Apple Crisp baked in a Dutch Oven

My sister Sarah is in this thing called a venture crew, it’s kind of like boy scouts for both girls and boys. They do all kind of outdoorsy things like hike and camp, and they also have dutch oven cook offs. Awesome, right? My sister is participating in one for this first time this weekend, and she enlisted my help to find her a winning recipe. She’s feeling particularly competitive because she’s up against the boy scouts, one of them being our brother. Total sibling rivalry. Fun!



Of course I said I’d help her, you know, girl power and all that. The only problem was, I had never actually worked with a dutch oven, outside, with coals doing all the heating. Thankfully, our dad has done it quite a bit and he helped me convert a regular recipe into a dutch oven one.



When I was thinking about what would be best to bake in a dutch oven, the first thing that popped into my head was apple crisp. It’s rustic, easy, and totally delicious. Sarah loves apple crisp, so she loved the idea.



This recipe is one I’ve used many times. It’s about as simple as they come. It’s perfect for a dutch oven cook off, or a fall afternoon. I’ve included directions in the recipe for both dutch ovens and regular ovens so you can make it even if you feel like staying inside. ;) I’ll let y’all know if she wins this weekend! Good luck, Sarah!



Apple Crisp
Adpated from Rustic Fruit Desserts

Topping:
2 cups old fashioned oats
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 stick butter, melted

Filling:
8 large apples, peeled, cored and sliced into to thin slices
1 1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons apple pie spice

Preheat oven to 375. Butter a 9x13 baking dish.
Make the topping; mix the oats, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt together in a bowl. Stir in the butter, then press topping together in your hands to form small clumps. Set aside.

Make the filling; toss the apples, sugar and apple pie spice together in a large bowl. Transfer the filling to the baking dish. Press the topping evenly over the fruit, then bake for 55-60 minutes, until top is golden brown and the corners are bubbling.

For dutch oven cooking, spread filling into the bottom of a 12 inch dutch oven, press topping evenly over the fruit. Place 12 hot coals below the oven and 10 on top. Cook for 45 minutes, turning every 7 minutes or so.


PS, thank you all so much for your kind comments on my last post. They were all so sweet! You guys are awesome.

Apple Cake

I didn’t want to go to the grocery store today, but as I was flipping through recipes every one called for an ingredient I didn’t have. Then, I came upon this one. I had apples and a lemon, it was meant to be.



I love simple cakes like this one. Not too sweet, just a little bit dense, and covered in fresh fruit. They are comforting and delicious. Perfect with coffee after dinner.



German Apple Cake
from Rustic Fruit Desserts

1 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup sugar
zest of 1 lemon
2 eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 apples, peeled, cored, and each cut into 6 pieces
2 tablespoons of turbinado sugar

Preheat the oven to 350. Butter a 9 inch round baking pan.
Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt together in a bowl.
Cream the butter, sugar and lemon zest on medium-high speed for 3 to 5 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition, then stir in vanilla.

Add the flour mixture all at once and mix on a low speed just until incorporated. Pour (more like spoon, it will be very thick) into the prepared pan.

Score the peeled side of the apples with the tines of a fork and arrange the apples atop the batter around the perimeter with 1 slice in the middle (I cut each large slice into 3-4 small slices)

Sprinkle with turbinado sugar and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the cake is lightly golden and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Sometimes the batter around the apples looks slightly underdone, but don’t worry; it’s just the moisture from the apples.

Apple Cobbler with Cheddar Biscuits

While this cobbler isn’t the typical way to begin a new year (black eyed peas? no thanks!), it certainly was a delicious start. I used to balk at the idea of apples and cheese together. When you think about it, it just sounds wrong. But it’s a combination I’ve grown to love, and this cobbler is no exception.



This recipe is from a cookbook that I purchased just after Christmas called Rustic Fruit Desserts. The book is absolutely beautiful, and if all the recipes are like this one, I can tell it’s going to get a lot of use. The recipes seem well thought out, this one mentions to start pre-baking the apples while you make the biscuit topping, so they will be nice and soft when it’s done.

The biscuits on top are salty from the cheese and just a tad sweet, and the apples cook perfectly. It’s sublime, and I’ll definitely be making it again.



I used a combination of Cameo and Braeburn apples, which were a nice accent to the brown sugar/cinnamon mix. You’ll need to put a piece of aluminum foil under the pan while baking, the juices bubble up a lot and chaos ensues. (sugar! burning! in the oven! smoke detector going off! dogs barking!) Also, I’ll make my biscuits just a tad smaller next time, as the bottoms were a bit on the under done side. Overall, it’s a great recipe, and it might be my new favorite cobbler.



Apple Cobbler with Cheddar Biscuits

from Rustic Fruit Desserts

Ingredients
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, at room temperature, for dish
For fruit filling:

1 cup packed (7 1/2 ounces) medium brown sugar

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

8 large apples, peeled, cored, and sliced 1/4 inch thick (3 1/2 pounds prepped)

Juice of 1 lemon

1/4 cup (2 ounces) unsalted butter
For biscuits:

2 cups (10 ounces) all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

2 cups (4 ounces) grated extra-sharp Cheddar cheese

1 1/3 cups cold buttermilk, or more as needed


Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 375° F. Butter a 3-quart baking dish.
To make the fruit filling, with your hands, rub the brown sugar, cornstarch, salt, and cinnamon together in a large bowl. Add the apples and toss to evenly coat. Gently stir in the lemon juice. Let the apples sit for 15 minutes to release some of their juices. Mix the filling more than one time before scraping the contents into the prepared pan. Cut the butter into small cubes and scatter over the apples.
Cover the pan with foil and bake in the lower third of the oven for 20 minutes. This gives the apples a jump start on cooking while you make the biscuits.

To make the biscuits, whisk the flour, 1 tablespoon of the sugar, the baking powder, and the salt together in a bowl. Add the cheese and toss until evenly coated. Make a well in the center of the bowl and add the buttermilk. With a rubber spatula or fork, or by hand, stir just until the dry ingredients are moistened. The dough will be shaggy and moist. If the dough seems dry, add a bit more buttermilk, no more than 1 tablespoon at a time.

Take the baking pan out of the oven and remove the foil. In 1/4 cup portions, place the dough atop the fruit, distributing the biscuits evenly. (You should end up with about 9 biscuits.) Sprinkle the remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar over the biscuits.

Return the cobbler to the oven (this time without the foil) and bake for an additional 30 to 40 minutes, or until the apples are tender, the juices are bubbling, and the biscuits are golden brown.

Storage: This dessert is best served the day that it is made, but any leftovers can be wrapped in plastic wrap (or foil) and kept at room temperature for 2 to 3 days.



If you'd like to keep up with my project 365 progress, I've put a link over in the side bar to the flickr set where I'll be uploading all the photos.

Apple Streusel Bars

I’m a bit of a procrastinator. Actually, more than a bit. I like to put things off, tell myself I’ll get them done later. I put off doing the dishes until there isn’t a clean fork in the house. I don’t wash my car until you can hardly tell what color it is.



Because of this little personality quirk (that’s the nice way to put it?) of mine, I’ve put off making these apple streusel bars till the first day of December, instead of back when apples where in season locally. Geesh!



I’m glad I finally got around to making them though, because they are delightful. The bottom tastes almost like short bread, and the apple topping is perfectly gooey. They are simple to throw together too, just pat out the dough, cup up some apples and you’re done! They are a bit of a hot mess coming out of the pan, crumbly and messy, but that’s partly because I can never wait until it’s completely cooled to take it out of the pan. Not a procrastinator there!

Now, let’s hope I can get some gingerbread made before Christmas.



Apple Streusel Bars
from Our Best Bites


Pastry:
2 c. flour
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. real butter, softened
1 egg, beaten

Apple Filling:
1/2 c. white sugar
1/4 c. flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
4 c. (about 3 medium) sliced, peeled baking apples (I used gala)

Glaze:
2 c. powdered sugar
About 3 Tbsp. milk (whole milk is best)
1/2 tsp. almond extract


To prepare crust, mix flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder in a medium bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or two knives until you have pea-sized crumbles. Gently mix in beaten egg.

Spray a 9x13 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray. Gently pat about 2/3 of the crumb mixture onto the bottom of the dish. Preheat oven to 350 and set aside.

To prepare apple filling, combine sugar, flour, and cinnamon and toss with apples.

Spread apples out on prepared crust. Sprinkle reserved crust mixture over apples evenly and bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes.

When finished, allow to cool.

To prepare glaze, whisk together powdered sugar, almond extract, and enough milk to achieve desired consistency. Spoon glaze on top of bars. (I like to glaze them when they’re still a little warm, so the topping isn’t bright white.)

Homemade Spiced Slow Cooker Applesauce.

I really should call November breakfast & comfort food month here at honey & jam, shouldn't I? It’s the cool weathers fault! It makes me crave homey deliciousness.



Case in point, I’ve been craving homemade applesauce something fierce lately, so when my mom got her early christmas present in the mail, a slow cooker, I jumped at the chance to make a big batch. Finding some giant honeycrisp apples at the grocery store just sealed the deal.



Warm, homemade applesauce is so good, y’all. It’s nothing like that overly pureed, tasteless stuff you get at the store. I like mine sweetened with brown sugar and spiced with cinnamon. It’s so simple, easy to do, but it’s so, so tasty and can be used with so much. It’s a perfect topping for ice cream, pork loin, or my favorite, oatmeal.



The last time I made applesauce, I just did it on the stove top, but I have to say the slow cooker made it even easier. Here’s the recipe I used, and a link to one done on the stove. Enjoy!



Spiced Slow Cooker Applesauce

8 apples - peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
1/2 cup water
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch of nutmeg

Combine the apples and water in a slow cooker; cook on Low for 4 to 6 hours. Stir in the brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg; continue cooking another 30 minutes.

Make it on the stove!

Is it fall yet? Apple Crisp.

I wore a sweater today. I realize it was a bit premature, as it’s still 80 degrees outside, but my crazy longing for fall made me do it.



You see, I really, really love fall. I love the cool, crisp air. The bright orange, red and yellow leaves. The smell of bon fires in folks backyards. So towards the end of August I always go a little crazy. Wearing scarves, sweaters, the occasional pair of boots.



My bout of crazy was only furthered by finding the first apples of the season at the farmers market yesterday. As soon as I tried one, I was smitten, they were delicious. I had to have some.



Apple crisp might be my favorite dessert ever. It contains all of my favorite things: apples, cinnamon, oats, brown sugar and butter. And this one might be the best I’ve ever had. (but that could be the crazy talking.) I used a mix of gala and jonathan in this and it came out perfectly. It’s a little bit of fall in every bite.



Apple Crisp
Adapted from here.

bake in an 8×8 baking dish or double the recipe and bake in a 9×13 dish

Filling:

5 to 6 medium-size apples , peeled, cored and cut into 1/4-inch slices. (About 7.5 cups)

6 tbsp granulated sugar

2 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Topping:

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/3 cups lightly packed brown sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 stick unsalted butter, well-softened

1/3 heaping cup quick oats

Preheat the oven to 350. Generously grease an 8×8 baking pan with butter.
Place a layer of apple slices in the bottom of the pan and dust with sugar/cinnamon mixture. Continue layering apples and dusting with cinnamon/sugar until done. The apples should be just about to the top of the pan (they will cook down).

For the topping, place the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and oats in a large bowl and stir well with a wooden spoon. Work the butter into the mixture with your fingertips until evenly distributed. It will be sort of dough-like. Spread the topping evenly over the apples.

Bake the crisp in the dish on a baking sheet on the center oven rack until the topping is crunchy and the apples are bubbling, 55-60 minutes.
Serve hot.

Apple Cheddar Scones.

For as long as I can remember, my mom has sworn to me that apple pie tastes amazing with a piece of cheddar cheese melted over top. After making these scones, I’m inclined to believe her.



When you first bite into these, it’s like a flavor explosion. The dough is slightly sweet from the cider, and the cheese is nice and melty. There are a lot of textures going on, but it’s not overwhelming. The cornmeal gives the dough a great texture, and it’s so moist and fluffy.



I used this great local cider. It’s so delicious. I’m sure apple juice would be good too, but I think the cider really added something extra.



Apple Cheddar Scones
Baking: From My Home to Yours

1 large egg
1/2 cup cold buttermilk
1/4 cup cold apple cider or unsweetened apple juice
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup yellow cornmeal, preferably stone-ground
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 stick (8 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
3/4 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup finely diced dried apples


Getting reading: Center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silicone mat.

Stir the egg, buttermilk and apple cider together

Whisk the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt together in a large bowl. Drop in the butter and, using your fingers, toss to coat the pieces of butter with flour. Quickly, working with your fingertips or a pastry blender, cut and rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture is pebbly. You’ll have pea-size pieces, pieces the size of oatmeal flakes and pieces the size of everything in between - and that’s just right.

Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients and stir with a fork just until the dough, which will be very wet and sticky, comes together. If there are still some dry ingredients in the bottom of the bowl, stir them in, but try not to overdo the mixing. Stir in the grated cheese and dried apple.

Still in the bowl, gently knead the dough by hand, or turn it with a rubber spatula 8 to 10 times. Then, because the dough is very sticky, the easiest thing to do is to turn it out onto a lightly floured work surface, pat it into a rectangle about 1/2 inch thick and, using a dough scraper or a chef’s knife, cut it into 12 roughly equal pieces; place on the baking sheet. Alternatively, you can just spoon out 12 equal mounds onto the baking sheet. (At this point, the scones can be frozen on the backing sheet, then wrapped airtight. Don’t defrost before baking - just add about 2 minutes to the baking time.)

Bake the scones for 20 to 22 minutes, or until their tops are golden and firmish. Transfer them to a rack and cool for 10 minutes before serving, or wait for the scones to cool to room temperature.

some notes: These were done in about 15 minutes for me, and were quite overdone on the bottom, I might try using an insulated cookie sheet next time.