by Kathy Douglas | Oct 17, 2016 | Desserts
The combination of apples and cinnamon is the quintessential taste of fall. So welcome cooler days with these easy to make Apple Cinnamon Bars. With their brownie-like texture on the outside, and layer of cinnamon apples in the center, they are especially delicious with a drizzle of brown butter icing over their walnut topping. Take them along with some apple cider for all your fall activities or simply enjoy at home. Be sure to use a piece of parchment longer than the pan to create “handles” for easy removal before cutting.
INGREDIENTS
2 medium apples, peeled and sliced into thin wedges
1-1/2 cups packed brown sugar, plus 2 tablespoons, divided
1/2 cup butter, plus one tablespoon, divided, plus more for the pan
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup Walnuts, toasted
Brown Butter Icing
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup sifted confectioners’ sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 to 2 tablespoons milk
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease with softened butter an 8-by-8-inch pan, add parchment paper then grease the parchment and set aside.
In a small skillet over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of butter, stir in 2 tablespoons of brown sugar, cinnamon and then add the sliced apples. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes, until apples are softened. Set aside to cool slightly.
Melt 1/2 cup of butter in a sauce pan, cool slightly. In a large bowl, combine the 1-1/2 cup of brown sugar, butter, eggs and vanilla, mixing until blended. In another bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt; add to brown sugar mixture.
Add 1/2 the batter to the baking pan, smooth the top. Add the apples in a single layer, scraping all the cinnamon sauce out of the pan over the apples. Add the rest of the batter over the apples and smooth again. Top with the walnuts, lightly pressing them into the batter. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 2 hours.
To make the icing – melt the butter and cook until it becomes a nutty brown color. Strain the butter through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl leaving the dark sediment behind in the strainer; discard the sediment. Add the powder sugar, vanilla and 1 tablespoon of milk, whisking until very to smooth. If the icing is too thick to drizzle, add the other tablespoon of milk. Using a fork, drizzle the icing over the bars, then refrigerate allowing the icing to set up and the bars to cut easier. Lift out of the pan using the parchment paper, place on a cutting board, and slice into 16 squares.
by Kathy Douglas | Oct 3, 2016 | Desserts
Get “game day ready” with our quick and easy Football Pastries! Perfect for your next tailgate party, our cute football shapes are loaded with a delicious filling and will look great on your tailgating table or platter. Filled with delectable chocolate chip & vanilla pastry cream, these treats will satisfy anyone’s sweet tooth. For a special treat, fill your football shapes with softened ice cream and store in the freezer until ready to serve. You can purchase Dufour Chocolate Puff Pasty locally at Whole Foods.
INGREDIENTS
14 ounces Dufour Chocolate Puff Pastry
2 cups whole milk
1 vanilla bean, split, pulp removed
6 large egg yolks
½ cup sugar
⅓ cup cornstarch, sifted
3 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
½ cut finely chopped dark chocolate
4 ounces of white chocolate
INSTRUCTIONS
Defrost the puff pastry over night in the refrigerator. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Remove the dough from the packaging and lay out on a cutting board. Using a cookie cutter cut out as many shapes as you can to have an even amount. Place the cut outs on parchment lined cookie sheets and bake for 15 minutes. Turn the oven off, open the door and leave the puff pastry in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove and cool completely.
Fill a large bowl with ice cubes; place smaller metal bowl inside and set aside.
Bring milk, vanilla bean pulp and pod to a simmer. Remove from heat and set aside.
Whisk yolks, sugar and cornstarch together in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Whisking constantly, drizzle in one-quarter of the hot milk. Add the rest of the liquid in slow steady stream. Increase the heat to medium, remove the pod and, whisking vigorously, bring mixture to boil. Cook the mixture until it thickens and coats the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter. Pour into the bowl set over ice and cool completely. When cooked, add the finely chopped chocolate. Refrigerate until very cold. Place the pastry cream in a piping bag.
In the microwave, melt the white chocolate. Add to a piping bag, and add laces to half of the puff pastry football shapes. Refrigerate to set the laces.
To finish, using the remaining shapes, pipe to thickly cover with pastry cream, top with the football shapes with laces. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
by Kathy Douglas | Sep 26, 2016 | Desserts
Warm vanilla with deep notes of maple, our pudding-like créme has all the nuances of fall. The crispy, sweet and salty bacon adds a perfect contrast with its candied perfection. Top it off with sweetened whipped cream and crushed Nilla wafers. We like using ball jars to show off the layers and candied bacon.
INGREDIENTS
6 pieces of thick cut applewood smoked bacon
¼ cup maple syrup plus 2 tablespoons, divided
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons maple sugar or light brown sugar, divided
2 cups whole milk
1 vanilla bean, split, pulp removed
6 large egg yolks
⅓ cup cornstarch, sifted
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ cup mini Nilla wafers, crumbled into small pieces, plus more for topping
Whipped cream
DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Line a baking sheet with foil. Place a cooling rack on the baking sheet. Lay the bacon on the rack. Using ¼ cup of maple syrup, baste one side with the maple syrup and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon maple or brown sugar. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, turn the bacon over, brush the second side with ¼ cup maple syrup and top with 1 tablespoon maple or brown sugar. Bake for 15 more minutes. Remove immediately and place on a parchment lined plate to cool completely.
Fill a large bowl with ice cubes, place smaller metal bowl inside and set aside.
Bring milk and vanilla bean pulp to a simmer. Remove from heat and set aside.
Whisk yolks, sugar, and cornstarch together in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Whisking constantly, very slowly drizzle in ½ cup hot milk. Add the rest of the milk in slow steady stream. Increase the heat to medium and whisking vigorously, bring mixture to boil. Cook the mixture until it is extremely thick and looks like pudding, about 10-15 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter. Pour into the bowl set over ice to cool completely, then refrigerate until very cold.
To assemble: In the bottom of six ball jars, or tall dishes, place the crumbled Nilla wafers evenly. Layer with one layer of pudding, then a thin layer of maple syrup. Follow by another layer of pudding, then top with whipped cream and a couple crumbled mini Nilla wafers. Keep cool; when ready to serve slide one piece of candied bacon down the side of each ball jar or dish of layered maple créme.
by Kathy Douglas | Sep 11, 2016 | Desserts
All the football stadium favorites in one delicious treat – a combination of brownie, caramel, popcorn, peanuts, and M&M’s. Select your M&M’s (or any candy coated chocolates) in the same colors as your favorite team. Or make everyone happy and split the topping using half of each team’s colors!
INGREDIENTS
1 stick unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces, plus extra to butter the pan
Unsweetened cocoa powder
3 ounces dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 cup of homemade caramel sauce or high-quality jarred sauce
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
½ cup light brown sugar
¼ cup sugar
3 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 cups of lightly salted popped popcorn (we used Skinny Pop)
½ cup blanched, roasted and lightly salted peanuts
½ cup of M&M’s (or any candy coated chocolate candy) in your team colors
DIRECTIONS
Butter a 9“ inch springform pan, Line bottom of pan with a parchment paper round and butter the parchment paper. Sprinkle unsweetened cocoa powder lightly over the butter (replacing flour); dump out any extra.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Using a double boiler, melt chocolate and butter together, whisking to combine, set aside to cool. Heat the caramel sauce in a small saucepan to warm.
In a bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda and salt. In a large bowl whisk the eggs and sugars together until well blended. Whisk in the corn syrup and the vanilla and then the melted butter and chocolate. Add the dry ingredients, whisking to combine. Pour into the springform pan making an even layer.
Place the popcorn and nuts in a large bowl. Pour the caramel over and toss to combine until all the caramel has coated the popcorn and peanuts. Add 2/3 of the M&M’s and toss. Place evenly over the brownies, pressing lightly in to the top of the batter. Sprinkle the remaining M&M’s over the popcorn/caramel mixture.
Bake the brownie for 55-60 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out almost clean. Transfer the pan to a rack and cool for 15 minutes. Run a knife between the brownie and the springform pan and remove the sides. Cool completely. Remove the pan bottom and parchment. Cut in to wedges.
by Kathy Douglas | Nov 9, 2015 | Desserts
Our Recipe blog for this Week: Apple, cranberry and orange are the perfect flavors for Thanksgiving desserts. Our aromatic recipe is created using homemade or jarred cranberry relish and fresh apples. This recipe is perfect for your Thanksgiving Day dinner or a great dessert to make after the big day with your leftover cranberry relish.
INGREDIENTS
For the filling:
2 pounds or 3 large firm apples (Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, Fuji)
6 tablespoon butter
2 teaspoons grated orange zest
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups of homemade Cranberry Relish or 18 oz. jar of New England Orange Cranberry Relish, Williams Sonoma or other Quality Brand
For the topping:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1 teaspoon orange zest
1 cup toasted, chopped walnuts
1 stick cold unsalted butter, diced
Softened butter for pan
Whipped cream (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Peel and core the apples and cut them into large chunks. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the apples and sauté until they start to soften and their edges brown, about 4 minutes. Add the zests, brown sugar, cinnamon and flour. Stir until well coated. Add the cranberry relish. Stir until combined and pour in a buttered 8″x8″ baking dish.
To make the topping: Combine the flour, sugar, salt, zest, walnuts and cold butter in a bowl. Cut in the butter using a pastry cutter or two knives. Cut until large crumbles form. Sprinkle evenly over the fruit, covering the fruit completely. Place the baking dish on a parchment-lined sheet pan and bake for 50 minutes, until the top is brown and the fruit is bubbly.
Serve warm or at room temperature with whipped cream.
by Kathy Douglas | Oct 23, 2015 | Desserts
Using reduced apple cider as a base to cook the apples in this recipe creates an amazing apple caramel sauce. Be sure to serve this dessert in a bowl so you can baste some of the gooey, delicious sauce over the apples right before serving. To select the correct apples for this recipe, be sure to choose the type that holds up well during baking. According to Bon Appetit magazine those very best apples are Honeycrisp, Pink Lady and Mutsu or Crispin.
INGREDIENTS
2 cups apple cider
6 firm baking apples such as Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, Mutsu or Crispin
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
½ cup flour
¼ cup raisins (optional)
⅓ cup dark brown sugar
¼ cup sugar
¼ teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ tsp nutmeg
1/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
4 tablespoons butter, softened slightly
Vanilla ice cream, gelato or whipped cream
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Pour the apple cider into a medium sauce pan and bring to a simmer. Continue to simmer for about 15 minutes until the cider has reduced to one cup. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Slice a small piece off the top of the apples and using a spoon carefully scoop out the core in the center of the apple and make a small “bowl shape”. Be careful to not cut through the apple sides or bottom. Discard the flesh and seeds. Place in a pie pan or shallow baking dish and drizzle the apples with lemon juice.
To make the filling, combine together the flour, raisins, sugars, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and nuts in a small mixing bowl. Using your fingers, combine the butter into the sugar mixture until well incorporated.
Pack the mixture into each apple allowing any extra to fall into the baking dish. Sprinkle any leftover filling on the apples. Pour the reduced apple cider into the bottom of the baking dish and bake until the apples are cooked through. Depending on the size and variety, the apples should bake in about 40-55 minutes. While baking, baste the apples a couple times with the cider sauce. When a small knife moves smoothly through the apples remove them from the oven and cool down until still just warm. Serve warm apples with the cider sauce and vanilla ice cream, gelato or whipped cream.
Recent Comments