A Fall Apple treat & Thanks

Today I am Thankful for...

.Bright Red, Crisp Apples.
.I do love a good apple.

.For little hands which are eager to help.

.For bright smiles.

.For joyful hearts.
.For the awe of trying something new.

.For yummy fall snacks.

.For children who giggle with delight.

.I am thankful I am a mom.

What are you Thankful for today?

KA Apple Cake

My children get giddy when I pull out the apple corer.
They fight over the peels,
silly kids.

We always have fun with it when we pull it out.
Our apples turn into springs, worms and slinkies.

Yesterday we made apple cake.
I used a recipe I found in my KAF cookbook. You can find the recipe here from King Arthur Flour.

I made a few adjustments. Why stick to the recipe right?

• I used half whole wheat flour. Next time I will use all whole wheat. It is a dense cake and I don't think all whole wheat will effect it. (remember I am grinding my ww flour, NOT buying it, HUGE difference!!)
• I used real butter instead of shortening.
  
• I didn't not add nuts.
• I used about 1/3 cup less sugar.
  
• I added maple syrup to my icing. Then read the reviews and noticed other did too. It must have been a good idea :)

Hope you enjoy it!

Candy Apples

An easy, delicious dessert.
Not healthy, but none the less, tasty!

It is best to use a firm, tart, apples such as Granny Smith. The apples we used were from the orchard, I can't remember the variety. You will see in the final picture, our baked apples didn't hold their shape. A firmer apple will hold it's shape and will look nicer after being baked.

Start by halving and scooping out the centers. I used a small cookie scoop to dig out the seeds.

Next make a crumb mixture of:

• 2/3 cup soft butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup oatmeal
• 1 cup flour

Remove about 1/2 cup or a little more and set aside. To the remaining add 1/3 cup melted butter and stir together. Your mixture should look wet. Fill the apples with the wet mixture.

Sprinkle the dry crumbs on top of the apples.

Bake at 350* for 30- 40 minutes or until the apples are tender.

Serve warm.

Homemade Apple Pie

7-9 Granny Smith Apples
1 to 1 1/4 cups sugar, divided
1-2 tsps cinnamon
1-2 T thickener (I like Culinary Secrets)
1/3 cup butter
3/4 cup flour

INSTRUCTIONS
Peel, core and slice apples.
Mix thickener, 1/2 to 3/4 cups sugar (use accordingly to the tartness of your apples) and cinnamon together.
Mix apples and thickener/cinn/sugar.
Put apples into an unbaked pie shell (recipe below).
Combine remaining sugar and flour. Cut in butter to making crumbs. Sprinkle over the top.
Bake at 425* for 10 minutes.
Reduce heat to 350*
Bake for 35 minutes or until apples are soft.

Pat in pie crust
1 1/2 cups flour
2 T sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 T milk
1/2 cup oil
*Mix together until it forms a ball. Pat into an ungreased pie pan.

Chunky Applesauce

I love a bargain, so when Organic Granny Smith apples were 20# for $19 I couldn't resist. I love eating Granny Smith apples, there is something about the tart, crisp, taste I enjoy.
My family also enjoys chunky applesauce and fresh pie.
To make chunky apples sauce; peel,core and chunk your apples. Place in a large pot filled with 1-2 inches of water. Cook on medium high for 30- 45 minutes or until your apples are beginning to look like sauce. (You will still have some chunks). Add more water as needed while cooking, and be sure to stir it every few minutes. Add sweetener to taste.

.Homemade Apple Pie recipe coming next week..

Fresh Apple cobbler

We went a pickin'
Apple pickin' that is.
Our friends joined us at the Apple Orchard for an afternoon of fun.

We ate apples, we picked apples and...

...what are they doing?!

When we got home, warm Apple Cobbler sounded like a great way to end the day.

Peel and slice 6-8 lg apples.
Add: 1 1/3 cup sugar
1-2 tsp cinnamon
2 T flour
*Dump into greased 9x9 or 7x11 baking pan

Topping:
1 cup oatmeal
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/3 tsp baking powder
2/3 cup butter, room temp

Mix topping ingredients to make crumbs.

Place crumbs on top of apples.
Sprinkle with cinnamon and a bit of sugar is desired.

Bake at 350* for 45-55 minutes.

Let cool for 5 or so minutes.

Serve warm.

Easy Apple Pie Bars or Turnovers

Crust:

2 1/2 cups flour
1 T sugar
1 tsp salt
1 cup butter, semi cold
3/4 cup milk
1 beaten egg yolk
* Mix first 3 ingredients. Cut in butter. Add milk and egg yolk. Divide in 2 pieces if you are making bars, in 8- 16 pieces (depending on the size of turnovers you want) if you are making turnovers. If you are making bars, make piece of dough slightly larger than the other. Chill for approx 2 hours.

Go out to your apple orchard and pick fresh granny smith apples.

Just kidding. However it is fun!

Filling:
8 -12 cups sliced tart apples, I like Granny Smith
1 1/2 to 2 cups sugar, depending on the tartness of your apples and how sweet you want your turnovers
2 T Signature Secrets Thickener or Flour
1 tsp cinnamon
*Peel and core apples. Slice into thin sections.* Combine filling ingredients set aside.

To make pastry bars: Roll out the slightly larger 1/2 of the pastry dough on a piece of lightly floured parchment paper. You may need to add additional flour, but try not to add too much. You are aiming for a rectangle of dough approximately 12'' x 18''. Roll the dough as even as possible. Place the apple filling on top. Roll, on another piece of parchment paper, the other half of pastry dough. Roll this piece slightly smaller than the top piece. Pick it up using the edges of the parchment paper, flip on top of apple filling. Peel off parchment paper. Fold over the edges of the bottom piece of dough. Pinch to seal the edges together. Slide a cookie sheet under the bottom piece of parchment paper. Place another piece of parchment paper on top of apple pastry. Lay a flat cookie sheet over the top and flip. Carefully peel the parchment paper off. (Your bottom crust, just become your top crust.)
*Your edges look nice and finished now. You can skip the flipping step if you like*
Cut slits in the pastry dough to let the steam escape. Brush the pastry with egg white and sprinkle with sugar.
To make turnovers, roll out smaller sizes of the dough, cover half with apple filling. Fold the other half over to cover the filling. Pinch to seal the edges. Cut slits. Brush with egg white and sprinkle with sugar.
Bake at 400* for 30- 40 minutes for the bars and 15- 30 minutes for the turnovers. The crust should be a golden brown.
Drizzle with powdered sugar frosting while the bars are still warm.
Enjoy!