Category: Desserts

CARAMEL CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

2 1/4 c. all purpose flour (11 oz)
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
1 c. (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 c. sugar (5.25 oz)
3/4 c. firmly packed brown sugar (4.75 oz)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 eggs
12 oz. pkg. semi sweet chocolate morsels
15 caramel squares, cut into 8 pieces
4 oz pecans (1 cup)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In small bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt; set aside. In large mixer bowl, combine butter, sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract; beat until creamy. Beat in eggs. Gradually add flour mixture. Stir in semi sweet chocolate morsels and caramel bits. Drop by rounded measuring tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 to 11 minutes. Makes about 5 dozen 2 1/4 inch cookies.

This is adapted from the September ’96 issue of Bon Appetit.

Crust:
6 oz (1.5 sticks) butter, softened
1.5 oz (6 tbs) powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt
7 1/4 oz (1.5 c) flour

Filling:
2 lbs baking apples, peeled, cored, cut into .5″ slices
1/4 c sugar
3 tbs butter, melted
1 tsp cinnamon

Topping:
4.5 oz (1 scant cup) flour
1/2 c light brown sugar
1 c rolled oats
1/2 c chopped walnuts
1 tsp cinnamon
5 oz (1 1/4 sticks) chilled butter, cut into small pieces

For crust: Preheat oven to 350F. Combine first four ingredients in large bowl, beat until fluffy. Add flour, beat just until moist clumps form. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Press dough over bottom and up sides of 9″ pie pan. Freeze until firm, about 10 min.

Bake crust 10 min. Using rubber spatula, press up sides of crust if beginning to fall. Bake until crust is pale golden, about 20 min. longer. Cool completely on a rack.

For filling: Toss apples with remaining ingredients. Transfer filling to crust, mounding in center.

For topping: Mix all but butter in medium bowl. Using fingertips, rub in butter until moist clumps form. Sprinkle topping over filling, pressing gently to compact.

Bake until topping is golden and apples are tender, covering crust edges with foil if browning too quickly, about one hour. Cool to room temperature.

From NPR in ’01:

Wells got this recipe from a woman who sells her family orchard’s apples at a Paris farmer’s market “in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower.” This cake, Wells says, is “the sort of homey recipe that makes French home cooking so incomparable.” She recommends serving it with honey-flavored ice cream.

1/2 cup (2.5 oz) flour
1/3 cup (2.5 oz) sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/3 cup whole milk
4 baking apples (about 2 pounds total), cored, peeled, and cut into thin wedges

The topping:
1/3 cup sugar
1 large egg, lightly beaten
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Equipment:
1 9-inch springform pan
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Butter a 9-inch springform pan and set it aside.
3. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and sea salt, and stir to blend. Add the vanilla extract, eggs, oil, and milk, and stir until well blended. Add the apples and stir to thoroughly coat them with the batter.
4. Spoon the mixture into the prepared cake pan. Place the pan in the center of the over and bake until fairly firm and golden,a bout 25 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, prepare the topping. In a small bowl, combine the sugar, egg, and melted butter, and stir to blend. Set it aside.
6. Remove the cake from the oven and pour the topping mixture over it. Return the cake to the oven and bake until the top is a deep golden brown and the cake feels quite firm when pressed with a fingertip, about 10 minutes.
7. Transfer the cake pan to a rack and allow to cool for 10 minutes. Then run a knife around the sides fo the pan, and release and remove the springform side, leaving the cake on the pan base. Serve at room temperature, cut into thin wedges.

INGREDIENTS
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
12 ounces unsweetened apple juice concentrate
6 cups thinly sliced apples
1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Whisk together the cornstarch, cinnamon and 1/4 of the apple juice.
In a saucepan over medium heat, simmer the apples in the remaining apple juice until tender. Add the cornstarch mixture and stir until thickened.
Pour into bottom crust and cover with top crust. Bake for 45 minutes.

This is one of the winning recipes from a pie contest I saw on the Food Network and was a huge hit at thanksgiving. For some reason I managed to take a picture of the unbaked pie, but not the finished product. It looks even better baked!

Unbaked pie shell
4 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1 oz. unsweetened chocolate, melted
3 TBS melted butter
2 tsp vanilla extract
¼ tsp salt
2 cups pecans, toasted, chop 1 cup
½ cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350.

Toast pecans on cookie sheet.

In a large bowl lightly beat eggs. Stir in sugar, corn syrup, melted chocolate, butter, vanilla and salt.

Into prepared crust layer chocolate chips, 1 cup chopped pecans, then carefully arrange 2nd cup of pecans in pan. Slowly pour egg mixture over pecans, deflecting with a spoon to prevent moving pecans.

Bake for 15 min at 350. Cover edge with foil or pie shield. Bake for another 40 min. until knife inserted in center comes out clean.

Filling:
1 10-oz. Package of frozen red raspberries
2 cups of canned sour pitted cherries (drained)
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons butter
¼ teaspoon salt
milk and sugar (to top the crust)

Directions:
1. Thaw frozen raspberries (save the juice) and add enough of the juice from the cherries to make 1 cup liquid.
2. In a sauce pan mix sugar, corn starch and salt. Stir in one cup of juice. Add cherries and cook over medium heat until thick and clear. Cook one more minute. Remove from heat and very gently fold in raspberries.
3. Pour into pastry-lined pie dish. Add top crust. Seal edges, moisten top with hot milk and sprinkle with sugar. Cut seam vents. Bake 350 for about 45 minutes. This pie is extra pretty with a lattice top.

Perfect Pie Crust

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 cup cake flour
2 tablespoons super rich butter powder
1 cup Criscoâ shortening
1 whole egg
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
½ teaspoon salt
1/3 cup ice water

Directions:
1. Mix the flours and butter powder and cut in the shortening until it resembles coarse crumbs.
2. Beat together the other ingredients and stir into the flour. Mix just until it is incorporated.
3. Form into a disk , wrap in plastic wrap and chill.
4. Roll out about 1/3 of the dough between 2 sheets of wax paper and line pie dish.

– 2003 1st Place Pumpkin
By Marles Riessland, Riverdale, NE

Pie Crust

3 c all purpose flour
1 t salt
1 t sugar
1 c plus 1 T, butter flavored shortening, chilled
1/3 c ice water
1 T vinegar
1 egg, beaten

Chill all ingredients, including the flour and vinegar. Combine the flour, salt and sugar. Cut in shortening with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles cornmeal. In another bowl, mix water and vinegar with the beaten egg. Add the liquid mixture, one tablespoon at a time, to the flour mixture, tossing with a fork to form a soft dough.

Shape into three discs. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator at least three hours, before attempting to roll out. (Overnight actually works best). Hold no more than three days in refrigerator. For longer storage, place in a freezer bag and freeze. Use one disc for a single crust pie. Use two discs for a double crust pie. To roll out for pies, work quickly on a floured pastry cloth. Flip the dough at least once adding a little more flour to the pastry cloth. Roll out to fit pie pan. (Store pastry cloth in freezer).

Filling

2 eggs, beaten
1 (16 oz.) can pumpkin
¾ c sugar
½ t salt
1 t cinnamon
¼ t ginger
¼ t cloves
2 T pure maple syrup
1 (12 oz) can evaporated milk

Beat eggs until frothy. Add all remaining ingredients in order given, beating only until well blended. Pour filling into crust. Bake in 375 oven for 25 minutes.

Pecan CrumbleTopping

½ cup flour
½ c chopped pecans
¼ c packed brown sugar
3 T butter, softened

Combine above ingredients. Remove pie from oven and sprinkle topping over filling. Return pie to oven and bake 25 minutes more or until center is set.

– Best of Show 2003
By Raine Gottess, Celebration, FL

Crust
15-18 Keebler Pecan Sandie Cookies (crushed)
¼ c butter (melted)

Stir butter into finely crushed cookies with fork. Press into 9” pie pan to shape crust. Freeze to firm

Layer #1
2oz. Philadelphia Cream Cheese (softened)
2 c cool whip
1 T sugar
¼ confectioner’s sugar

Beat all ingredients in mixer until blended, spread onto crust and freeze while making next layers

Layer #2
4 oz. Philadelphia Cream Cheese (softened)
¾ c confectioner’s sugar
4 c cool whip
¾ cup peanut butter
2 oz melted Bakers German Sweet Chocolate baking squares

Beat 1st three ingredients together until blended. Divide into two bowls. Add the peanut butter to one and spread on top of pie. Freeze

Add the melted Bakers German Sweet Chocolate Baking Squares to the second bowl, beat and spread on top of pie.

Decorate with Cool Whip

Can be kept frozen and cut to serve.

– 2003 1st Place Apple
By Marles Riessland, Riverdale, NE

Pie Crust

3 c all purpose flour
1 t salt
1 t sugar
1 c plus 1 T, butter flavored shortening, chilled
1/3 c ice water
1 T vinegar
1 egg, beaten

Chill all ingredients, including the flour and vinegar. Combine the flour, salt and sugar. Cut in shortening with a pastry blender until the mixture resembles cornmeal. In another bowl, mix water and vinegar with the beaten egg. Add the liquid mixture, one tablespoon at a time, to the flour mixture, tossing with a fork to form a soft dough.

Filling

6 c apples (Jonathan or Granny Smith)
½ c packed light brown sugar
½ c sugar
¼ c flour
1 t cinnamon
¼ t nutmeg
¼ t salt
1 T lemon juice
1 t vanilla
4 T heavy cream
4 T butter

Heat oven to 450. Peel and slice apples. Sprinkle with lemon juice. Combine dry ingredients in large bowl and add apples. Toss to mix. Add vanilla and cream. Melt butter in heavy skillet. Add apple mixture and cook approximately 8 minutes, to soften apples. Turn into pie shell.

Streusel Topping

½ c flour
3 T sugar
1 T butter
2 chocolate covered toffee bars or 3 oz chocolate covered peanut or pecan brittle

Combine the flour and sugar. Mix in butter with fork until coarse crumbs. Crush 2 chocolate covered toffee bars and stir into streusel mixture. Sprinkle over pie. Add top crust. Seal, flute edge and vent top. Brush with beaten egg white and sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 450 for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 and bake 45 minutes longer.