I have posted several apple cake recipes (and loved them all) this one caught my eye.  Not too many ingredients, not too many steps.  Score.  


It is pretty but plain, not too sweet.  But ice cream doesn't seem fitting.  A dollop of Greek yogurt (really, we seem to put it on a lot of various goodies) and maybe a drizzle of agave syrup over the yogurt.  Perfect. Probably great for breakfast, too. 

Apple Sharlotka - Smitten Kitchen

Butter or nonstick spray, for greasing pan
6 large, tart apples, such as Granny Smiths
3 large eggs
1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup (125 grams) all-purpose flour
Ground cinnamon, to finish
Powdered sugar, also to finish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper. Butter the paper and the sides of the pan. Peel, halve and core your apples, then chop them into medium-sized chunks. (I cut each half into four “strips” then sliced them fairly thinly — about 1/4-inch — in the other direction.) Pile the cut apples directly in the prepared pan. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, using an electric mixer or whisk, beat eggs with sugar until thick and ribbons form on the surface of the beaten eggs. Beat in vanilla, then stir in flour with a spoon until just combined. The batter will be very thick.

Pour over apples in pan, using a spoon or spatula to spread the batter so that it covers all exposed apples. (Updated to clarify: Spread the batter and press it down into the apple pile. The top of the batter should end up level with the top of the apples.) Bake in preheated oven for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a tester comes out free of batter. Cool in pan for 10 minutes on rack, then flip out onto another rack, peel off the parchment paper, and flip it back onto a serving platter. Dust lightly with ground cinnamon.

Serve warm or cooled, dusted with powdered sugar. 

POST THANKSGIVING TREAT - Cranberry Sauce and Yogurt

Second shelf of fridge.  Half empty container of Fage Greek yogurt.  Half empty container of Trader Joe's Fresh Cranberry Sauce. Hmmm, wouldn't that be a good pairing?

Why, yes, it would be very good.  Sweet, tart, creamy, no fat, not too many calories (ok, yes, there is sugar in that sauce). Breakfast? Afternoon pick-me-up? Dessert? Yep.  It can be whatever you need it to be.

Head to Trader Joe's before the cranberry sauce is gone--it is seasonal.

PEACH CRISP WITH MAPLE CREAM SAUCE - Pioneer Woman Cooks

I've made so many fruit crisps, cobblers, etc. that were all delicious.  But what sets this recipe apart is the luscious maple cream sauce that is swirled around a scoop of this peach crisp. Any leftover sauce could be drizzled atop a hot bowl of oatmeal the next morning, but who would ever do that?  

Ingredients

• 5 whole To 6 Whole Fresh Peaches (best When Not Overly Ripe Or Soft)
• 1 cup Flour
• 1/2 cup Sugar
• 1/2 cup Light Brown Sugar, Firmly Packed
• 1/2 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• 1 stick Butter (1/2 Cup)
• 1/2 whole Lemon
• 7 Tablespoons Real Maple Syrup, Divided
• 1-1/2 cup Whipping Cream
• 3 Tablespoons Light Corn Syrup

Preparation Instructions

In a medium bowl, mix flour, sugar, light brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt using a fork or pastry cutter. Cut butter into small pieces and gradually add to flour mixture until evenly mixed.

Peel peaches into a bowl. Add the zest from half a lemon. Squeeze juice from lemon half and stir in with peaches and zest. Add 2 tablespoons real maple syrup to peaches, stir well.

Pour peach mixture into a small pan (8” or 9” square) and cover evenly with crumb topping. Cover with foil and bake at 350ºF for 15 minutes. Remove foil and bake for an additional 20 to 30 minutes or until crisp and brown on top. I broiled the top for about 2 minutes because our family loves the almost burned brown sugar that dots this yummy dish.

Maple Cream Sauce:

Pour whipping cream into a saucepan. Add 5 tablespoons real maple syrup, 3 tablespoons corn syrup and stir over moderate heat until thickened and reduced by about one-third, approximately 15 minutes. Refrigerate mixture until it is cold and thick, or set the saucepan into a small bowl of ice (the ice will melt and turn into ice water). Stirring your mixture, it will cool and thicken in about 15 minutes. Drizzle sauce over peach crisp. Serve warm.

HELLO DOLLY BARS - Smitten Kitchen

I needed to make something sweet and quick for a friend.  And, since it was Sunday, I needed to have all the ingredients on hand.  Yea for Smitten Kitchen.  Hello Dolly Bars aka Seven Layer Bars aka Magic Bars--what do you call them?  I think Hello Dolly sounds fun.

I plopped my iPad onto my cookbook holder and started gathering the ingredients. Because I knew they would be so sweet, I subbed unsweetened coconut for sweetened coconut.  Fifteen minutes later the little lovelies were baking away.  They were a hit!

1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter, cut into large pieces
1 1/2 cups graham crackers crumbs (about 8 graham crackers)
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips
1 cup shredded coconut (I used unsweetened)
1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup sweetened condensed milk (just under half a small can)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

I don't like to pull out my food processor to pummel just one ingredient.  So placing the graham crackers in a large sealed bag and whacking it with a rolling pin is my easy, no clean-up trick.

Melt butter in microwave in heatproof bowl until just melted when stirred. Add graham cracker crumbs. Mix and then press evenly into the bottom of 8×8 baking pan.
Layer coconut, pecans, butterscotch and chocolate chips on top of graham cracker base. Pour sweetened condensed milk over whole mixture.

Bake in oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the top is light brown.

Because I wanted to get these delivered before the sun set, I placed them in the fridge to cool down quickly.  Much easier to cut and serve that way.

Saved one for me....delish.

CRISPY OATMEAL WHITE CHOCOLATE COOKIES - Smitten Kitchen

A different take on the traditional oatmeal raisin cookie--loved 'em.

Crispy Salted Oatmeal White Chocolate Cookies
Adapted by Smitten Kitchen from Cook’s Illustrated

1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon table salt
14 tablespoons (1 3/4 sticks) unsalted butter, slightly softened
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

6 ounces good-quality white chocolate bar, chopped 

1/2 teapoon flaky sea salt (like Maldon or fleur de sel) (for sprinkling on top)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or Silpat. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and table salt in a medium bowl.

2. Beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Scrape down bowl with rubber spatula, then add egg and vanilla and beat until incorporated. Scrape down bowl again. Add flour mixture gradually and mix until just incorporated and smooth. Gradually add oats and white chocolate and mix until well incorporated.

3. Divide dough into 24 equal portions, each about 2 tablespoons. Roll between palms into balls, then place on lined baking sheets about 2 1/2 inches apart. Using fingertips, gently press down each ball to about 3/4-inch thickness.

4. Sprinkle a flake or two of sea salt on each cookie

5. Bake until cookies are deep golden brown, about 13 to 16 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through. Transfer baking sheet to wire rack to cool.

Note: I used two kinds of white chocolate--one plain, and one with coconut flakes by Lindt.  (Thanks, Jennifer!)

CARAMEL CAKE - Gourmet Magazine

Who's up for caramel cake?  This is a simple moist yellow cake that becomes worth the calories when drenched in caramel.  I poked a lot of holes in the cake before covering it with the hot caramel and served it with a little whipped cream on the side. 

For cake

• 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons sifted cake flour (not self-rising; sift before measuring)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature 30 minutes
• 1 cup well-shaken buttermilk

For caramel glaze

• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• Equipment: a candy thermometer

I did not use a candy thermometer and cooked the caramel a full 14 minutes.  Worked out just fine.

Make cake:
Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle. Butter an 8-inch square cake pan and line with a square of parchment paper, then butter parchment.

Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Beat butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and fluffy, then beat in vanilla. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. At low speed, beat in buttermilk until just combined (mixture may look curdled). Add flour mixture in 3 batches, mixing until each addition is just incorporated.

Spread batter evenly in cake pan, then rap pan on counter several times to eliminate air bubbles. Bake until golden and a wooden pick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Cool in pan on a rack 10 minutes, then run a knife around edge of pan. Invert onto rack and discard parchment, then cool completely, about 1 hour.

Make glaze:
Bring cream, brown sugar, corn syrup, and a pinch of salt to a boil in a 1 1/2-quart heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar has dissolved. Boil until glaze registers 210 to 212°F on thermometer, 12 to 14 minutes, then stir in vanilla.

Put rack with cake in a shallow baking pan and pour hot glaze over top of cake, allowing it to run down sides. Cool until glaze is set, about 30 minutes.

Recipe from Gourmet Magazine.