{CC#14} Apple Muffins

The Man has been asking for something sweet.  The cheese cake is gone as are all the cookies.  So this morning I made some nice muffins from eating to beat high blood pressure my cookbook for February’s Cookbook Countdown.

Dutch Apple Muffins1

These came out well.  We both liked them.  They were fairly sweet and moist.  The crumble topping just added to the flavor and the apples just seemed to melt into the muffin.

1 2/3 cup AP flour {I subbed in 1/2 with whole wheat}
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup oatmeal + 1 tsp cinnamon
2 TBL margarine
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp apple pie spice
salt to taste
1 1/4 cups unsweet applesauce
1/4 cup veggie oil
1/2 cup fat-free egg substitute
1 large apple peeled and diced

375 Degree oven.

Mix together the crumble topping: 1/3 cup flour, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1 /2 cup oatmeal/cinnamon mix, and margarine. Set aside.

Mix together the rest of the flour with the baking soda, salt, oatmeal, and apple pie spice in a medium bowl.

In another bowl stir the applesauce, oil, remaining brown sugar, and egg sub together.  Add the liquid ingredients to the dry and mix just to combine.  Add in the diced apple.

Fill each muffin cup about 3/4 full and sprinkle the crumb mixture over the top.

Bake about 20 minutes or until done.

The recipe said 12 muffins but I ended up with 14.

Each muffin: 220 calories. 7 gm fat. 35 gm carb

The recipe is on page 33.

I’m linking this post with Cookbook Countdown 14 hosted by Kitchen Flavours and Emily’s Cooking (Makan2)

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{EwE}It’s Cold Outside!

Let’s Warm it Up!!

Whenever I want to warm up in the mornings I eat oatmeal.  It’s filling.  It’s warming.  It’s good for you.  But after a while just plain oat meal gets a little boring.  Lucky for me I have Ellie to change up my usual oatmeal.  With cinnamon.  With apples. With raisins.

Ellie’s Apple-Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal

This is the first time I have ever BAKED oatmeal.  I don’t think I will go back to stove top again.  There are nice chunks of apples along with cinnamon and walnuts pecans in the oatmeal. {There are supposed to be raisins but I am NOT a fan!}  Maple syrup is the only sweetener in the oatmeal it self but there is a little brown sugar mixed with walnuts pecans and cinnamon for the topping.  It was just right for sweetness.  I made 1/2 of the recipe and it was just right for the two of us.  

I know I could eat this every morning it is cold {IF it ever gets cold here in the South!}

The recipe is from Ellie’s You Have it Made  (page 27)

 

{CC#10} Cranapple Scones

It was wonderfully cool this morning.  Perfect for a hot cuppa and some warm buttered scones

Cranapple to be exact.

These delicious scones are from The Bluepoint Bakery located in Denver, CO. 

I make scones quite often for breakfast or for friends.  These were among the best I have ever made.  They contained cream cheese which I have never used in scones before.  They added a certain creaminess to the scones.  While the recipe called for frozen cranberries I used dried instead.  I like the sweetness they added to the mix.  I also used Granny Smith apples.

I will definitely make them again – often!

The recipe is on page 165 of The Colorado Farmers’ Market Cookbook.

I’m linking this post with Cookbook Countdown hosted by Kitchen Flavours and Emily’s Cooking (Makan2).

 

{EwE} An Apple a Day…

…keeps the doctor away. At least that is the saying. Does that mean you have to just eat an apple every day? Well, yeah! But it doesn’t say HOW you have to eat the apple.

And I am sure when Peggy picked this week’s theme she wasn’t just thinking of a plain ol’ apple.

And good thing since Ellie has so many great apple recipes to choose from. Like these….

Apple-Cranberry Turnovers.

Tart Granny Smith apple pieces sauteed in brown sugar with dried cranberries then carefully , CAREFULLY, wrapped in phyllo sheets.  I say carefully because Phyllo is the one crust you cannot be rough with.  Trust me.  I speak from experience.  Mostly bad!

But this time, they worked out pretty well.  My sheets were a little dry but I worked it out. Between two of the sheets of phyllo Ellie sprinkled crushed ladyfinger cookies.  Don’t usually have them in the house so I used crushed graham crackers in stead.  Worked.

The recipe for the turnovers is from The Food You Crave on page 294.  Or on FoodTV.

Want more apples from Ellie – Visit Eating with Ellie.

 

{Bundt Bakers} Persimmon Apple Bundt

It’s Fall y’all!  At least according to the calendar.  But with daytime temps still in the mid to upper eighties and nights only going down to 72 or so here in the Deep South it sure doesn’t feel like Fall.  So how do you get in the mood while running the A/C and wishing for cooler weather instead of Summer Part Deux?  You bake with Fall ingredients – apples, persimmons, pecans.  All of them tied up in one big beautiful bundt.

This one is full of all those ingredients plus “Fall” spices

3/4 cup chopped pecans

 

1 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar

 

1/3 cup butter, softened

 

2 eggs

 

1 cup cooked persimmon

 

1 teaspoon vanilla

 

2 3/4 cups all purpose flour

 

3/4 cup milk

 

1/3 cup apple juice

{I used some spiced pear juice as I was out of apple}

1 tablespoon baking powder

 

1 heaping teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

 

3/4 teaspoon salt

Heat oven to 325°. Grease and sugar* 10 or 12 cup Bundt” Pan.

In a large mixing bowl, mix brown sugar, butter and eggs until very light and fluffy.

Add persimmon and vanilla; mix very well.

Add all remaining ingredients; mix well. Gently spoon into prepared pan.

Bake at 325° for 50 to 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes. Remove from pan; cool completely on rack. 16 servings.

* Using sugar to coat pan adds a sugary golden crust to the cake

I drizzled it with a caramel ganache. Recipe for the ganache is from Crazy for Crust.

This cake was unbelievable moist and full of flavor.  One of the best I have made in a long while. {And it would have been beautiful if part of it hadn’t stuck to the pan – thus the leaves!!}

Want more FALL Bundts.  Please visit all the bakers below.  Lots of deliciousness there.

• Apple, Pear and Honey Cider Bundt Cake by All That’s Left Are the Crumbs
• Apple Pumpkin Bundt Cake with Salted Caramel Drizzle by Cookaholic Wife
• Bundt Cake de Chocolate Blanco y Moras by La Mejor Manera de hacer
• Chestnut Cream Marbled Bundt Cake by I Love Bundt Cakes
• Chocolate Caramel Apple Cake by The Freshman Cook
• Ginger and Cinnamon Bundt Cake by Los Chatos Chefs
• Impossible Pumpkin Pie Bundt by Faith, Hope, Love, and Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
• Jack O’Lantern Cake by Palatable Pastime
• Persimmon Apple Bundt by Tea and Scones
• Poached Pear and Cranberry Bundt Cake with Maple Mascarpone Frosting by Sew You Think You Can Cook
• Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake by Patty’s Cake
• Pumpkin Pie Bundt by Jane’s Adventures in Dinner
• Pumpkin Spice Cake with Caramel Drizzle by Living the Gourmet
• Robert E. Lee Bundt Cakeby The Queen of Scones
• Spiced Rum Pumpkin Bundt by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Sticky Pecan Pie Bundt by Food Lust People Love

#BundtBakers is a group of Bundt loving bakers who get together once a month to bake Bundts with a common ingredient or theme. Follow our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated each month on the BundtBakers home page.

Thank you Terri ( of The Freshman Cook) for hosting this month.

 

{IHCC} Chef of the Month- Pepin

Between April and October of 2015 we cooked with Chef Jacques Pepin.  Now we are visiting with Pepin again as our chef of the month.

I was in need of a dessert this week and this apple tart from Pepin hit the spot.

Pepin says his classic dough is suitable for any baking need.

Dough:  

• 3 Tbl unsalted butter, cold
• 3/4 cup AP flour
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• 2 Tbl ice-cold water

Place the flour, butter – cut into  1/4″ pieces – and sugar in a food processor.  Process for 5 seconds and add the water.  Process another 5 seconds.  Remove he dough from the processor and work it until all the dry pieces are incorporated.  Roll into a 10″ circle and refrigerate.

Filling:

• 2 large Golden Delicious apples {I used three medium}
• 2 Tbl apricot jam {Not a fan so I used some homemade Pear Honey}
• 1 Tbl sugar
• 1/2 Tbl unsalted butter

Peel the apples, cut in half and scoop out the core.  Remove a little more apple from the center and chop fine.  {I used the third apple for this}.  Fill each core with 1/2 Tbl {I used a little more} jam and arrange the apples in the center of the dough cut side down. Sprinkle the chopped apple around the apple halves.  

This is a galette so bring the edges of the dough up over the apples with a 1″ – 2″ border.  Sprinkle the top with sugar and butter pieces.

Bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes – 1 hour {Mine took about 50 minutes.}  until well browned.  

Mine did not get as brown as I would like.  I brushed the top of the whole tart additional Pear Honey.  It added a lot of flavor.  {Plus it made it look pretty!}

The recipe is from Jacques Pepin’s Table page 357.

For more of Pepin’s dishes visit I Heart Cooking Clubs.

 

{WWDH} pear and almond galettes

FIRST I want to thank Peggy for her pick this week. I needed a quick and tasty dessert and this one was just perfect. SECOND – thanks to Donna Hay for the quick sweet treat. SHE is the reason I keep puff pastry in the freezer. It is good for just about anything from desserts to pot pies to savory tidbits.

This is pear season and ours are just beginning to ripen. I picked one, just one, and it was plenty for three galettes.

I made mine with apple.

This is super simple to make. Cut your puff pastry into squares. Sprinkle on some ground almonds. Layer some thin pear slices. Brush the whole thing with melted butter and then just bake at 350 until the pastry turns golden brown. No measurements. Put as much or as little of the pears and almonds as you like. This dessert is all about YOU!!

The ‘recipe’, if you want to call it that, is on page 160 of Donna’s off the shelf. I bet the other members of Wednesdays with Donna Hay liked this one, too.

 

{WWDH} Catch-up Cobbler

Back in early July Gaye chose a cobbler from Donna Hay to make. I didn’t quite get to it. After reading all the very positive reviews I knew I had to make it. Full of apples, blueberries – which meant we had blue apples – coconut it was WONDERFUL!

And you will have to believe me on how wonderful it looked with the streusel topping. My pictures all seem to have gone BYE!

This was Gaye’s Pick and you can see their cobblers HERE!!It is from Donna’s book – Seasons on page 206 but you can also find it online at Hannah’s blog.

YOU need to make this NOW!!

 

{wwdh} apple slice

I love making slices. Well, that’s the Australian term for it. In the US we call it a bar cookie. A cake made in a square pan and cut into squares. They can be made with just about anything. Fruit. Lemon pudding. Or, as Donna made it, with apples.

And it was delicious. A cookie like base filled with cinnamon-y cooked apples and covered with a lovely crumble on top. Thanks for this one Chaya. Definitely going into the baking rotation.The recipe is on Donna’s Site. Super easy. Super good.

Check with Gaye, Chaya, and Sarah for their ‘slice’.

 

{ABC} Cinnamon Apple Twist

Making strudel, danish, Challah is, to me, a fun way to spend time in the kitchen. This tasty treat from KAF is not exception. Full of apples and cinnamon it is perfect for breakfast or snack or dessert or…anything!

The recipe starts out like cinnamon rolls. Roll out the dough, cover with the filling and then roll up and slice. But after rolling the dough, which was wonderfully soft with the added potato flakes and butter, and filling it with the apple and cinnamon, which I doubled, you slice it in half and then slice it in half horizontally and twist the two pieces together. While messy to work with it looks beautiful and tastes fantastic.

I basically adhered to the recipe except I doubled the cinnamon and and then 1/2 again as much apple mix on each roll. They seemed rather empty with just what was called for. I think I would add some pecans next time.

Hint: if you are using flour I would suggest draining the mix in a sieve before using – it is very wet.

One is already gone the other is in the freezer waiting for company and breakfast.

The other Twists can be found on the ABC page after October 3. Visit with them and see their beautiful twists.

And the recipe is on the King Arthur Flour page.