Apple Strudel aka Apfelstrudel

ingredients

1 egg
1 tbsp. water
2 tbsp. granulated sugar
1 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
2 tbsp. raisins
1/2 of a 17.3-ounce package Pepperidge Farm® Puff Pastry Sheets (1 sheet), thawed
Confectioners' sugar (optional)

directions

Heat the oven to 375°F. Beat the egg and water in a small bowl with a fork or whisk. Stir the sugar, flour and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Add the apples and raisins and toss to coat.

Unfold the pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. Roll the pastry sheet into a 16 x 12-inch rectangle. With the short side facing you, spoon the apple mixture onto the bottom half of the pastry sheet to within 1 inch of the edge.  Roll up like a jelly roll.  Place seam-side down onto a baking sheet.  Tuck the ends under to seal.  Brush the pastry with the egg mixture. Cut several slits in the top of the pastry.

Bake for 35 minutes or until the strudel is golden brown. Let the strudel cool on the baking sheet on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Sprinkle with the confectioners' sugar, if desired.

Helper:

Make sure to toss the apples and raisins until they're evenly coated with the flour mixture. The flour helps to thicken the juices released by the apples as they cook.

Ingredient Note:

For some nutty crunch, 1/4 cup sliced almonds may be added with the apples and raisins.

Recipe Note:

The strudel may be served with Vanilla Sauce: Stir 3/4 cup milk, 1/2 cup light cream, 1/3 cup sugar, 4 egg yolks, beaten and 1/2 vanilla bean in a 2-quart saucepan. Cook and stir over medium heat until the mixture boils and thickens. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Remove the vanilla bean. Makes about 1 3/4 cups.

Apple Basics

In Season:
Apple-picking season begins in late August or early September and lasts through November. Because apples keep well in cold storage, they are available year-round.

What to Look For:
There are thousands of apple varieties, with a range of colors including red, russet, yellow, and green. Textures and flavors vary from tart and crisp to soft and sweet. In general, choose apples that are heavy for their size and feel firm when pressed gently. Avoid bruised fruit.



How to Store:
For the longest shelf life, store apples in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator. Use within three weeks.

Apple Pie Bars

CRUST:

1 c. flour
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. butter
2 egg yolks, beaten

 Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in butter as for pie crust. Mix in egg yolks (mixture will be crumbly). Press half of mixture in bottom of 15x10 pan (may also use 13x9 pan). Set remaining half aside.

 FILLING:

4 c. sliced apples
1/2 c. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
2 egg whites, slightly beaten

Combine all of filling ingredients except egg whites; arrange over bottom crust. Crumble remaining crust mixture over filling. Brush egg whites over all. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes for jelly roll pan or 40 minutes for 13x9 pan. Cool. Drizzle with thin confectioners sugar glaze. Yields 3-4 dozen bars.

Apple Cinnamon Cake

1 3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup stick margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 ounces block-style fat-free cream cheese, softened
2 large eggs
1-1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon  
3 cup chopped peeled rome apples  

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat 1-1/2 cup sugar, margarine, vanilla and cream cheese at medium speed of a mixer until well-blended (about 4 minutes). Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add flour mixture to creamed mixture, beating at low speed until blended. Combine 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon. Combine 2 tablespoon cinnamon mixture and apple in a bowl, and stir apple mixture into batter. Pour batter into an 8-inch springform pan* coated with cooking spray, and sprinkle with remaining cinnamon mixture. Bake at 350 for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the cake pulls away from the sides of the pan. Cool the cake completely on a wire rack, and cut with a serrated knife.

Applesauce Cupcakes

1 stick butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup applesauce
2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup chopped nutmeats
1/2 cup seeded raisins
2 tablespoon brown sugar
Cream the butter and the white sugar together. Dissolve the soda in the applesauce and add them to the creamed mixture; blend well together. Sift the flour with the cloves, the nutmeg and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and add to the batter along with the buttermilk. Beat all together smoothly. Add in the nutmeats and the raisins. Grease and lightly flour muffin tins and fill them half full. Mix the brown sugar with the remaining teaspoon of cinnamon and sprinkle on top. Bake in a 425 degree oven for about 20 minutes.

Apple Hand Pies

Sort of like apple turnovers, without all the extra fuss!

For the dough – yields 1 double-crust, 2 single-crust 9- to 10-inch pies, or about 12 hand pies

* 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 tbsp sugar
* 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
* 1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water

1. In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, salt, and sugar. Add butter, and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal, 8 to 10 seconds.
2. With machine running, add ice water in a slow, steady stream through feed tube. Pulse until dough holds together without being wet or sticky; be careful not to process more than 30 seconds. To test, squeeze a small amount together: If it is crumbly, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time.
3. Divide dough into two equal balls. Flatten each ball into a disc and wrap in plastic. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill at least 1 hour. Dough may be stored, frozen, up to 1 month.

For the apple filling and hand pies

* 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
* 1 1/2 pounds tart apples, such as Empire or Granny Smith (3-4 apples)
* 1/4 cup sugar, plus extra to sprinkle on top
* 2 tbsp all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling
* 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
* 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
* Pinch kosher salt
* 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash
* 1 1/2 to 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
* 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
* 2 tbsp heavy cream

1. Peel, core, and dice the apples (1/4″ cubed) then immediately toss them with lemon juice in a medium bowl. Add in sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt and stir to combine. Set aside for 10 minutes to allow the apple to release some juice.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
3. On a well-floured board, roll out dough to 1/4″ thick. Cut out 5″ circles and transfer circles to baking sheets, re-rolling scraps and cutting out more circles as you go. If the dough gets too warm, refrigerate the circles on the baking sheets for 5-10 minutes before moving to the next step.
4. Place about 2 tablespoons of apple filling on half of a circle. Fold the empty half over the filling and press edges tightly together to seal. Repeat with remaining circles. Using a sharp knife, slice three holes in the top of each pie. Brush tops with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 22 minutes. Cool completely on a rack.
5. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the powdered sugar, vanilla and heavy cream. Stir until the mixture forms a smooth glaze. When pies have cooled, drizzle glaze over the tops.

Caramel Apple Cupcakes with Maple Cream Cheese Frosting

2 1/2 cups (375g) unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1 1/2 cups (300g) brown sugar
1/2 cup (175mL) pure maple syrup
2 sticks (224g) unsalted butter, melted
4 eggs
6 Granny Smith apples, peeled and grated*
caramel (recipe follows)
maple cream cheese frosting (recipe follows)

1. Line 24 muffin tins with paper liners and preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together, brown sugar, maple syrup, melted butter, and eggs. Stir in grated apple (box grater works best), and then fold in the flour mixture. Using an ice cream scoop, dived the batter evenly among the muffin tins. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the center cupcake bounces back when touched. Let cool completely.

3. When they have cooled, use a melon baller to scoop out a small amount of cake from the top of each cupcake. Fill with a teaspoon of caramel, and top with frosting.

CARAMEL::::
Please read all these directions a couple times before starting, and get all your ingredients set out before hand. Kick all other family members out of the kitchen, and best of luck. Caramel is very simple, but it requires good timing. Experience is the best teacher. Give yourself plenty of time, and don’t be discouraged if it isn’t perfect at first. Once I got the hang of it, I made an extra batch which came out as well as the one before it.

1/3 cup (85mL) heavy cream (make sure it is heavy cream, or heavy whipping cream, not regular whipping cream)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup (220g) granulated sugar
1/4 cup (65g) water
1 teaspoon butter

1. Measure out cream into a liquid measuring cup. Stir in vanilla and set aside within an easy reach of the stove.

2. Stir sugar and water in a medium pot with tall sides. Set over medium-high heat. As the sugar dissolves and begins to boil, you may swirl the pot to mix the boiling sugar water. DO NOT STIR WITH A SPOON. This will make the sugar crystalize.

3. As the sugar syrup boils, watch very carefully for the color to change. You are looking for a nice, warm amber color, about the shade of cinnamon sticks. Don’t let it get any darker. (Even if it doesn’t look burnt, it can taste burnt. If it starts to smoke, you’ve let it go too far.) On a side note, my candy thermometer did not reach far enough into the pot to get an accurate reading of the syrup, but with such a small amount of syrup, the temperature changes pretty quickly anyway. It’s best to watch it and wait for it to turn the right color.

4. As soon as it turns the proper amber color, pull the pot off the heat. Whisk in the butter, and then pour in the vanilla-cream mixture. It will now bubble violently. Whisk carefully but briskly. The caramel will start to solidify a bit., but keep whisking. Put the pot of caramel over low heat and whisk carefully for a minute or two until smooth. Pour into a heat proof jar, and allow to cool. Can be refrigerated for up to a week (Well, I think. Mine never lasts that long.)

MAPLE CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

1 stick (112g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
8 ounces (226g) cream cheese at room temperature
4 cups (450g) powdered sugar
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Mix all ingredients together with an electric mixer until smooth.

Apple Blueberry Cake

Here in Florida our blueberries will be ready at all the 'you pick' farms in April going through about June, weather permitting. So get ready for all your blueberry recipes!


3 cups flour
1 cup oil
4 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup orange juice
1 cup blueberries
4 large apples - pared, peeled, and sliced
Cinnamon/sugar

Place all ingredients except cinnamon/sugar and fruit in large bowl and beat until smooth.


Pour 1/3 of batter in ungreased tube pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon/sugar and spread 1/3 of the apples and 1/2 cup blueberries over batter. Repeat 2 more times, but do not put blueberries on top layer (they will burn). Bake in preheated 350-degree oven for 1-1/2 hours or until done. Remove from pan and let cool well before slicing. Variations: Substitute raspberries for blueberries. Eliminate blueberries.

Danish Apple Bars

2 1/2 cups flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup shortening
1 egg, separated
Milk
1 1/2 cups corn flakes, crushed
10 large apples, peeled and sliced
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons flour
Butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon water
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar and salt; cut in shortening. In a measuring cup, add enough milk to egg yolk to equal 2/3 cup. Beat together and add to flour mixture. Roll out 1/2 of the dough onto an 11 x 16 cookie sheet that has sides. Spread crushed corn flakes on top of crust. Spread sliced apples evenly on top of crust. In a small bowl, combine sugar, cinnamon and flour. Sprinkle over the top of the apples and dot with butter. Roll out the other half of the dough to fit over the apples. Beat egg white until frothy and spread over top of crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. In a bowl, combine powdered sugar, water and vanilla. Spread over top of crust while still warm. Cut bars to desired size.

Applesauce Cake

Cake:
1/2 cup butter, margarine or shortening
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1-1/2 cups applesauce
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Cream cheese frosting:

2 - 3 ounce packages softened cream cheese (note: A butter frosting could be used instead of cream cheese).

1/2 cup softened butter or margarine
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups sifted powdered sugar
2-1/2 to 2-3/4 cups sifted powdered sugar
Cake: In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter, margarine or shortening for 30 seconds. Add the sugars and egg; beat until combined. Stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and spices. Add flour mixture alternately with applesauce to butter mixture. Stir in raisins and nuts. Pour batter into a greased 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking pan, spreading evenly. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack.


Cream cheese frosting: Beat together cream cheese, butter or margarine and vanilla until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in powdered sugar to make a spreadable frosting.


Note: For a decorated finish, set a doily lightly on the frosted cake and sprinkle lightly with a mixture of cinnamon and nutmeg. Carefully remove the doily.

Apple Coconut Cake

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
2 1/4 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups chopped pecans
3 cups cooking apples; peeled and chopped
1/2 cup flaked coconut


Brown sugar glaze; see recipe for
Combine flour, soda, and salt; stir well, and set aside. Combine oil, eggs, sugar, and vanilla; beat at medium speed of an electric mixer 2 minutes. Add flour mixture; beat at low speed just until blended. Fold in pecans, apples, and coconut. (batter will be stiff). Spoon batter into a greased and floured 10-inch tube pan. Bake at 350-degrees for 1 hour and 25- 30 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes; remove from pan and place on serving plate. Immediately drizzle brown sugar glaze over cake while both are until warm.

Double Crust Apple Pie

RECIPE COURTESY OF MICHAEL LOMONACO
Porter House New York
10 Columbus Circle
4th Floor
New York, NY 10019
212-823-9500

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter
2½ pounds firm, tart apples, preferably seasonal local specials like Macouns, Northern Spy, or Granny Smith, peeled, cored, and sliced into ¼-inch wedges.
½ cup sugar plus 1 tablespoon for dusting
¼ cup raisins
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground clove
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons cornstarch
Basic Pie Dough (recipe follows)
1 egg, beaten with 2 tablespoons water to make an egg wash

1. Put 3 tablespoons of the butter into a large, heavy-bottomed sauté pan and melt it over medium heat. Add the apple wedges and sauté until slightly softened but holding their shape, 3 to 4 minutes. Add ¼ cup of the sugar and stir to combine. Add the raisins, cinnamon, and clove and stir.

2. In a bowl, combine the lemon juice and cornstarch. Stir the mixture into the apple mixture and remove the pan from the heat. Let cool completely.

3. Preheat the oven to 375°F.

4. Fill an unbaked bottom crust with apple filling and dot the top with the remaining butter. Top with a rolled-out top crust. Cut ½-inch vents in a round-clock pattern into the top crust to allow steam to escape. Brush the top lightly with egg wash and sprinkle with the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar.

5. Put the pie on a cookie sheet or other low-sided baking tray to catch any spillage. Place on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 20 minutes, checking occasionally to ensure that the top is browning evenly. Rotate the pie 180 degrees to move the front edge to the back of the oven, and bake until the top is uniformly golden-brown, 15 to 20 more minutes.

6. Remove the pie from the oven and let cool for 20 minutes before slicing and serving.

Makes 1 pie, enough to serve 6 to 8

Apple Upside Down Cake

2 1/4 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 large apples
1/2 cup shortening
3 tablespoons sugar
1 egg
1 cup molasses
1 cup boiling water
Preheat oven to 375 degrees f. Sift together flour, spices and baking soda. In a 10-inch cast iron skillet, melt the butter. Sprinkle the sugar evenly over it. Peel and core apples, slice them. Arrange apples, overlapping on top of sugar. With electric mixer at medium speed, beat together the shortening, sugar and the egg until very creamy. Combine the molasses and the water. At low speed add the flour and molasses. Mix, alternating to the egg mix. Beat well after each addition. Spoon batter over apples and bake 45 minutes or until done. Loosen around the edges with spatula; invert onto plate; let stand 3 to 4 minutes, then remove from skillet. Serve warm with soft ginger ice cream.

Apple Raisin Snack Bars

1 (2-layer size) package spice cake mix
3/4 cup salad dressing (miracle whip!)
2 eggs

1/2 cup each: Chopped apples and raisins

Frosting:
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
Blend cake mix, dressing and eggs with electric mixer on medium speed until well blended. Stir in apples and raisins. Spread into greased 13 x 9-inch baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Blend all ingredients for frosting with electric mixer on low speed until moistened. Beat on high speed until light and fluffy. Spread over bars.

Apple Cobbler Cake

6 cups sliced apples
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup chopped nutmeats
1 packed cake mix (yellow or white)
1 stick oleo or butter, melted
Combine apples, sugar, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Add 1/4 cup of the cake mix and stir to coat apples. Place apples in buttered 9x13-inch pan. Cover tightly with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and remove foil. Mix rest of cake mix with nuts. Sprinkle with melted butter. Stir with fork until large crumbs are formed. Spoon over hot apples. Bake for 25-30 minutes until puffed and golden brown. Serve warm with cream or ice cream.

Apple Chip Cookies

1 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups brown sugar, firmly packed
1/4 cup light molasses
3 eggs
3 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup peeled, finely chopped apples
1 package (6-ounce) semi-sweet chocolate chips
Cream together shortening and brown sugar until light and fluffy; add molasses. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift together flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. Add to creamed mixture, mixing well. Stir in nuts, apples and chocolate chips. Mix well. Drop by teaspoonfuls on greased baking sheet. Bake in 350 degree oven 12-15 minutes, or until done.

Apple Cinnamon Bundt Cake

1 egg
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons oil
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 apple; peel, core, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons cinnamon sugar


Beat together first 5 ingredients until blended. Beat in the next 3 ingredients until blended. Place batter in lightly oiled 10-inch spring form pan and place apples decoratively on top. Sprinkle top with cinnamon sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for about 35-40 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in center, comes out clean. Allow to cool in pan. When cool, remove from pan and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon sifted powdered sugar.

1935 Apple Cake

2 cups graham cracker crumbs
2 tablespoons melted butter
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 eggs
1 cans (1 1/3 cups) sweetened condensed milk
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Grated rind of one lemon
2 cups applesauce


Mix your graham cracker crumbs, butter and cinnamon; spread about 3/4 of crumb mixture in a thick layer on the bottom of a buttered spring mold or deep 10-inch cake pan. Separate your eggs, and beat the yolks well. Add condensed milk, lemon juice, rind, and applesauce to beaten egg yolks. Beat your egg whites until stiff; fold into milk mixture. Pour the whole thing into your cake mold or pan and cover with remaining cracker crumbs. Bake at 350 for 50 minutes.

Apple Cinnamon Cake

1 package yellow cake mix
1 can apple pie filling
3 eggs
3 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon


Heat oven to 350 degrees. Blend together cake mix, apple pie filling and eggs. Beat 2 minutes at medium speed. Combine sugar and cinnamon. Spread half the batter in to prepared 13x9" pan, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar, pour over remaining batter and sprinkle with the remaining sugar mixture. Bake for 30-35 minutes, use pick test.

Apple Dumplings

2 granny smith apples
2 cans of crescent rolls
2 sticks of butter
1-1/2 cups of sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla
cinnamon
1 small can of Mountain Dew

Peel and core the apples. Cut apples into 8 slices each. Roll each apple slice in a crescent roll. Place in a 9x13 buttered pan. Melt butter, then add sugar and barely stir. Add vanilla, stir, and pour over apples. Pour Mountain Dew around the edges of the pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon and bake at 350 for 40 minutes. Serve with ice cream, spooning some of the sweet sauce over the top from the pan!