Cranberry Apple Crumble Pie

Cranberry Apple Crumble Pie

Makes one 9" pie, 10-12 servings

Crust:

1 recipe of this All-Butter Pie Dough, parbaked

Filling:

(Adapted from Baking Illustrated)

2 pounds of apples (6 medium - see headnote), peeled, cut off the core, and sliced 1/4" thick

zest and juice of 1/2 a lemon

3/4 cup fresh (or frozen) cranberries, coarsely chopped into halves and quarters

1 1/2 tablespoons packed minced crystallized ginger

1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) sugar

2 tablespoons flour

1/8 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

pinch salt

Crumble topping:

(Adapted from The Three Babes)

3/4 cup (3 3/4 ounces) all-purpose flour

3/4 cup (2 3/4 ounces) old-fashioned or thick rolled oats

1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) granulated sugar

1/4 cup (1 3/4 ounces) packed brown sugar (light or dark)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon allspice

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1 stick (4 ounces) butter, diced, at cool room temperature

coarse sugar and flaky salt, for sprinkling on top

Prepare stuff:

Position a rack in the bottom of the oven and preheat to 350ºF. 

Protect the edges of the par-baked pie crust with foil: cut two 15" long rectangles of foil and place them on the counter in a criss-cross. Place the pie pan in the center of the cross, and fold up the edges of foil, crimping and folding them so that they cover just the edges. Place the pie pan on a rimmed baking sheet and set aside.

Make the filling:

Toss the apples in a large bowl with the lemon zest and juice. Add the remaining filling ingredients and toss well to combine thoroughly. Set aside to macerate for 10 - 20 minutes while you make the crumble topping.

Make the topping:

Combine the flour, oats, sugars, salt, and spices in a large bowl (or bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle). Work in the butter with your fingertips, a pastry cutter, or the paddle in the mixer until it begins to form hazelnut-sized clumps. 

Assemble and bake the pie:

Scrape the apple mixture and any extra juices into the parbaked crust and pack them down a bit. Top with the crumble, forming some of it into hazelnut-sized balls. There will be a lot of crumble, but the pie will cook down to reasonable proportions. Don't pack the crumble down, leave it loose and streusely. Sprinkle the top with a teaspoon of coarse sugar and a few pinches of flaky salt.

Bake the pie until the streusel is deeply golden and looks cooked through, and juices bubble thickly around the sides, an hour and fifteen minutes to an hour and a half. Let the pie cool completely at room temperature, at least 2 hours or up to 1 day.

Serve the pie at room temperature with barely-sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. The pie is best within a day of being baked, but extras will keep, refrigerated, for up to 5 days. Rewarm before serving for best results.

Chocolate Raspberry Swirl

Chocolate Raspberry Swirl
Ingredients
(adapted from Baker Street)

Cake:
2 Cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 Cups sugar
1 Cup water
1/2 Cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 Sticks unsalted butter
3 Eggs
2 Teaspoons baking powder
1 Teaspoon baking soda
1/2 Teaspoon salt
1 Teaspoon vanilla

Raspberry Swirl:
8 oz. Cream cheese
1/2 Cup seedless raspberry jam
1/3 Cup sugar
1 Egg

Make the raspberry swirl by beating together the cream cheese, sugar, egg and jam until all the ingredients are fully incorporated.  The mixture will be loose so keep it in the refrigerator while you prep the cake batter.

To make the cake, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl.  In a separate bowl, beat together the sugar, butter, eggs, water and vanilla.  Slowly beat the dry ingredients into the wet mixture until everything is fully incorporated.

Butter and flour a 12 cup bundt pan and pour in half the chocolate batter.  Pour the raspberry mixture over that and top with the remaining chocolate batter.  Bake in a thoroughly pre-heated 350 degree oven for 1 hour.  Note that a toothpick may come out clean after 55 minutes but the cake has so much moisture from the jam that it needs the extra five minutes in the oven.  Cool completely (allow a couple of hours) before turning out of the pan.  Makes 10 - 12 servings.

Carrot and Pineapple Cupcakes

As a kid I was always amused with the idea that people would bake cakes and breads with vegetables. I remember thinking to myself how silly it was because I just assumed that if you’re going to eat cake, EAT CAKE, not vegetables. Little did I know how my opinions would change after having two kids and a less-than-svelte waistline. Not because I think eating zucchini bread or carrot cake will make me skinny,  but because I can secretly justify eating just a little bit more due to the veggie factor. {Oh, come on, you know you do it too.}



























Carrot and Pineapple Cupcakes
Yield: 12 Cupcakes

Ingredients

• 3 lg. carrots (about 10 oz.), peeled
• 2/3 C crushed pineapple, well drained
• 1 C sugar
• 1 2/3 C all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 C canola oil
• 3 lg. eggs
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°
2. Combine grated carrots with sugar, flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and spices.
3. Add the pineapple and mix until just combined.
4. Wisk the eggs, oil, and vanilla in a separate bowl and pour into the carrot mixture, stirring until just combined and no dry spots remain. Don’t be tempted to keep mixing!
5. Scoop batter into muffin liners inserted into a cupcake pan and bake for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
6. Let cool completely and frost with Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting.

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Carrot and Pineapple Cupcakes w/ Brown Butter Cream Cheese Frosting

Yield: Frosts 12 Cupcakes

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp all purpose flour
• 1/2 C milk
• 1/4 C butter
• 1/4 C cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 C sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla

Instructions

1. Over medium heat, melt butter.
2. Once the butter is melted completely, continue to cook it until it turns a light brown color. You’ll notice the butter will start to bubble and will start to change color once the bubbles subside a bit. Watch closely though because it can go from perfectly browned to perfectly burned pretty quickly.
3. Stir flour into butter and slowly add in milk. Whisk until smooth and starts to boil-remove from heat.
4. The mixture will be thick and pasty. Transfer it to a mixing bowl and place into the fridge to cool. You want it to be well chilled and not warm at all, so you can leave it in there for as long as you like. Once it’s chilled move onto the next step.
5. With a hand mixer or stand mixer combine the cream cheese, vanilla and sugar, mixing until the sugar is dissolved and no longer grainy. You’ll want to be using a whisk attachment, not a paddle.
6. While beating, add in the thickened milk mixture and beat to combine. At first it will look a little weird and gloppy, but don’t worry, keep beating, scraping down the sides a bit, and it will come together.
7. Once it’s smooth, you’re done! Use to frost cupcake, cakes, or cookies.

Best carrot cake I've eaten

Ingredients:

4 eggs 1 1/4 cups vegetable oil 2 cups white sugar 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 2 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking soda 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

3 cups grated carrots 1 cup chopped pecans 1/2 cup butter, softened 8 ounces cream cheese, softened 4 cups confectioners' sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup chopped pecans

Directions: 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch pan. 2. In a large bowl, beat together the eggs, oil, white sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Mix in flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Stir in carrots and Fold in pecans. Pour into prepared pan. 3. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack and cool completely. 4. To Make Frosting: In a medium bowl, combine butter, cream cheese, confectioners' sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Beat until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Stir in chopped pecans. Frost the cooled cake.