Baking Junkie

Tag: Apple

Wednesday, November 3rd, 2010

Apple Butterscotch Bars

I hope you guys aren’t getting sick of apple recipes yet! And don’t worry, there are still more pumpkin recipes to come yet too. I have been trying to post only Fall related recipes, and when I started planning out my posts I knew these bars would make the list. A coworker of mine brought these to a potluck a few years ago, and I must have had five they were so delicious! I immediately asked for the recipe and made them right away. I am not exactly sure where she got the recipe, but there is a very similar one on AllRecipes. I apparently didn’t see the step that said grease the pan, because they ended up being scraped out and eaten in pieces (you all have done that before, right? anyone?) Let’s just say I make sure I don’t skip that step anymore. The apple and butterscotch combination in these bars is quite addicting, and I think I might look for more recipes with these ingredients. The recipe is a very basic and simple, with the most time consuming step being peeling, coring, and cutting the apples. At least it’s not so bad when I snack on the extra apple pieces though! Enjoy!

Apple Butterscotch Bars
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2 cups sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
2 1/2 cups flour
3 3/4 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
3 cups peeled, cored and diced apples
3/4 cup butterscotch chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl combine sugar, eggs and oil. In a separate bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Add to mixture to liquid ingredients and stir until combine (it will get thick). Add apples. Spread into a greased 9 x 13 in pan. Sprinkle with the butterscotch chips. Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until lightly golden brown. Cool completely.

~I’m sharing this recipe at Delicious Dishes~

Tags: Apple, Bars, Butterscotch, Fall recipes

Posted in Bars | 9 Comments »

Sunday, October 31st, 2010

Apple Strudel

Recipe adapted from Beyond Kimchee

A few years ago we were lucky enough to take a trip to visit some friends from Germany. We met them when we lived in Nashville for a few years (they were working there through an exchange program) and became great friends. When they all moved back to Germany they moved to different parts of the country, so we had built in tour guides and places to stay!

We traveled to Frankfurt, Gottingen, Berlin, Hannover, and the Heidelberg area. This was only my second time leaving the US, but the first time I was really introduced to foreign cuisine. I used to be (ok so still am to some extent) a picky eater, so I was very nervous that I would be starving for ten days. This was hardly the case! Our first night there I sampled the fabulous gluhwein, which is a traditional warm spiced wine. We also ate at a fabulous little Italian restaurant. I sampled my first taste of gelato, which we treated ourselves to on numerous occasions. I had my first schnitzel at a restaurant called Uncle Tom’s Cabin (good, but unbelievably salty)! The entire time we spent there, I knew that there was one food I couldn’t leave without trying: apple strudel (or as they would say in Germany, apfel shtrudel). We went in search for delicious, authentic strudel and found it on our second day in Berlin.

Making my own strudel never even occurred to me until I saw this recipe. It was one of those recipes that I knew I needed to make as soon as possible. Since two puff pastries come in one package, I initially intended to just make one and save the other for another time. Once I started making it my gut instinct just kept telling me to make two, and thank goodness I did! We ate an entire one ourselves that night it was that delicious! The apple filling was incredible and the puff pastry just seemed to melt in your mouth. I think the only addition that would make this even better would be sprinkling cinnamon sugar on top prior to baking. The original recipe called for 1/2 cup of chopped nuts which I decided to omit. This is best served warm with a nice big scoop of vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!

Apple Strudel
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1 package puff pastry (2 sheets)
2 cups apple pieces (about 2 medium apples)
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
4 Tbsp granulated sugar, divided
2 Tbsp flour
3 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp unseasoned bread crumbs
1 egg
1 tsp water

Thaw puff pastry on counter for approximately 40-45 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Peel, core, and slice apples. Place in bowl and combine with 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 2 Tbsp of granulated sugar and flour. Set aside for 15-20 minutes. In a separate bowl combine brown sugar, remaining 2 Tbsp of granulated sugar, 1 tsp cinnamon and bread crumbs. Set aside.

Thin out the puff pastry slightly using a rolling pin. The edges should measure 10 in x 12 in. Sprinkle half of the bread crumb mixture over each sheet of pastry, leaving a border on three sides. Top with half of apple mixture. Begin rolling puff pastry. Pinch together the ends and tuck under. Transfer, seam side down, to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Mix together egg and water, and brush over the top of each pastry. Use a knife to cut several slits into each one to allow steam to escape. You may sprinkle the top with a cinnamon sugar mixture if desired. Bake 40-45 minutes or until they turn a nice golden brown.

Tags: Apple, Fall recipes, Pastry

Posted in Pastries | 8 Comments »

Wednesday, October 27th, 2010

Pumpkin Apple Streusel Muffins

Recipe from Nestle

This was one of those last minute recipes that I decided to make just because I had all the ingredients and they sounded like they would be good.

Oh. My. Goodness.

It almost saddens me to say that now, because these not only sound like they would be good, they are fabulous! I told myself I would just try half for breakfast, but there was no way I could just do half. I love pumpkin, and I love apples. And I really love streusel! These are so moist and delicious, and the flavors blend together perfectly. Since I bake so much I have been trying to cut recipes in half to have fewer temptations, and to use less ingredients, but I am already waiting for an opportunity to make these again. The major change I made to this recipe was to double the streusel since it just didn’t seem to be enough (you can never have too much streusel, right?). Enjoy!

Pumpkin Apple Streusel Muffins
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2 1/2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups canned pumpkin
2 eggs
1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 cups peeled, cored, and chopped apples

Streusel
1/2 cup sugar
4 Tbsp flour
1 tsp cinnamon
4 Tbsp butter, softened

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl combine flour, sugar, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice and salt. In a separate bowl combine pumpkin, eggs, and oil. Add this mixture to the dry ingredients, then add in apples. Place in paper lined muffin cups, filling approximately 3/4 full.

For streusel, combine sugar, flour and cinnamon. Cut in butter using a pastry cutter. This works best if the butter is very soft, but not melted. Sprinkle over muffins. Bake approximately 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool in pans for 5-10 minutes then remove and cool completely on a wire rack. Makes approximately 24.

~I’m sharing this recipe over at Recipe Swap Thursday~

Tags: Apple, Cinnamon, Fall recipes, Muffins, Pumpkin

Posted in Muffins | 13 Comments »

Thursday, October 21st, 2010

Dutch Apple Cheesecake

I don’t know how I’ve gone so long without posting a cheesecake recipe, but to start out I’ve picked a good one! You’d probably be surprised to hear that I never really liked cheesecake until about 4 years ago, until I tried this recipe. A friend of mine from grad school made this cheesecake, but she and her roommates just weren’t able to finish all of it. I knew that Derek liked cheesecake so I told her she could bring me the leftovers for him. I decided to just try a little bite of it, and that “little” bite turned into me eating half of the piece and immediately asking for the recipe! It was actually given to her by a friend, so I don’t know the original source (if it looks familiar to anyone let me know)!

That weekend I made my first cheesecake. And the following weekend Derek requested it again. And the following weekend as well! I went from thinking cheesecake was just “ehh” to thinking it was the greatest thing on Earth (next to peanut butter cups of course). It wasn’t until about a year ago that I started experimenting with different kinds of cheesecake (which will all make an appearance I promise), and now I can’t get enough. I was thinking I was being cool, creative, baking blogger chick when I got the idea for this cheesecake, until I did a Google search and discovered that the Cheesecake Factory makes one just like it (of course they do)! Oh well, it wasn’t about to stop me. My true inspiration was the Dutch Caramel Apple Pie from Perkins (a restaurant chain located mostly in the Midwest).

I love apple pie filling because it’s so easy and I love the taste. I also love the taste of using fresh apples, but sometimes the pie filling is just so much simpler! I used my go-to streusel recipe for the topping, but I think it would taste great sprinkling some on top of the apple pie filling as well. My only complaint is that the streusel covering the top makes it a little more difficult to tell when the cheesecake is done, so make sure you double check with a toothpick. Drizzle some caramel on top and you’ve got a perfect fall cheesecake. Enjoy!

Dutch Apple Cheesecake
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Crust:
1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 stick butter (melted)
1/2 cup sugar

Filling:
3 (8 oz) packages cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla
3 large eggs
1 can (20 oz) apple pie filling

Streusel:
1 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine graham cracker crumbs and sugar, then add melted butter, mixing with a fork. Press into bottom and slightly up sides of a 9 inch springform pan. Place in freezer for 10-15 minutes to set. In a medium sized bowl beat together cream cheese and sugar. Add vanilla. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each egg. Make sure you scrape the sides of the bowl with a spoon or spatula to fully incorporate all of the ingredients. Pour half of the batter on top of crust. Cover with can of apple pie filling, then reaming cheesecake batter. Using a fork mix together graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar, and cinnamon, then add melted butter. Sprinkle streusel over the top of the cheesecake. Place springform pan on rimmed baking sheet and place in the middle rack of the oven. Bake 50-60 minutes. Allow to cool fully (usually a few hours in the refrigerator) then drizzle with Hershey’s caramel syrup if desired.

~I’m sharing this over at Recipe Swap Thursday and Delicious Dishes~

Tags: Apple, Caramel, Cheesecake, Fall recipes

Posted in Cheesecake | 24 Comments »

Monday, October 18th, 2010

Graham Cracker Caramel Apple Cookies

Recipe by Aimee

I have been waiting to make these cookies for so long! Earlier this summer I saw a post from Jenny over at Picky Palate using a muffin top pan to make cookies. What a crazy yet fabulous idea! It’s a great way to get perfectly shaped, giant monster cookies! I knew that when I tried this for the first time I couldn’t just make any regular chocolate chip cookies, it had to be something more unique. The first time I made these s’more cookie bars last year I thought it would be interesting to use the dough as a base for a regular cookie instead of in bar form, so that’s where my idea started. Then I just thought “what flavors do I love that would go well with graham crackers”? Obviously s’mores are the first thing that comes to mind but I wanted something a little different. Then the caramel apple idea came to mind and voila: the birth of a recipe! I knew they would taste great by themselves but for some reason I just couldn’t get the idea of a glaze out of my head, and that is what really puts these cookies over the edge!

I don’t know if it’s completely necessary, but I sprayed the muffin top pans with non-stick cooking spray before making the cookies. My biggest fear was having a giant mess after baking, and unfortunately it still happened with a few of the cookies. The problem is definitely the caramel. If you make these in a muffin top pan I suggest using a fork to loosen any caramel stuck to the outer edges of each cookie before it hardens. If you don’t make them in a pan just use parchment paper or a baking mat and that should solve the problem. Recognizing that a lot of people don’t have muffin top pans I did make several cookies the old fashioned way and they still taste fabulous! They have a bit of a cake like consistency, which I love. These were a huge hit with family and coworkers. Enjoy!

Graham Cracker Caramel Apple Cookies
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1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, room temperature
½ cup brown sugar
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 2/3 cup flour
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
20 caramels
1 medium apple

Glaze:
4 Tbsp melted butter
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tsp milk

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl combine butter and sugars. Add in eggs and vanilla. In a separate bowl combine flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt. Add dry ingredients to liquid ingredients and mix well. Cut each caramel in 6 smaller pieces and add to dough. Peel , core and chop apple into smaller pieces and add to dough. Place larger portions of dough into a greased muffin top pan (will make approximately 18), or form dough into small balls and place on parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Bake approximately 13 minutes, or until tops of cookies are light golden brown. Allow to cool completely before removing from pans. Meanwhile, combine melted butter and vanilla, then powdered sugar. Add milk to thin (until you reach desired consistency).

~I’m sharing these at All Things Delicious~

Tags: Apple, Caramel, Cookies, Fall recipes

Posted in Cookies | 20 Comments »