Muffins and Mozart

Month: July 2020

Making the Perfect Apple Fritters — July 31, 2020

Making the Perfect Apple Fritters

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Even though this is supposedly a blog about the Raw Foods Pyramid and changes that I am making in our diet every since my husband was diagnosed with type 2 cancer…

A girl has to do what a girl has to do…

And right now that Mississippi girl has to fry something…(not to mention that I now live in Texas, where they fry everything from the encyclopedia to streetlights at the State Fair each year.

I feel like I can get by with this though because apples are actually on the Raw Foods Pyramid, and if you buy a ton of apples you want to make sure that you use them all, right?!

The perfect apple fritter is a sweet, tender, and fluffy donut-type object perfectly stuffed with juicy fresh apples…the perfect sweet glaze…and are served with the perfect hot cup of coffee.

Not only that, apple fritters are easy, require only a few simple ingredients, and take only thirty minutes from start to finish.

 

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Ingredients

  • 1C flour
  • 2tsp baking powder
  • ½tsp cinnamon
  • ½tsp salt
  • 2tsp lemon juice
  • 2 -3 Granny Smith apples…peeled, cored, and diced into bite-size pieces
  • 2Tbsp sugar
  • 2 eggs, room temperature
  • ¼C milk
  • Cooking oil
GLAZE
  • 1-¼C powdered sugar
  • ¼tsp vanilla
  • 6tsp milk

 

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Prep the Apples

Making the Perfect Fried Apples — July 29, 2020

Making the Perfect Fried Apples

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Making the Perfect Apple Dumplings — July 27, 2020

Making the Perfect Apple Dumplings

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Making the Perfect Apple Dessert Pizza — July 24, 2020

Making the Perfect Apple Dessert Pizza

/Christy/Leave a comment

 

 

close up photo of apples
Photo by Polina Tankilevitch on Pexels.com

The perfect apple dessert pizza consists of a giant Snickerdoodle cookie or some other type of pizza crust…topped with a simple marshmallow vanilla buttercream…plenty of cooked apples or apple pie filling…the perfect cinnamon struesel layer…and finally caramel sauce, powdered sugar, brown sugar, sugar and spice, and everything nice.

 

 

This recipe for dessert pizza is quite versatile. Use this recipe to make the perfect dessert pizza with basically any flavor canned pie filling—such as blueberry, blackberry, lemon, cherry, strawberry, and peach.

 

 

This a very easy dessert recipe…so let’s get started.

 

 

 

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The Cookie Base

  • ½C butter
  • 1/4C sugar
  • 1 egg
  • ½tsp vanilla
  • 3/4C flour
  • ¼tsp baking soda
  • 1Tbsp cinnamon
  • 1C warm water
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • 1Tbsp yeast
  • 1/2tsp salt
  • 1Tbsp olive oil

You could also use an 8oz can of Pillsbury™ refrigerated crescent dough sheet if you don’t want to go to the trouble of making your own crust.

 

 

 

 

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The Bottom Crust 

Preheat oven to 350°F. Place a pizza stone or cookie sheet in the oven as the oven preheats.

 

 

Combine dry ingredients—flour, baking soda, sugar, and cream of tartar in a mixing bowl.

 

 

Combine liquid ingredients—butter, egg, vanilla. Pour over dry ingredients.

 

 

Beat on medium speed until well until well combined and dough forms.

 

 

Remove the dough from the mixing bowl. Shape into a large ball. Turn the dough over once to coat it in oil. Wrap in plastic wrap.

 

 

Let rise in a warm place for about an hour.

 

 

Refrigerate at least thirty minutes.

 

 

Remove the dough from the plastic. Roll the cookie dough into a ¼” thick circle.

 

 

Place the dough on the preheated pizza stone or cookie sheet.

 

 

Bake at 350°F for 15 to 18 minutes, until the edges just start to turn golden brown. The center will still be a little bit soft but that’s okay.

 

 

Allow the cookie to cool completely.

 

 

 

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Cream Cheese Layer

8oz cream cheese, softened
2Tbsp brown sugar
1/2tsp cinnamon

 

Beat ingredients together untli well blended. Carefully spread onto cooked crust, leaving 1/2″ uncovcered along the outer edges of the pizza.

 

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Apple Layer

  • 10 large apples
  • 2Tbsp lemon juice
  • 1C brown sugar
  • 3/4C sugar
  • 4Tbsp cornstarch
  • Dash nutmeg
  • Dash salt
  • 1tsp cinnamon
  • 1tsp vanilla

 

As far as which apples you should consider buying to make your dessert pizza, good choices would be Braeburn, Granny Smith or Honeycrisp.

 

 

Peel and core the apples. Dice or slice them. Put them in a large bowl.

 

 

Combine the sugar, apples, vanilla, nutmeg, salt, cinnamon.and cornstarch in a large saucepan over medium heat, Simmer forthirty minutes…until the apples are tender and the mixture is quite thick.

 

 

Let filling cool for 45 minutes…

 

 

 

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Baking

Bake at 350° for 30min, until the edges are browned and the pizza topping is hot and bubbly.

Make a powdered sugar icing to drizzle over the top by stirring together 2C powdered sugar, 2Tbsp softened butter, 1tsp vanilla, and 3 or 4Tbsp milk or half-and-half.

Drizzle on top of pizza. Enjoy!

Making the Perfect Apple Cookies — July 19, 2020

Making the Perfect Apple Cookies

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The perfect apple cookies are bursting with spices, fresh apple, and little bits of gooey caramel….perfectly soft and chewy…with perfectly crisp edges and soft, moist centers.

Ingredients

1C flour

1-3/4C old fashioned oats

1/2tsp baking soda

1/2tsp salt

1tsp cinnamon

1/2tsp apple pie spice or cinnamon

1/2C butter, softened

1/2C unsweetened applesauce

3/4C brown sugar

3/4C sugar

1 egg

1tsp vanilla

1/2 cup (63g) chopped walnuts

1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and finely chopped

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Directions

 

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper…(you could also grease the pan with shortening or spritz with Pam)…

 

 

Peel the apples. Dice the apples fairly small. The smaller the better. The smaller the apples are diced, the better the dough can hold together…the better the apples are distributed in the finished cookies…the more likely that the apples will cook through and soften by the time cookies are done.

 

Whisk dry ingredients—flour, oats, cinnamon, brown sugar, cinnamon, apple pie spice, baking soda and salt—together in a large bowl.

 

Cream liquid ingredients—butter, egg, vanilla, applesauce—together until

combined.

 

Make a well in the center of your liquid ingredients. Pour dry ingredients into the liquid ingredients. Whisk until just combined.

 

Toss the chopped apples with lemon juice. Add oats and walnuts. Fold into the batter. The cookie dough will be thick and sticky…

 

Cover and refrigerate the dough for at least thirty minutes. Chilling the dough will make the dough a easier to work with and make your cookies turn out thicker.

 

Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Using a cookie scoop, scoop about 2Tbsp of dough and about 3″ apart onto the prepared baking sheets to form your cookies. Flatten slightly…

 

Bake about fifteen minutes, until lightly browned and set on the edges.

 

Let cookies cool on baking sheets for about ten minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to finish cooling.

 

Cookies wil stay fresh…if put in an airtight container and put in the fridge…for up to a week.

 

You could also make the cookie dough and chill it in the refrigerator for up to three  days before allowing it to come to room temperature and then baking.

 

As far as freezing, the cookies will freeze well for up to three months.

Making the Perfect Apple Cobbler — July 17, 2020

Making the Perfect Apple Cobbler

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The perfect apple cobbler with a juicy and sweet filling similar to the filling of an apple pie…made with the perfect amounts of cinnamon and nutmeg, giving it a perfect flavor…a super fluffy and buttery cake-like biscuit topping…served warm with Blue Bell vanilla bean ice cream on top,,,and best of all perhaps, it is so very easy to make.

 

 

It’s a five step process…1.  slice the apples…2. toss them with spices…3. layer them in a casserole dish…4. top them with a biscuit crust…5. bake.

 

 

So let’s talk about how to make an old-fashioned apple cobber that would make your grandma proud…one that will soon become a tried and true family favorite.

 

 

 

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Crisps vs Cobblers

But before we get started, let’s talk about the difference between a cobbler and a crisp.

 

 

Crisps usually typically have a crispy streusel-like topping—such as rolled oats, diced nuts, butter, and flour. Crisps are usually topped with a streusel like topping….whereas cobblers are topped with more of a cake-like or biscuit-like batter.

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The Apples

Other great options include Gala, Honeycrisp, and Pink Lady.
Combinations…Using a combination of different apple varieties—such as gala apples together with honeycrisps—will add some depth to your cobbler. 

 

You will need three pounds of apples…which translates to about five or six.

 

 

 

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Making the Topping

 

Mix the dry ingredients together.

 

 

Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients.

 

 

Now stir in the liquid ingredients—the lk and melted butter, just until combined.

 

 

Fold mixture with a rubber spatula just until combined. Do not over-mix though. The topping should still be lumpy and should resemble thick cake batter.

 

 

Dollop about twelve spoonfuls of mixture across apple layer. Don’t bother spreading it out. The topping will spread as the cobbler bakes.

 

 

Pour evenly on top of the apple filling. It’s okay if some of the filling is peaking through or the filling is not totally perfect.

 

 

Sprinkle finished dish lightly with cinnamon.

 

 

 

 

 

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Baking the Cobbler

Bake the cobbler in the preheated oven for about forty minutes…until the apples are soft and the top is golden brown.

 

 

Allow the cobbler to cool for about ten minutes.

 

 

Serve warm, with a great big scoop of ice cream.

 

 

How to Make the Perfect Apple Chips — July 15, 2020

How to Make the Perfect Apple Chips

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healthy apple fruits natural
Photo by mali maeder on Pexels.com

 

 

Baked  apple chips are a crunchy, crispy, and healthy snack

 

 

Making them yourself is so very easy…not to mention cheaper than those you find at grocery stores and health food stores. Simply slice your apples as thin as you can, sprinkle with cinnamon-sugar, and baking at a low oven temperature for a few hours.

 

 

You can obviously make these chips in a dehydrator, but thankfully to make apple chips you don’t necessarily have to fork over the money to buy one.

 

 

 

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Ingredients

2 apples, thinly sliced…any variety will work

2 tsp sugar

1tsp cinnamon

 

 

 

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Preparing

Position oven racks in the upper and lower third of oven….Preheat oven to 200 ℉. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Set aside. Do not set your oven temperature above 200ºF because the apples will quickly burn.

Wash and dry the apples.

 

Slice the apples into as thin of slices that you possibly can….the thinner your apple slices, the better. If your apple slices are too thick, they will turn out to be mushy.

Using a mandoline will make slicing the apples so much easier. Using a mandoline will ensure that each slice is the exact same thickness and just as crispy as all the others.
If you don’t have a mandoline, use your sharpest knife.

Work quickly, as the apples will begin to brown if left exposed to air for too long

 

Also make sure the apples are consistent in size, so they bake evenly.

Remove the seeds from the individual slices.
Lay the apple slices side-by-side on the prepared baking pans in a single layer, slices not touching each other.

 

 

Lightly dust each side with cinnamon for extra flavor and crispiness, using a sifter or strainer.

 

 

Cinnamon has a warm, sweet aroma and the flavor mimics the taste of sugar but without all of the calories. Spices other than cinnamon that you might try include nutmeg, ginger or cardamom.

 

 

You could also try mixing the cinnamon with some powdered sugar. This makes the cinnamon easier to sprinkle evenly on the chips. Not only that, powdered sugar contains cornstarch, so it helps keep the chips dryer when storing.

 

 

Many people also advise dipping the apples in lemon juice before sprinkling on the cinnamon in order to prevent browning…but this is optional.

 

 

 

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Baking

Bake for for an hour at 200ºF at 200ºF. Baking the apples at low oven temperatures ensures that your chips are crunchy chips…without tasting burnt.

 

Flip the slices over.

 

Bake an additional 1 hour. Note that the baking time will vary based on the thickness of each slice and the moisture content of the variety of the apples.

 

Bake until the pieces feel mostly dry and crisp on the edges.

 

Turn the oven off. Keep the apples inside the oven for one more hour. Sitting in the oven as it cools down, rather than sitting at room temperature, will help your apple chips crunch up much quicker.

 

To check if the chips are completely baked, let them sit on the warm sheet pan for five minutes. If they feel crispy, they’re ready. If not, keep drying in 15 minutes increments.

 

 

 

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Storing

Allow chips to cool completely before placing them in an air-tight container.

 

Apple chips are best served the day they are made….but you can store them at room temperature in an airtight container for up to a week.

 

But the longer you store the chips, the more moisture they will absorb from the air and the faster they will soften again.

 

Apple chips can be enjoyed chopped and sprinkled over yogurt with muesli, on top of salads, on top of oatmeal, served with caramel, or right out of the container.

Making the Perfect Apple Coffee Cake — July 12, 2020

Making the Perfect Apple Coffee Cake

/Christy/1 Comment

 

 

The perfect coffee cake is moist and tender…with a perfect gooey middle layer of dark cinnamon filling…and a crumbly streusel topping.….with lots and lots of crumbs.

 

 

This is a simple and quick recipe for a delicious, homemade coffee cake made from scratch…and best of all, you probably already have all the ingredients in your pantry or fridge…that will be great for making ahead of time and serving for a special brunch or holiday breakfast.

By the way, I used to hate it when I was growing up and my mom would make a cake…saying that it would taste better tomorrow…dang it..I didn’t want to wait until tomorrow…I wanted a piece right then and there…

Same with this coffee cake…I want it as hot as my coffee…straight out of the oven.

 

 

Prep Work

  • Preheat oven to 350°F.
  • Grease and flour 9″ springform or Bundt pan.

 

 

 

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Making the Streusel

  • 1/2C flour
  • 1/4C brown sugar
  • 1-1/2tsp cinnamon
  • 3Tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
  • 3/4C chopped walnuts, optional

Combine flour, brown sugar and cinnamon. Note that making your streusel by hand will help make the streusel crunchier.

Cut in butter with a whisk.

Pinch together with your fingers until it forms a crumble.

 

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Making the Cake

  • 2 eggs
  • 2tsp vanilla
  • 1C sour cream
  • 1-1/4C milk
  • 1C sugar
  • 2C flour
  • 1-1/4tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt

     

Mix together your wet ingredients—eggs, vanilla, sour cream, and milk.

 

 

 

Mix together your dry ingredients—the sugar, flour, baking powder and salt.

 

 

Combine the two mixtures. Mix until the batter is smooth, fluffy, and resembles frosting, about two minutes.

 

 

Spoon half the batter into the prepared pan.

 

 

Sprinkle half of the streusel mixture…about three cups… evenly over batter.

 

 

Top with remaining batter.

 

 

Spread evenly using a spatula.

 

 

Sprinkle the rest of the streusel evenly over the top of the cake..

 

 

 

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Baking Your Coffee Cake

Bake at 350 for about an hour…or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Let cool on a wire rack for at least thirty minutes before carefully transferring the cake, streusel side up, onto a serving plate. 

Making the Perfect Apple Bread — July 10, 2020

Making the Perfect Apple Bread

/Christy/3 Comments

 

 

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Herbs and Spices

To freeze...Wrap in plastic and aluminum foil..can be frozen for up to three months.

Making the Perfect Baked Apples — July 8, 2020

Making the Perfect Baked Apples

/Christy/Leave a comment

The perfect baked apples are an apple lover’s dream…and a chef’s pleasure to make whenever they are too lazy, like me, or don’t want to take the time to make an actual apple pie.

 

 

 

The perfect baked apple pie is a sweet, warm, and delicious apple….topped with delicious spices like cinnamon, fresh ginger, and nutmeg…and finally served with a generous portion of vanilla ice cream or homemade caramel sauce (see recipe below)…

 

 

 

The perfect baked apple a a simple, old-fashioned dessert that has all the deliciousness of the filling of an apple pie…yet takes a whopping five minutes to make.

 

 

 

Not only are baked apples definitely a treat to eat, but they also fill your home with a great aroma.

 

 

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Gather Your Ingredients

1/4C brown sugar

1tsp spices—such as cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg

2Tbsp butter

3/4C boiling water or apple cider

7 apples

2Tbsp lemon juice

Optional Ingredients…1/4C chopped walnuts or pecans, chopped raisin, dried cranberries

 

 

 

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Choose the Right Apples

In order to make baked apples, guess what you must first have…

 

Apples…duh(?!)

 

But how do you decide which apples to choose?!

 

You want to make sure that you don’t choose an apple that will turn to mush so fast they explode out of their skins…but you also want to choose an apples that stays too firm.

 

Instead the apple that you choose to make your baked apples should be able to become nice and soft inside, but still maintain its shape.

 

Typically the best apples to choose are firm, crisp and tart apples—such as Gala apples, Fuji apples, and Granny Smith apples.

 

You’ll need one apple per person….which means that you can cook anywhere from one to one hundred…if you have a baking dish that will actually hold one hundred apples.

 

 

 

 

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Hollow Out Your Apples

Peel and core apples.

 

 

First use a paring knife or apple corer to carefully remove the core of the apple…and then to thinly slice the apple lengthwise.

 

 

Be sure not to slice all the way through the apple…if you do, you will have sliced apples…not an apple that you can actually stuff with sugar and spice and everything nice…instead leave about 1/2″ of the apple intact at the bottom.

 

 

Remove the core and seeds. You can do this with either the sharp edges of a 1/2tsp measuring spoon or a small melon baller.

 

 

Place apples in big enough dish that will hold all of your apples without the apples touching each other.

 

 

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Fill Your Apples

Now for the sugar and spice and everything nice…

 

I guess you could really fill each apples with whatever you want…whatever spices, butter, sugar, currants, chopped raisins, chopped pecans, dried cranberries, walnuts

 

Stir these together in a large bowl andf then add a pinch or two to each apple.

 

Top each stuffed apple with 1/2 Tbsp butter,

 

 

 

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Bake Your Apples

Pour about 1″ of liquid around the apples. This not only will keep the apple from charring and sticking to the baking dish as it bakes, but will also help make your apples turn out softer—such as water, apple cider, a splash of bourbon or brandy.

 

Bake the apples at 350°F oven for about 40 to 45 minutes, until they are soft, but not mushy. Test them by piercing them with a fork.

 

 

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Serve Your Apples

Once your apples have finished baking, take them out of the oven and let them sit for five to ten minutes.

 

 

Baste the apples with the juices from the pan.

 

 

Then serve with something cold and creamy—such as heavy cream, ice cream, or yogurt.

 

 

Baked apples are best when served fresh, but leftovers can last in the refrigerator for up to four days or in the freezer up to a month.

 

 

To reheat your baked apples, either cook them  in the microwave or bake at 350 until warmed through.