Cinnamon apple crumb cake

Thanksgiving was a blur.  B's mom came in town so that we could all celebrate at my parent's, but my work schedule was such that I did a lot of running around.  I ended up leaving work early on Thanksgiving, and making it to my parent's without a hitch, but then working on Friday (and again on Sunday) meant that I was one tired lady come the end of the weekend!

But that's OK, because when I finally did get a chance to sit down and relax, albeit briefly, on Saturday morning, I got to partake in a (leftover) slice of this cinnamon apple crumb cake.  This heavenly cinnamon apple crumb cake.  Loaded with crumbs, there's barely any cake to hold it together...but that's just the way crumb cakes are supposed to be!  (I so wish you could see the delicious middle layer of this cake with cinnamon crumb and apple deliciousness and the tasty cider glaze drizzle in this picture.)

I didn't have an 8" springform pan, so I ended up using a regular 9" cake pan.  Not a worry at all, but it did make my cake layers ever so slightly thinner.  It did not affect the taste at all, but it did make for a not-as-pretty photo op of the cake.  Please, don't go by the look of my photos, this cake is totally a keeper.  And easy.  And delicious.  Well, you get the picture (no pun intended, I swear!)...

Cinnamon Apple Crumb Cake

Ingredients:

For the cinnamon streusel crumb:

1.5 cups flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon (I pretty much use a heaping teaspoon of cinnamon in every recipe that calls for a tsp of cinnamon, so that's what I did here, as well....so good!)
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup butter melted
1/2 tsp vanilla

1 large (or 2 small) tart apples -- peeled and chopped

For the cake:

4 Tbsp butter -- room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup sour cream
1 cup flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp alt
1/2 tsp baking powder

For the cider glaze:

1/2 cup powdered sugar
1.5-2 Tbsp apple cider

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350F.
Grease an 8" springform pan (or 8" or 9" cake pan) and line the bottom with the parchment paper.
Set aside.

Make cinnamon streusel crumb mixture.
Whisk together dry ingredients.
Add melted butter and vanilla.
Stir until the mixture if evenly moist.
Set aside.

Peel and dice apples.  
Cover loosely with saran wrap to avoid apple turning brown.
Set aside.

Make the cake.
Cream together 4 Tbsp butter with 1/2 cup sugar until light and fluffy.
Add the egg and beat well.
Add vanilla and sour cream.
Beat again.

In another bowl, stir together 1 cup flour, baking soda, alt, and baking powder.
Add to the butter mixture.
Stir until just combined.

Spread half of the cake mixture on the bottom of the pan (it will be a very thin layer).
Spread the apple chunks evenly over the batter.
Sprinkle 1 cup of the cinnamon streusel crumbs over the apples.
Spread the remaining batter over the crumbs.
Top with the remaining crumb mixture.

Bake 35-40 minutes or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

Before removing from the pan, run a knife around the cake.

Make the glaze.
Whisk together the powdered sugar with apple cider.
Drizzle over the cake.

Blueberry crumb pie

My aunt has hosted Thanksgiving every year for as long as I can remember.  Since I bake as often as I can, I offered to bake pies or any other dessert that she wanted.  Her requests were simple enough: blueberry crumb pie and apple pie.  I decided to spice up the apple pie a little bit this year (check back soon for that post), but decided that blueberry crumb pie didn't really need any tweaking.  So I went in search of a good blueberry crumb pie.

The winning recipe, from what I found, was one from Bon Appetit (which happens to be one of my favorite magazines.....ever!).  I only made one major change from the original recipe -- I used some frozen blueberries and some fresh blueberries.

Oh, and the most amazing part of this pie?  There is literally almost as much crumb topping as there are blueberries filling the pie!!  And everyone knows that the best part of any crumb pie is the crumb topping!

It even looks good BEFORE it was baked!!

So if you are in the need of a good blueberry crumb pie, run to the store now and buy the ingredients for this pie!!

Blueberry Crumb Pie

From Bon Appetit, who calls it a Crumble -- not Crumb -- Pie

Ingredients:

For the Crust:

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour, plus more for rolling

1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into half inch cubes

1/2 tsp kosher salt

Ice water

For the Filling and Crumb Topping:

2/3 cup PLUS 3 Tbsp sugar

2 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch (I used 3 Tbsp, since I felt that the frozen blueberries were a bit more watery and I wanted a little extra thickening agent)

1 tsp finely grated lemon zest

2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

5 cups (1 pound 10 oz) fresh blueberries (I used 3 cups frozen and 2 cups fresh)

3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

3 Tbsp packed light brown sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

5 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted, and cooled slightly

Directions:

Pulse 1 1/4 cups flour, the butter, and 1/2 tsp salt in a food processor until it resembles coarse meal with some pea sized pieces remaining.

Drizzle 3 Tbsp ice water over mixture.

Pulse until moist clumps form.

Add more water by teaspoonfuls if mixture is dry.

Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface.

Divide into 4 equal pieces.

Working with 1 pieces at a time, use the heel of your hand to smear each piece of dough twice, in a forward motion, to distribute butter.

Gather all 4 dough pieces into a ball.

Flatten into a disk.

Wrap the disk in plastic wrap.

Chill dough until firm, at least 1 hour.

*dough can be made up to 2 days ahead.  If doing so, be sure to keep dough chilled.

Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to a 13" round.

Transfer to the pie dish.

Gently press dough onto the bottom and up the sides of the dish.

Fold overhand under and crimp edges decoratively.

Pierce the bottom of the crust in several places with a fork.

Chill until firm, about 30 minutes. 

Line a large baking sheet with foil and place it on the middle rack in the oven (don't skip this part....I missed the part about lining the pan with foil and my blueberry filling bubbled over and all over my pan).

Preheat the oven to 375F.

Line crust with parchment paper or foil and fill with pie weights (or dried beans).

Bake until the crust is set, about 20 minutes.

Carefully remove parchment paper and pie weights.

Bake until crust is pale golden, about 12 minutes longer.

Transfer crust to a wire rack.

Let cool.

Make the filling.

Whisk together 2/3 cups sugar, cornstarch, and lemon zest in a large bowl.

Add blueberries and lemon juice.

Toss gently to coat and evenly distribute.

Let filling stand, tossing occasionally, until berries release their juices, 20-30 minutes.

Make the crumb topping.

Whisk flour, remaining 3 Tbsp sugar, light brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl.

Add melted butter.

Mix topping with fingertips to blend.

Assemble the pie.

Preheat the oven to 375F.

Spoon blueberry filling into the crust.

Sprinkle the topping over the blueberry filling.

Bake pie until filling is bubbling and the topping is golden, about 1 hour and 15 minutes (Mine took just over an hour).

Cover with foil after 30 minutes if browning too fast.

Let pie cool on a wire rack.

*You can make this pie up to 8 hours ahead (I made mine closer to 20 hours ahead).  Let stand at room temperature.

Pumpkin spice marshmallows

OK, I'm going to stop right now -- before I even get started -- and toot my own horn for just a second.  I know, I know, it's something I rarely (if ever) do.  But I had this idea for a delicious holiday marshmallow and I came up with a recipe and I just made them and they're awesome (yes, that was a run-on sentence, and yes, I'm sure my 3rd grade teacher would reprimand me for it, but it's just my overexcited way of "saying" it to you).

Back to the marshmallows.  I wanted to make a festive flavored marshmallow for the holiday season.  Pumpkin is, in my opinion, synonymous to everyone with Thanksgiving.  These pack a mild hint of pumpkininess with the perfect blend of spices -- hint of pumpkin pie flavor without being overpowering!  (I will spare you my normal diatribe about how I hate pumpkin and pumpkin pie spices because frankly it just works so darn well in these!)

And if you are a fan of the seasonal pumpkin spice latte from my favorite coffee chain, I suggest you try these in a cup of coffee and let me know how it tastes (I have yet to try this, I'm just saying I think it'll be good)...

So, let me just cut to the chase and share with recipe with you:

(FYI, I always have issues with cutting my marshmallows, since I end up with 20-25 super huge marshmallows.  Somehow this time I managed to do it just right....they're the perfect size!  And, I got 42 marshmallows!)

Pumpkin Spice Marshmallows

Ingredients:

For the marshmallows

1/2 cup water, plus more if needed (I used 1 Tbsp)
1/2 cup canned PURE pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)

3 Tbsp. + 1 1/2 tsp. unflavored powdered gelatin (3 envelopes – envelope is 1/4 oz. each, for 3/4 oz. total)

2 cups granulated white sugar

1/2 cup light corn syrup

1/2 tsp. fine salt

1 tsp pure vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp nutmeg
pinch of ground cloves (more to your taste, I'm personally not a huge fan)

For the coating

3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup corn starch
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Directions:

Spray a 9x9 or 7x11 inch baking pan and line with parchment paper (Recommendation: cut to fit flat on the bottom, with the edges of the paper over-hanging the sides. The ends are fine just sprayed.)

In a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, pour the 1/2 cup of pumpkin and 1 Tbsp of water (add more if you need).
Mix a few times to allow them to mix.
Sprinkle the gelatin over the pumpkin and water mixture.

Let stand.

In a medium saucepan over high heat, stir together the sugar, corn syrup, salt and the 1/2 cup of water.

Stir until sugar dissolves and mixture begins to boil.

Stop stirring and once mixture comes to a rolling boil, continue boiling for 1 minute.

Remove from the heat.
Pour the mixture into a 2-cup glass measuring cup, to make it easier to pour into the mixer.  *The mixture is very, very, very hot.  Be extremely careful!*

Turn the mixer to low and mix the gelatin a bit to loosen.
Very slowly and carefully add the hot sugar mixture by pouring it gently down the side of the bowl.
Continue to mix on low until all the sugar mixture is added.

Turn the mixer to high and whip the mixture for 10 to 12 minutes until the marshmallow batter almost triples in size and becomes very thick and opaque.

While the mixer is going, mix the spices and vanilla in a small bowl into a paste.
Stop the mixer, add the vanilla and spice mixture, and then whip briefly to combine.

Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking pan (a silicone bowl scraper works like a charm for this) and use a spatula or bench scraper to spread the marshmallow evenly in the pan, pushing it down into the corners.
Work quickly, as the marshmallow becomes more difficult to work with as it begins to set.

Spray a sheet of plastic wrap really well with cooking spray and lay it across the top of the marshmallow, sprayed side down.
Smooth the plastic wrap on top of the marshmallows a bit to seal it smoothly and tightly against the mixture.

Leave the marshmallow to set at room temperature for at least 3 hours or, even better, overnight.
The marshmallow will be too sticky and soft to cut if you try too soon.

Meanwhile, mix the coating ingredients in a bowl.

When marshmallows are ready, grab the edges of the parchment and lift the marshmallows from the pan.
Remove the plastic wrap from the top and fold down the parchment on the sides.
Using a pizza cutter or a large knife, cut the slab into 1x1 inch squares.
Roll each of the freshly cut marshmallow squares in the coating mixture.
Put them on a baking sheet to dry slightly before packaging them up (about 30 – 45 minutes).

Pumpkin scones

Third up in the week of scones are these pumpkin scones.   (Sorry for the delay in posts, as the past few days were the Jewish Holiday of Rosh Hashanah and I was away from the computer.)

The pumpkin scones are all the way on the right.

I've mentioned it before, but I'll say it again.  I'm not a huge fan of pumpkin pie spices, but I figured that pumpkin would be a nice fall flavor for the baby shower.  Boy was I right -- a bunch of people came up to me and saying that their favorite was the pumpkin scone!

These froze up beautifully, and then I just popped them into the oven to bake them.  If you do like pumpkin pie flavors, these are the scones for you!

Pumpkin Scones
from Damn Delicious

Ingredients:

For the scones:

2 cups flour
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp ground cloves (I decreased this just a bit, since cloves and I are not friends)
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
3 Tbsp milk
1 large egg
2 tsp vanilla extract

For the glaze (I left this off, due to lack of time):

1 cup confectioners sugar
2 Tbsp milk

For the spiced glaze:

1 cup confectioners sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground ginger
Pinch of nutmeg
2 Tbsp milk

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400F.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silcone baking mat.
Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, cloves, ginger, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt.  You can also use a Kitchen-Aid mixer or a food processor.
Add cold butter, using your fingers to work the butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles coarse crumbs.

In a large glass measuring cup or another bowl, whisk together pumpkin puree, milk, egg, and vanilla.
Pour mixture over dry ingredients and stir using a rubber spatula until a soft dough forms.

Working on a lightly floured surface, knead the dough 3-4 times until it comes together.  I like to do this on floured waxed or parchment paper, making clean up much easier.
Using a rolling pin, roll the dough into a 10 by 7 inch rectangle, about 1" thick.
Using a large knife or pizza cutter, cut the rectangle in half lengthwise, then cut into 2 even pieces crosswise, making 4 rectangles.
Then cut each rectangle into two triangles, making 8 triangles.
I cut mine differently, making smaller triangles, since I wanted mini scones.

Place scones onto prepared baking sheet.
Place the baking sheet into the oven and bake for 10-12 minutes, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

Make the glaze.
Combine the confectioners sugar and milk.
Whisk until smooth.
If the glaze is too thick, add more milk as needed; set aside.

Make the spiced glaze.
Combine the confectioners sugar, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, nutmeg, and milk.
Whisk until smooth.
Mine was too thin, so I added some extra confectioners sugar.
Set aside.

When the scones are done, cool for 10 minutes.
Spoon the glaze on each scone (I skipped this stage, since I didn't make the plain glaze).
Then, drizzle with the spiced glaze.

Allow the glazes to set before serving.

Spiced pumpkin swirl cheesecake

So I decided to change it up a bit this year for Thanksgiving....ukkah.  Almost all of my treats involve a component of Thanksgiving and Channukkah (or, if I needed to stretch it, "Jewish" food).  I made a few versions of ruggelach pinwheels (original, cranberry-pecan, pumpkin, and pecan pie).  My apple pie had a potato latke crust.  I have a cupcake treat coming up -- but that's more "Channukkah" than "Thanksgiving."  I am also making a second Apple Pie with Latke Crust, but am planning on decreasing some of the sugar in the pie filling, since my mom said it was a little too sweet...but more on that later.

So this year for Thanksgiving, I'm making a Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake instead of pumpkin pie.  I figured that since I am not a fan of pumpkin pie at all and sorta like cheesecake, maybe the sum of the two would be better than the individual parts.  So in continuing with my Thanksgivukkah desserts, I'm going to say that cheesecake is a NY Jewish Deli treat.  That may or may not be completely true, but I'm going with it... ;-)

The recipe that I chose to follow had a pecan crust, however my cousin E is allergic to nuts, and I never bring nuts into her house.  So I went with an old fashioned graham cracker crust (that I had used almost a year ago on my mini cheesecakes) - which I 1.5x because the original recipe said it was for a 7" springform.

The original recipe called for layering the plain and pumpkin cheesecake layers and then swirling all 4 layers together.  I decided that I wanted to try to swirl only the top two layers, and that way the cheesecake would have distinct layers when you looked at it from the side.  I'd say I was successful!

Also, although there are several people in my family who are not pumpkin fans, this cheesecake was hands down the favorite dessert of Thanksgiving.  So much so, that I've already been asked to make it again next year.  And, as an aside, the two biggest pumpkin-averse people in the world (B and I) actually enjoyed it!

Spiced Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake
from Taste of Home.  I added my own graham cracker crust...see the bottom for that.

Ingredients:

Crust (I didn't use this one):

2 cups pecan halves, toasted (see the original link for how to toast the pecans)
2 Tbsp brown sugar
3 Tbsp butter, melted

Filling:                           

 

3 packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, softened                            

1 cup packed brown sugar, divided                            

3/4 cup sour cream                            

2 teaspoons vanilla extract                            

3 eggs, lightly beaten                             

1 cup canned pumpkin                             

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon                             

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger                            

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves -- I halved that...I debated not adding it at all since I don't like cloves, but figured I should try it since it was a spiced pumpkin swirl cheesecake.

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions:

If using the graham cracker crust, see the bottom and then start where I put the asterisk (*).

Preheat oven to 325°.
Place a greased 9-in. springform pan on a double thickness of heavy-duty foil (about 18 in. square). 
Wrap foil securely around pan.

 

Place pecans and brown sugar in a food processor; pulse until fine crumbs form.

Add butter; pulse to combine.

Press onto the bottom of prepared pan.

Place pan on a baking sheet.

Bake 15-20 minutes or until light brown.

Cool on a wire rack.

 

*In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and 3/4 cup brown sugar until smooth.

Beat in sour cream and vanilla.

Add eggs; beat on low speed just until blended.

 

In another bowl, mix pumpkin, spices and remaining brown sugar.

Stir in 1-1/2 cups of the cream cheese mixture.

 

To layer, pour 1-1/2 cups plain cream cheese mixture over crust.

Gently spread 1-1/3 cups pumpkin mixture over top. I didn't measure how much I used, but I wanted to make sure that there was a defined layer of pumpkin in the cake.

Repeat layers.  For the top layer of pumpkin cheesecake filling, I placed dallops of it all over the plain layer, so that the plain really showed through when I swirled it.

Cut through layers with a knife to swirl.  I tried very hard (and hopefully successfully) to only swirl the top two layers, so that when you cut into the cheesecake, you'd see a plain layer on top of the crust, then a pumpkin layer, and then a swirled layer on top.   

Place springform pan in a large baking pan; add 1 inch of hot water to larger pan.

 

Bake 60-70 minutes or until center is just set and top appears dull.

Remove springform pan from water bath.

Cool cheesecake on a wire rack 10 minutes.

Loosen sides from pan with a knife; remove foil from bottom.  

Cool 1 hour longer.

Refrigerate overnight.

Remove rim from pan.

 

Graham Cracker Crust

from Shari (more about Shari when I first posted it here)

 

For this spiced pumpkin swirl cheesecake, I 1.5x the recipe, since the original recipe was for a 7" springform.  I think it was a bit more than I needed, so I ended up with a decent crust.  I have included the adjusted recipe below.  You may want to play around and maybe not use all of it if you don't want a thick crust.

 

Ingredients:

 

1 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
3/8 cup (6 Tbsp) melted butter (I used unsalted, as I always do with baking)
1/4 cup sugar

 

Directions:

 

Preheat oven to 400F.

 

Grease a 9" springform pan.

Make the crust:
Mix the crust ingredients together.
Press the crust into the springform pan.

Bake at 400 degrees until brown, being careful not to burn it.  Watch.  It.  Closely!  It goes from perfectly brown to burnt in a matter of seconds.

 

Lower the heat to 325.

Apple pie with latke crust, take 2

When I made the first Apple Pie with Latke Crust, I was very pleasantly surprised with how it turned out.  I ate a slice right out of the oven (which was delicious), and then another the following night.  I brought a piece home for my parents to try, since I was so proud of my creation.  My dad ate a piece (cold, straight out of the fridge) and lamented to me that he liked the filling and the crust, but simply didn't like them together.  I called my mom and pleaded, "Warm the pie up, please, and you and dad try it."

So it took a while (and several calls to my mom to gently remind her to try the pie, since Thanksgiving/Thanksgivukkah was rapidly approaching, and if they both didn't like it, I wasn't going to serve it at a family function), but my mom finally called me back - she loved it, but she felt the filling was a little too sweet.  It shouldn't have been a surprise, since I ended up using fewer apples last time, but used the regular amount of brown sugar.

So when I made it again for Thanksgivukkah, I ended up making a few adjustments:
1.  I ended up using 3 apples - 2 large Rome apples and 1 large Braeburn apple.
2.  I used 1/2 instead of 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar; I kept everything else the same.
3.  I cut down the butter even more, and ended up using a little less than 1 Tbsp.
4.  I baked the whole thing uncovered, instead of covering it for the first part and then removing the foil at the end.
5.  I decided to decorate the top of the pie with the apple slices, to make it look prettier -- like a flower.

Check out my original recipe here.

Pecan pie ruggelach pinwheels

While I was on a ruggelach pinwheel making kick, I decided to try out that pecan pie ruggelach filling in ruggelach pinwheels.  Honestly, when I made the actual ruggelach, I attempted a mini roll, just to see how they turned out.  The pecan pie filling is super runny, but it didn't run quite as much with the pinwheels, so I thought I at least had to try them out with this dough. 

The dough from the ruggelach pinwheels is a little different than the dough in the original pecan pie ruggelach.  The big difference?  There is no sugar in the pecan pie ruggelach dough -- probably because the filling is so freakin' sweet.  But for consistency's sake, I decided to use the pinwheel dough for the pecan pie ruggelach pinwheels.

 

The nice thing about these is that the filling didn't run like it did in the regular pecan pie ruggelach.  And they were still super tasty!

 

Pecan Pie Rugglach Pinwheels

Dough from Smitten Kitchen, Filling from Buzzfeed, idea to combine them from JulieBakes.

Ingredients:

Dough:

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, room temperature
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 cups sifted bleached all-purpose flour

Filling:

2 cups shelled pecan halves
1/4 cup unsalted butter (1/2 stick), cut into 4 pieces
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup corn syrup
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
Note: I skipped the apricot preserves on these since the filling is so wet.

Topping:

1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Directions:

Place cream cheese and butter in the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth and creamy.
Add sugar and continue processing until fully incorporated.
Add flour and pulse just until dough comes together.
Divide dough into 2 equal pieces, wrap with plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least 2 hours.

Meanwhile, make filling.
Using a knife, finely chop pecans and put in a medium mixing bowl. (Do NOT do chop the nuts in a food processor. You want the pecans to be chopped but still coarse, and a food processor will turn them into nut butter.)
In a small saucepan over medium heat, brown the butter by adding all 4 pieces at once and constantly stirring with a heatproof spatula until completely melted.
Continue to stir or swirl the pan as butter starts to bubble and foam.
When the foam subsides slightly and butter turns a light brown color, take it off the heat immediately and add the it to the chopped pecans.
Add vanilla extract, corn syrup, and brown sugar, and mix with a rubber spatula just until combined.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out 1 piece of dough into a rectangle about 1/8-inch thick.
My tip: roll the dough between two floured pieces of parchment paper.
BEFORE going any further, slightly flour the up side of dough and transfer the rolled out dough onto a piece of saran wrap by flipping it over (the floured side will now be down.
Spread the filling mixture over the dough.
Roll dough into a log beginning with one of the long sides.  This is where the dough being on saran wrap helps.  The dough is pretty soft by now, and rolling can be a little bit difficult.  UNLESS its already on the saran wrap.  You can use the plastic wrap to aid in rolling, making sure that the roll is tight (less filling lost later), and it makes it much easier for the next step.
Wrap rolled dough in plastic wrap.
Transfer dough log baking sheet.
Repeat process with remaining piece of dough.
Place dough logs in refrigerator; let chill at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.
Mix together the cinnamon and sugar for the topping; set aside.

Slice chilled dough logs crosswise, about 1/4 inch thick.
Toss each cookie in the cinnamon-sugar mixture.
Place cookies 3 inches apart on prepared baking sheets.
Bake until lightly browned, 18 to 20 minutes.
Lift parchment paper from baking sheets and transfer to a wire cooling rack; let cool.

Sweet spiced pumpkin pinwheels

I had seen a recipe for a savory pumpkin ruggelach.  It had pumpkin, sage, walnuts, chili flakes, and shallots.  Finally a pumpkin treat I might actually like (minus the walnuts...and trust me, I thought about that)!  But then in the height of my "I can make almost anything into a heavenly ruggelach pinwheel" hayday, I figured why not try a pumpkin pinwheel?  But I didn't want to make them savory for two reasons - first of all, my pinwheel dough has sugar in it (and the original recipe for the savory pumpkin ruggelach did not), and secondly, I wanted them for dessert.  So I decided I would make my own sweet pumpkin filling.  Excepted it ended up being a little bit spiced, too, and thus the sweet spiced pumpkin pinwheels were born!

I thought about adding some pecans to them, but decided to keep them nut-free, since this way I could bring them to Thanksgivukkah dinner (my cousin E is deathly allergic to all nuts).  I think they'd be good with some chopped pecans added -- or maybe some craisins, as one JulieBakes fan suggested (thanks, R!!).

If you've ever read my blog before, you know that I don't like pumpkin.  I don't hate that orange vegetable itself, it's just that I don't particularly like the spices added to pumpkin.  So since I made my own pumpkin filling, I only added the spices that I like: cinnamon, ginger, and a little nutmeg (I don't love nutmeg, but I don't hate it either).  It resulted in a subtly spiced pumpkin-y flavor without being overpowering.

 

Sweet Spiced Pumpkin Ruggelach

Ruggelach Pinwheel Dough
(originally from SmittenKitchen)

Ingredients:

Dough:

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, room temperature
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 cups sifted bleached all-purpose flour

Topping:

1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Directions:

Place cream cheese and butter in the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth and creamy.
Add sugar and continue processing until fully incorporated.
Add flour and pulse just until dough comes together.
Divide dough into 2 equal pieces, wrap with plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least 2 hours.

Meanwhile, make the filling.

Sweet Spiced Pumpkin Filling
(a JulieBakes original)

Ingredients:

1 cup pure pumpkin
4 Tbsp light brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground ginger
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
nice splash of vanilla extract

Directions:

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl.  How's that for easy?

ASSEMBLY:

On a lightly floured surface, roll out 1 piece of dough into a rectangle about 1/8-inch thick.
My tip: roll the dough between two floured pieces of parchment paper.
BEFORE going any further, slightly flour the up side of dough and transfer the rolled out dough onto a piece of saran wrap by flipping it over (the floured side will now be down).
Spread a moderate thin layer of filling over dough. (my cookies have a nice thick layer of pumpkin filling, but when I took them off the parchment paper, the middles fell out of some of the cookies.  Hence, I think my filling was too thick.  Make your filling layer thinner than I did.
Roll dough into a log beginning with one of the long sides.  This is where the dough being on saran wrap helps.  The dough is pretty soft by now, and rolling can be a little bit difficult.  UNLESS its already on the saran wrap.  You can use the plastic wrap to aid in rolling, making sure that the roll is tight (less filling lost later), and it makes it much easier for the next step.
Wrap rolled dough in plastic wrap.
Transfer dough log baking sheet.
Repeat process with remaining piece of dough.
Place dough logs in refrigerator; let chill at least 1 hour. Because this filling is really wet (and my dough was particularly soft), the roll was pretty soft.  I decided to freeze my roll so that it was easier to slice without the filling oozing out.

Slice frozen dough logs crosswise, about 1/4 inch thick. They're actually easier to slice than I thought.  Use a sharp straight (non-serrated) knife.  Mine sliced perfectly.
Toss each cookie in the cinnamon-sugar mixture.  The cinnamon sugar actually stuck to them well.  If you find that it doesn't stick well, press it on a little bit.
Place cookies 3 inches apart on prepared baking sheets.
Bake until lightly browned, 18 to 20 minutes.
If there isn't enough cinnamon sugar on them for your liking (I felt that way for my first batch out of the oven), you can sprinkle some of the cinnamon sugar on top of them when they're fresh out of the oven, and a little bit of it sticks to the warm cookies,
Lift parchment paper from baking sheets and transfer to a wire cooling rack; let cool.

Thanksgivukkah ruggelach pinwheels

Sometimes my mind works in weird ways.  I made those ruggelach pinwheels the other day, and they were good.  Really good.  So what did I do?  I went back and made more dough to make "Thanksgivukkah Rugglach Pinwheels" - this time substituting craisins and pecans for the original raisins and walnuts.  Although instantaneously, my Thanksgivukkah variety seemed to make perfect sense, I had to pause for a moment.  The original ruggelach pinwheels are so freakin' amazing that I really had to think about whether I wanted to tempt fate and try to improve on something so amazing.  I rationalized for a while, and then decided that I wasn't trying to improve them but rather try something different.  So I went for it....

For the Thanksgivukkah Ruggelach Pinwheels, I substituted even amounts of craisins and pecans for the original ingredients.  I was slightly concerned that craisins are slightly more dry than raisins, and that that might change the consistency of the ruggelach, but didn't want to try plumping them up (by soaking them), so I just went with the craisins as they are.



And it was totally worth it.  They were super tasty.  Now I just have to decide if the next time I make these Thanksgivukkah-ified Ruggelach Pinwheels, I should add a pinch of ground ginger or not...


Ruggelach Pinwheels - Thanksgivukkah-ified
Original recipe from SmittenKitchen, modified by yours truly.

Ingredients:

Dough:

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, room temperature
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 cups sifted bleached all-purpose flour

Filling:

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup craisins, chopped
1 cup finely chopped pecans
1/2 cup apricots preserves, heated and cooled slightly
I have to say, I debated adding a pinch of ground ginger into these, but held off....for now.  Baby steps ;-)

Topping:

1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Directions:

Place cream cheese and butter in the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth and creamy.
Add sugar and continue processing until fully incorporated.
Add flour and pulse just until dough comes together.
Divide dough into 2 equal pieces, wrap with plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least 2 hours.

Meanwhile, make filling.
In a medium bowl, mix together granulated and brown sugar, cinnamon, craisins, and pecans; set aside.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out 1 piece of dough into a rectangle about 1/8-inch thick.
My tip: roll the dough between two floured pieces of parchment paper.
BEFORE going any further, slightly flour the up side of dough and transfer the rolled out dough onto a piece of saran wrap by flipping it over (the floured side will now be down.
Spread a thin layer of preserves over dough, I use a pastry brush to make sure it is evenly distributed.
Sprinkle with filling mixture.
Roll dough into a log beginning with one of the long sides.  This is where the dough being on saran wrap helps.  The dough is pretty soft by now, and rolling can be a little bit difficult.  UNLESS its already on the saran wrap.  You can use the plastic wrap to aid in rolling, making sure that the roll is tight (less filling lost later), and it makes it much easier for the next step.
Wrap rolled dough in plastic wrap.
Transfer dough log baking sheet.
Repeat process with remaining piece of dough.
Place dough logs in refrigerator; let chill at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Line baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.
Mix together the cinnamon and sugar for the topping; set aside.

Slice chilled dough logs crosswise, about 1/4 inch thick.
Toss each cookie in the cinnamon-sugar mixture.
Place cookies 3 inches apart on prepared baking sheets.
Bake until lightly browned, 18 to 20 minutes.
Lift parchment paper from baking sheets and transfer to a wire cooling rack; let cool.

Apple pie with latke crust

Scrolling through Instagram while at a conference a few weeks ago, I came across a picture with a caption explaining that the pie was a pumpkin pie with a latke crust for Thanksgivukkah.  The other pumpkin pie I had seen for Thanksgivukkah had a rye crust, which just didn't sound appetizing to me.  Well, neither sounded all that appetizing to me because I don't like pumpkin pie.  But at least the latke crust gave me something to work with.  And then -- almost immediately -- it came to me: Apple Pie with a Latke Crust!  It was like a somewhat deconstructed potato pancake (latke) with applesauce, which happens to be my favorite way to eat latkes.

I figured I would have to work on the recipe a little, since apples are watery and I didn't want a soggy latke crust (the BEST part of latkes are their crispy outside!).  More on that below (see *).

I was a little overzealous when I made it, and cut into the pie when it was still a little runny (the filling does thicken a little as it cools) -- see the photos below.  But it was super tasty - exactly what I wanted it to be.  And even though the filling was a little wet (because of my overzealousness), the crust was still crispy thanks to cooking it technically three times.  *So, even though I thought this pie would need a few iterations before I posted it for you, I was pleasantly surprised by the final result the first time.  I would possibly add a little more flour next time, just to control some of the filling, but I honestly don't think I have to do that. 

 

FYI, the blogger who I got the recipe from claims that these are the best latkes she has ever tasted.  Clearly, she has never had my mom's latkes!  But since I knew the crust worked with her recipe, I went with it....I may need to try it again with my mom's latke "recipe."  Just sayin'.


Latke Crust
From My Name Is Yeh

Ingredients:

She calls for a "half batch of ex-boyfriend latke mix" - adjusted measurements below:

2 1/2 medium russet potatoes
1/2 medium yellow onion
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Salt and Pepper to taste
3 egg whites
1/2 cup all purpose flour

Canola or vegetable oil to coat pan

Directions:

Preheat oven to broil.

Shred potatoes and onion using a food processor or mandolin.
Mine was very watery, so I drained the mixture before adding everything else.  Just like my mom does when she makes latkes. 
Add lemon juice, salt, pepper, egg whites, and flour.
Mix well.

Once you've mixed up the latke mixture, coat an oven safe pan with oil and set over medium heat (She used a 9-inch cast iron pan).
Pour the latke mixture into the pan and use a spatula to firmly press the mixture all over the bottom and around the edges.

Cook until the bottom browns.  I assume she meant on the stove top, so that's what I did.
The crust may start to puff up in the center-- if this happens, poke a few holes in the bottom with a fork.
Once the bottom is brown, stick the pan in the oven and broil for 8-12 minutes, or until the top starts to brown.
Reduce the heat to 375 (or whatever your pie filling recipe advises -- Mine calls for 350, if you're making my "deconstructed latke with applesauce" pie).

Pour in the filling (see below), and bake until the pie is set.

Apple Pie Filling
(you may need less since the latke crust is a bit thicker than a regular crust.  That's OK, the apples are super tasty on their own, to snack on while the pie is baking)

Ingredients:

6 to 7 medium apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced (about 7 cups total) -- I tried to lessen the amount of apples because my crust was particularly thick.  I used 2.5 LARGE apples (1 Rome apple, 1.5 Braeburn apples), but I ended up with a lot of apples, so I ended up keeping the following amounts as is, except the butter -- but that is noted below. 
2 tablespoons lemon juice 

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar -- I used some dark brown sugar (less than 1/4 cup), since I didn't want to open another box of light brown sugar, so I lessened the amount slightly.

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, diced -- I used 1.5 Tablespoons

 

Directions:

 

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

In a large bowl, combine the apples, lemon juice, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger; toss to combine.

Mound the apples in the crust-lined pan, making the center higher than the sides.

Dot the top evenly with the pieces of butter. I ended up using half of the butter since I didn't want it too soupy and to make the crust soggy.

I covered it with foil.

 

Place the pie on a baking sheet and bake until the apples feel tender, mine took about 30-40 minutes.  After that, I removed the foil and let it bake a little longer, about 5-10 minutes

Remove the pie from the oven and cool on a wire rack.

Let the pie rest for 20 minutes before slicing.

Serve warm or at room temperature.  

Pecan pie ruggelach

The first thing I ever saw with recipes for Thanksgivukkah had some totally delicious sounding recipes, and some that, well, didn't sound too tasty (for example, a pumpkin pie with rye crust).  The one recipe that totally caught my eye was a recipe for Pecan Pie Ruggelach.  Now you might know, or at least remember reading about a year ago, but I am not a fan of pecan pie.  So why, you ask, did this recipe catch my eye?  Well, for two reasons, really.  First of all, it completely mixed foods from Channukkah and Thanksgiving without sounding weird or bizarre (ok, ok, I will give you the fact that Ruggalach is not really a Channukkah food, as much as a Jewish food, but still).  And secondly?  They combine two of my dad's all time favorite sweets ever.

 

So a few weeks before Thanksgivukkah, I started working on the recipe.  The first batch was, let's just say tasty, since they weren't really pretty.  The recipe warned that the filling would ooze out, but mine oozed out, onto the parchment paper, and then under the parchment paper onto the pan.  Cleaning off the pan was not fun.  In retrospect, I don't think I rolled the dough thin enough, and then I didn't cut them into enough pieces (I did 8 instead of 16).  And since I think I didn't roll it thin enough, I think they were too small, and so the filling was really thick. 

But you know what?  While they weren't pretty, the filling was delicious.  And that is A LOT coming from a non-pecan pie fan.  It helps that while there were pecans in there, there was also some browned butter, dark brown sugar, corn syrup, and vanilla.  I went out to dinner that night with my parents, my sisters, and B, and gave my parents and B a ruggelach to taste (remember those pesky sisters of mine?  Pesky in the sense that they don't eat sweets....well, they didn't want to try any), and the response was unanimous -- they're delicious!  So since they were so tasty, I plan to go back and tried to make them again, this time thinner, and more pretty.

Pecan Pie Ruggelach
from the Thanksgivukkah menu I saw on Buzzfeed (the same menu that featured that less-than-appetizing sounding pumpkin pie that I mentioned before).


Ingredients:

Dough:

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick), cut into 8 pieces
1/2 cup cream cheese (4 oz), cut into 4 pieces

Filling:

2 cups shelled pecan halves
1/4 cup unsalted butter (1/2 stick), cut into 4 pieces
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup corn syrup
1/2 cup dark brown sugar

Egg wash:
1 egg
1 tablespoon water

Special equipment:
Electric hand mixer
Plastic wrap
2 cookie sheets
Parchment paper
Rolling pin
Pizza cutter (not essential)

Directions:

Make the dough:

Let butter and cream cheese sit out at room temperature for 10 minutes, so that they are still cool but slightly soft.
Combine flour and salt in a medium mixing bowl.
Using a hand mixer, mix on a low speed just until combined.
Scatter butter and cream cheese pieces over the top of the flour mixture, and beat on medium speed until dough is the texture of cottage cheese, still slightly crumbly.
Use your hands to divide the dough into 2 equal pieces, then roll each piece into a ball.
Flatten each ball into a disk about 1 inch thick and 4 inches in diameter, then wrap each one separately in plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least 2 hours, up to 1 day.

Make the filling:

Using a knife, finely chop pecans and put in a medium mixing bowl. (Do NOT do chop the nuts in a food processor. You want the pecans to be chopped but still coarse, and a food processor will turn them into nut butter.)
In a small saucepan over medium heat, brown the butter by adding all 4 pieces at once and constantly stirring with a heatproof spatula until completely melted.
Continue to stir or swirl the pan as butter starts to bubble and foam.
When the foam subsides slightly and butter turns a light brown color, take it off the heat immediately and add the it to the chopped pecans.
Add vanilla extract, corn syrup, and brown sugar, and mix with a rubber spatula just until combined.

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Beat egg yolk with the tablespoon of water and set aside.

When dough is chilled, unwrap one disk onto a lightly floured surface, and roll with a rolling pin into a 12-inch circle.
It is important to have an even, symmetrical circle, so trim any excess.
If dough gets too soft during rolling, lay it on one of the lined baking sheets and put it in the freezer for 5 minutes, until slightly chilled.
Once the dough is rolled out, sprinkle half of the pecan mixture on top of the dough, all the way to the edges of the circle, making sure the mixture is evenly distributed.
With a pizza cutter (or a knife), cut dough into 16 equal slices.
Roll each slice from the outside in (starting the wide end and rolling towards the point), placing each roll onto the cookie sheet as you go.
Repeat this process with the other disk of dough.

Use a pastry brush to coat the top of each cookie with the egg-water mixture.
Bake rugelach for 20 minutes until golden, turning the cookie sheet halfway through baking.  The filling will ooze out, don't worry, there is plenty still inside.  Once they're cooled, break away the parts that oozed out.  The original recipe recommends eating them.  I second that!

Cool completely before serving.

Rustic apple pie

We were a smaller than normal group for Thanksgiving dinner this year.  My cousin C had requested a pecan pie since his sister E was out of town.  See, E is allergic to all nuts, peanuts, and even most seeds (poppy, sesame...you get the picture...basically, the girl will never eat an everything bagel), and I have made it my practice to never serve anything with nuts when E is around. So, this Thanksgiving I made a pecan pie.  But, I digress.  See, we were 8 people.  One pie should've been enough for us.  But I called my aunt and asked her if she wanted one or two pies.  "Two," she mused, "pecan and a fruit pie."

Fruit pie.  I had some wiggle room.  I opted not to make another bluberry pie.  It was a delicious pie, but I wanted to get a new blog post out of it (I made a pumpkin pie for pre-Thanksgiving that I didn't post, since it was featured on the same original blog post as the blueberry pies).  Cherry pies I find mediocre at best, quite possibly because I've never had a fresh one.  So I chose an apple pie, which is really the best option given the fact that apples are so in season right now, and blueberries and cherries are not.  The recipe called for a double crust, but not being a fan of crust itself, I decided to make it a one-crust pie.  The result was a ugly not-so-pretty rustic looking pie with amazing flavor.  Yeah, "rustic."  I'll go with that.

"Rustic" Apple Pie

Ingredients:

Pie Crust:

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting

1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, lard, or vegetable shortening, cut into small pieces (or a combination of butter and shortening equal to 1/2 cup)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup iced water, plus more as needed

If you'd like to make a double-crust pie, follow the link here and use the double-crust recipe.
Filling:

6 to 7 medium apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced (about 7 cups total)

2 tablespoons lemon juice

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, diced

Egg wash (1 large egg whisked with 2 tablespoons milk or water), for brushing

Directions:

Make pie crust:

Stir together the flour, butter, and salt to blend.

Using a pastry blender or 2 forks, cut the butter into the flour.

For pies with liquid fillings (like custard or cooked-fruit fillings that are thickened with cornstarch or tapioca), the bits of fat should be evenly small, and the mixture should resemble a coarse meal. This will result in a mealy piecrust, which is less likely to become soggy as the pie bakes. For pies to be filled with fruit or another non-liquid filling, leave some larger bits of fat, about the size of small walnut pieces, for a crisp and flaky texture in the baked crust.

Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture and add the water all at once.

Gently toss the mixture together until just blended and the flour is moistened (the mixture will look shaggy and loose).

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and gently knead it together, combining parts of the mixture that are wetter with those that are drier.

If preparing a double-crust recipe, divide the dough in half.

Shape the dough into a 1-inch-thick disc, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill until firm, about 20 minutes.

NOTE: At this point, the dough is ready to be used. It can be stored, tightly wrapped, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 2 months.

Working with one disk at a time, unwrap the dough, place it on a lightly floured work surface, and scatter a little flour over it.

Alternatively, place the dough between sheets of parchment or waxed paper.

Roll out the dough for the bottom crust of a pie into an even round, about 13 inches in diameter (for a 9-inch pie pan). It should be about 1/8 inch thick.

Fold the dough in half or roll it loosely around the rolling pin, and gently lift and position it over the pan.

Unfold or unroll the dough and ease it into the pan without stretching, making sure that the pan sides and the rim are evenly covered.

Press the dough gently against the sides and bottom.

Trim the overhang to 1 inch.

For a single-crust pie, tuck the dough overhang under itself and flute the edges. Fill and bake the pie according to the recipe directions.

For a double-crust pie, roll out the second piece of dough into an 11-inch round (for a 9-inch pie pan), and then cut vents in it. Fill and finish the pie according to the recipe directions.

Make filling and assemble:

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Roll out the pie dough and use one round to line a 9-inch pie pan.

Keep the dough-lined pan and the other round chilled while you prepare the filling.  (Skip this step if you are making a "rustic" one-crust pie.)

In a large bowl, combine the apples, lemon juice, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger; toss to combine.

Mound the apples in the dough-lined pan, making the center higher than the sides. I had some extras, which made for a tasty snack

Dot the top evenly with the pieces of butter. I ended up needing less than the recipe called for.

Brush the rim of the pie shell with egg wash.

Cover the pie with foil (if making a one-crust pie)

If making a 2-crust pie: Cut vents in the other dough round and place the round over the filling. Press the top and bottom edges together to seal, trim the excess dough so that the edges of the dough are almost even with the edges of the pan, and then crimp or flute the edges. Brush the top lightly with egg wash.

Place the pie on a baking sheet and bake until the apples feel tender, mine took about 40 minutes.  After that, I removed the foil and let it bake a little longer.

Remove the pie from the oven and cool on a wire rack.

Let the pie rest for 20 minutes before slicing.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

If you are making a two-crust pie:  Place the pie on a baking sheet until the top crust is golden brown and the apples feel tender when pierced through the steam vents with a knife, about 1 hour. Remove the pie from the oven and cool on a wire rack. Let the pie rest for 20 minutes before slicing. Serve warm or at room temperature.