apples

Crunchy, Nutty Apple Crisp with a Sprinkling of Bacon

Sprinkling on bits of crispy bacon during the last few minutes of baking is, of course, optional. But it sure is a fun option!

I always have such good intentions. I always buy lots of fruit and I always throw away some of that fruit. This time I put those soft apples to good use and baked one of my favorite old-fashioned desserts – Apple Crisp. Sprinkling on bits of crispy bacon towards the end of the baking time gives this dessert an new twist.

You know, I actually prefer eating apple crisp at room temperature, but that didn’t keep me from giving myself a big serving while it was still hot.

Except for coring, peeling and cutting the apples, this dessert takes very little time to prepare.

8 – 9 inch square cake pan Bake at 350F for 30 – 35 minutes

Add chopped, cooked bacon 5 minutes before apple crisp is ready to come out of the oven.

Ingredients

Apple Filling

7 cups peeled, sliced apples
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
3 pinches nutmeg
1 Tbs. flour ++ Flour helps thicken the apple juices
1/4 tsp. salt

Topping

1/2 cup brown sugar ++ Just leveled, not ‘packed’
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
4 Tbs COLD butter, cut into small pieces
2 pinches salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans
2 – 3 Tbs. roughly chopped cooked bacon To be added during last few minutes of baking.

++ As the old expression goes, “Live and Learn’. I learned that finely chopping the cooked bacon was NOT the way to go, so I recommend doing a rough chop. Also, it’s better if the bacon is slightly crispy… not super crispy.

Method

In a large bowl mix 7 cups peeled, sliced apples, 1/3 cup sugar, 1/4 tsp. cinnamon, 3 pinches nutmeg, 1 Tbs. flour and 1/4 tsp. salt. Pour into a square baking pan.

Place 1/2 cup brown sugar, 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, 4 Tbs cold butter (cut into small pieces) and 2 pinches salt in a medium bowl. Using a pastry cutter, or two knives, mix ingredients until it resembles coarse crumbs. Add 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans. (Do NOT add the bacon!)

Sprinkle crumb mixture evenly over the sliced apples. Bake at 350F for 30 – 35 minutes. The apple filling should be bubbling and the topping should be browned.

++ If adding 2 – 3 Tbs. chopped cooked bacon – sprinkle it on 5 minutes before apples crisp is fully cooked. Enjoy!

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January 28, 2017April 10, 2018

My Yellow Farmhouse - Cooking with Love!8 Comments

‘Quick ‘n Easy’ – Rustic One Crust Apple Pie with Maple Whipped Cream

Quick and easy to prepare, ‘Rustic One Crust Apple Pie with Maple Whipped Cream’ features thin apple slices bathed in sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg, enveloped in a lovely, crunchy crust. Extra yummy with a big dollop of Maple Whipped Cream!

My first attempt, a few weeks ago, preparing this Rustic One Crust Pie yielded great results … BUT … I added too much sugar and butter, which overflowed the crust. The pie tasted wonderful, just ask my son! But the crust stuck to the parchment paper and I had a hard time getting the pie onto the serving plate. I wouldn’t want that to happen to you, so adjustments were made and ‘All is Well’. This time the pie slid right off the baking sheet!

I few of my friends saw photos of the ‘mistake’ pie on Facebook, and asked me to ‘bring some over’ or told me they were coming to my house for a piece. They weren’t fast enough. My son had eaten the last two pieces. My friend, Sue, hearing I was preparing another rustic apple pie today, told me I could NOT allow my son to eat the rest of the pie until she first got a piece. So I made her a promise. I won’t let my son have the last piece – I’ll eat it !! (Only kidding…. that would be really mean.)

INGREDIENTS Oven at 450 (F) Bake pie for 25 minutes…. until apples are tender

++ If you chose to add chopped nuts, wait until the pie has baked 15 minutes. Sprinkle on the nuts and bake the pie a further 10 minutes.

1 refrigerated pie crust ++ Take crust out of refrigerator about 15 minutes before.
4 cups thinly sliced peeled apples
4 tsp. cornstarch
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 Tbs. brown sugar ++ Not ‘packed’ – just leveled off
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1 Tbs. melted butter
some water in a glass – to wet the crust folded over the apples, before sprinkling on the sugar
1 tsp. granulated sugar – to be sprinkled on crust before baking
2 Tbs. chopped pecans or walnuts ++ I didn’t put any in the pie, but I think chopped nuts would be nice sprinkled on top of the Maple Whipped Cream!
2 cups whipping (heavy) cream
2 Tbs.REAL maple syrup

METHOD

Remove purchased refrigerated pie crust from refrigerator about 15 minutes before. ++ This helps the crust unroll easily. Peel and thinly slice 4 cups of apples – about 4 large.

In small bowl mix 4 tsp. cornstarch, 2 tsp. cinnamon, 1/3 cup granulated sugar, 2 Tbs. brown sugar and 1/8 tsp. nutmeg. In another small bowl melt (in microwave) 1 Tbs. butter. Pour sugar mixture into bowl containing melted butter – mix well with a fork & mix with 4 cups thinly sliced apples.

Place unrolled crust on an ungreased baking sheet – you don’t have to use parchment paper, but I prefer to. Spoon apples onto the center of the crust. Arrange apples so they’re 2″ from the edge of crust.

Bake at 450 (F) for 25 minutes – until apple slices are tender. Let pie rest a few minutes. Loosen with a spatula just to be sure the crust doesn’t stick. ++ It shouldn’t – now that I’ve adjusted the recipe. ; o )

++ If you wish to add 2 Tbs chopped pecans or walnuts to your rustic pie, do so after the pie has baked 15 minutes – then bake pie 10 minutes more.

Whip 2 cups whipping (heavy) cream until thick. Add 2 Tbs. REAL maple syrup. Beat just until maple syrup is combined with cream. Place a big dollop on each piece of Rustic One Crust Apple Pie, top with chopped pecans or walnuts and ENJOY!!!!

This little scarecrow made his first appearance November 2012. Click here for ‘Cecile’s Apple Pie Recipe’!

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++ Recipe adapted from ‘Pillsbury Apple Crostata’.

November 14, 2015April 11, 2018

My Yellow Farmhouse - Cooking with Love!4 Comments

An Oldie but a Goody !! Old-Fashioned Apple Squares – Just in Time for Apple Picking Season

The recipe for these ‘Old-Fashioned Apple Squares’ was one of the first recipes I ever posted – back in November of 2012. There’s a ‘bumper crop’ of apples this year, so I thought I’d repost this once again. These apple squares are yummy!

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You know you’re getting o.l.d when the recipe you’re searching for is over 30 years old !! Imagine how pleasantly surprised I was when I actually found it – not filed under “bars” but filed under “apples” – but found, nevertheless!!

These apple squares (or bars) are even tastier than I remember!! They’re loaded with apples, nuts and raisins, and have a buttery, cinnamony goodness – so you can even eat them for breakfast!!

MAKES ABOUT 24 SQUARES – or BARS

Oven at 350 F
Lightly grease a 9″ x !0″ pan
Bake 45 – 50 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

INGREDIENTS

2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup sugar
1/2 packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
4 cups roughly chopped peeled and cored apples
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1/2 raisins (Try the raisins even if you don’t always like raisins. They kind of “melt away” into the batter, and give the resulting bars a lovely sweetness and golden dark color.)

In a medium-sized bowl – using a mixer – cream together the vanilla, both sugars and 2 eggs until creamy and throughly mixed.

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt & nutmeg. Add the creamed mixture to the dry mixture, and mix by hand until throughly blended.

Add the apples, walnuts and raisins – mix by hand until throughly blended

Pour into the greased pan, spreading with the spoon to get the mixture even.

Bake at 350 F for between 45 – 50 minutes. When cooled, cut with a sharp knife. Enjoy!

October 5, 2015October 5, 2015

My Yellow Farmhouse - Cooking with Love!12 Comments

Cecile’s Apple Pie

I’ve never once eaten a slice of bad apple pie. I think, like an ugly baby, bad apples pies are “few and far between”. I’ve been told that my apple pies are very delicious – I hope you think so!

Following an old recipe, I add dabs of butter on top of the apple/flour/sugar mixture before putting on the top crust. Maybe that’s why people like this pie so much. Or – maybe it’s that I’ve finally found the right balance of nutmeg versus cinnamon?? In any event, I look forward to your suggestions and comments, as always!

Follow link to see this ‘Quick and Easy One Crust Apple Pie with Maple Whipped Cream. (This cute little scarecrow makes another appearance – three years later!)

INGREDIENTS

Oven at 425(F) Bake for 45 – 50 minutes, until crust is golden and filling is bubbling. You might want to place a cookie sheet – or a piece of foil – on the rack below the pie, in case it bubbles over

6 cups sliced apples – peeled and cored, or course!
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
4 “pinches” nutmeg
1/4 tsp. salt
4 TBS. flour (yes – tablespoons!!)
2 TBS. butter – to be cut up and dropped on top of apple/sugar mixture
2 crusts – either purchased or homemade
1 egg, beaten

In a large bowl, mix the sliced apples, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and flour.

Put the 1st crust into the pie plate. Fill with the apple/sugar mixture. (Some people like to mound the apple/sugar mixture higher in the middle but I don’t. I prefer it evenly spread out.) With a sharp knife, cut a few slashes into the crust to help steam escape.

Cut your butter into small pieces and dot on top of the apple/sugar mixture. (I just hold it in my hand and cut off a piece at a time – otherwise the cut-up butter sticks together.)

Place the 2nd crust over the butter/apple mixture, crimping edges to seal.

++ Here’s a video which shows you how to ‘crimp’ a pie crust. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJRY1vdCMkQ

++ If you’re feeling really creative – here’s a video showing how to make ‘fancy’ crimps! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZcQGja6jpbE

Now for the “egg wash”. Take the beaten egg and with your fingers (my favorite) or a pastry brush, spread some of the beaten egg on the top crust. (You don’t have to do this, but it does give the crust a nice sheen and golden color.)

Bake at 425F for about 45 – 50 minutes, until the crust is golden, and the apples are fully cooked. Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!!

November 18, 2012November 14, 2015

My Yellow Farmhouse - Cooking with Love!1 Comment

Old-Fashioned Apple Squares

These apple squares (or bars) are even tastier than I remember!! They’re loaded with apples, nuts and raisins, and have a buttery, cinnamony goodness – so you can even eat them for breakfast!!

MAKES ABOUT 24 SQUARES – or BARS

Oven at 350 F
Lightly grease a 9″ x !0″ pan
Bake 45 – 50 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

INGREDIENTS

2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup sugar
1/2 packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
4 cups roughly chopped peeled and cored apples
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1/2 raisins (Try the raisins even if you don’t always like raisins. They kind of “melt away” into the batter, and give the resulting bars a lovely sweetness and golden dark color.)

In a medium-sized bowl – using a mixer – cream together the vanilla, both sugars and 2 eggs until creamy and throughly mixed.

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt & nutmeg. Add the creamed mixture to the dry mixture, and mix by hand until throughly blended.

Add the apples, walnuts and raisins – mix by hand until throughly blended

Pour into the greased pan, spreading with the spoon to get the mixture even.

Bake at 350 F for between 45 – 50 minutes. When cooled, cut with a sharp knife. Enjoy!