apples Archives - The Midnight Baker

Individual Apple Crumb Pies

Judith Hannemann — Tue, 22 Sep 2020 23:00:20 +0000

Quick and easy individual apple pies you can whip up in a jiffy.

Individual Apple Pie With No Work

Who wouldn’t love an apple pie that practically made itself? I’m guessing the answer to that is, “No one.”

This is also a great recipe to have in your arsenal when you need a dessert on the double-up. One of these individual apple pies is a serving.

It relies on convenience foods that you probably have in your fridge and pantry. If you don’t, it’s a good idea to keep these staples on hand. One won’t go bad because it’s canned pie filling and the other one will keep in your fridge for a long time–refrigerated cinnamon rolls. And you can always use those cinnamon rolls for their intended purpose if the out-date is getting near.

Making The Crumbs

The crumbs are the only thing your going to make from scratch with these little pies.

Since the crumbs are pretty generic and can be used for other baking projects, you may want to make up more of them than is used on these pies.

Years ago, I stumbled on a foolproof method for crumbs since mine always sucked and melted. They tasted good but looked horrible. But then I made this cranberry coffee cake that was in a magazine I used to get, and you used melted butter for the crumbs; unlike cutting the cold butter into the flour/sugar like a pie crust. The cake was very forgettable but the crumbs were not and I used that recipe ever since, despite what any recipe said to use. It’s a basic formula so you can double, triple, etc.

The formula is 1:1:2 of butter (melted) to sugar to flour so for the basic “recipe” it’s 1/4 cup butter, 1/4 cup brown sugar and 1/2 cup flour. And remember to melt the butter!

Optional But Good

You might want to cut up the slices in the apple pie filling so you can distribute it better. I find the slices to be pretty large, which is fine if you’re using it for a regular-sized pie. However, it might be too large for a muffin-cup sized pie. So what I did was cut up each slice into thirds and that worked out great.

The Recipe

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Individual Apple Crumb Pies

Quick and easy dessert

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Course: Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: apple pie using cinnamon rolls, individual pies, recipes using refrigerated cinnamon rolls

Servings: 8

Calories: 340kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

1 tube refrigerated cinnamon rolls 8 count
21 oz apple pie filling one can

Crumbs:

1/4 cup butter melted
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup flour.

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400F/200C
Separate cinnamon rolls and press into the bottom and up the sides of a standard muffin tin.
Cut up the apple pie filling into smaller pieces and fill each muffin tin.
Make crumbs by mixing the melted butter with the sugar and flour until crumbs form. Top each pie with the crumbs.
Bake 15-20 minutes or until crumbs are beginning to get golden brown.

Notes

You can eliminate the crumbs if you want to use the white icing that comes with the cinnamon rolls. Just cool the pies completely then drizzle with the icing.

Nutrition

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Chunky Apple Donuts

Judith Hannemann — Tue, 16 Jun 2020 23:00:58 +0000

You might want to call these apple donuts fritters, but whatever you call them they’re delicious!

Calling All Apple Lovers

Do you love apples? If the answer is yes, then you’re going to love these donuts because they are literally loaded with apples!

Each “fritter” contains about one whole apple. There’s just enough batter to hold the apples together so the great apple flavor really shines through.

Any good eating apple will do for these apple donuts. Of course, the flavor is dependent on the type of apple you use. My favorite is Granny Smith because they hold up well when cooked and they also have a slight tartness that is very refreshing.

If you have a favorite apple, that’s what you’d use.

Use Good Oil

The oil you use to deep fry these beauties is pretty important.

The very best oil to use is peanut oil. It has a high smoke point so there’s essentially minimal breakdown of the oil. That breakdown is responsible for that lingering odor you get after doing anything deep fried. Not saying there isn’t some odor associated with peanut oil, but it’s far less than what you’d get with oils with a lower smoke point. Peanut oil is pricier than other oils, but if you do an amount of frying, it’s worth the cost. You can strain it and use it again for something similar, but of course, you can’t use it indefinitely. I use mine about 4 times then discard it.

Your next best choice is plain old vegetable oil. It’s way cheaper but you can’t get as many re-uses out of it.

As for the frying vessel, if you have an electric deep fryer, that’s the best. If not, use a dutch oven or chicken fryer (the skillet with high sides) to make these. Fill with at least 2-inches/5cm of oil. That’s about a quart or a litre of oil.

Let Them Really Brown

The secret to a good apple donut is letting them brown–and I mean deeply brown.

Don’t worry, they’re not going to be overcooked. The batter is rather dense so to ensure that they’re fully cooked, let ’em fry until they’re a deep brown on each side.

One trick I learned when I baked commercially is using chopsticks–yes, chopsticks–to turn anything I’m deep frying. You would need to get what they call “cooking chopsticks” to do this since they’re long and the chances of getting yourself splattered with hot oil is minimal. However, if you’re careful, you can use the regular size.

The Recipe

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Chunky Apple Donuts

Like fritters but better!

Prep Time10

Cook Time10

Course: Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: donuts with apples, old-fashioned fritters, peanut oil for frying

Servings: 6

Calories: 384kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup flour
2 tbs sugar
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp nutmeg
3/4 tsp cinnamon
2/3 cup milk
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbs melted butter
3 medium apples
oil for frying

Cinnamon Sugar:

1 cup sugar
2 tsp cinnamon

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Peel, core and chop the apples. Sprinkle with about 1 tbs lemon juice, if desired, to stop them browning.
Sift the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg into a large bowl. Whisk in the sugar. Whisk in the eggs, milk and vanilla. Stir in the melted butter and the apples
Add enough oil in a dutch oven so that it’s about 1 1/2-2-inches/3-5 cm up the sides.
Heat over medium heat until oil temperature reaches 350F/180C
Drop the batter by tablespoonsful into the hot oil; flattening slightly in the center. Fry only about 3 at a time. Fry until the donut is dark brown, turn and fry until the other side is dark brown—about 4 minutes per side.
Place cooked donuts on a plate lined with paper towels. Repeat with remaining batter.
Mix the cinnamon and sugar. Roll warm donuts in the cinnamon sugar until well coated.

Nutrition

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British Apple Cake

Judith Hannemann — Tue, 09 Jun 2020 23:00:24 +0000

Try this easy British apple cake for your next dessert.

A Very British Cake

I am a big fan of British cuisine–and the old-time dishes. Lots of Brits are into really nouvelle cuisine at the moment, but the old standbys remain popular. There’s good reason for it–they’re delicious!

This cake is no exception. This is a dessert cake. It’s very moist because of the amount of apple in it. It’s very much like a bread pudding–it’s dense but very tender. It melts in your mouth.

The English are not into layer cakes as we are here in the USA. Their traditional cakes are usually one big “layer” as in the photo above. And their cakes have moxie; they are not full of air and they don’t have a gossamer texture either. They’re solid. If you’ve ever eaten the famous Madeira cake, you’ll know what I’m getting at.

The traditional British cake tin is 7-inches. That’s not a standard size here so I’ll give bake times for an 8-inch springform pan as well.

Not Too Sweet

Another thing I like about this cake is that it’s not overly sweet. That’s surprising for something of British origin since the Brits are really into “sweet.” They’re the world’s largest consumer of candy so that should tell you something.

If you use apples that are tart, the cake will have a little bite too. I like using granny smiths, but any eating apple will do here.

My mother never peeled the apples, so I’m assuming that’s the way the old timers made this. I did peel the apples mainly because I always found peel in this cake to be a bit offputting to it’s nice flavor. The only thing I didn’t peel were the apples for the top decoration.

Sugar And Spice

This British apple cake uses two ingredients that are so typically British. They are available in the US but there’s great substitutes for them.

The spice in this cake is something called “mixed spice.” Yes, that’s what it’s called–for reals. However, pumpkin pie spice is a great substitute for it so use that since it’s widely available here.

Another typical British ingredient is demerara sugar. If you take sugar in your coffee and you can get demerara, try it. It will give your coffee a caramel-like flavor. I found this–in Walmart of all places–but Sugar In The Raw is the closest American product. However, plain old brown sugar will do too but you won’t get the crunch in the topping.

The Recipe

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British Apple Cake

A great apple cake from jolly old England

Prep Time15

Cook Time1

Course: Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: British

Keyword: apple dessert cakes, traditional british cakes

Servings: 12

Calories: 304kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

200 g/7 oz of butter softened
200 g/7 oz soft brown sugar
200 g/7 oz self-raising flour
1 1/2 tsp ground mixed spice see NOTES
4 eggs beaten
4 small apples like gala or granny smith peeled and diced
1 large apple like gala or granny smith, cut in thin wedges
Demerara sugar for sprinkling over the top

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350F/180°C spray a 7 inch (18cm) round springform cake pan with non-stick spray. Mix the ground mixed spice with the flour
Place all of the ingredients, except the apple, into a large bowl or food mixer and beat together for 2–3 minutes until well mixed. Add the 4 diced apples and stir into mix
Spoon the cake mixture into the prepared pan and arrange the sliced apples over the top before sprinkling some Demerara sugar over the top of the cake and apples
Bake in the oven for 55–60 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean
Allow the cake to cool in the pan for a few minutes before turning out on to a wire rack; allow to cool completely before slicing and serving

Notes

Pumpkin pie spice is a great substitute.
For 8-inch springform pan, bake for 45-50 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean

Nutrition

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Crescent Apple Dumplings

Judith Hannemann — Sat, 04 Apr 2020 23:00:03 +0000

Classic apple dumplings are easy to make with crescent roll dough.

Versatile Crescent Roll Dough

Just when you think you’ve seen 1000 uses for crescent roll dough, up pops another one to take the count up to 1001 (this is always a number that’s in flux).

I’ve discovered the 1001th use here with these incredibly delicious crescent apple dumplings. Since I had quite a few tubes of the refrigerated dough on hand due to a great sale about a month ago, I had almost everything I needed to make these little beauties. One thing I lacked was the lemon soda that was in a Facebook friend’s recipe.

No problem–I had ginger ale on hand and used that.

Apples

The original recipe called for Granny Smith apples. With stores picked pretty much clean, they may not be available. I don’t ordinarily buy apples because I don’t eat them. I only buy them when I have a recipe that uses them, so I didn’t have any on hand. Luckily a friend had some but only Macintosh, so I used those. The dumplings turned out just fine.

You can probably substitute any non-citrus fruit here. Canned peaches would be a good choice and even an apple pie filling would likely do in a pinch. In these times of major shut-downs, you use what you can.

Shape Doesn’t Matter

I’ve been using crescent roll dough for more years than I care to mention. I’ve never had a sheet unroll where the triangles were perfect unless I rolled and reshaped each one. I gave up bothering with that a long time ago too.

So for these dumplings, just put the fruit along the long end of the triangle and fold up the rest of the dough around it so the fruit is covered. Actually, the little bundle it makes looks like a dumpling and they taste just as good!

The Recipe

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Crescent Roll Apple Dumplings

Easy and delicious apple dumpling dessert

Prep Time10

Cook Time40

Course: Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: crescent roll dumplings, desserts that use crescent roll dough, easy apple dumpling recipe

Servings: 8

Calories: 598kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

2 cans refrigerated crescent roll dough 8 per package
1 cup butter melted
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon or to taste
12 oz can ginger ale or lemon soda
2 large Granny Smith apples peeled and cored

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
Wash the apples, peel & core and cut each into 8 equal slices.
Unwrap the crescent roll & separate the triangles.
Place one apple slice at the wide end of the triangle & roll up.
Butter a 13 X 9 inch baking dish.
In a separate bowl, combine the butter, cinnamon, sugar & vanilla, mix until there are no lumps and pour over the rolls.
Pour soda between rolls but NOT over them and bake for 35-45, or until golden brown.

Video

Nutrition

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Crockpot Apple Coffee Cake

Judith Hannemann — Wed, 08 Jan 2020 00:00:45 +0000

Yes you can bake in your crockpot! This apple coffee cake is a great place to start.

Crockpot Cake Baking

Bet you didn’t think you could bake in your crockpot, did you?

I always used to think that too. For me, slow cooker cooking meant stews and soups and the like. However, my sister uses her crockpot for a lot of things you would never think of doing in there. And yes, she bakes in it. Makes a super banana bread in there. I have to admit that if you want a nice, moist cake, a crockpot coffee cake is perfect. I’ve done my sister’s banana bread and even made lemon bars in mine.

This crockpot coffee cake is another perfect cake to make in your slow cooker. Let it cool a bit and slice it like a cake. It can also be served in a bowl warm as a dessert!

Doctoring The Cake Mix

I discovered years ago that the secret to getting a mix to taste almost homemade was using evaporated milk as the liquid. There’s also some sour cream and spice, but those are minor additions.

You may like to substitute another flavor cake mix for the yellow. I used a “butter recipe” mix and it worked out fine. Spice cake mix would probably work too.

This could probably be done with chocolate cake mix and cherry pie filling for a Black Forest type of cake. If you try that, let me know how it came out since I have not done that–yet.

Crockpot Size

This recipe calls for a rather small-size crockpot–4Q/4L. I’m pretty sure this size isn’t that popular anymore. Most of my friends have 6-7 quart models. I’m sure it can be made in a large one, but it will bake in far less time. I would check on it in half the given time in the recipe. You’d probably be pretty safe with a standard 5Q/5L model without any real reduction in time.

The “toothpick” test works with slow cooker baking, so make sure to check it that way to be sure.

The Recipe

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Crockpot Apple Coffee Cake

Yes, you can bake in your slow cooker!

Prep Time10

Cook Time2 30

Course: Dessert, Slow Cooker, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: apple cake recipe, coffee cake recipe, crockpot cake, crockpot coffee cake, slow cooker baking

Servings: 12

Calories: 239kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

1 box yellow cake mix
2 eggs
3 tbs soft butter
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1/2 tsp cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
1 can apple pie filling 20 oz size
3 tbs brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Coat the insert of a 4-qt slow cooker with non-stick pray. Cut a piece of parchment to fit the bottom of the cooker and put it in place at the bottom
In a medium bowl, beat cake mix, eggs, butter and sour cream until smooth. Add the milk gradually then beat for 2 minutes on high speed. Stir in the 1/2 tsp cinnamon and the nutmeg. Set aside.
Using a food processor, sharp knife or potato masher, crush the pie filling to make smaller pieces. Stir in the cinnamon and brown sugar.
Spoon half the pie filling mixture in an even layer at the bottom of the slow cooker then top with half the cake batter. Spoon the remaining pie filling on top then the remaining batter, smoothing the top.
Cover and cook on hight for 2 1/2 hours. Remove the insert and lid and cool for 15 minutes. Invert onto a serving platter.

Notes

Cake mix box sizes vary—you will need the 2-layer size.

Nutrition

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Caramel Apple Dump Cake

Judith Hannemann — Sat, 31 Aug 2019 23:00:26 +0000

Not just for fall, caramel apple dump cake is so easy you can enjoy it year round.

Caramel Apple Dump Cake: Easy Dessert

Want something to celebrate fall that’s easy to make?

Well, look no further than this caramel apple dump cake. Like all dump cakes, it’s as easy as can be. I’m also willing to bet that you have most, if not all, of the ingredients right on your shelf. The only thing you may have to buy is caramel sauce. I have this on hand all the time–because it has many uses. The main one being sneaking a spoonful every so often!

Dress It Up A Bit

What I usually do is stir about a teaspoon of cinnamon into the apple pie filling. I buy the plain one, but if you have the cinnamon one on hand, then leave out the cinnamon. A pinch–because it’s so potent–of nutmeg is really nice too. So is allspice.

Another nice dressy idea is to toast the pecans, if you’re going to use them–in a little bit of butter. If you do, let the butter get brown because it’ll add tons of flavor. This dump cake is delicious even without the nuts; it’s an optional ingredient.

The Cake Mix

This dump cake uses either yellow or butter-recipe flavored mix. Personally, I prefer the taste of the butter recipe variety. That’s just a matter of taste.

I’m also pretty picky about the cake mix brand I use. I prefer not to use ones that tout “pudding in the mix,” because I find them way too wet making spoilage a real problem. However, since the cake mix in this type of recipe amounts to a quick crumb topping, I don’t think it matters all that much. Besides, what I have in the pantry isn’t the pudding variety anyway. Again, a personal preference.

This might be nice substituting a spice cake mix. I haven’t tried that yet, but the idea is provocative so I might just do one using it. If you think your favorite flavor would be nice, use it and let me know how it turned out.

The Recipe

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Caramel Apple Dump Cake

Quick and easy apple dessert

Prep Time15

Cook Time40

Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: apple dump cake, dump cake, easy dessert recipes, fall cake recipes

Servings: 10

Calories: 420kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

1 box (2-layer size) butter recipe or yellow cake mix
8 oz unsalted butter melted
2 cans (21 oz each) apple pie filling
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup caramel sauce like you’d put on ice cream
1/2 cup chopped pecans optional

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350F/180C degrees Spray a 13 x 9-inch baking dish with non-stick spray.
Mix the pie filling, pecans if using and cinnamon; turn into the prepared pan.
Drizzle caramel sauce over the top. Distribute dry cake mix evenly over the top of the filling.
Pour melted butter evenly across the top.
Bake for 35-40 minutes or until top is golden brown and the filling is bubbling at the edges.

Notes

The 2-layer size of cake mix generally weighs about 15 ounces. Try to use American brands (for my European readers) as I cannot guarantee results with any other formulation.

Video

Nutrition

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Apple Cider Donut Cake

Judith Hannemann — Sat, 20 Oct 2018 23:00:58 +0000

If you love apple cider donuts, you’ll flip for this cake!

Great Donut Taste In A Cake

This cake tastes exactly like apple cider donuts! It’s probably less fat too–although I’m not entirely sure.

I consider myself somewhat of an expert on apple cider donuts as I used to make them commercially at one time. Background here is that my late husband was recovering from open-heart surgery so he couldn’t work; I had to. Anyway, as there were no local jobs in engineering and I needed specific hours that I could be home for him, I took a job as a baker at a local supermarket. Yeah, I know–a real career change!

Anyway, the cider donuts were a fall staple at that store so I improved on the standard recipe. All the customers said those donuts hit the jackpot. The truth is, they started with a mix where I doctored the spices.

Mace: A Donut Essential

This spice is essential for donuts. It gives them that donutty taste.

For those who don’t know this little factoid, mace is the outer covering of nutmeg. I never knew that until very recently and it was Clarissa from Two Fat Ladies who informed me (and millions of other viewers too).

You also need nutmeg in equal portions to the mace. It’s a one-to-one ratio.

The other secret to the great taste here is the fresh apple that’s cooked in the cider itself. Essentially, you’re making applesauce, but it’s an applesauce with a lot of kick. You cook it down until the cider is reduced–and reductions have intense flavor. Where you may be tempted for convenience sake to substitute store-bought applesauce–don’t. It’s worth the time to do the apple/cider reduction.

The Crowning Glory

You’ll love the sugar coating for this cake. It’s not merely cinnamon sugar because there’s yet another hint of nutmeg. There’s a bit of salt too, which is strange at first, but many people actually put a pinch of salt on an apple because it brings out a lot of flavor.

The Recipe

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Apple Cider Donut Cake

If you love apple cider donuts, you’ll flip for this cake!

Prep Time30

Cook Time45

Total Time1 15

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: apple cider, apple cider donuts, cheesecake recipe, fall desserts

Servings: 12

Calories: 358kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

For the Cake:

8 tbs unsalted butter at room temperature
1 large Granny Smith apple about 8 ounces, peeled, cored, and roughly chopped
1 1/2 cups apple cider
1/2 cup milk at room temperature
2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground mace
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
3 eggs at room temperature
1/4 cup oil
1 tsp vanilla

For the Sugar Coating:

6 tbs sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp salt

Instructions

Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a bundt pan with non-stick spray.
In medium saucepan, bring chopped apple and cider to boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until most of the cider has been absorbed and apples are easily smashed with a fork, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove pan from heat, cool 5 minutes, and mash with the back of a spoon. Measure out 1 cup apple mixture and stir in milk; set aside.
In medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and mace; set aside.
In large bowl, beat butter, sugar, and brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add oil and beat until incorporated, about 1 minute.
Decrease mixer speed to low and add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with apple mixture, scraping down sides and bottom of bowl with rubber spatula as needed. Increase speed to medium and beat mixture just until combined, about 20 seconds. Add vanilla and beat once more, just to combine, about 10 seconds.
Scrape batter into prepared pan. Bake until cake tester inserted in cake comes out clean, rotating cake halfway through baking, 35 to 45 minutes. Transfer cake to cooling rack set inside baking sheet and cool in pan 10 minutes, then invert directly onto cooling rack.
For the Cinnamon Sugar Coating: Combine sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in small bowl. Sprinkle warm cake with cinnamon sugar, using fingers to rub it onto sides.
Cool cake completely, about 1 hour.

Video

Nutrition

*Adapted from Serious Eats

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Rosemary Pork Chops with Honey Apple Stuffing

Judith Hannemann — Sat, 30 Sep 2017 23:00:36 +0000

Nothing says fall more than pork and apples. These apple stuffed pork chops are easy to make!

The Taste Of Autumn

Nothing says autumn as much as apples and pork!

This is the season where you will usually find great deals on all cuts of pork, so taking advantage of this to stock the freezer is a boon.

Last fall was when I got the chops in the photo. Before anyone says, “Ewwww,” I vacuum seal all my stuff in my Foodsaver and these chops were as fresh and juicy as the day I bought them. I used bone-in chops because that’s what I had, but the original recipe calls for boneless. Either or will do.

Since I live right in the middle of New York’s apple country, I have many locally grown varieties to choose from. However, I used Granny Smiths here because of the tartness. They are not local apples.

Pork Chops With Delicate Herb Flavor

These chops get a great flavor from rosemary. I didn’t use much because I find too much rosemary to be unpleasant. I generally will use half of what a recipe calls for.

In these chops, the small amount of rosemary gives them terrific flavor. And what I like about it is rosemary is an herb that’s not your first thought when it comes to pork.

However, if you really find the taste of it unpleasant, then substituting thyme would be a great choice. I’m a big lover of thyme and I’m making them again and using that herb!

The Stuffing

This stuffing is really special!

It’s got nice tart apples, savoury red onion, honey and just enough toasted sliced almonds for texture and taste.

This stuffing totally complements the pork with just enough tartness balanced with just enough sweetness–and the reduction you make at the end is the crowning glory.

The Recipe

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Rosemary Pork Chops with Honey Apple Stuffing

Nothing says fall more than pork and apples. These apple stuffed pork chops are easy to make!

Prep Time20

Cook Time20

Total Time40

Course: Pork

Cuisine: American

Keyword: apples, pork chops, rosemary

Servings: 4

Calories: 384kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil divided
1/2 cup chopped red onion
1 1/2 cups chopped Granny Smith apples
3 tbsp honey divided
2 tbsp toasted sliced almonds
3 tsp fresh rosemary chopped
1/2 tsp cider vinegar
1/2 tsp salt divided
1/4 tsp garlic powder
4 center-cut pork chops 1-inch thick (about 1 pound)
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 cup reduced sodium chicken broth

Instructions

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in large skillet on medium heat. Add onion; cook and stir 5 minutes. Add apples; cook and stir 5 minutes longer or until slightly softened. Spoon mixture into small bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of the honey, almonds, 1 teaspoon of the rosemary, vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and garlic powder; mix well.
Cut a horizontal slit in center of each pork chop to form a pocket. Spoon 1/4 cup of the apple mixture into each pocket. Secure with toothpicks. Mix remaining 2 teaspoons rosemary, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper. Coat pork chops evenly on both sides with rosemary mixture.
Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in same skillet on medium-high heat. Add pork chops; cook 4 to 5 minutes on each side or until browned. Mix broth and remaining 2 tablespoons honey until well blended. Stir into skillet. Cook 5 minutes longer or until pork is desired doneness. Remove pork chops from skillet; keep warm. Cook mixture in skillet 3 minutes longer or until reduced by half. Remove toothpicks from pork chops. Serve pork with sauce mixture.

Nutrition

*Adapted from McCormick
*Post may contain affiliate links

The post Rosemary Pork Chops with Honey Apple Stuffing appeared first on The Midnight Baker.

Apple Pie Chimichangas

Judith Hannemann — Tue, 26 Sep 2017 23:00:36 +0000

These apple pie chimichangas are so easy to make, you’ll make them often!

Apple Pie Chimichangas: Easy

When you need a dessert on the double, these apple pie chimichangas are an answer to your prayers!

In fact, they can even double for apple pie itself since they taste almost the same.

Change One Ingredient, Get A Different Flavor

These chimichangas are fried in oil, so if you like deep fried pie pockets, that’s the way to go.

However, if you feel like a rich buttery experience, swap out the oil and saute these little beauties in some butter What a wonderful flavor!

Try them both ways.

All The Fixins

The very best thing about these chimichangas is that you probably have everything you need right in the pantry or freezer.

If your family loves tacos, then you’re sure to have some flour tortillas hanging around. Tacos are something I rarely eat, but I have flour tortillas on hand because I use them for wraps and grab-and-go breakfasts.

But if you don’t have them on hand but have some refrigerated pie crusts in the freezer, that can stand in for the tortillas. It may not taste the same, but it sure will taste good!

If you’re like me, then there’s a can of apple pie filling lurking in the back of your cupboard. And there’s not many of us who don’t have sugar and a bit of cinnamon on hand.

A commercial caramel sauce may be used here, but I made my own simply because I had everything on hand!

The Recipe

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Apple Pie Chimichangas

These apple pie chimichangas are so easy to make, you’ll make them often!

Prep Time5

Cook Time8

Total Time13

Course: desserts

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: apple pie, chimichanga

Servings: 8

Calories: 264kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

21 oz 1 can apple pie filling
8 flour tortillas 8-inch diameter
1 cup sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon
oil for frying
caramel sauce see NOTES

Instructions

Heat about 1/2-inch of oil in a large deep skillet over medium heat until oil reaches 350℉
Mix sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl; set aside.
To make tortillas more pliable, place the stack of 8 between 2 paper towels and sprinkle towels with about 1 tsp water. Microwave on high for 10-15 seconds.
Place about 1/4 cup of the pie filling in the center of each tortilla. Roll up egg-roll style. Secure end with a toothpick. Repeat for remaining tortillas.
Fry 2-3 chimichangas at a time, about 3-4 minutes each side until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.
Repeat for remaining chimichangas.
Roll warm chimichangas in cinnamon sugar. Serve with caramel sauce if desired.

Notes

Store-bought caramel ice cream sauce may be used. To make your own, mix 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup unsalted butter & 1/4 cup light cream or half-n-half in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until sauce boils; boil for 3-4 minutes. For a thinner sauce, add more cream.

Nutrition

The post Apple Pie Chimichangas appeared first on The Midnight Baker.

Apple Bars

Judith Hannemann — Tue, 12 Sep 2017 23:00:33 +0000

These apple bars are so delicious, you won’t believe they’re healthy too!

Apple Bars Everywhere

Fall has arrived! Maybe not by the calendar yet, but to most of us Labor Day marks the end of summer.

I live smack dab in the middle of New York’s apple country. Orchards are everywhere and we’re beginning to see our local apples in the food store. When you see them all around you, you definitely start thinking about making some recipes with them.

Apart from the usual strudels, pies and spiced rings for pork, I wanted to try something I’ve never made before. These apple bars, as simple as they are, filled the bill for something new.

These Are Good–And Healthy Too

I ran across this recipe while pinning content for BHG. It sounded very interesting and it was easy to make.

The apples aren’t peeled so that’s a prep step that can be eliminated. It also uses white whole wheat flour and I liked the idea of sneaking some whole-grain flour in here.

But wait, there’s more–it uses very little fat! I consider this an added bonus that this is a healthy snack. First and foremost, they are delicious and that’s the main point!

If you don’t have white whole wheat flour on hand, you can easily substitute all-purpose flour. I just happened to have some white whole wheat on hand from another project, but you don’t have to buy it special, although it’s nice to have on hand. My tip for flours/grains that you want to have on hand but don’t use often is to freeze them! I do this with all flours, especially when it’s on sale and I want to stock up.

Yummy Topping

If these apple bars weren’t good enough by themselves, they also have a yummy topping!

The topping resembles crumbs when you make it, but they melt on top of the bars. They are slightly chewy and even though they use very little butter, they have a lovely buttery spicy flavor.

The Recipe

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Apple Bars

These apple bars are so delicious, you won’t believe they’re healthy too!

Prep Time20

Cook Time25

Total Time45

Course: Breakfast, cookies, Dessert, Snack

Cuisine: American

Keyword: apple desserts, bar cookies, brownie recipes, things to make with apples

Servings: 16 -20 bars

Calories: 128kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

3/4 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups white whole wheat flour all-purpose is OK too
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3 tbsp vegetable oil
2 eggs slightly beaten
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups chopped apple I used 1 braeburn and 1 granny smith

Topping

2 tbsp white whole wheat flour all-purpose is OK too
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp butter

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350℉. Line a 13 x 9 pan with foil or parchment. Spray the foil or parchment with non-stick spray.
In a medium bowl, mix sugar, flour cinnamon, baking soda and sale. Blend well.
In another medium bowl, whisk together the oil, eggs and vanilla. Stir in chopped apples. Add this to the dry ingredients and mix just until moistened.
Spread in prepared pan.
For the topping, in a small bowl, mix together the flour, brown sugar and cinnamon. Cut the butter in with a pastry blender until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle crumb mixture over batter in pan.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely on a rack. Lift the cooled cookies out of the pan by grabbing the edges of the foil or parchment. Cut into bars.

Nutrition

*Adapted from BHG.com

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