Apples and Apples

Apple Cobbler:

8 Granny Smith apples, peeled and thinly sliced
1 cup sugar
Juice of a lemon
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 T butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 T baking powder
Pinch of salt
1 cup fat-free milk

Preheat oven to 350. Combine apples, 1/4 cup sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon and nutmeg in large bowl. Toss to coat and let stand for 20 minutes. Put butter in 9 x 13 baking dish. Put dish in oven for 3 minutes to melt butter. Combine remaining sugar, flours, baking powder and salt in medium bowl. Whisk in milk. Remove baking dish from oven. Add batter. Top with apple mixture. Gently press top with spatula to submerge apples into batter. Bake 20 minutes. Rotate baking dish and bake until top is golden brown, 25-30 minutes.

Going Dutch

Dutch Apple Pie:

For the pie:

18 oz. prepared pie dough
3 lbs. apples
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup raisins
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 Tbsp. lemon juice

For the streusel topping:

1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp. all purpose flour
1/2 cup butter, chilled
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. allspice
pinch of salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Whipped cream to serve

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9 inch springform pan. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pie dough and line the prepared pan. The dough needs to run all the way up the sides of the pan. Trim the dough by folding the excess over the rim of the pan and using the rolling pin to cut the excess. Refrigerate while preparing the apples.

Peel, core, and dice the apples. In a large bowl, combine the apples, sugar, raisins, cinnamon, and lemon juice. Mix well, and set aside.

In a food processor, combine all the streusel ingredients except the walnuts. Process to form coarse crumbs. Add the walnuts and then pulse several times to combine.

Transfer the apple mixture to the pie crust. Sprinkle the streusel over the apples. Cover the pie with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake another 30 minutes. Top with whipped cream to serve.

Apple Bites

Baked Apples:

1/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup chopped dried apricots
1/4 tsp. ground cardamom
4 large tart apples

Combine first six ingredients in small bowl. Core apples and fill each of them with the mixture. Place in greased 8-inch square baking dish. Cover and bake for 350 degrees for 50 minutes. Uncover and bake for 10-15 minutes or until tender. Spoon juices over top.

Recipe courtesy of Taste of Home's Halloween issue.

Harvesting Dessert

Harvest Apple Cake:

2 eggs
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 1/2 cups oil
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 T vanilla
3 cups diced apples
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup pecans or walnuts
1 teaspoon cinnamon

In large bowl, mix eggs, oil, sugar and vanilla. Add flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and baking soda. Combine well. Fold in apples and nuts. Pour into tube or bundt pan. Bake at 350 for one hour. Do not let this cake overcook. Check at around 45 minutes. Once cool, cover with glaze.

Glaze:

1 stick butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup water

Melt butter in saucepan over stove top. Add brown sugar and water and cook until slightly thick. Pour over cake.

American as Apple Pie

McCormick and Schmick's Deep Dish Apple Pie:

Crust:

2 cups flour
4 T sugar
1/2 tsp. sugar
10 T butter, cold and cut into small cubes
3-4 T water
1 egg yolk

Filling:

16 cups sliced apples
1 T fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 T cinnamon
6 T flour
1 1/3 cups sugar
1/4 cup water

Streusel Topping:

1 cup flour
1 cup dark brown sugar
6 T butter or margarine

Preheat oven to 300. Prepare crust by combining flour, sugar and salt, and working in the butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Add water and egg yolk and combine just enough to form a roll. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour. Prepare filling by combining sliced apples with remaining ingredients and blend thoroughly. Make sure all apples are well-coated. Roll the pie dough to 18 inches in diameter for the deep dish tin. Line tin with the dough and flute the edge. Add apple mixture until it is mounded at least 2 inches in the center above the shell. Combine streusel ingredients. Sprinkle over entire service of apples. Bake at 300 for 2 1/2 hours or until well-browned. Allow to cool 1-2 hours. Gently press apples down into the pie until they are just about level with the crust. Refrigerate overnight to allow the pie time to set.

Cinnamon Delight

Apples are by far my absolute favorite fruit. This recipe is perfect, especially for the Fall.

Cinnamon Apples:

8-10 apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup honey
1 tsp. vanilla extract
cinnamon to taste

Arrange apple slices in a 2 quart casserole dish. Set aside. Heat sugars, butter, and honey in a heavy saucepan until sugars dissolve. Stir until bubbly. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla and set aside. Sprinkle apples with cinnamon. Pour sugar mixture on top of apples, and stir gently until evenly coated. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or until apples are tender.

An Apple A Day Keeps Hunger Away

This is an oh so easy and oh so good recipe. My mom gave it to me years ago. She had gotten it from one of my aunts. We love apples and this is a fabulous way to use them.

Apple Torte:

2 Tbsp butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
3/4 cup flour
1 tsp. baking powder
pinch of salt
1 cup diced apples
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 tsp. vanilla

Cream butter and sugar. Add remaining ingredients, mixing well. Pour into greased 9x9 square baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Serve alongside vanilla ice cream or topped with whipped cream.