Baked Apple Pies

On a recent trip to Virginia (I just can't stay away!) we picked up some apples from the farm market. Along with the apple cider, the apples there are some of the best I have ever tasted. So much so that I try to make at least one trip around fall each year just to get some. Inevitably, I buy too much and my apple saturated family won't eat any more. So to avoid waste, I make something with the rest. This year, I found a recipe for individual apple pies. They can be baked or fried, but I like baked the best. They are sweet, tart, delicious and portable!

Baked Apple Pies

1 tablespoon butter
4 or 5 medium to large apples
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 (8-piece) container refrigerated flaky biscuit dough
1 tablespoon water
Powdered sugar

Add the butter to a large pan and melt. Add the apples, sugar, cinnamon and lemon juice. Cook over medium heat until the apples are soft, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool.

When the filling is cool, roll the biscuits out on a lightly floured surface so that each biscuit forms a 7 to 8-inch circle. Place 2 to 3 tablespoons of the filling on each biscuit circle. Brush the edges of the circle with water. Fold the circle over the filling to make a half-moon shape. Seal by pressing the edges with the tines of a fork.

If you are baking these, pre heat the oven to 400 degrees. Place pies on a baking sheet and bake for about 20 minutes or until the top is browned. Remove and cool.

If you are frying the pies, preheat deep-fryer with oil to 350 degrees.

Carefully add the pies to the oil, 1 at a time, and fry until golden brown, turning the pies as necessary for even browning, about 5 to 8 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with powdered sugar immediately.

Adapted from Paula Deen's Fried Apple Pies

"We are born believing. A man bears beliefs as a tree bears apples.”
-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Victoria Sponge Cake

This recipe is for a quick and easy cake that is popular in the UK. Who knew that such a simple cake with so few ingredients could be so good? This cake is perfect for a light after dinner treat or it could be served at a party for an elegant yet simple dessert. It is not overly sweet, so the texture of the cake, the fruit and cream really come through. You can use raspberries as I did or the more common strawberries and cream. Dust with a light coating of confectioner's sugar and you are done!

Victoria Sponge Cake

1 cup butter or margarine, softened at room temperature
1 cup caster sugar
4 medium eggs (I used large)
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups self raising flour

milk, to loosen


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

Grease and line 7in cake pans or 1 larger baking pan (10 inch) with parchment paper. Butter the parchment paper.

Cream the butter and the sugar together in a bowl until pale and fluffy.

Beat in the eggs, a little at a time, and stir in the vanilla extract.

Fold in the flour using a large metal spoon, adding a little extra milk if necessary, to create a batter with a soft dropping consistency.

Divide the mixture between the cake pans and gently spread out with a spatula.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden-brown on top and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and set aside for 5 minutes, then remove from the tin and peel off the paper. Place onto a wire rack.

(If you made one large cake, use a serrated knife and cut the layer in half. Proceed below)

Sandwich the cakes together with jam, lemon curd or whipped cream and berries or just enjoy on its own.

Adapted from the BBC Food Recipes

"The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do.”
-Walter Bagehot quotes (British political Analyst, Economist and Editor, one of the most influential journalists of the mid-Victorian period.1826-1877)

Favorite Sugar Cookies

The kids finally started school. I was beginning to think it would be Christmas before they got to go back. Our district's high school was being renovated over the past year and after much chaos, rumors and other fun, my two youngest went to school yesterday. My oldest, who starts high school this year, goes back on Monday. Keeping with tradition (even if that tradition is two weeks late this year!), I made a treat for the kids for after school on their first day. They all suggest different desserts (my son, who is 7, wanted Jello) but after much debate, I decided to try a new recipe. I've made plenty of sugar cookies before, but the addition of lemon to the mix was new to me. But the difference it makes in the taste and texture is out of this world. So I named these Favorite Sugar Cookies because from now on, they are our favorite!

Favorite Sugar Cookies

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar (I used 1 1/4 cup which worked fine)
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons lemon extract (I didn't have lemon extract on hand so I used regular lemon juice. You can add more if you like your cookies more lemony!)
1 tablespoon lemon peel
1/2 cup sugar for rolling cookies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
Using a mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until smooth and very fluffy.
Beat in egg, vanilla extract, lemon extract and lemon peel.
Gradually blend in the dry ingredients.
Roll rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into balls, and roll in sugar. Place on lined cookie sheets about 1 1/2 inches apart.
Bake 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until lightly browned.
Let stand on cookie sheet two minutes before removing to cool on wire racks.
Adapted from Bunny's Warm Oven Blog


"Think what a better world it would be if we all, the whole world, had cookies and milk about three o'clock every afternoon and then lay down on our blankets for a nap." -Barbara Jordan

Devilishly Good Chocolate Cake

When you are craving chocolate, this is the perfect cake. It's moist, full of chocolaty goodness, and most of all, easy. I've made it twice already (my daughter asks for it all of the time) and each time, it suprised me with the depth of the chocolate flavor. I've made this with Chocolate Pan frosting but you can also make it with Old Fashioned Cola Frosting as well (instructions included). This cake would go great with, well, anything! You can also make it in a 9 x 13 pan or a bundt pan (which I prefer). This recipe comes from The Cake Mix Doctor.

Devilishly Good Chocolate Cake

1 square (1 oz.) unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 cup water
1 pkg. plain devil's food cake mix
1 pkg. chocolate instant pudding mix
4 large eggs
3/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Chocolate Pan Frosting
8 Tbsp. (1 stick) butter
4 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
1/3 cup whole milk (for Cola frosting, subsitute 1/3 cup cola for milk)
4 cups powdered sugar, sifted

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350. Lightly mist a 12-cup Bundt pan with vegetable spray, then dust with flour. Shake out the excess flour. Set the pan aside.

Place the chocolate and water in a small saucepan over low heat. Cool, stirring, until the chocolate is melted, 3 to 4 minutes. Set aside.

Place the cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Fold in the melted chocolate. Blend with mixer on low speed for 1 minute. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat 2 to 3 minutes more, scraping down the sides again if needed. The batter should look thick and well combined. Pour the batter into the pan, smoothing it out with the rubber spatula. Place the pan in the oven.

Bake the cake until it springs back when lightly pressed with your finger and just starts to pull away from the sides of the pan, 45 to 50 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool for 20 minutes. Run a long, sharp knife around the edge of the cake and invert it onto another rack to cool completely, 20 minutes more.

Meanwhile, prepare the frosting:

Place the butter in a medium saucepan and melt over low heat, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the cocoa powder and milk. Let the mixture come just to a boil, stirring, and then remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the powdered sugar until the frosting is thickened and smooth. Pour the warm frosting over the top of a cooled cake, spreading it with a spatula so that it reaches all sides of the cake. Work quickly because this frosting goes on best while still warm.

Transfer the cake to a serving platter and spread the warm frosting over the cake. Let the frosting set for 20 minutes, then slice and serve.


"Coffee makes it possible to get out of bed. Chocolate makes it worthwhile."
-Author Unknown

Cinnamon Sugar Pull Aparts

My husband's second job is teaching. He is a professor at two colleges, one a community college and the other a university. He teaches nights and weekends, in his spare time ;) His last Saturday morning class was this weekend and he asked me if I would fix a simple snack for the class. I decided on these pull aparts. Pretty much everyone loves cinnamon and sugar with bread so I thought it might appeal to everyone. It did and they loved them. These would be a great addition to a buffet breakfast or a tasty late night snack.


Cinnamon Sugar Pull Aparts

1/2 cup sugar
2 1/2 tsps. cinnamon
1/3 cup melted butter
1 can (12 oz) refrigerated buttermilk flaky biscuits

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Generously grease or spray a square glass baking pan.

In a small bowl, combine the cinnamon and sugar and blend well.

Separate dough into 10 buscuits and cut each into quarters. Dip each quarter into the melted butter then dip into the cinnamon sugar mixture. Arrange in the baking pan so they are touching.

Bake for 19 to 27 minutes. When done, let cool. Remove the pull aparts from the pan and serve on a plate.

Makes about 10 servings.



"Cinnamon bites and kisses simultaneously."
-Vanna Bonta

Nutella Brownies

I thought I was all done with the Nutella recipes for a while when I spotted this one as I was just browsing on the internet. Really, who could pass up something that looks like this?! Icing on top of rich, chocolaty Nutella? Not me, no way. As a coincidence, the same kids I made the Nutella Bites for were over visiting my kids again. So I made these brownies for them. They must think all we eat is Nutella in this family. They loved these so much one of them insisted on the recipe. I sent some of the brownies home with them along with the recipe and a jar of Nutella, partly just to save myself from making more of brownies (and eating them).

Nutella Brownies

1 cup butter (2 sticks), melted
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
4 large eggs, room temperature
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cocoa
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup Nutella
1/2 cup peanut butter

In a medium bowl combine all-purpose flour, cocoa (sift this in to get rid of lumps), baking powder and salt. Set aside.

Over low heat, melt butter and stir in sugar and vanilla extract until well combined.

To the butter-sugar mixture add eggs, one at a time. Beat until blended. Add cocoa mixture and mix on slow speed, just until blended.

Heat Nutella and peanut butter in the microwave in 20 second intervals until it reaches a runny consistency. Stir this mixture into the batter.

Pour the batter into a glass 9 x 13 pan that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for 30 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

Cool completely before cutting.

Icing- Mix just enough milk and 1 cup of confectioner's sugar until smooth but not runny, drizzling it over the brownies, then with chocolate chips, if desired.


"Without friends no one would choose to live, though he had all other goods."
- Artistotle

Brown Sugar Cinnamon Peach Pie

When my husband was in Virginia recently, he was kind enough to stop by the Virginia Farm Market in Winchester and pick me up some fresh peaches. I love peaches, but I can't eat a 1/2 a peck before they go bad. So my oldest daughter and I decided to make a peach pie. I found a great recipe in Southern Living magazine that sounded different than the usual. Brown sugar and peaches together? Yum. And it was good. I used a frozen crust instead of the homemade one the recipe suggests, but I included the ingredients anyway for anyone who is more ambitious than I am!

Brown Sugar Cinnamon Peach Pie

Ingredients

1 1/3 cups cold butter
4 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 to 3/4 cup ice-cold water

8 large fresh, firm, ripe peaches (about 4 lb.)
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces
1 large egg, beaten
1 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Cut 1 1/3 cups butter into small cubes, and chill 15 minutes. Stir together 4 cups flour and 1 1/2 tsp. salt. Cut butter into flour mixture with a pastry blender until mixture resembles small peas. Gradually stir in 1/2 cup ice water with a fork, stirring until dry ingredients are moistened and dough begins to form a ball and leaves sides of bowl, adding more ice water, 1 Tbsp. at a time, if necessary. Turn dough out onto a piece of plastic wrap; press and shape dough into 2 flat disks. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap, and chill 30 minutes to 24 hours.

Preheat oven to 425º. Place 1 dough disk on a lightly floured surface; sprinkle dough lightly with flour. Roll dough to about 1/4-inch thickness. Starting at 1 edge of dough, wrap dough around a rolling pin. Place rolling pin over a 9-inch pie plate, and unroll dough over pie plate. Press dough into pie plate.

Roll remaining dough disk to about 1/4-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface.

Peel peaches, and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices; cut slices in half. Stir together brown sugar, next 3 ingredients, and remaining 1/4 cup flour in a bowl; add peaches, stirring to coat. Immediately spoon peach mixture into piecrust in pie plate, and dot with 1 1/2 Tbsp. butter. (Do not make mixture ahead or it will become too juicy.)

Carefully place remaining piecrust over filling; press edges of crusts together to seal. Cut off excess crust, and reserve. Crimp edges of pie. If desired, reroll excess crust to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut into 3-inch leaves using a knife. Brush top of pie with beaten egg; top with leaves. Brush leaves with egg; sprinkle with 1 1/2 Tbsp. granulated sugar. Cut 4 to 5 slits in top of pie for steam to escape.

Freeze pie 15 minutes. Meanwhile, heat a jelly-roll pan in oven 10 minutes. Place pie on hot jelly-roll pan.

Bake at 425° on lower oven rack 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375°; bake 40 minutes. Cover loosely with aluminum foil to prevent excessive browning, and bake 25 more minutes or until juices are thick and bubbly (juices will bubble through top). Transfer to a wire rack; cool 2 hours before serving.

“A Georgia peach, a real Georgia peach, a backyard great-grandmother's orchard peach, is as thickly furred as a sweater, and so fluent and sweet that once you bite through the flannel, it brings tears to your eyes.”
-Melissa Fay Greene, ‘Praying for Sheetrock’