Tag: Dessert

Apples, Dessert

Katie’s Brown Bag Apple Pie

Lynnae

My sister-in-law Katie’s brown bag apple pie is full of the flavors of home. It’s everything an apple pie should be–flaky crust, simple ingredients, cinnamon, apples, crumb topping… Serve it a la mode, and it’s a grand slam home run! This pie comes together fast, but does take a while to bake. But it’s oh so worth the wait.

You’ll need flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, butter, oil, milk, and APPLES–good pie apples, crisp and no too sweet. I used Braeburn apples for this pie.

Add the flour, salt, and sugar to the pie tin and mix to evenly distribute the dry ingredients.  Add milk and oil and mix together.  Press the crust into the bottom and sides of the tin.

I used the Pampered Chef apple, peeler, corer, slicer to peel and slice the apples. You can buy a tool like this at almost any kitchen store. It definitely speeds up the process. Toss the sugar, cinnamon, and flour with the apple slices in a bowl.  Fill the pie crust with the apples, pressing down on them to fit them all in.

Using a pastry blender, combine the butter, sugar, and flour together into a crumblike consistency. Pack the topping onto the apples.

Put the pie in a brown paper grocery size bag on it’s side and staple it shut.

Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour 45 minutes.

Serve warm. With vanilla ice cream. You’re welcome.

Brown Bag Apple Pie

From the Kitchen of Katie Hymas

Serves: 6-8Prep Time: 30-45 minCook Time: 1 hr 45 min

Crust

  • 1½ cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1½ teaspoons sugar
  • 2 tablespoons cold milk
  • ½ cup oil

Mix the dry ingredients together in the pie tin.  Add milk and oil and mix together.  Press the crust into the bottom and sides of the tin.

Filling

  • 6-7 apples, peeled and sliced
  • ½ cup sugar
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • 2 tablespoons flour

Toss the sugar, cinnamon, and flour with the apple slices.  Fill the pie crust with the apples.

Topping

  • ½ cup flour
  • ½ cup butter softened
  • ½ cup sugar

Combine with the pastry blender and sprinkle over top of pie.  Place pie in brown paper bag.  Staple it shut. Bake at 350° for 1 hour 45 minutes.

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Barb’s Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

Lynnae

Several years ago, one of my co-workers and good friends, Barbara, would bring the most amazing chocolate chip cookies to work to share.  They were soft and rich, and I could easily eat half a dozen in one sitting.  Give them a try.  You won’t be disappointed. 

One amazing tip I’ve learned is to cream your eggs and butter together to create beautiful, creamy emulsion.  See the picture below.  It takes a while, so don’t panic.  The cookies bake differently when I do this and when I don’t. This picture shows the whip attachment for the mixure, but I prefer to use the paddle attachment.

After the eggs and butter cream together, I add the sugars, cream, and extracts and mix, then switch to my dough hook.  Next, I add the dry ingredients that I mixed together in a separate bowl, and lastly, the chocolate chips, about 1 1/2 bags.  Guittard Milk Chocolate Chips are my favorite.  I’d definitely use a high quality chocolate chip in these.  Milk and semi-sweet both work great.  Use your favorite!

Next, drop them onto a cookie sheet.  Don’t flatten them.  I recently started using silicone baking liners, and I love them!  Another tip is don’t bake too many at a time.  I only cook a dozen at a time.

Bake at 350 degrees for 9-12 minutes.  Do NOT over bake them.  They will get hard and crunchy if you do.  The best way to tell is by looking at the bottom of the cookie.  They should be on the very light end of turning brown.  I like to leave them on the cookie sheet for an extra minute or two before I transfer them to the cooling rack.  They cook just a tiny bit more and are a little easier to handle after they have cooled for a moment.

They are the best when served with a tall glass of milk!  After they have completely cooled, store them in an air tight container so they will stay fresh and soft.

Barb’s Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

From the Kitchen of Lynnae Hymas

Recipe adapted from Barbara Leonhardt

Ingredients

  •          1 ½ c. butter
  •          3 eggs
  •          2 c. brown sugar
  •          1 ½ c. sugar
  •          1 ½ tsp vanilla
  •          1 ½ tsp coconut extract (don’t leave this out!)
  •          ¾ c. cream

Dry Ingredients

  •          4 ½ c oatmeal flour (17 ounces)
  •          4 ½ c. flour (22.15 ounces)
  •          1 ½ tsp baking powder
  •          1 ½ tsp baking soda
  •          ¾ tsp salt
  •          3 c. chocolate chips

Directions

Cream the eggs and butter together until emulsified.  Preheat oven to 350° F.  Cream the sugar.  Mix in extracts and cream.  Blend oats in blender until flour.  Combine dry ingredients together in a separate bowl and then add to sugar, butter, and egg mixture.  Combine together, then add chocolate chips.  Drop balls onto a cookie sheet and then bake for 9-12 minutes.  Allow to cool on the pan for a minute or two. Remove from pan and allow to cool on cooling rack.  Makes approx. 6 dozen cookies.

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Blueberry Sauce

Lynnae
We left our blueberry picking adventure with a booklet of recipes to make with our blueberries.  This recipe for blueberry sauce is good on anything from pancakes to ice cream.
Blueberry Sauce 
From the Kitchen of Lynnae Hymas 
Adapted from a recipe by the Couturier Blueberry Farm 

Ingredients 

• ¼ cup sugar 
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch 
• 2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries 
• ½ cup water or fruit juice 

Directions 

In a medium sized saucepan, combine the sugar and cornstarch. Add the blueberries to the pan and mash them with a potato masher and combine them with the sugar mixture. Gradually stir in the water and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil until the sauce is thick.

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Individual Fruit Tart

Lynnae

For Father’s Day this year, the men at church each received an individual fruit tart.  Turns out they are one of my husband’s favorite desserts.  Who knew?  After our Ludington, MI blueberry picking adventure, he asked me to make him a batch.  No surprise here, but they went fast.  This recipe is adapted from Our Best Bites fruit pizza, and the fruit glaze is a recipe from Heather Brown.
Raw Ingredients
Creamed Butter and Egg
Frosted Cookies
Glazed Fruit
Finished Product
Individual Fruit Tarts
From the Kitchen of Lynnae Hymas
Crust
·         1 cup real butter (no substitutions!)
·         1 cup white sugar
·         1 egg
·         1 teaspoon almond extract
·         3 cups all-purpose flour
·         1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
·         ½ teaspoon table salt

Creamy Topping
·         1 8-once package cream cheese (light cream cheese is fine)
·         ¼ cup brown sugar
·         1 cup whipping cream
·         ½ cup powdered sugar
Pizza Topping
·         1 pint strawberries, washed, hulled, sliced, and patted dry
·         1 pint blueberries, washed and patted dry
Clear Fruit Glaze
·         ½ cup Sugar
·         1 cup water or pineapple juice
·         2 tablespoon cornstarch
·         2 tablespoon corn syrup
Directions
For the crust, using a mixer, cream the butter and egg until light and fluffy.  The butter and egg should be room temperature—it’ll take about 5-7 minutes.  Add sugar and extract and cream together.
In a separate bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt.  Spoon the flour into the cup and then level it off with a knife.  Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and mix until completely combined.
Roll out the dough to about ¼ of an inch thick.  Using a biscuit cutter or  even a quart jar lid ring, cut the dough into individual circles and put on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or silicon baking mat.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour. 
Bake at 350°F for 8-12 minutes.  If you like them really soft and slightly chewy, about 8-9 minutes does it. If you like them slightly crisp and buttery, then go for 10-12. Allow to cool completely.
While the crust is cooling, start making the clear fruit glaze.  Bring ½ cup sugar to a boil with ½ cup of the water or juice.  Dissolve corn starch in ½ cup of the water or juice and add it to the sugar mixture.  Cook stirring until mixture thickens and clears.  Stir in corn syrup.  Bring to a boil and then remove from heat.  Cool.
When the crust is almost cool, use an electric mixer to combine the cream cheese, and brown sugar until light and fluffy. In a separate bowl, whip the cream and powdered sugar until medium peaks form. Fold the whipped cream into the cream cheese mixture and combine well.
Spread the cream cheese mixture over the cooled crust. Arrange the berries as desired over the creamy topping. Using a pastry brush, brush the fruit with the clear fruit glaze. 
Refrigerate until ready to serve. Makes 24 tarts.
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English Almond Toffee

Lynnae

English toffee is one of my favorite candies to make and eat at Christmas time.  I’ve been known to buy the big containers of the stuff from Costco and then hide them and sneak one (or two) every now and then.  Don’t judge.  🙂   Anyway, the candy is not that hard to make.  Here is my mother-in-law’s recipe.

2/3 c. butter

½ c. sugar
1/3 c. water 
½ tsp salt
2/3 c. raw chopped almonds
¼ tsp baking soda
½ c. chocolate chips
¼ c. chopped roasted almonds

Add butter,sugar, water, and salt to a heavy sauce pan. Cook over low to medium heat,stirring constantly until it boils.  Cookwithout stirring to 236° F.  Add 2/3 cup raw almonds.  Cook to 290° F stirring constantly.  Stir in ¼ tsp baking soda.  Pour onto cookie sheet ¼” thick.  Immediately put ½ cup chocolate chips on topand spread as chocolate melts.  Sprinklewith chopped almonds.

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Buttercream Frosting

Lynnae


Buttercream Frosting


1 c. butter, room temperature

4 c. powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

¼ c. heavy cream

Cream the butter with an electric mixer.  Add the sugar and vanilla extract and mix on low speed until blended.  Increase the speed to medium and add the cream in a thin stream.  Increase speed to high and then whip until the texture is light and smooth.  Add more sugar or cream to adjust texture as needed.