I love pie. Spice apple pie. Pie al mode. Pie with cinnamon and spice that leaves a trail throughout the house.
During thanksgiving, I am usually out of pie pans, and so this artesian pie you can make with out a pan. I used my large casserole dish, but you can use a cookie sheet. This baby has 6 large peeled and sliced Green apples, 1/8 cup of lemon juice, 1/4 cup of flour, 3/4 cup white sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 2 tsp cinnamon, 2 tsp garam masala. Mix all your spices and flour and add to the green apples with lemon juice.
Double the pie crust recipe on this site and roll out the dough. I like to use a large cutting board and roll the dough onto the parchment paper so it easy to lift later.Â
Once your dough is rolled into one large round, place the pie filling in a mound in the center. Grab the edges of your parchment and place into the casserole dish. (The dish should be sprayed with pam for easy removal later.)Â
Dab butter on top of the pie, brush with egg wash and she is oven ready. Bake at 375 for 60 to 75 minutes or until golden brown.Â
My daughter Denny, family friend Colleen and I spent the evening with a bunch of Turkeys!Â
Army of Turkeys
Well, it didn’t start out that way. After heading to the store and buying
Peanut Butter Cups
Double Stuffed Oreos
Whoppers
Pumpkin Seeds or Candy Corn
Pretzel Sticks or Candy Corn
Chocolate Cookie Icing
Red Icing
Yellow Icing
We proceeded to assemble a bunch of turkeys for our Thanksgiving table.
Happy Thanksgiving Turkey!
The only problem encountered while making these little devils was the extra broken pieces, of course, they were quickly consumed, accidents happen! Â
Step One:
Push the pretzels (or candy corn) into the Double Stuffed Oreo.
Step Two:
Using the chocolate icing as glue, adhere the bottom Oreo to the Oreo you pretzeled.
Step Three:
Shave off one of the sides of the Peanut Butter Cup. (Use the chocolate icing as glue to adhere the chocolate piece to the oreo back and bottom.
Step Four: Â With the Turkey laying on his back, adhere the head – the whopper – Â to the oreo.
Step Five:Â Cut the pumpkin seeds or you can use the white part of candy corn and chocolate glue to the head.
Let the turkeys dry overnight.
Step Six:Â Using the red icing, pipe a little red under the beak of the turkey.
Step Seven:Â Pipe yellow dots for eyes and use a chocolate or red dot for eye centers.
Step Eight:Â Pipe yellow feet.
This little guy has an attitude!
You’re done!   You have turkeys for your table to use as Place markers, just add a label on a toothpick with someone’s name or decorate the center of your table with them They are so cute!Â
At my office the other morning, one of my co-workers brought in an apple pie made withÂ
a shortbread crust his mother’s recipe. I have never had such a great pie. The buttery, flaky, thick cookie like crust has won me over.
Now, I am not a fan of plain shortbread cookies. And yet, when paired with the spiced fruit of apple and I am thinking pumpkin for Thanksgiving, I think it will steal the show.Â
Once I make it, I’ll post the picture. Since Thanksgiving is sneaking up quickly, I felt the need to share this recipe so you can too experiment.
(Please close your calorie counter otherwise you will not make this recipe.)
Original Recipe Yield 3 – 9 inch pie crusts
Â
Ingredients
3 cups butter, softened
5/8 cup light brown sugar
5/8 cup confectioners’ sugar
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
Pie filling of your choice
You will want to prepare the pie filling on the the stovetop so that it will cook with the short baking time of the shortbread.  One crust on the bottom, filling, crust on top. Bake.
I am thinking this is a winner. Bake in a tart pan or pan you can remove the pie easily.Â
Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
Using your hands, mix butter, brown sugar, white sugar and flour together in a large bowl. Squeeze and work dough until it holds together. Press into three 9 inch pie pans and chill for 2 hours.
Bake for 15 minutes, or until lightly brown around the edges.
3/4 cup finely chopped Nickerson Farm Black Walnuts
Cream butter, vanilla until butter is softened. Add sugar gradually, creaming until fluffy. Add the eggs in thirds, beating well after each addition. Mix in black walnuts. Blend flour, baking soda, and salt. Shape dough into rolls about 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Wrap in waxed paper and refrigerate severa hours or overnight. Cut into thin slices. Place slices on cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees eggs, add brown sugar, combine dry ingredients then add to egg mixture. Lastly add Nickerson Farm Black Walnuts. for 8 minutes. Repeat for remaining dough.
At one of my cooking classes with Chef Tim McGrath at “Let’s get cooking” in Westlake, we made this cake. It was wonderful, and so I made it into cupcakes for my office.
Roast Apples
8 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, quartered
Juice of 1 lemon
2/3 cup sugar
3 T Butter
The Cake
1/4 cup slivered almonds (toast in oven for 5 minutes at 375)
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp cardamom
1 tsp baking soda
pinch of salt
1/2 cup butter at room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup sour cream or creme fraiche
1/4 cup sparkling cider
For large cake- decorate the bottom of a springform 9 or 10 inch pan. Sprinkle bottom with almonds and 1/2 of the apple mixture, the rest go into the cake mix. Make it pretty, this side will show when you turn it over on the plate. For cupcakes, mix in the apples and sprinkle the almonds on top of the cupcakes. Makes for a pretty presentation. Bake at 375 for 70-80 minutes unitl nicely golden brown.
Cupcakes take about 15-20 minutes.Serve with Bailey’s whipped cream – 1 cup of chilled heavy whipping cream and 4 tablespoons of bailey’s irish cream. Serve with Cake.
Almonds on the top for Cupcakes and bake them golden brown.
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Roast the apples: Preheat oven to 375. Butter large casserole dish. Cut the apple quarters into 2-3 wedges each and place in prepared dish. Sprinkle with lemon juice, sugar and dot with butter.
Bake turning frequently until apples are tneder when pierced with a fork. Remove from oven, drain the juices, and set aside the apples to cool. Keep the oven on, ready for the cake.
(If you are going to make cupcakes, you can dice the apples smaller.)
Combine
2 cups AP flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
In mixer, add
1/2 cup crisco or soft butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream or yogurt
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp almond extract
Top with
1/2 cup blueberries and 1/4 cup coconut
or 1/4 cup blueberries and 1/4 cup raspberries
or 1/4 cup chopped walnuts and coconut
or apricots or peaches…. You get the idea.
Spray Pam in two 9 inch square or round baking dishes. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.
Divide and spread the batter between the two pans. Top with fruit.
After baking, top with glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp almond extract
3 T milk
I have tried about 12 batches of macaroons and this is by far my favorite. It is not too sweet, it is light and airy, it tastes of coconut and not just sugar. Give it a dip in semi-sweet chocolate, and it is over the moon. I am so proud.
"Everything is better with coconut!"
While most recipes use Sweetened Condensed Milk, I don’t like the taste of it. So, use Sweetened cream of coconut, often used to make pina coladas and other cocktails, can usually be found in most supermarkets by the booze, canned and under the brand name Coco Lopez. Finding the sweetened coconut is no problem in the baking aisle, but for the unsweetened coconut, you may have to check the Asian foods aisle or a natural foods store or you can buy it online on Amazon. You want the finely shredded, baker’s coconut. No excused. Find the right coconut. It helps with the texture and the lightness of the macaroon.
Dipped in Chocolate. I’m in heaven.
Makes 2 dozen
1 cup cream of coconut
2 tablespoons light corn syrup or Agave syrup
4 large egg whites
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract or almond
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
3 cups sweetened shredded or flaked coconut
1/4 cup all purpose flour
10 ounces best-quality semisweet chocolate chips (I like Guittard semisweet)
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, whisk together the cream of coconut, corn syrup or Agave Syrup, egg whites, vanilla and salt until well-blended. In another large bowl, using your fingertips, toss together the flour and shredded coconuts. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix with a rubber spatula until evenly moistened.
Drop the mixture by heaping tablespoons onto the prepared baking sheets. Form the cookies into loose haystacks with your fingertips (moistening your fingers with water will prevent sticking). Bake until the cookies are softly set and golden in spots on top and bottoms are deeply browned (everyone loves that crunch), about 15-17 minutes. Cool on the cookie sheets for 15 minutes. Melt the Guittard chocolate on high power in 30 second intervals, stopping to stir after each interval until melted. Dip your cool macaroons into the chocolate and then place them back on the parchment to set up. Yummy good.
Using your bread maker dough setting add the ingredients in the listed order.
3/4 C water
1 egg slightly beaten
3 C all purpose flour
1/4 C sugar
1/4 C butter
1 tsp Salt
2 T dry milk (I used dry buttermilk)
1 T yeast
Spread the dough with melted butter, brown sugar & spices, raisins and nuts.
Preheat oven 375
Make the dough in your bread mixer on the dough setting.
If you want chocolate chips in your dough, and I recommend them, knead them into the dough after removing from your machine. Roll out on a lightly floured surface in one or two rectangles.
Roll longways, you should get about 20 cinnamon rolls from this batch.
Cut about 1 inch thick. Let rise for 30-40 minutes.
Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes until golden brown. Wait 10 minutes and spread with icing while still warm.
——-Icing——–
3 T butter
1 tsp Vanilla
3 T hot water
2 C Confectioners Sugar
One for me…
One for you.
Cover with icing.
——Filling——
1/4 C butter
1/2 C brown suger
2 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Cardamon
1/2 tsp Allspice
1/2 C finely chopped pecans or walnuts
1/4 C raisins (optional) or currents
1/4/C chocolate chips (these are the best ones!)
Topping
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup chilled butter
Best Coffee Cake
Make Topping combining flour, sugar, cinnamon and butter. Should resemble coarse crumbs.
Make Batter combining flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.
In a separate bowl, beat egg until froathy, add oil while beating and milk. Fold in 1 cup of blueberries and 1/4 cup walnuts.
Reserve remaining walnuts, blueberries and strawberries for topping.
Spread batter into pan and then spread blueberries and strawberries on top with topping.
Bake for 25 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.
Variations:
Forget the fruit and use chocolate chips. Add 1/4 cup of cocoa to the topping mixture.
Chocolate fanatics beware!
Batter
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 large egg
1/4 cup canola or my favorite walnut oil
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
1/2 cup strawberries
Makes one 9 inch square coffee cake. Line your pan with parchment. Preheat oven 375 degrees. Spray pam or grease your parchment. (I spray both sides to keep it easy.)
