Graduation Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing

All good things!

It’s that time of year again! Call it End-Of-School-Craziness, but this year it meets house training an adorable puppy (pics at a later date) + repairs in an area of the house effected by a leaky roof + two graduations. That doesn’t leave time for much else including blog posts, but then I thought…cookies. Guess what I’m itching to bake? Graduation cookies! So here’s my recipe for basic sugar cookies and royal icing. Have a graduate in your family? Both the sugar cookie and royal icing recipes are easy and they come out looking and tasting so sweet!

Bake the cookies.

Paint (yes, I use a paint brush) the main color icing.

Add decorative details.

Cap and diploma sugar cookies.

These sugar cookies can be baked ahead of time, frozen, then defrosted and decorated or the decorated cookies can be frozen. Tip: Store decorated cookies, with wax paper in between the layers, in a airtight container.

Happy baking, hon!

Basic Sugar Cookie Recipe

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened (I used margarine to make recipe non-dairy)

1 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar

1 egg

2-3 teaspoons flavoring such as vanilla or almond

2 1/2 – 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Cream together softened butter and confectioner’s sugar.
3. Crack egg into a separate bowl and add flavoring. Add to the butter/sugar mixture and mix until egg is thoroughly incorporated.
4. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt, then add the dry mixture, little by little, to the butter/sugar mixture. (Tip-a paddle attachment works well. Dough will by sticky.)
5. If the dough is too sticky, refrigerate until it stiffens.
6. Roll out on parchment paper to about 1/4 inch thick, using flour for dusting as necessary. Cut and bake for 7 – 8 minutes.

Yield: 2 – 2 1/2 dozen cookies. The recipe doubled will yield approximately 4 -5 dozen.

Notes:  Baking times are approximate so watch the cookies. If they are browning, they’ve been in a little too long.

Royal Icing Recipe

Ingredients

3 3/4 cups confectioners sugar

3 Tablespoons of meringue or dried egg white powder

6 Tablespoons warm water

Beat about 4 minutes by hand. Thin icing, if needed with extra tablespoons of warm water.

Add color in small amounts. (Tip–it’s easier to darken a color than lighten it.)

Related posts: DIY Graduation Party (Party Prep Step-by-Step), American Flag-Inspired Cupcakes and Cookies, Melted Snowman Cookies, Cookie Crazy, DIY Party Favors, Character Driven Gingerbread Cookies

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Gluten Free Apple Pie (Recipe and Video)

Gluten Free Baking cookbook by Michael McCamley.

Inspiration Photo.

Ready for Thanksgiving!

My apple pies are done and one of them is gluten free, so I’m re-posting the recipe and how-to video.

Unlike regular dough which comes together in a food processor, Michael McCamley’s recipe for gluten free dough in Gluten Free Baking is worked by hand. The dough is sticky and a bit messy, but the end result is delicious. I used Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free Flour for the pie, and have used rice flour for gluten free cookies and gluten free pancakes.

Guess what I did? I labeled the pie using my ceramics letters. Fun!

Happy Thanksgiving, Hon!

Gluten free apple pie before being baked and after!

Gluten Free Pastry Dough

Ingredients:

• 3 2/3 cups gluten free flour, plus extra for dusting
• 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
• 1/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
• 1 stick butter (1/2 cup) plus extra for greasing (I used Crisco vegetable shortening.)
• 1 egg, plus extra for glazing
• 1/2 cup milk (I used almond milk)

Directions:

1. To make pastry dough, combine the flour, xanthan gum, and confectioner’s sugar in a large bowl. Rub in butter (or vegetable shortening) with your fingertips until mixture resembles fine bread crumbs. Add the egg and milk (or almond milk) and combine to make dough. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in refrigerator for 20 minutes.
2. After dough has chilled, preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
3. On a gluten free-floured surface, divide dough in two. Roll each piece out to form a large circle*–one to line pie plate and one to become top of pie.
4. Line pie plate with one of the pasty circles and spoon in the apple filling. (See Apple Pie filling below.)
5. Mix together a little milk (or almond milk) and egg and brush rim of pastry with this. Add second pastry circle as a lid and, using a fork, crimp edges of dough all the way around. Pierce pie in the middle a couple of times to let out steam during baking. If you make a basket weave top, no need to pierce dough.
6. Brush top of the pie with beaten egg and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until golden.

Serves 8

Apple Pie Filling

Ingredients:

• 6 cups apple slices (I use a combination of Granny Smith and other varieties)
• 3/4 cup sugar (I cut the sugar to about 1/2 cup)
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• approximately 1 Tablespoon gluten free flour
• dash salt
• 1 egg, beaten (used to brush on top of crust before baking)

Directions:

1. Combine apples, sugar, lemon juice, spices and salt.  This mixture will give off a lot of liquid so use a slotted spoon when spooning into pie crust, allowing you to spoon the apple mixture without the excess liquid.

Tips:

*I rolled out the dough by a)pressing dough ball down to flatten it, b)sandwiching dough between two pieces of wax paper, then c)rolling the rolling pin on top of the wax paper.  (Demo can be seen in the video.) If the dough sticks to the wax paper, you can spray the wax paper with non-stick spray.

**You can make this pie ahead and freeze it.  Let pie cool completely before wrapping in saran wrap and aluminum foil.  A couple of days before serving, defrost at room temperature.

Serving options:

Serve warm–after removing from oven, let cool about 20 minutes.

Serve room temperature–cool completely.

Rewarm defrosted pie– warm in a preheated 250- 275 degrees F oven, uncovered, until desired temperature.

Blueberry, Almond and Lemon Cake

Image source: Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne.

I saw this recipe in the Cooking section of The New York Times and, as usual, Bookmarked it. When I was ready to try it, I shopped for ingredients, but didn’t realize the almond flour I had at home was actually almond meal, a grittier, nuttier-tasting “flour.” I decided to use it anyway, and also incorporated suggested adjustments to the recipe for Blueberry, Almond and Lemon Cake by Yotam Ottolenghi. Alterations include decreasing the amount of sugar, separating eggs, beating egg whites, coating blueberries in dry ingredients, and baking for a shorter time uncovered.

The cake smelled so good coming out of the oven, I didn’t make the icing–the recipe below is essentially a Blueberry, Almond, and Lemon Loaf rather than a cake. Slice it and enjoy plain or with butter or cream cheese. The inside is super moist and the blueberries are–umm–berry sweet!

Happy baking, hon!

Combine dry ingredients with butter/sugar/egg yolk mixture.

Beat egg whites until they form stiff peaks.

Fresh out of the oven.

Berry yummy!

Ingredients

• ½ cup (1 stick) 150 grams unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus extra for greasing the pan (I used non-stick spray for greasing pan and parchment paper.)
• 1/2 cup/95 grams granulated or superfine sugar (caster sugar)
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest (grated lemon), plus 1 tablespoon lemon juice (or more juice as needed)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (vanilla essence)
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 3 large eggs, room temperature and separated
• ⅔ cup/90 grams all-purpose flour (plain flour)
• 1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
• ⅛ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup/110 grams almond flour
• 1 ½ cups/200 grams fresh blueberries
• ⅔ cup/70 grams confectioners’ sugar (icing sugar)

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit/200 degrees Celsius. Grease a 9- or 8-inch/21-centimeter loaf pan with butter or non-stick spray, line with a parchment paper sling and butter the paper. Set the pan aside.

2. Combine butter, sugar, lemon zest, vanilla and almond extract in a bowl and mix with paddle attachment. Beat on high speed for 3 to 4 minutes, until light. Add eggs yolks and beat. Don’t worry if mix splits a little: It’ll come back together once dry ingredients are added.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and almond flour.

4. Sprinkle about 1 Tablespoon of dry ingredients over blueberries (or just enough to coat blueberries) and carefully toss. Set blueberries aside. (Coating blueberries w/dry ingredients helps to keep them suspended in batter rather than sinking to bottom.)

5. Beat egg whites until they form stiff peaks.

6. In three additions, add dry ingredients to butter/sugar/egg mixture and mix just until no white specks remain. Fold in blueberries by hand. Fold in stiff egg whites. Spoon batter into prepared loaf pan.

7. Bake uncovered for approximately 1 hour. Test middle with toothpick and when it comes out clean, cake is done. Let cook in pan for at least 10 minutes before removing cake from pan and placing on wire rack to cool completely.

8. When cake is cool, make the icing: Add lemon juice and confectioner’s sugar to a bowl and whisk until smooth, adding a bit more juice if necessary, just until the icing moves when you tilt the bowl. Pour over the cake and gently spread out. The blueberries on the top of the cake may bleed into the icing a little, but this will add to the look. Let icing set (about 30 minutes), slice and serve.

Yield: 8 servings

Three Berry Crisp

Berry Delicious!

This perfect-for-summer Three Berry Crisp is yummy by itself, served with ice cream, or topped with whipped cream. There’s plenty of berry juice at the bottom to drizzle on waffles, brownies or anything else you want to dress up with some red and blue sweetness. Found on Oukosher.org by Eileen Goltz, this Three Berry Crisp is gluten-free, nut-free if walnuts are eliminated, and vegan and parve when margarine is used. The recipe is missing one thing–a note that spoons are required for serving and eating–lol!

Happy baking, hon!

Pour berry mixture into greased dish.

Crumble topping over berry mixture.

Bake until topping is browned.

Ingredients

Fruit Filling:

• 3 cups raspberries
• 1½ cups blackberries
• 2 cups blueberries
• ½ cup sugar
• 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Topping:

• 1¾ cups flour
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ cup granulated sugar (I cut to approx. 1/4 cup.)
• ¼ cup powdered sugar, sifted
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 cup coarsely-chopped walnuts (Or substitute with plain oatmeal to make nut-free.)
• ⅔ cup unsalted butter or margarine, melted and cooled
• Optional: dashes of ground cloves and cardamom

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly butter a 7×11-inch baking dish and set aside. (I used two deep pie dishes.)

To Prepare the Filling:

2. Lightly rinse the berries and drain on a paper towel-lined half sheet pan. Gently pat dry and then place in a large bowl. Add the sugar and cornstarch and toss them gently with the berries. Add the lemon juice and toss gently. Transfer the filling to the prepared dish.

To Prepare the Topping:

3. Combine the flour, baking powder, sugars, cinnamon and nutmeg in a bowl and mix to combine. Add the nuts. Pour in the butter and toss with a fork to form crumbs. 

4. Take a clump of the crumb mixture and squeeze gently to form a larger clump. Break the larger clump apart over the fruit. Repeat, using all of the crumb mixture. (Optional: Sprinkle cinnamon on top of crumb mixture before baking.)

5. Bake for 35 minutes, or until the crumbs begin to brown and the fruit juices are bubbling. 

6. Serve warm with ice cream or sweetened whipped cream.

Yield: 6-8 servings

Tip: Make ahead. Warm before serving in a 300 degrees F oven for approx. 10 -15 minutes.

Note: Berry Crisps are prone to leaking. If transporting, wrap in foil from bottom up and carry in leak-proof bag or dessert carrier.

Strawberry Galette

Strawberry Galette

I haven’t posted a recipe in awhile, but I’m still collecting them! Every time I see something interesting, I “Bookmark” it on my computer. So many recipes to try!

I discovered this recipe for Strawberry Galette by Naz Deravian in the Cooking section of The New York Times. Though not complicated, this recipe takes time. I read comments and found out some steps can be skipped. I needed to make this dairy-free and nut-free, so I used non-dairy whipping cream, margarine, and rice flour. Hubby whipped up whipping cream and, hon, the dessert was delicious!

A strawberry galette served with a side of fresh whipped cream or ice cream is a spring salve that is just as soothing to prepare for oneself as it is to share with others. Inspired by the baker Alice Medrich’s yogurt-butter pie dough, the dough in this recipe includes almond flour for a flaky, subtly nutty crust that comes together without much fuss. This dough is very forgiving and works well with the rustic charm of a galette. It’s OK if the edges of the crust crack and some juices leak. Even out-of-season strawberries would work, as there’s just enough sugar here to coax them back to life. Make sure you give the galette enough time to rest before slicing into it, so that the juices have time to set.

The New York Times Cooking Section

Make the crust.

Make the filling.

Mound strawberries in middle of dough and fold border over fruit.

Brush dough with egg wash.

Bake until crust is golden and strawberries are bubbling.

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE CRUST: 

• 1 cup/120 grams all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• ½ cup/50 grams almond flour (from blanched, skinless almonds, not almond meal) I substituted rice flour.
• 8 tablespoons/113 grams very cold unsalted butter I substituted margarine.
• ¼ cup/60 grams cold plain whole yogurt (not Greek) I substituted nondairy whipping cream.
• 1 tablespoon ice-cold water, plus up to 3 tablespoons more, if needed
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
• 1 egg beaten with 1 teaspoon yogurt or water (for the egg wash)

FOR THE FILLING:

• ½ to ¾ cup/100 grams to 150 grams granulated sugar I used the smaller amount of sugar.
• ½ teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
• 1 ½ pounds stemmed strawberries (about 5 cups), sliced
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
•  Small pinch of salt

PREPARATION

1. Whisk the all-purpose flour and the almond flour in a large bowl, then set aside. (It’s best to stick it in the freezer for about 15 minutes until ready to use, to ensure a well-chilled dough.)
2. Slice 3 tablespoons of the butter as thinly as possible without getting obsessive about it. (It’s OK if pieces break.) Cut the remaining 5 tablespoons of butter into 1/2-inch cubes. Keeping the sliced butter and cubed butter separate, set the butter in the fridge to chill until ready to use. 
3. In a small bowl or measuring cup, mix the 1/4 cup yogurt with 1 tablespoon of the water and keep cold in the fridge until ready to use.
4. Whisk the flour mixture with the 1 teaspoon sugar and the salt. Spread the cubed butter pieces over the flour and cut the butter into the flour using a pastry blender or your fingers until the chunks look slightly smaller than pea size. Toss the butter slices with the flour mixture, separating them as you go, then gently press them into the flour between your fingers into flat sheets. (This extra step is helpful in creating pockets of steam, which will make for a flakier crust, an added bonus for pie dough makers of any skill!) I used a food processor to make the dough. I skipped this step and in a food processor, I added the flour to the container, dropped sliced butter through the tube and pulsed.
5. Drizzle the chilled yogurt over the flour and butter mixture. Use a spatula or a wooden spoon to toss and combine. If the dough seems dry, drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the ice water, and continue tossing and combining, incorporating any dry flour bits at the bottom of the bowl and scraping off the spatula as you go, until the mixture just comes together in a mound. If needed, drizzle more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, without allowing the dough to get too wet. I skipped this step, adding cold water through food processor tube a little at a time until dough came together in a mound.
6. Transfer the dough to a large piece of plastic wrap, then press the dough into a 6-inch disk and wrap well. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 3 days. 
7. Heat oven to 400 degrees with the rack in the center position. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. 
8. Prepare the filling: Place 1/2 cup sugar and the lemon zest in a large bowl and rub the lemon zest into the sugar with your fingertips. Add the strawberries, cornstarch and salt; mix well to combine, making sure the cornstarch is well incorporated. Add up to another 1/4 cup sugar if desired, depending on the sweetness of your strawberries and your desired level of sweetness.
9. Dust your countertop with flour, then transfer the chilled dough to it and sprinkle a little flour on top of the dough. Roll the dough out to a 12- to 14-inch round, lightly flouring as needed. (It’s OK if the edges break and the shape isn’t perfectly round.) Gently transfer the dough by rolling it over a rolling pin and onto the prepared baking sheet. (At this point, if you’ve forgotten something, like preparing the egg wash, or if your dough has warmed up slightly, place the sheet pan in the fridge for a few minutes.) 
10. Mound the strawberries and their juices in the middle of the dough and leave a 2-inch border. Fold the border over the fruit, pleating as you fold and leaving the center of the galette exposed. Brush the crust with the egg wash and sprinkle with sugar. 
11. Bake until the crust is golden and the strawberries are bubbling, about 35 minutes. It’s OK if some juices leak. Cool on a wire rack for 1 hour and serve.

• YIELD: 6 servings
• TIME: 1 to 1½ hours, plus chilling and resting 

Super Fudgey Brownies

Super Fudgey Brownies featured on my Nerikomi ceramic dishes.

Warning: This recipe produces extremely rich chocolate!

I’ve gotten a reputation. No, not that kind of reputation. I’m known for my delicious brownies. Every time I bake a batch, whether they’re for my own family or to share with others, they get rave reviews. What’s my secret? Wait for it…I add semi-sweet chocolate chips to Duncan Hines brownie mix. That’s it!

If I pinned my self confidence to baking instead of publishing Kidlit, I would walk around with my head held high instead of lamenting that the goals I’ve set for my life’s work have not yet been achieved. But, I digress.

The boxed brownies are so easy and such a hit, I never made them from scratch. Until now. When I realized my cabinet was empty and wanted to serve dessert, I turned to my mother-in-law Cecile’s own famously, delicious, homemade brownies. Yum!

Happy baking, hon!

Super Fudgey Brownies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup flour
• 3/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 cups sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1/2 cup butter, melted (or margarine to make recipe dairy-free)
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• approx. 1/2 cup chocolate chips, melted (I used parve semi-sweet choc. chips)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. In a 9 x 11 brownie pan, either line bottom w/parchment paper or grease.
2. Combine dry ingredients.
3. In a separate bowl, cream sugar and butter with an electric mixer. Add eggs and blend.
4. Add dry ingredients to sugar/butter mixture. Tip: Pour dry mixture a little at a time and blend.
5. Pour batter into brownie pan. 
6. Bake 25-30 minutes, until edges come away from pan. Tip: Take brownies out of oven closer to 25 minutes for extremely fudgey brownies and closer to 30 or a few minutes longer for more formed brownies. Either way, these are rich and chocolatey.

Yield: Depending on how they’re sliced, approximately 15-24.

Brownies are done when edges come away from pan.

Passover Apple Cake

Passover starts Saturday, March 27, 2021 and the entire holiday is focused on food! There’s what we can’t eat:  bread and anything that can rise bread-like, such as corn. And there’s what we can eat:  matzah, better known as crunchy cardboard (unless it’s soaked in eggs and milk and fried into Matzah Brei). Recipes that turn matzah meal, cake meal, and other Passover products into something edible–maybe even delicious–are coveted and shared. I substituted flour for matzah meal and converted an Apple Cake recipe to Pesadich, the term for food that’s allowed during the holiday.

If I have time in between cleaning out my fridge and cabinets and cooking for the holiday, I’ll post more recipes.

Hag Semach or Happy Holiday, Hon!

To make enough Apple Cake for 12 people, I tripled the ingredients, listed below, and added two batters-worth to a bundt cake pan and one batter-worth to the recommended 8″ x 8″ cake pan so that there will be enough dessert for 12 people.

Layer batter, apples, raisins and nut/spice mixture.

Mix nuts and spices.

Peel, core and slice apples.

Let cool for a couple of hours. Gently run a knife between the cake and pan for easy release.

Ingredients:

• Nonstick cooking spray
• 1 1/2 cups sugar (I divided this into 3/4 cup granulated sugar to be mixed with eggs and 3/4 cups combo granulated sugar and brown sugar to be mixed with spices.)
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice (It may have been redundant to add this, but I had it in the house, so figured why not?)
• 1/2 teaspoon cardamom
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil, plus more for baking dish
• 5 medium apples, such as Golden Delicious or Crispin, peeled, cored, halved, and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices (about 5 cups)
• 3/4 cup matzo cake meal (I ran out of matzo cake meal, so I added rice flour to make up the difference.)
• 1/3 cup raisins (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees with a rack set in the center. Lightly spray an 8-inch-square glass baking dish with cooking spray; set aside. (I used a metal, square baking dish.)
2. Mix together walnuts, 3/4 cup sugar (combo granulated and brown sugar), nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, cardamom, and clover in a medium bowl; set aside.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk, beat eggs on medium speed until well combined. Slowly beat in remaining 3/4 cup granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, until mixture is thick and foamy. With the mixer running, slowly pour in oil. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Stir in matzo cake meal.
4. Pour half of the batter into prepared cake pan. Add a layer of apples (just add them haphazardly), sprinkle raisins and half of the walnut/spice mixture. Pour remaining batter in pan. Top with remaining apples and sprinkle remaining walnut/spice mixture over apples.
5. Transfer cake to oven and bake until the sides of the cake pull away from the baking dish very slightly and topping begins to caramelize, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Remove cake from oven and let stand for several hours until completely cool, before cutting. Keep cake covered tightly with plastic wrap for up to 2 days, as the flavor improves with age.

Yield: Makes one 8-inch square cake.

Mini Pumpkin Pies

Bite-Size Pumpkin Pies!

Thanksgiving tradition in our home calls for Apple and Pumpkin Pies so, in addition to baking Mini Apple Pies, I baked bite-size Pumpkin Pies. Referencing Sally’s Baking Addiction, the recipe below combines hers and mine. Shhh–don’t tell. I couldn’t wait until Thanksgiving to try one. Hon, it was delicious!

Warm holiday wishes to you and your family.

Before baking and after.

Tips:

• Grease or line mini muffin cups in two 24-count mini muffin pans.
• Use a 2.5 inch cookie cutter or a 1/3 cup measuring cup to cut dough into small circles.
• Sally’s Baking Addiction says, “These mini pumpkin pies are dough heavy– lots of crust in each bite. The filling really has to stand out, so we’ll use flavorful brown sugar and extra pumpkin pie spice.”
• SBA also suggests using a touch of black pepper. “No one will know it’s there– all they’ll taste is a delightfully spiced flavor.”

Ingredients:

• 2 unbaked pie crusts (homemade or store bought)
• 1 (16oz) can cooked pumpkin
• 2 eggs
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 cup non-dairy creamer
• small pinch black pepper (optional – see note)

Directions:

1. Prepare pumpkin pie filling by beating 2 eggs, then adding remaining ingredients and mixing thoroughly.
2. Preheat oven to 375°.
3. Roll pie crusts to 1/8″ thickness on a lightly floured surface. Using a 2.5-inch cookie cutter (or 1/3 cup measuring cup), shape mini crusts. Re-roll any scrap pieces of pie dough as needed to cut out the circles.
4. Place the small circles of dough into greased or lined 24-count mini muffin pan(s). Press the dough flat into the bottom of the crevice and up the sides.
5. Evenly spoon cold filling into each unbaked crust, filling to the top.
6. Bake mini pies until the center is just about set and edges are lightly browned, about 21-25 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before removing from the pan. If greased well, the mini pies pop right out using a spoon to scoop them up. Cool, then serve at room temperature or refrigerate until chilled and serve cold. Filling deflates a bit as they cool.
7. Cover leftover pies tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

Notes:

Store any leftover Mini Pumpkin Pies in the refrigerator for up to 5 days OR wrap, freeze, and defrost at a later date.

Yield: 48-50 mini pies

Mini Apple Pies

Thanksgiving Looks Different This Year!

Searching for a way to serve the holiday meal in a safe, individualized way, we’ve ordered take-out and soup containers, baked easy-to-serve desserts, and will be gathering outside on our front porch. You’d think forming mini pies in a 12-count muffin pan would be easier than rolling out dough for regular-sized pies, but it took way more time. Thanks to Live Well, Bake Often for the recipe. The results will be worth it!

Happy baking, hon! And hope you have a happy Thanksgiving.

• 

  Roll out dough and cut circles.

• 

  Form dough in each muffin cup.

• 

  Add apple filling to mini pie crusts.

• 

  Cut slices and criss-cross on pies.

• 

  Lay dough strips in criss-cross patterns.

• 

  Extra dough formed mini pies in a small loaf pan.

• 

  Hubby worked on his 1st apple pie.

• 

  Fresh out of the oven.

• 

  Pretty mini apple pies!

Ingredients:

• 2 pie crusts (homemade or store bought)
• 2 1/2 cups chopped apples, approx. 6 (I used a combo of Granny Smith and Gala.)
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• dash of cloves and touch of honey
• optional, egg yolk for egg wash and decorator’s crystal sugar or some other decoration

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425°.
2. Roll pie crusts to 1/8″ thickness on a lightly floured surface. Using a 3.5-inch cookie cutter (or a cup) cut out 12 circles from the pie crusts. Re-roll any scrap pieces of pie dough as needed to cut out the circles.
3. Place each circle of pie crust in each cavity of a standard 12-count muffin pan. Gently press the dough down and around the sides, making sure the dough fits snuggly in each cavity of the muffin pan. Transfer the muffin pan and any leftover pie crust dough to the refrigerator while you make the filling.
4. In a large mixing bowl, mix together the chopped apples, sugar, flour, ground cinnamon, vanilla extract, and ground nutmeg, cloves and honey until fully combined. Remove the muffin pan from the refrigerator and evenly distribute the apple pie filling between all of the cavities in the muffin pan (about 2-3 tablespoons per mini pie).
5. Remove the extra pie dough from the refrigerator, cut out your designs for the tops of the pies, and place them on top. (Tip: For criss-cross pattern, no need to weave– lay 3 to 4 thin strips in one direction, then 3-4 thin strips in other direction.)
6. Optional: Brush egg yolk on tops of pie to enhance golden color. Sprinkle decorator’s sugar on top. On the mini loaf pan pies, I sprinkled sugar snowflakes.
7. Bake at 425°F for 20-25 minutes or until the pie crust is lightly golden brown and the filling is bubbly. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool for 10-15 minutes. Carefully remove the mini pies from the pan and transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Notes:

Store any leftover mini apple pies in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave before serving. OR wrap and freeze pies and defrost thoroughly before serving.

Yield: 12 mini pies

Easy DIY Kids Crafts & Recipes: Gluten-Free Mandarin & Chocolate Chip Cookies

Not Cardboard!

I’ve found a gluten-free cookie recipe which yields cookies that don’t taste like cardboard. Hallelujah! I’m not a fan of several recipes from Gluten Free Baking by  Michael McCamley,  but I liked this one. The cookies have an all-over chocolate taste with a hint of citrus that complements the chocolate chips.

Happy baking, hon! 

Gluten-Free Mandarin & Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

• 4 ounces gluten-free semisweet dark chocolate (or gluten-free chocolate chips)
• 1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
• 5 Tablespoons butter, plus extra for greasing (I used margarine.)
• 1 egg beaten
• 2 cups gluten-free, wheat-free all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
• 1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum
• 1 Tablespoon gluten-free unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 teaspoon gluten-free baking soda
• juice of 1/2 mandarin orange
• zest of 2 mandarin oranges

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a baking sheet or line with parchment paper.
2. Break or chop chocolate into small chunks and set aside one-quarter of the chunks to top the cookies. (I used chocolate chips so I didn’t break anything up.)
3. Cream together the sugars and butter in a bowl until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in the egg. Add flour, xanthan gum, cocoa powder, baking soda, chocolate chunks, and the orange juice and zest.
4. Bring the mixture together by hand, forming a ball, and invert onto a floured surface. Divide into 8-10 circles, using about 2 tablespoons of cookie dough per ball. Tip: The mixture is dry and messy, so I add small amounts of warm water until the batter is mixable. Then, grease hands with vegetable oil, combine ingredients, and pinch out batter to make individual cookies.
5. Place circles on baking sheet, allowing space in between for each cookie to spread. Flatten each cookie slightly and sprinkle with reserved chocolate chunks or chips.
6. Bake in preheated oven for about 15 minutes, or until just firm to the touch. Remove from oven and let cool o a wire rack.

Yield:  10 cookies