Apple Croustade

This past weekend my roommate had the urge to bake. He had a big bag of apples that he needed to use so he decided to make a crispy/flaky apple pie. He layered the phyllo dough along with a bunch of melted butter in my spring form pan since I didn't have a tart pan.

 

Even though the butter flowed onto the bottom of the oven and created a smoky apartment for a little bit, this tart turned out beautifully. My roomie asked if he could put his pie on one of my cake stands and I said yes.

 

It looked so pretty on my sturdy, white ceramic cake stand that I just had to snap some photos. After I was done, he went to the kitchen to clean up and I went to my room to get ready to head out for the evening.

 

Then we heard a pop. We couldn't figure out what it was at first but then my roomie saw that the cake stand had two cracks in it. I went over to touch the stand and *CLINK* *CLUNK* *WHAM*! The whole stand started crumbling in front of our eyes.

My roommate ran to get another cake stand but it was going to be too late so I did what any baker would do: I put both of my hands under the pie so the masterpiece wouldn't join the ranks of the broken cake stand. I moved it via my hands to another cake stand and then we just looked at the broken cake stand in bewilderment.

The pie had cooled before it went on the ceramic, but we're guessing the heat that was left bugged some weak spot and *POP*!

 

RIP cute vintage cake stand. Hello yummy phyllo dough and butter encrusted apple pie! It was SO delicious. I highly suggest using this recipe for a different take on the normal apple pie. (Just don't put it on an old ceramic cake stand!)

Apple Croustade (Flaky Apple Tart)

recipe found here: saveur.com

Bake well and prosper!

Apple Pie Muffins - FIVE YEAR Blog Birthday!

Hey! My blog's birthday has come and gone. Once again I was too busy to post. But I feel sad seeing that it was the FIVE YEAR anniversary of when I started this blog.

 

Every year for my blog birthday post I write a recap of what's different in my life. Usually nothing much has changed and it's the same thing year in and year out. But guess what! Times, they have changed!

 

1. I'm still singing a fair amount and booking more gigs than usual.

2. I quit my office job back in May and starting temping around a couple of months ago. It's been fun if not a little unstable.

3. I'm back to running when I'm not super busy or feeling injured.

4. I have a boyfriend! Yes! It's been awhile, but I have one! It's new, so keep following my blog to see how the relationship grows (and maybe even catch a few pictures of us!)

 

Some of my favorite recipes from the last year are:

Pomegranate and Orange Sangria - This recipe is SO GOOD. Must bring to all holiday parties.

Caramel Rolls - I was so happy to ace my mom's recipe!

Dark Chocolate Ganache Crepe Cake and the version I created for July 4th: Crepe Cake with Almond Whip Cream and Cherries

Matcha Tea Cakes - It was the first time I used matcha. Expensive but fun!

 

As for this post, well, I went apple picking again and therefore needed to use up apples!

I found a nice muffin recipe and quickly put some of my prized apples in the batter. These muffins hit the spot on a dreary fall morning. If you have extra apples around, consider using this Apple Pie Muffin recipe. 

Apple Pie Muffin

recipe found here: Sally's Baking Addiction

Bake well and prosper!

Apple Crisp in Mini Pumpkins (Vegan Option Available)

I have a little phobia when it comes to carving pumpkins. You see, when I was 14 I was at a party where everyone was carving pumpkins. While I was carving mine, I got my knife stuck in the pumpkin. The next thing I knew I had broken the knife in half. One part was in my hand and one was in the pumpkin! I felt so badly about breaking the host's knife.

So, there I was this morning, cutting into a pumpkin for about the 4th time in my life... I kept switching knives because I was so scared about a repeat knife break. 

Look! None were broken. But yes, I used all 4 for this tiny little pumpkin.

And in even more good news, getting the seeds out of the pumpkin turned out to be very messy (and quite clingy).

I've been hankering to make this recipe for weeks now, but sleep seemed more important than baking. My schedule has been super busy the last two weeks and continues to be, but I finally bounced out of bed early this morning ready for this fun recipe. 

Whether you bounce out of bed or slowly roll out, try making this recipe. It's fun to put together and rather healthy for you as well!

Apple Crisp in Mini Pumpkins (adapted from The View from the Great Island)

1/2 apple chopped in small chunks (peeled if you'd prefer)

Juice from 1/2 lemon

2 Tbsp brown sugar

1 Tbsp flour

1/2 Tbsp soft butter (don't add this if wanting to keep it vegan)

2 Tbsp chopped almonds

1 Tbsp raisins

2 Tbsp oats

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Cut tops off of pumpkins and remove all seeds and as much of the pumpkin strings as possible. Prepare ingredients and mix them in a medium bowl. Stuff inside pumpkins. (Should fill 3 small pumpkins.) Add  a little bit of butter on top of each mixture. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes until the pumpkin is soft.

Feel free to put whip cream with cinnamon or nutmeg on top or drizzle with maple syrup.

Bake well and prosper!

Monkey Bread with Pecans and Apples

Oh. Hi there. It's been a while, hasn't it. Well, you know how in October I didn't blog much because I was so busy with an opera role, doing props for the opera, and training for a marathon (while also having my mom in town for 2 weeks)? Yeah, well life got even busier for me in December. I had a role in two different operas with two different opera companies. Oh, and, you know, that little day called Christmas which meant singing at 3 masses within 13 hours. And BOTH of my parents came for a week.

I do have to say that it was less stressful than October because my body wasn't exhausted from training for a marathon. As you can imagine, I was greatly looking forward to my vacation during New Years and the week after.

My first stop was to my brother's place in MN. He has a lovely house in the "woods." My apartment is the size of his living room and kitchen. Ha!

It snowed on New Year's Eve and stayed very cold for the rest of my visit.

That's me after bundling up accordingly.

It's funny when I leave the city for the country. I realize about all the things I don't have to deal with. Like, I don't have to worry about defrosting a car or shoveling a driveway. But my brother does! He has a cool machine to deal with the snow on the driveway.

My brother was the one who had the great idea to make monkey bread one morning. Since I woke up before he or his wife did, I figured I would help by making the monkey bread.

  

Well, you know me...

I guess making a mess with the sugar doesn't help much. But, if it's a mess, it's a success. And boy oh boy, this monkey bread was GOOD!

My brother wanted pecans in it and I added the apples. Mmmmm! Great combo.

It was a delicious way to start the new year. (And a messy way! Somethings never change!)

Here's to a wonderful 2012!

Monkey Bread (aka Pull Apart Rolls) with Pecans and Apples (adapted from Mom's Best Recipes cookbook)

 

2 cans of biscuits (I prefer the extra buttery and fluffy ones)

1 C sugar

2 t cinnamon

1 chopped apple

1/2 C chopped pecans

1 1/2 sticks butter

1 C brown sugar

1 t cinnamon

 

Generously grease tube pan with Crisco. In paper bag, put sugar and 2 t cinnamon. Using 1 can at a time, cut biscuits into quarters. Place in paper bag and shake to coat. Place in tube pan, sprinkling apple and pecan pieces over each layer except last one.

(Second Part)

Boil together butter, brown sugar, and 1 t cinnamon. Pour mixture over biscuits. Bake 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes before inverting. Let guests pull apart.

Bake well and prosper!

An Apple a Day - Last Recipe! Apple Dippings

It's the seventh and last day of

So, I know this last post isn't really a recipe, but when you have more apples on hand than you do time, think about this "recipe."

And if you DO have time to make more apple recipes, check out these blogs:

Baking Serendipity - Apple and Carrot Breakfast Muffins and Caramel Apple Crisp

Donuts to Delirium - Chai Spiced Applesauce

Susi's Kochen und Backen Adventures - Applesauce-Spice Cupcakes

Apple Dippings

Cut an apple and dip in any desired dip. Seen here: Caramel syrup, peanut butter, Nutella, and marshmallow fluff.

What's your favorite dip for an apple?

Bake well and prosper!

An Apple a Day - Animal Cracker Caramel Apple Cookies

Fun times! I had to improvise on an apple recipe I found for day 6 of

I found another awesome cookie recipe to make this time from Baking Junkie. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to get some of the ingredients so I had to improvise. For instance? Animal crackers instead of graham crackers. Oh, and caramel syrup instead of pieces of caramel. The outcome? Still yummy! Everyone said they loved the texture/consistency of the cookie. (I'll make the recipe the other way NEXT fall.)

Animal Cracker Caramel Apple Cookies (adapted from Graham Cracker Caramel Apple Cookies)

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 animal cracker crumbs
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1/3 C caramel syrup (add more if desired)
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, animal cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt. Add dry ingredients to liquid ingredients and mix well. Add caramel 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).

Bake well and prosper!

An Apple a Day - McIntosh-Oatmeal Cookies

Mmmmm! Welcome to day 5 of

I had to take Sunday off as a rest day and now I'm back with a new recipe! I think this brings my apple count down to 5 apples. Seeing I had 9 pounds of apples when I started, I am making pretty good progress using up my freshly picked apples. This new recipe comes from my Mom's Best Recipe Cookbook. Enjoy!

McIntosh-Oatmeal Cookies (From my Mom's Best Recipes Cookbook)

1 C unsalted butter, softened

1 1/2 C sugar

1 1/2 C flour

1 t baking soda

1 t cinnamon

1/2 t salt

1 t vanilla

2 large eggs

2 medium McIntosh apples, peeled, cored, and diced (about 2 C) (I used Stayman Winesap because I didn't pick any McIntosh apples. Sorry, Mom!)

3 C oatmeal
1 C raisins
3/4 C walnuts, chopped

In large bowl, with mixer at medium speed, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, vanilla, and eggs; beat until just blended, occasionally scarping bowl with spatula. Stir in apples, oats, raisins, and walnuts.

Drop dough by level 1/4 C, about 3 inches apart, onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 350 degrees until golden, 20 to 25 minutes, rotating cookie sheets between upper and lower oven racks halfway through. With wide spatula, transfer cookies to wire racks to cool completely.

Bake well and prosper!

An Apple a Day - Apple Squares with Maple Glaze

Welcome to the 4th day of

I'm rather tired right now. I made this recipe this morning, I went to the Navy vs Notre Dame game, then I went to an Oktoberfest party, and then I sang at an opera forum. But you know what I'm not tired from? Apples! I'm still loving every recipe and I am sure you'll really love this one I found on Sprinkled with Flour.

Apple Squares with Maple Glaze (adapted from Sprinkled with Flour)

Cake

3 large eggs

1/4 tsp salt

1 3/4 cups sugar

1 cup vegetable oil (you can substitute any oil, like coconut)

2 cups sifted all-purpose flour (whole wheat pastry flour would substitute well)

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

3 cups chopped unpeeled apples (Braeburn, Gala, or similar) Erika's Extra: I used a mix of Granny Smith and Stayman Winesap)

1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

1 tsp vanilla extract

Maple Glaze
1 cup sifted powdered sugar
1 tbsp butter, softened
2-3 tablespoons whole milk
1 tbsp pure maple syrup (can use maple extract also)

For the Cake:

Preheat oven to 350F. Coat a 15x10-inch jelly-roll pan with nonstick baking spray with flour; set aside. Leave the apples unpeeled, but remove core and chop the apples into small pieces.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine eggs and salt. Beat at medium speed until frothy, about 1 minute. Add the sugar and oil, and beat until blended. In a medium bowl combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg. Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture, and beat just until combined.

Fold in the apples, nuts and vanilla. Pour into the prepared pan, spreading evenly. Bake for 30 minutes or until lightly browned and set. Set the pan on a wire rack, let cool.

For the Glaze:

In a medium bowl combine the powdered sugar, butter and enough milk to make a spreadable consistency. This was about 2 tablespoons for me. Mix until smooth. Add the tablespoon of maple syrup/maple extract, and stir. Spread over the mostly cooled cake. Let the frosting set, then cut into bars.

Tip: For baking this cake in ramekins, just fill with batter about 1/2 - 2/3 full. If you fill too high it will spill over the sides. Bake until cake is golden and set, about 30-35 minutes.

Bake well and prosper!

An Apple a Day - Monkey Bread WITH Apples!

Sometimes the best way to use an apple is to add it to a pre-existing recipe. Last night I had risotto with smoked bacon and apple slices at Vespa with my boyfriend. It was heavenly!

So, I took the idea of adding an apple to a dish for the next An Apple a Day Recipe.

***Calling all food bloggers: if you have a recent apple dessert post, send my way. I will be concluding An Apple a Day with a post including links to blogs. erika8cookies@gmail.com***

My much loved Monkey Bread got some apple love.

I used a Granny Smith apple that I picked from Terhune Orchards. I think I only have 8 apples left now...

Monkey Bread (aka Pull Apart Rolls) WITH APPLES (adapted from Mom's Best Recipes cookbook)

2 cans of biscuits (I prefer the extra buttery and fluffy ones)

1 C sugar

2 t cinnamon

1+ chopped apple (I used Granny Smith)

1 1/2 sticks butter

1 C brown sugar

1 t cinnamon

Generously grease tube pan with Crisco. In paper bag, put sugar and 2 t cinnamon. Using 1 can at a time, cut biscuits into quarters. Place in paper bag and shake to coat. Place in tube pan, sprinkling apple pieces over each layer except last one.

 

(Second Part)

Boil together butter, brown sugar, and 1 t cinnamon. Pour mixture over biscuits. Bake 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes before inverting. Let guests pull apart.

Bake well and prosper!

An Apple a Day - Apple "Nacho" Bites

Welcome to Day 2 of

I'm really excited about this recipe. I saw it on Real Mom Kitchen and bought an apple corer that same day. (Laura aka Real Mom was even awesome enough to answer my question of if the apples turn brown too quickly with this recipe. Answer: She left them out for an hour and they didn't brown. Sweet!)

I made this last night and my boyfriend and I loved it! I even brought the ingredients in to work today to make it again for a yummy mid-afternoon snack.

I modified the slices of apple into chunks of apple seeing my upper arm strength is lacking and an apple corer made me sweat!

This is great for an pick me up at work or a go to after school snack!

Apple "Nacho" Bites (adapted from Real Mom's Apple Nachos)

Ingredients

•30 large marshmallows

•1/3 cup butter, cubed

•1/4 cup caramel apple dip
•4 medium tart apples, sliced into bite sized pieces (I used Macintosh apples)
•1/3 cup nut topping (the kind with the ice cram toppings) or chopped dry roasted peanuts
•1/3 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

Directions
1.In a large saucepan, melt marshmallows and butter.
2.Arrange apples in small bowls or plates. Place caramel dip into a quart sized zipper bag. Snip off one corner with some scissors and drizzle caramel over the apples.
3.Then drizzle with the marshmallow mixture. Sprinkle with nut topping and chocolate chips. Serve immediately.

Erika's Extra: I halved the recipe. I found that you can also microwave the butter and marshmallows (I used minis) and it yields the same results. Just microwave for 15 seconds, stir, and repeat until the gooey consistancy forms. Be careful though - the microwaved bowl will be hot!

Have you recently blogged about an apple dessert? Send me the link at erika8cookies@gmail.com. My last post in my Apple a Day posts will include a list of others' links of apple recipes. (Dessert only please!)Thanks!

 Bake well and prosper!

An Apple a Day - Apple Pancake Surprise

Did you just pick a bunch of apples/buy a bunch of apples too?

I went to Terhune Orchards in Princeton, NJ this past Sunday and went hog apple wild with picking!

I LOVE apples. I have apples in my fridge all year round, but everyone knows fall is the best time to get them from local orchards.

So, in an effort to help everyone out with their apple excess, I introduce to you:

For the next couple of days I will be posting apple recipes. First up: a recipe I made up last night.

I recently bought an apple corer and thought to myself how lovely it would be to encase a slice of apple in a pancake. So, without further ado, I bring you:

Erika Beth's Apple Pancake Surprise

Ingredients
One apple (I used a Stayman Winesap)
Pancake mix (I used buttermilk)
(Egg or whatever else your pancake mix calls for)

Directions

Core an apple.

Cut apples into very thin slices.

Start heating skillet or pan.

Make pancake mix acording to directions.

Pour a small amount of mix onto pan and firmly press an apple slice onto batter. Cover top of apple with a thin layer of batter.

Let cook on one side for longer than you would a normal pancake and then flip.

Make sure the other side is done well before serving. (If not, the batter by the apple will still be gooey!) If some batter escapes when flipping, feel free to scoop the pancake up after done and roll it on its side on the pan.

Cool slightly and then pick up and eat with hand. It's so delicious, no syrup needed. Sprinkle powdered sugar on it if you must.

Check it out:

These seem like normal pancakes.

Surprise! There's an apple in the middle!

Bake well and prosper!