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.

– 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.

2005 First Place Apple Category
Raquel Hammond

Apple-Praline Pie

Extra Flaky Pastry Double Crust:

2 cups unbleached flour
1-cup cake flour
1 ½ Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
8 Tbsp (1 stick) frozen unsalted butter, cut up
½ cup plus 2 Tbsp frozen Crisco shortening, cut up
2 Tbsp vinegar
1 large egg yolk
4 to 5 Tbsp ice water, or as needed
¼ cup crushed cornflakes
*Egg glaze: 1 large egg white with 1 Tbsp water added

Whisk together dry ingredients in large bowl. Add the butter and shortening. Using pastry blender cut in fat until mixture resembles dry rice. Add egg yolk, vinegar, and minimum amount of water. Lightly toss until mixture just begins to clump together. If dough looks too dry, sprinkle on a little more water. Dough should cling together and feel pliable, but not sticky.

Form dough into a cohesive ball, on a piece of waxed paper, by lifting opposite corners and pressing them together. Flatten into 6-inch disk for single shell, or divide in half and make two disks for two-crust pie. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or even overnight (the longer the better). Soften dough at room temperature, for a few minutes before rolling out.

Brush bottom of shell and sides with egg glaze. Carefully spread a ¼ cup of crushed cornflakes on the bottom as well. Add filling, attach top crust then flute edge. Bake as directed, then spread on the praline topping.

Filling:
5 cups Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced
4 cups Braeburn apples, peeled, cored and sliced
½ cup apple cider
½ cup sugar
3 Tbsp cornstarch
¾ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp salt
2 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut up
Apple-Praline Pie

Praline Topping

½ cup chopped pecans
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup unsalted butter
Pinch of salt
2 Tbsp heavy cream
¼ tsp cinnamon

Roll out bottom crust and line 9” pie plate. Rollout top crust and refrigerate both for 15 minutes. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Combine apples and cider in large pot. Bring to boil, cover and cook over med-high heat for about 5 minutes, stirring once or twice. Drain apples, reserving juice. Transfer juice to small saucepan and reduce to ¼ cup over med-high heat. Stir into apples and set aside to cool.

In a small bowl, combine sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Stir into apple cider- mixture. Pour filling into pie shell and dot with butter.

Attach top crust and flute edge. Poke several steam vents in top with fork or paring knife. Bake 425 degrees for 15 minutes in lower third of oven. Raise rack to center and bake an additional 45 to 50 minutes. Check halfway through baking and cover pastry with foil, if browning too quickly.

Transfer pie to wire rack and cool. Meanwhile, prepare praline: melt ¼ cup butter in small saucepan. Stir in ½ cup brown sugar, salt, cinnamon and heavy cream. Bring slowly to boil. Remove from heat and stir in chopped pecans. Spread evenly over cooled pie and broil until topping bubbles and turns golden brown.

Transfer pie, once again, to wire rack and cool for at least 2 hours. Slice and serve. Cover leftovers with loosely tented foil and refrigerate.

Pastry Dough:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2-teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) cold unsalted butter
1/4 cup cold Crisco shortening
4 to 6 tablespoons ice water

In a food processor, add flour and salt. Pulse to mix. Add cold butter and Crisco, which has been cut into small pieces. Pulse 6 to 8 times until mixture resembles coarse meal with some small pea-size butter lumps. Drizzle 4 tablespoons ice water evenly over and pulse 3-4 times more until dough holds together. Add more water, 1 tablespoon at a time until dough holds together. Form into 2 balls, and then flatten each into a disk. Wrap disks separately in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour.

Divide dough into 2 pieces. On a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin roll out one piece of dough into a 10-inch round (about 1/8 inch thick). Fit a 9-inch pie plate with one piece of dough and flute edges. Reserve 2nd piece of dough for another time. Refrigerate (or freeze) while preparing filling

Filling:

2/3 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1/2-cup sugar
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1/2-teaspoon salt
1/2-teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8-teaspoon ground allspice
1/8-teaspoon ground cloves
1/8-teaspoon ground ginger
1 1/2 cups canned solid pack pumpkin
2 tablespoons mild-flavored (light) molasses
3 large eggs
1 cup whipping cream

Place baking sheet in oven and preheat to 450°F. Whisk first 8 ingredients together in large bowl to blend. Whisk in pumpkin, molasses, eggs, and whipping cream. Pour mixture into frozen crust. Place pie on preheated baking sheet in oven. Bake 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 325°F and bake until sides puff and center is just set, about 40 minutes. Cool completely. Preheat broiler. Prepare Walnut-Crunch topping.

Walnut-Crunch Topping:

4 tablespoons butter
1 cup chopped walnuts
¾ cup packed brown sugar
1-cup whipping cream plus 3 Tbsp powdered sugar

In a small saucepan, over low heat, melt butter. Stir in walnuts and brown sugar and mix until well mixed. Spoon evenly over pie. Broil pie 3 minutes, 5 to 7 inches from broiler, or until topping is golden and sugar dissolves. Cool pie again on wire rack.

In a small bowl, beat heavy whipping cream and powdered sugar with electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Pipe around edge of cooled pie.

These are inspired by the squash & cream cheese bars at the Roanoke Natural Foods Co-Op. I snagged the crust from my Lemon Bars and the filling from a Pampered Chef recipe.

Crust:
2 c flour (9 oz)
.5 c sugar (4 oz)
1 t lemon zest
pinch salt
1 c butter (8 oz)

Filling:
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/4 c. sugar
1 egg

Batter:
1 c. pumpkin, roasted and pureed (8.5 oz) (can sub canned)
1 c. sugar
1 egg
1/3 c. vegetable oil
1 c. flour (4.5 oz)
1 t. ground cinnamon
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. ground nutmeg
1/4 t. ground ginger

Preheat oven to 350F.

Combine dry topping ingredients in food processor, pulse to combine. Add butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Press into a greased 9×13 pan.

Bake until lightly browned, 20-25 min.

Increase oven temp to 375F.

Whisk together filling ingredients; set aside.

For the batter, combine the pumpkin, sugar, egg, and oil; mix well. In a large bowl stir together flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and ginger. Stir wet ingredients into dry, do not overmix.

Pour batter onto crust.

Drizzle cream cheese mixture over batter. Cut through batter with knife several times for marbled effect. Bake 25-30 minutes or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool; cut into squares.

My mom sent me this recipe and it is SO good. And I don’t even like Heath bars! I’m still monkeying with the refrigerator time to get the spread just right. I also cut the size of the cookies back so my baking & cooling times aren’t 100%

2.5 oz (½ cup) flour
1 teas. Baking powder
¼ teas. Salt
1 lb. Bittersweet chocolate, I use Ghiradelli
2 oz (¼ cup) unsalted butter
13 oz. (1 ¾ cup) light brown sugar, packed
4 large eggs
1 tbl. Vanilla
5 (1.4 oz) heath bars (or similar)
4.25 oz (1 cup) walnuts or pecans, toasted

Combine flour, baking powder and salt and set aside

Microwave chocolate and butter until almost melted, 1-3 minutes. Stir to melt fully, cool to lukewarm

With electric mixer, beat the sugar and eggs in a large bowl until thick, about five minutes. Beat in the chocolate mixture, vanilla. Stir in the flour mixture (don’t overmix) then the toffee and nuts.
Chill until firm, at least 45 minutes. If you let it chill too long it will be very difficult to scoop and you’ll have to let it sit at room temperature for a while.

To speed things up you can scoop the dough onto cookie sheets then freeze for 20 minutes or so, then bake.

Heat oven to 350. Line baking sheets with parchment. Portion out golfball size lumps of dough, I use a #24 disher. Bake until dry and cracked on top but soft to the touch in the center, about 10-12 minutes. Cool on the baking sheets for 10 min, then remove to a wire rack.