Apple Tartlets

 I love apple pie, but I can't eat a whole one! Well, I probably could, but never mind. These tartlets are two delicious bites of apple pie each. And if I'm posting, you know it's super easy.

Ingredients

5 good size apples. The original recipe calls for Granny Smith, I was happy with the honey crisp.

2 1/2 Tbsp. white sugar

2 1/2 Tbsp. brown sugar

1 Tbsp. cornstarch

pinch of salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 Tbsp. melted butter

splash of lemon juice

Toss all of the above and then cook with another Tbsp. of butter over medium low for 5-7 minutes, until softened, but not mush.

You can also prepare a crumble for this. But I don't have a lot of luck with that, so if that's what you want, you're on your own.

The pastry part is easy with a package of prepackaged pie dough. Using a glass with a diameter of 4.25", I was able to make six circles out of each crust. Grease a regular muffin tin. For the best placement, I sort of fold them up and try to drop it into the center of the muffin spot. Then fill them up right to the top with the apple mixture.

Bake at 375 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool for 10 minutes.

This is courtesy of the Recession Chef, on Substack.

Apple Pie

 

I am posting this recipe for apple pie because I made it last night for an Ann Arbor gathering and it got so many compliments that I didn't want to risk forgetting which recipe I followed. It calls for Granny Smith apples, which I may try next time. But this time I had Macintosh and we all really loved them in this pie. I only ever use store bought pie crusts. Thank you to Little Spoon Farm, whose recipe this is and which also has a recipe for pie crust there. 

INGREDIENTS

• 2 (9") pie crusts
• 7 large Granny Smith apples (peeled, cored and sliced into ½ inch slices)
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup light brown sugar (loosely packed)
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice (plus the zest of half of a lemon)
• 1 large egg (lightly beaten in a small bowl for egg wash)
• 2 tablespoons sanding sugar (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

• 1. Place oven rack in the center position and Preheat the oven to 400°F (204°C).

1. In a large bowl, combine the sliced apples, granulated sugar, light brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and lemon juice and lemon zest; toss to coat evenly.
2. Remove the pie crust dough from the fridge and let rest at room temperature for 5-10 minutes. On a lightly floured surface, roll one disc into a 12" circle that is ⅛" thick. Carefully lay the crust into the bottom of a deep dish pie plate.
3. Spoon the apple filling over the bottom crust and discard juices at the bottom of the bowl. Roll out the second disc of pie crust until it is ⅛" thick and lay it over the apple filling.
4. Use a sharp knife to trim the dough along the outside edge of the pie plate. Lift the edges where the two pie crust meet, gently press to seal and fold them under. Rotate the pie plate and repeat this process until edges are neatly tucked under themselves. Cut 4 slits in the top of the dough to allow steam to vent. Place the pie on a baking sheet.
5. Brush the surface of the pie crust with the egg wash and sprinkle with sanding sugar. Cover the edges with a pie shield or a strip of foil to keep them from over browning during the first 25 minutes.
6. Bake at 400°F (204°C) for 25 minutes. Carefully remove the pie shield, turn the oven down to 375° and continue to bake for an additional 30-35 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the juices are bubbly. Cool at room temperature for at least 3 hours.

Banana Pound Cake

In the spirit of Meredith's recent post, I thought I'd post something that I've happily consumed but have not personally made. Dan discovered this recipe a few years ago, and it has been a staple of his baking repertoire. It's a great treat for company, as it makes a sizable cake.

Toonces, deigning to be an NCC assistant.
Photo Credit: E.Evans

INGREDIENTS 

Cake

• 3 tsp + 3 cups sugar, divided
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 6 eggs
• 2-3 mashed ripe bananas (~1 cup)
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsplemon extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream 

Glaze

• 1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 3-4 tsp milk

DIRECTIONS  

1. Preheat oven to 325.
2. Grease a 10-in Bundt pan. Sprinkle with 3 tsp sugar.
3. Cream butter and 3 cups sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in mashed banana and extracts.
4. In a separate bowl, combine flour and baking soda.
5. Add flour mixture to the creamed mixture, alternating with the sour cream, beating until combined.
6. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 75-85 minutes (toothpick inserted into the center should come out clean).
7. Cool for 10 minutes. Remove from pan, allowing it to cool completely.
8.  Whisk together glaze ingredients until smooth. Drizzle over cake.

Recipe via Taste of Home 

Double Chocolate Zucchini Cake Brownies

Caroline took charge of this recipe and did a fabulous job! The only ingredient I had a hard time finding was the xanthan gum (and by hard time I mean I had to go to a second store... not all that hard). And these came out AMAZING! They taste no different than real brownies and were a huge hit at the party. I think Eric even tried and enjoyed one or two.

We went for the mini-muffin size because it makes it look like you have so much more and they also cook a lot faster (I think ours were in for 15-20 minutes), and who the hell has a brownie pan?!?

Ingredients

• 2 cups good all-purpose gluten-free flour
• ¾ tsp. xanthan gum (omit if using a flour blend that has xanthan gum)
• 1½ tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1½ cups sugar
• ¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
• ¼ cup melted unsalted butter or margarine, or canola oil
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• ¼ cup cocoa powder (I used a mixture of part Hershey’s Dark Chocolate, and part Saco dutch cocoa blend so that my brownies would be dark)
• 2 cups shredded zucchini (unpeeled, or peel to avoid green flecks. If large zucchini, discard seeds)
• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (dairy-free use Enjoy Life semi-sweet chips)
• Additional ⅓ cup to ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips for topping

Instructions

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, xanthan gum, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
2. In the bowl of your electric mixer, beat sugar, applesauce, butter/margarine/oil, and vanilla extract for 30 seconds.
3. Add flour mixture and continue beating for about 1 minute, until mixture resembles wet sand.
4. Add the shredded zucchini, then the cocoa powder, and mix on low until combined.
5. Stir in the 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips.
6. Pour brownie batter into greased 7×11 pan or use a cookie scoop/ice cream scoop to scoop into brownie pan.
7. Sprinkle extra ⅓-1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips over the top of brownie batter.
8. Bake 7×11 pan at 350° for 25-32 minutes, or until brownies are set. (Due to chocolate chips in batter, it is hard to get a toothpick to come out entirely clean).
9. If using brownie pan, bake brownies at 350° for 15-18 minutes or until brownies are set. Let them cool in pan about 4-5 minutes, then gently use a spatula to remove. My little Pampered Chef metal spatula worked great at getting them out.
10. Cool on wire rack.
11. Serve at room temp or warm for about 10 seconds for a truly melty, gooey dessert!

Recipe from http://mygluten-freekitchen.com

1.  

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

An NCC classic first posted by Caroline and enjoyed many times over. 

Thurston, a former foster cat. Photo credit: E. Evans

This may be the first recipe I commit to memory. 

It's very conducive to doubling (you can use up the entire can of pumpkin), and it makes a successful contribution to a bake sale. Not having kids, I didn't think I would need a bake sale go-to, but the cat rescue group with which I volunteer holds them. These cookies are guaranteed to bring happiness to all, two-legged and four. 


INGREDIENTS

1 cup canned pumpkin

1 cup white sugar

½ cup canola oil

1 egg

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp milk

1 Tbsp vanilla

2 cups chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS

1.    Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease cookie sheet.

2.    Combine in two bowls:

          -    Bowl 1: pumpkin, sugar, oil, egg

          -    Bowl 2: flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt

3.    Combine baking soda and milk; stir into Bowl 1.

4.    Add dry ingredients (Bowl 2) to wet ingredients (Bowl 1) and mix.

5.    Add vanilla and mix.

6.    Add chocolate chips and mix.

7.    Drop spoonfuls of dough onto cooking sheet. Bake for approximately 10 minutes. (Note: I find that if my spoonfuls are much more than a tablespoon, it takes a solid 11 minutes to bake).

Recipe via My Baking Addiction

Pink Lemonade Mousse and Berry Parfaits

This kind of blew that whole "eat healthy" thing out of the water but this is what I do... I try to cook my way out of feeling sad; the more impressive, the better. Happily, we went over to Amanda's for dinner and so did not consume all 6 of these by ourselves... because we would have. Super delicious! For a lighter version you could probably just use whipped cream alone for the "mousse" layers.


CAKE
Crisco® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray
1 package Pillsbury® Moist Supreme® Pink Lemonade Flavored Premium Cake Mix
1 cup water
1/3 cup Crisco® Pure Vegetable Oil
3 large eggs

MOUSSE FILLING
12 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 (16 oz.) container Pillsbury® Creamy Supreme® Pink Lemonade Flavored Frosting
1 teaspoon lemon juice
2 cups whipped topping
1 pint blueberries
2 (6 oz.) containers raspberries

1. For Cake: HEAT oven to 350°F. Coat 13 x 9-inch baking pan with no-stick cooking spray.

2. COMBINE cake mix, water, oil and eggs in large mixing bowl using an electric mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes. Pour batter into pan. Bake 34 to 38 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool cake completely.

3. For Mousse Filling: BEAT softened cream cheese in large bowl with electric mixer on medium until soft. Blend in frosting and lemon juice. Fold in whipped topping.

4. TRIM edges from cake. Cut cake into 1-inch cubes. Place filling in decorator bag or reseable plastic bag. Cut off corner of plastic bag. Combine berries in a medium bowl. Layer in each of ten 8-ounce parfait glasses: 1/2 cup mixed berries, 9 cake cubes and 1/2 cup mousse filling. Begin layering with 1/4 of the berries, 3 cake cubes and 1/3 of the filling. Repeat 2 more times ending with berries. Garnish with straw, if desired. Chill until ready to serve.

Recipe from Pillsbury (go figure!)

Low Fat Banana Bread

Photo Credit: www.maysquared.com

Ingredients

• 4 very ripe bananas
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup white sugar
• 2 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons applesauce

Directions

1. Mash bananas in a bowl.
2. Add all other ingredients and mix well.
3. Pour into 2 greased loaf pans (or you can pour it all into one, but it rises enough that you can split it in half).
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 to 60 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean.

Blackberry Cobbler

• 4 cups fresh blackberries
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 6 tablespoons butter, melted
• Whipped cream (optional)
• Garnish: fresh mint sprig

1. Preheat oven to 375°. Place blackberries in a lightly greased 8-inch square baking dish; sprinkle with lemon juice. Stir together egg, sugar, and flour in a medium bowl until mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle over fruit. Drizzle melted butter over topping. Bake at 375° for 35 minutes or until lightly browned and bubbly. Let stand 10 minutes. Serve warm with whipped cream, if desired. Garnish with fresh mint sprig, if desired.
2. For a neat presentation, bake for the same amount of time in 6 (8-oz.) ramekins on an aluminum foil-lined baking sheet.

From MyRecipes.com