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Tag Archives: apple

Apple Pie Bars

08 Friday Nov 2013

Posted by Nicole Small in Autumn/Fall, dessert, dessert recipe, Holidays, sweets, Thanksgiving, vegetarian/vegan

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

apple, apple pie, dairy free, dessert, dessert recipe, food, food blog, food blogger, gluten free, holidays, pie, recipe, recipe blog, recipe blogger, sweets, thanksgiving, thanksgiving recipe

Apple Pie is one of the most traditional Autumn and Thanksgiving dessert recipes, alongside Pumpkin Pie and Derby Pie (at least in our house!). The combination of apples with warming spices, a buttery crumble topping and flakey pie crust to hold it all together is just dreamy with these upcoming chilly Autumn days. My suggestion? Cozy up on a Saturday afternoon, bake a batch of these and enjoy them alongside a warm mug of chai tea or coffee with cardamom.

Apple Pie Bars Recipe for Thanksgiving  via Tsiporah Blog

Pies in bar form are brilliant, truly. They are easy to eat, they’re great for on-the-go (think bringing lunch to work, or packing a special treat in your kid’s lunch boxes, or a snack while running out the door…), and they re-heat beautifully. After I made my Derby Pie Bars last year I fell in love with the idea and proceeded to create these Apple Pie Bars.

Autumn Apples

These have all of the flavors of traditional apple pie, yet they are more convenient and easier to eat. They would be a great addition to your Thanksgiving dessert table (dessert deserves its own table, obviously). They would also be nice to bring to a party during the holidays, or as a sweet housewarming gift.

Apple Pie Bars

Ingredients

Crust
Whip up a half batch of my favorite cobbler/pie crust recipe

Filling
5 cups apples, peeled and chopped
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp maple syrup
3 tbsp melted butter

Crumble Topping
1 1/2 cups flour
1/3 cups oatmeal
2/3 cups brown sugar
6 tbsp butter
2 tsp cinnamon

Butter, for the pan

Apple Pie Bars for Autumn via Tsiporah Blog

Directions

Prepare crust as directed and refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour.

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Peel and chop 5 cups of apples, which is about 6 large apples. Place the chopped apples in a bowl and combine with cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, brown sugar and maple syrup.

In a large skillet with tall sides, melt 3 tbsp butter. Pour the apple mixture in and sauté over low heat just until the apples begin to soften slightly (not more than 10 minutes).

Apple Pie Bars recipe for Thanksgiving Dessert - via Tsiporah Blog

This is obviously not a big enough skillet, which I realized after I took this picture and then I switched pans

While the apples are cooking, combine all ingredients for the crumble topping in a food processor and pulse just to combine. Butter a square or rectangular pan. I used a nice, deep square pan but you can even use a brownie pan.

Roll out the dough and place it in the bottom of the pan, with the sides folded over the edges of the pan.

Tip: The easiest way to do this, which my great grandmother taught me, is to loosely roll the dough onto your rolling pin, hover your rolling pin above your pie pan, and gently unroll the rough so that it falls softly on top of the pan. From there you can gently maneuver and press it down into the bottom.

Apple Pie Bars for Thanksgiving

Pie crust recipe via Tsiporah Blog - how to get pie crust into your pan

Once the apples are done, pour them straight from the skillet into the prepared pan. Press the apples down with a rubber spatula to flatten them and then top with the crumble mix. Trim any extra crust around the edges, or fold it down to create a little bit of a rim around the apple pie bars.

Apple Pie Bars Recipe - Thanksgiving Dessert

Apple pie crumble topping

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes, or until the crust and crumble topping are both golden brown. If the crumble begins to brown too quickly, loosely cover the pan with foil.

Baked Apple Pie Bars

Once they are done, let them cool for about 10 minutes before digging in. You can top these with vanilla bean ice cream, or enjoy them as is!

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Homemade Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal

14 Monday Oct 2013

Posted by Nicole Small in Autumn/Fall, breakfast, dairy free, gluten free, vegetarian/vegan

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

apple, autumn, breakfast, dairy free, fall, food, food blog, gluten free, healthy, healthy recipe, recipe, vegan, vegetarian

Apple cinnamon oatmeal is the perfect breakfast for Fall; it is warming, healthy and comforting- the perfect combination. In this recipe, old fashioned oats lend a heartier texture while fresh apples and a hint of cinnamon give this satisfying breakfast a happy Autumn vibe. The best part? You can make it year-round!

Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Recipe via Tsiporah Blog

Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal with a drizzle of date honey

This version is much better for you than the instant oatmeal that you would make from a packet, which is loaded with sugar and salt. You can let this oatmeal simmer on the stovetop while you wake up slowly on a weekend morning, or even while you rush around getting ready for work on busier days.

Homemade Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Recipe via Tsiporah Blog

This oatmeal’s burst of fresh harvest flavor is surprising given how simple it is to prepare! I love cinnamon in my oatmeal, but if you are in the states or you are savvy with spices, you can awaken your senses even more by using a fragrant pumpkin pie spice blend instead. Hello, Fall!

Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal for Autumn via Tsiporah Blog

a splash of cream

Homemade Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal

Serves 1 | Time: 5 minutes prep, 15 minutes cook time

Ingredients

1 Medium sized apple – any kind except granny smith
1/2 Cup old fashioned rolled oats
1 1/4 Cup water
2-3 tsp Cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
Date honey, to sweeten (you can also use molasses or brown sugar)
Milk, cream or almond milk (optional)

Homemade Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal ingredients

Directions

Wash the apple and grate it using the medium ribbon side (the side you probably usually use that produces short ribbons). Bring the water to a boil and add the oatmeal and half of the grated apple. Cover and cook for 10 minutes. Uncover and add half of the remaining apple and the cinnamon. Cover and cook for 2 more minutes. Uncover and add the last bit of apple and more cinnamon to taste. Mix in the date honey or your choice of sweetener until it is a sweet as you like it. Spoon the oatmeal into a bowl and top with a splash of cream or milk. Enjoy!

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Apple, Brie and Fig Crostini

09 Tuesday Oct 2012

Posted by Nicole Small in appetizer, Holidays, recipe, Thanksgiving

≈ 12 Comments

Tags

appetizer, appetizer recipe, apple, autumn, brie, cheese, fall, fig, food, food blog, food blogger, holiday, holidays, recipe, recipe blog, thanksgiving, thanksgiving recipe

My favorite time of the year is Autumn, with the promise of brisk mornings, crackling fires, and dinner parties. It means Thanksgiving is growing near, my favorite holiday spent among loved ones from near and far. I adore having the whole family together in the kitchen, sharing, laughing, cooking. I am so grateful that this year most of my Dad’s family can travel to Arizona to celebrate the holiday with us.

My family typically enjoys many of the same Thanksgiving dishes every year, but we often like to shake it up a bit- especially with the appetizers. Sunset Magazine is our favorite source of inspiration, but we often draw insight from other origins as well, including restaurants and favorite dishes.

Easy Thanksgiving Appetizer

One of my most favorite appetizers is the crostini. Similar to bruschetta in style, a crostini can don any topping, and the possibilities are endless. One of my favorite places in Phoenix has the best bruschetta with a myriad of toppings to choose from, and the most inspiring to me is their brie with apples and fig preserves. My family also adores it, so I decided to bring it home, into our kitchen, to share with our out of town guests.

The idea behind this sweet and satisfying appetizer is simple, but the flavors are huge. It can be made for a festive dinner appetizer or as a weekday snack; either way it is equally special and delicious. These disappear very quickly in our home, especially with family and friends hanging around on the holidays. I hope that you and your loved ones enjoy just as much as we do!

Apple, Brie and Fig Crostini

Makes 18-25 Crostinis, Depending on length of baguette

Ingredients

1 baguette
2 Granny smith apples
1/2 a small round of soft brie (we like Alouette Baby Brie)
Fig Preserves
Olive oil
Fresh black pepper

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Slice baguette into 1/2 inch slices, brush with olive oil and place on a baking sheet. Toast in the oven, turning once, until lightly golden brown. Remove toasts from the oven and let cool.

Thinly slice the apples and set aside. Slice the brie into pieces to fit each toast. When the toasts have cooled enough to handle, spread each one with fig jam, layer on a slice or two of brie, and one to two slices of apple to cover. Drizzle each one with a small amount of olive oil, and finish with freshly cracked pepper.

Apple Brie Fig Crostini

Enjoy! Expect more Autumn and Thanksgiving-inspired recipes to follow as the season and holiday approach us.

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Apple Butter Challah

02 Tuesday Oct 2012

Posted by Nicole Small in Holidays, Jewish, recipe

≈ 24 Comments

Tags

apple, autumn, baked, challah, food, food blog, food blogger, holiday, holidays, jewish, jewish recipe, recipe, recipe blog, recipe blogger, vegetarian

As should be expected, any holiday, get-together, or even the smallest event is a reason for me to cook something extravagant. It could be Thursday night with a bottle of wine and my best friend and that’s a good enough reason for me, so clearly Rosh Hashana had to have something special. I had recently given in to my Smitten Kitchen addiction (I really spend far too much time clicking the “Surprise Me!” link and reading recipes on her website) and fell in love with her recent recipe for Olive Oil, Sea Salt & Fig Challah. Of course I aspired to make it for Rosh Hashana, I even stood in Sprouts for maybe 30 minutes contemplating the difference between seriously four kinds of figs- why do they have four different kinds of dried figs?!

Amidst my rushing about to recreate the latest SK masterpiece, I also had an idea of my own. I didn’t know if I liked figs (now I know- I do), so I wanted to make another Challah that I knew I would like, and I wanted to incorporate apples. But how?

apples

For days I pondered… Then, it dawned on me: Apple Butter. The perfect solution!

apple butter

Let me tell you about my love for apple butter. But soft! what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and apple butter is the sun.. but for real, apple butter is delicious. And ridiculously easy to make. So much so that I am already planning my next batch, and you really have no excuse to not bust out your crock pot at this very moment.

So, with this revelation, I made three challahs for Rosh Hashana. Yes, three! My love for homemade challah runs deep. I made Smitten Kitchen’s Olive Oil, Sea Salt and Fig Challah; Plain Challah with sesame seeds (for the discriminating tastes in the house); and the glorious Apple Butter Challah with Cinnamon Sugar. Oh, it was majestic.

challah

I first learned how to make challah from my Rabbi’s wife in college. Chaya taught me so many things about life, love, and Jewish cooking and for all these things I will be forever grateful. Her carrot kugel cannot be matched (I have tried countless times). Her baked chicken is always perfect and juicy and amazing. And her challah is to die for! So, lucky you, that’s the recipe I used! Coupled with my apple butter, it was a combination that I will not soon forget. Enjoy!

Homemade Apple Butter

Makes about 4 cups

Ingredients

12 Apples (normal sized ones that seem slightly heavy)
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
3/4 tsp Cinnamon
3/4 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
2/3 cup Water

Directions

Peel and core each apple. Roughly cut the apples into 1/2″ cubes and place in a large bowl. To the apples, add brown sugar and spices. Mix well to coat the apples. Add apples to your crock pot with 2/3 cup water. Set on low for 15 hours (this is best done overnight). Stir occasionally.

apples for apple butter

easy apple butter

Apples, after about 12 hours

After 15 hours, blend until smooth with an immersion blender. If you do not have an immersion blender, you can blend it in batches using a regular blender. Prop the lid of the crock pot open with a wooden spoon and let simmer for 2-3 more hours until the mixture has thickened. During this time be sure to stir occasionally. Then, shut off the crock pot and let it sit (with the lid still propped open). When it has cooled enough to be manageable, transfer the apple butter into canning jars or glass tupperware. It can be frozen as well.

apple butter

Chaya’s Challah

Makes two Challahs

2 packages dry yeast
2 cups water, between 110-116 degrees F
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp salt
1/2 cup oil
1 egg, beaten
6.5-7 cups all purpose flour

Dissolve a tsp of the sugar 1 cup of water. Add yeast and let the yeast foam for 5-10 minutes.

Combine the yeast mixture with the remaining water, half of the flour, the rest of the sugar and the salt. Once combined, add the egg and oil. Then work in the remaining flour until the dough forms a ball. Remove the dough from the bowl and knead for 5-10 minutes until it becomes elastic and has “acquired a life of its own.” It should spring back when pressed with a fingertip. Try to add only enough flour to keep the dough from sticking. Drizzle 2 tbsp of oil into a bowl and roll the dough around to coat it in oil. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise for an hour.

Section dough in half. With each half, evenly cut enough pieces for whichever braid you choose. With each piece, roll the dough out flat. Spread a layer of apple butter over the dough, avoiding the edges (fig filling shown in the images).

challah with filling 2

Roll the dough back into a log (like a cinnamon roll). Repeat this until you have enough apple butter-filled pieces of dough for your braid.

challah with filling

Proceed to braid the challah in whichever style you prefer. Place on a greased baking dish and brush with an egg wash. Allow to rise 1 additional hour.

braiding a challahbraided round challah

45 minutes through the second rise, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Brush the challah with a second egg wash and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. When the oven is heated, bake for 30-45 minutes on a middle rack, until the interior temperature reaches195 degrees. If the top begins to brown to quickly, cover it loosely with a piece of foil.

fig challah

Smitten Kitchen recipe for a Gorgeous Fig-filled Challah

two baked challahs

Shana tova!

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