Bonus Recipe - Homemade Applesauce

Cookies aren't the only thing I like to bake/cook.  Occasionally, I hope to bring you other recipes I come across or ones my family loves. 

This weekend was the first weekend of pick-your-own apples at a local orchard.  After an awesome lunch at Hot Dog Johnny's, we headed over to the orchards to take Sydney and Violet on their very first apple picking excursion. 

We picked about 10 pounds of beautiful Gala apples.  The girls couldn't wait to get into them and ate two on the car ride home.  Once home, I was left with the predicament of finding something to do with all those apples.  I decided to make one of the girls' favorite things - applesauce.

After peeling and slicing the ten pounds of apples, I threw them in a pot with a little water and a few pieces of lemon peel and brought the mixture to a boil. 

Once the apples were tender, I pureed them in a blender with just a little of the cooking liquid.  I returned the pureed apples to the pot and added sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and the juice of half a lemon.  I allowed the mixture to simmer for about 15 minutes and let it cool.  Sydney at a bowl warm with a pat of butter.  It was delicious and so fresh tasting.  I think she really liked seeing the whole process - picking the apples, cooking them and then eating the final product.  I could see a sense of pride in her as she ate the applesauce and talked about how she picked them herself (with a little help from Violet, of course). 

Homemade Applesauce

10 lbs apples, peeled, cored and sliced

1/2 - 1 cup sugar

1 tbsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1 lemon

Place apples in a large pot and add enough water to just come up to the top of the apples - do not cover. Using a vegetable peeler, peel four pieces of lemon rind and place in the pot with the apples. Bring to a boil and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the apples are tender.  About 15 minutes.

Working in batches, transfer the cooked apples to a blender and puree until smooth (be sure to remove the lemon peel).  I used a slotted spoon to transfer the apples and added just a small amount of the cooking liquid to puree.  Transfer the puree to a bowl.  Once all the apples are pureed, discard the remaining cooking liquid and return the applesauce to the pot.  Return the pot to the heat and stir in sugar, to taste (I only needed about 3/4 cup sugar for my apples), cinnamon and nutmeg.  Juice half the lemon and add that to the pot as well.  Simmer for 15-20 minutes.  Serve warm with a pat of butter or some cream or refrigerate. 

The next time I make this, I think I will cook the apples with a stick or two of cinnamon to really impart the cinnamon flavor. 

Cookie #68 - West Virginia Apple Butter Rolls

My very first trip to West Virginia was 5 years ago, when my husband (then boyfriend) took me to Canaan Valley to ski and meet his father.  I was so nervous, I remember begging him to take me back home, promising him Thai food and nudity (a line from one of my favorite chick flicks, Bed of Roses). 

My nerves only escalated as I put on skis for the first time in fifteen years.  He and his sister tried their hardest to get me to go down the bunny slope, but I just couldn't do it.  I signed up for professional one-on-one lessons, but chickened out last minute.  I rested my skis outside the lodge and went into the ladies room and cried.  I cried because I couldn't put aside the fear and just do it.  I cried because I was afraid my boyfriend wouldn't want to date me anymore because I couldn't ski.  It was something that he loved to do and I couldn't be an active part of it.  I dried my tears and spent the remainder of the day drinking Bud Light and listening to Bon Jovi in the ski lodge.  Needless to say, my lack of ski skills didn't matter after all. 

West Virginia's state fruit is the golden delicious apple. Rather than just use apples in the recipe, I chose to use apple butter.  According to my mother-in-law and other West Virginians apple butter is commonly found at many WV fairs.  For this recipe, I utilized my mother's recipe for rugulah.  I added some apple pie spices to the dough and rolled it up apple butter and walnuts inside.  The result - delish!  Dare I say, better than my mom's rugulah!

West Virginia Apple Butter Rugulah

1/2 cup butter

4 ounces cream cheese

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1 1/4 cups flour

1/4 cup apple butter

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water

2 tablespoons turbinado sugar

Cream butter, cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla together until smooth.  Sift together flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg together.  Add to butter mixture all at once and beat until smooth.  Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and knead gently until smooth.  Divide dough in half and wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours. 

After dough is chilled, remove one piece of dough and roll out between two pieces of well floured wax paper into a rectangle roughly 12 x 7", or about 1/8" thick.  Remove the top piece of wax paper and spread half the apple butter over the dough, leaving a 1/2" border along the edges.  Sprinkle half the walnuts over the dough and press lightly. 

Starting with the long edge of the rectangle closest to you, roll the dough away from you to form a roll.  Press the seam lightly.  Wrap the roll in the waxed paper and transfer to the fridge, seam side down.  Repeat process with remaining dough.  Chill for 30 minutes

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Remove chilled rolls from the fridge brush each roll with egg wash and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.  Slice each roll into 1" pieces.  Place each slice onto parchment lined baking sheets about 1" apart.  Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until golden brown.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Cookie #20 - Apple Pie Cookies

There is nothing more all-American than apple pie, right?  I couldn't think of a better way to kick off our 4th of July celebration than an apple-pie cookie. 

I got this recipe from Taste of Home.  This recipe really does have a lot of steps, but the result is so worth it.  The cookie came out a little less cookie-like and more pastry-like.  They were very soft.  The dough itself was very soft when rolling, and the baked version was no different.  The filling was fantastic.  Grating the apples rather than dicing was the perfect way to make the filling fit in the cookie.  I wonder how a whole pie of grated apples would be?  Probably too mushy, but I love the texture in this cookie.

Apple Pie Cookies

1/2 cup shortening

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1/2 cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

FILLING:
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 medium tart apples, peeled and grated (about 2 cups)
3/4 cup water

GLAZE:
4 tablespoons water
Red and green liquid food coloring

In a large bowl, cream shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, milk and vanilla. Combine flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture. Divide in dough in half. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours or until easy to handle (dough will be soft).

Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, combine the filling ingredients. Cook over medium heat until apples are softened and mixture is thickened; cool.

On a lightly floured surface roll out each portion of dough to 1/8-in. thickness. Cut with a floured 2-1/2-in. apple cookie cutter. Place 2 in. apart on ungreased baking sheets. Spread with 2 teaspoons of filling to within 1/4 in. of edge. Top with another cutout seal edges.

Bake at 375° for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool completely. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine 3 tablespoons water and 18 drops red food coloring. In another small bowl, combine remaining water and 6 drops green food coloring. Using a pastry brush, "paint" apples red with green leaves. Yield: 2 dozen.

I got nowhere near 2 dozen cookies.  I think I got about 13 out of the batch using a slightly larger cookie cutter.  The dough is VERY soft, so I froze it for about 20 minutes before rolling out.  I also had to use A LOT of flour to keep it from sticking.  I was afraid it was going to make the cookies tough, but it didn't.  I tried not to handle the dough too much and I'm sure that helped.