Apple Butter

I have to confess I'm a little scared to leave my crockpot on all day while I go to work. Leaving it on on weekends and days off while I'm in and out running errands all day is fine, but leaving it on while I'm at work squicks me out a little. I know it's irrational. I know that my crockpot won't suddenly, after over 4 years of reliable use, won't all of a sudden blow up on me... But what if it does?

This apple butter is my first experiment with putting something in my crockpot while I was away at work. Do you think I could concentrate at work? Of course not. Instead of brilliant legal thoughts, my imagination went wild with thoughts of burned apples (at best) and charred house remains (at worst). 

Needless to say, my house was still standing when I got home, the apples were cooking nicely, and it smelled like I had spent all day making apple pies. It was wonderful.

Now if only I could convince myself that this all-day-while-I'm-at-work success wasn't a fluke and I should try it again.

Crockpot Apple Butter

From My Baking Addiction, adapted

Makes about 4 pints

INGREDIENTS

6 1/2 lbs tart apples, peeled, cored, and sliced

2/3 - 1 cup white sugar (depending on how sour your apples are)

2/3 - 1 cup brown sugar (depending on how sour your apples are)

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground cloves

2 tsp cinnamon 

1/4 tsp salt

1 TBSP vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

Place the apples in the crockpot. Add the sugars, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Stir to combine.

Cook on low for about 10 hours, stirring very occasionally (I stirred once after it cooked for about 9 hrs), until the mixture is thickened and dark brown.

Uncover, stir in the vanilla, and cook for about 2 hrs. It'll probably look like the apples are sort of breaking down and liquefying, but that's ok. Cooking uncovered will allow some of the excess liquid to evaporate.

Puree with an immersion blender until smooth. Put in sterile containers and store in the fridge or freezer.

Overnight Cinnamon Rolls

On holiday mornings, I love to wake up to a nice fresh batch of cinnamon rolls. But I seem to always run into the problem that if I make them at night before bed, they're good the next morning, but you don't get that "fresh from the oven" goodness. If you make them in the morning... you have to get up at about 4 am to have fresh rolls by the time normal people wake up. Am I the only one that has that issue? No? Maybe?

When I saw Alton Brown's Overnight Cinnamon Roll recipe, I knew it would be the solution to all my fresh roll issues. The basic idea is that you make the rolls the night before, then in the morning, get them in a nice humid oven, let them rise for a half an hour, and then bake. Unfortunately, the rising didn't happen quite as quickly as Alton said it would. I had to let mine rise for over an hour before they had risen enough to bake. So, instead of having rolls around 10:30 or 11, we ended up eating them closer to noon. That counts for breakfast on a holiday, right?

They were worth the wait, though. They were everything I wanted in a cinnamon roll, and the frosting, while super sweet, complimented the rolls perfectly. As a bonus, they keep really well in the fridge, too - and with a quick zap in the microwave, they taste just about as good as they did when they were fresh!

Because I didn't change his recipe one bit, out of respect for Mr. Brown, you can find the recipe for these amazing rolls here:

Alton Brown's Overnight Cinnamon Rolls

1/2/2012 Update: I've submitted these to the Sweets for a Saturday on Sweet as Sugar Cookies. 

Applesauce Bread

I love making quick breads. They're such easy things to whip up and they make a great breakfast or snack in the morning. My husband's mom makes applesauce muffins every once in a while, and they're always great, so when I came across this recipe for applesauce bread, I knew I had to make it straight away. I loved it. However, I felt like it was missing a little something so next time I make it, I'm going to add a bit of nutmeg or allspice to give it an extra kick. I halved the recipe to make only one loaf, but next time I will definitely make the full amount.

Applesauce Bread

Recipe from allrecipes, adapted

Makes 1 loaf

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 cups flour (I did 1/2 cup whole wheat and 1 cup all-purpose)

1 egg plus one egg white

1/2 cup canola oil

1 cup applesauce

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg or allspice

1 generous tsp baking soda

1/4 cup sour cream

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350.

Dump all ingredients into a bowl and mix together until well combined.

Pour into a greased loaf pan and bake for about 60-70 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Grandma's Zucchini Bread

Zucchini bread was one of my favorites when I was a kid, and nobody made it quite like my grandma. Well, truth be told, when I was a kid there were a lot of things nobody could make quite like my grandma could. This is my take on her recipe. I've tried to make it just a little healthier so you don't feel quite so bad about eating it.

Zucchini Bread

Grandma Ann's recipe, adapted

Makes 2 loaves

INGREDIENTS

1 cup whole wheat flour

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp ground nutmeg

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp ground cinnamon

3 cups sugar

1 cup canola oil

1/3 cup water

4 eggs

2 1/2 - 3 cups grated zucchini

1 tsp lemon juice

1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce*

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, mix together the flours, salt, sugar, soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg. In a separate bowl, beat together the canola oil, water, eggs, and lemon juice. Add wet ingredients to dry and mix until combined. Add zucchini and applesauce and stir until combined.

Pour into pre-greased loaf pans and bake for 1 hr, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

*If you want, you can eliminate some of the oil by swapping out an equal amount of oil for apple sauce. So, for example, if you only add 1/2 cup of oil, add 1/2 cup more of the applesauce, for a total of 3/4 cup.

English Muffins

English muffins are one of my favorite breakfast foods. Since I successfully started making bagels, I've been interested in making English muffins. I was curious if the effort and of making them and the taste would be worth it. So, when I had some spare time on a Saturday, I tried making them. Because I love my breadmaker, I used that to knead the dough and let it rise.

They were a bit tedious to make, but in the long run, they're so much better than the ones you buy at the store. I would definitely recommend trying to make them over buying them.

English Muffins

Recipe from King Arthur Flour website (modified slightly)

Makes 16-20 muffins

INGREDIENTS

1 3/4 cups warm milk
3 TBSP butter
1 1/4 tsp salt
2 TBSP sugar
1 large egg, lightly beaten
4 1/4 cups unbleached flour
2 tsp yeast

DIRECTIONS

Place the ingredients in the pan of your bread machine following the manufacturer's instructions. Use the "dough" setting. After the cycle is complete, transfer the dough to a cornmeal-sprinkled surface and roll it out until it's about 1/2-inch thick. Cut out the muffins in about 3-inch rounds. Re-roll and cut out any leftover dough. Cover the muffins with a damp cloth and let rest for about 30 minutes.

Heat a cast iron skillet to very low heat (a hard-annonized skillet didn't work as well). Do not grease, but sprinkle with cornmeal. Cook 4-5 muffins at a time, cornmeal side down first, for about 5-7 minutes per side.

Check after about 4 minutes to see that the muffins are browning gently and are neither too dark nor too light. If they are cooking either too fast or too slowly, adjust the temperature of your pan or griddle.

When brown on both sides, transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Bagels

I love bagels. I could eat them every single day. I've been annoyed lately how expensive they are in the grocery store, so I started wondering how difficult they would be to make. After searching around online for awhile, I came across a bagel recipe that starts in the breadmaker. Since I love my bread machine, I couldn't pass it up.

These bagels were super easy and they taste great. I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to justify buying bagels again.


Bagels
Recipe from Allrecipes
Makes 9 bagels

INGREDIENTS
Dough
1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 TBSP white sugar
3 cups bread flour
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast

Water bath
3 quarts boiling water
3 TBSP white sugar
1 TBSP cornmeal
1 egg white

DIRECTIONS
Place water, salt, sugar, flour and yeast in the bread machine pan in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select Dough setting.

When cycle is complete, let dough rest on a lightly floured surface. Meanwhile, in a large pot bring 3 quarts of water to a boil. Stir in 3 tablespoons of sugar.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Cut dough into 9 equal pieces, and roll each piece into a small ball. Flatten balls. Poke a hole in the middle of each with your thumb. Twirl the dough on your finger or thumb to enlarge the hole, and to even out the dough around the hole. Cover bagels with a clean cloth, and let rest for 10 minutes.

Sprinkle an ungreased baking sheet with cornmeal. Carefully transfer bagels to boiling water. Boil for 1 minute, turning half way through. Drain briefly on clean towel. Arrange boiled bagels on baking sheet. Glaze tops with egg white.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until well browned.

Raspberry Streusel Muffins

I'd been thinking about making something with the raspberries I have in my freezer for quite a while now. Finally, I decided today was the day, and I decided on making some raspberry streusel muffins. I wish I had an interesting story to tell about them, but I don't. They're just really pretty, and really good. The streusel topping gives it that little something extra that most raspberry muffins are missing.



Raspberry Streusel Muffins
Recipe from Better Homes & Gardens, adapted
Makes 12 muffins

INGREDIENTS
1 3/4 cup flour
1/3 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg, beaten
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup cooking oil
3/4 cup fresh raspberries
Streusel topping, recipe below

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F and prepare muffin tins.

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Make a well in the middle and set aside.

In another bowl, combine egg, milk, and oil. Add egg all at once to the flour mixture. Stir just until moistened. The batter will be a bit lumpy.

Fold in the raspberries.

Spoon the batter into the muffin tins, about 2/3 full. Top with the streusel topping. Bake for 18-20 minutes, until golden. Cool in the muffin tins on a wire rack for about 5 minutes before removing.

Streusel Topping
In a small bowl, combine 3 TBSP flour, 3 TBSP packed brown sugar, an 1/4 tsp cinnamon. Cut in 2 TBSP butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Banana Bread

I don't really like bananas. It's a texture thing. I'm alright with them when they're almost ripe; still a little tiny bit green. But the second that peel is completely yellow or a tiny bit brown, my banana eating is over.

I do, however, really like a good banana bread. I came across an interesting banana bread recipe in my google reader a few weeks ago, and knew I had to try it. Despite my husband being upset with me that I put chocolate chips in it, I'm very happy with how it turned out and will make it again for sure.



Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
Recipe from Good Things Catered
Makes 1 loaf

INGREDIENTS
3 large extra-ripe bananas
1 3/4 cups flour, plus 2 TBSP
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 pkg. instant vanilla pudding mix
1 cup chocolate chips (I used about 2/3 cup)
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup shortening (I used butter flavor crisco sticks)
2 eggs
2 TBSP milk
1 TBSP vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Mash bananas and set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine 1 3/4 cups flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pudding mix. Whisk together and set aside.

In a ziplock bag, toss chocolate chips with 2 TBSP flour. Set aside.

Cream together shortening and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

Add eggs, one at a time, until thoroughly combined.

Add milk, vanilla, and banana to the mixture and combine well.

Turn mixer to low and add the flour/pudding mixture and beat until just combined. Fold in chocolate chips.

Pour into a greased loaf pan and bake for about 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let cool on a wire rack for about 5 minutes then remove from the pan to cool completely.

Grandma's Cinnamon Rolls

My grandma makes the best cinnamon rolls. When I was growing up, she knew I liked them fresh out of the oven, so she would always make sure they were just done when I woke up. If I wasn't going to be at her house for a while, and on special occasions, she'd bring me a pan to let rise and then bake on my own.

I made them with her many times when I was at her house visiting, but I'd never made them on my own. I put my own twist on them, using the fabulous cream cheese icing recipe on Little Ms. Foodie's blog, but they still use Grandma's basic recipe.


Cinnamon Rolls
Recipe by my grandma, adapted
Makes 12-16 rolls

INGREDIENTS
1 loaf Rhodes frozen bread dough, thawed
6 TBSP butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 TBSP cinnamon
Icing, recipe follows

DIRECTIONS
After dough has thawed, but before it starts to rise, roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface until it's about a 14 x 6 inch rectangle.

In a small bowl, mix together the butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Spread the cinnamon mixture on the dough.

Roll the dough up like a jelly roll, starting with the long side (this would be the bottom of the rectangle, for the instructionally-impaired like myself). Cut the roll into 12-16 slices (about 1 to 1 1/2 inch slices.

Place them into a greased 9 x 13 pan and let rise for about an hour, or until they have doubled in size.

Bake for about 15 minutes or until golden brown on top. Let cool, and frost with cream cheese frosting.

Icing
4 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp salt

Beat together all ingredients until smooth. Use to frost cooled rolls.

Caramel Rolls

I think Sunday morning is a great day for a leisurely breakfast. My favorites are a quasi-Irish breakfast and caramel rolls (not together). Don't laugh, Husband. I didn't say I'm up cooking full breakfasts often, just that I like to (see, I changed that wording for you to make it more clear). This recipe has been in my family for as long as I can remember. It makes an appearance at every holiday and family function, and we all love them... Well, I love them when no one screws them up by adding walnuts to the caramel sauce... I always feel a bit Sandra Lee-ish when making them, but I get over it quickly because they're so wonderful. I promise you'll like them. The best part (aside from the delicious flavor) is that they come together in less than 5 minutes of prep time.

Just out of the oven -
Top View

Flipped over

Caramel Rolls
Family Recipe (true source unknown)
Serves 4-8

INGREDIENTS
18 Rhodes frozen roll dough balls
1 package butterscotch cook & serve pudding (NOT INSTANT)
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar

DIRECTIONS
Grease a bundt cake pan.

Place the frozen dough balls in the bottom of the pan. I like to do it so there is an inner and an outer layer when it cooks.

Sprinkle the dry pudding mix on top of the dough.

Meanwhile, melt the butter and combine it with the brown sugar. Once mixed together, pour over the top of the dough and dry pudding mix.

Place in a cold oven overnight (or about 8 hrs, if not overnight). Turn on oven to 350 and bake about 25 minutes or until golden brown. Don't bother to take them out to pre-heat the oven. Just turn it on and set a timer for 25 minutes and walk away. When the timer goes off, the caramel rolls should be done.

*Let them sit about 10 minutes before flipping and removing them from the bundt pan. When it's time to do so, I suggest covering the top of the pan with a plate and flipping the whole thing over as fast as you can. Make sure to keep watch for any caramel that slips out the sides.

Old Fashioned Cake Doughnuts

The female elders in my family have been making these doughnuts for years. They're light and airy - pretty much everything you would want in a doughnut. I highly recommend them. Unfortunately, even with a doughnut dropper, it's a bit difficult to get the shape. Don't be discouraged if you get a few alien mutant doughnuts at first.


Old Fashioned Cake Doughnuts

Family Recipe

INGREDIENTS
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
pinch of salt
2 cups sour milk
1 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp soda
1 tsp nutmeg
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cream of tartar
4 1/2 - 5 cups flour
Oil for frying

DIRECTIONS
Mix all the above together with electric mixer. Add flour 1 cup at a time. You'll probably have to stir in the last cup of flour by hand.

Heat oil to 375 degrees.

Place batter in doughnut dropper and drop batter into hot oil. Fry about 2-3 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels. If desired, coat with cinnamon/sugar mixture.