Grandma's Apple Strudel

Grandma's AMAZING Apple Strudel

Oh, what can even be said for the comforts of familiar food, especially baked goods?? Like I've mentioned before, some of my favorite recipes are ones found in the family recipe book. This is no exception. No one can make Apple Strudel quite alike Grandma could, although many of us try! My aunt makes a pretty good equivalent, and I'd like to think I also make a close replica of Grandma's but there must have been an extra cup of love she put into hers! No matter what, having this brings back so many good memories, so it's one of my favorite things to make!

This isn't a strudel like most people think of a strudel. It doesn't have a crispy, light, flaky crust (like puff pastry), but is more like a pie crust.

Apple Strudel

(when Grandma got a bumper crop of apples)

2 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup shortening

1/2 cup margarine (I use butter), softened

1 egg yolk, beaten with milk added to equal 2/3 cup liquid (save egg white for top crust)

10 apples

1 cup sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 1/2 Tbsp. milk

Combine flour and salt. Cut in shortening and butter or margarine with a pastry blender. Add egg yolk/milk mixture and stir until combined. Roll half of dough into a 17x12 inch rectangle which will fit into and up the sides of an 11x15 inch pan. (I divide the dough in fourths to make it in 2 9x9 inch pans to freeze one pan.) Pare and slice the apples, filling the crust.

combine sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over the apples. Roll out remaining dough and place on top. Seal edges and cut slits in top of dough.

Beat egg white until frothy and brush on top of crust. Bake at 375 degrees F. for 50 minutes, placing a piece of foil over pan for the last 20 minutes to prevent excessive browning. Let cool for 20-30 minutes, then combine powdered sugar and milk to a drizzling consistency and drizzle over top of pastry.

**If you want to freeze on of the strudels, after baked and completely cooled, cover tightly with foil and place in a plastic zip freezer bag.

ENJOY, and take a bite!!

Oatmeal _________ Cookies

Who doesn't love cookies? I made these cookies with some inspiration from my sister, Rachel, who mentioned how much she loves oatmeal-butterscotch cookies when she was visiting me a few weeks ago. (I guess the nice thing to do would have been to make them for her then...oops!)

Anyway, I was in search of a cookie that was chewy and crisp, buttery and oatmeal-y, and just all around delicious!

I divided the dough and put butterscotch chips in half and cinnamon chips in the other half. I had those in my cupboard and thought they both would be a nice complement to the brown-sugar oatmeal flavor already present in the dough. And although I would love to make more variations, there is only so many cookies I can make in a week (although I wish I could make more)!

Adapted from this recipe from Hershey's.

Oatmeal _________ Cookies

(they can be made with any kind of chips, dried fruit, etc.)

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

2 1/2 cups old fashioned oats

2 cups __________ (cinnamon chips, butterscotch chips, chocolate chips, raisins, dried cranberries, etc. etc. etc.)

Beat butter, brown sugar and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla. Mix flour and baking soda together and add to butter mixture. Stir until combined.

Drop by heaping teaspoons onto a cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees F until lightly browned.

Enjoy, and take a bite!

Wedding Bliss!

the cake stands on each table

Brooke and I with some cupcakes :)

So it's been a while since my last post, but I have a good reason! I was preparing for, making, and decorating cupcakes for a wedding I did the weekend before last (April 9)....then I guess I was just in recovery mode last week ;) The cupcake baking went really smoothly....the filling not so much...but the decorating went better than I expected! Everything ended up turning out fine! Even the two hour drive only caused a few cupcake fatalities :) I was so blessed to be making these cupcakes for my sister's (and my) friend Brooke. She was a beautiful bride and it brings me joy that I could help make her special day complete!

the "cake table"

The cupcakes I made were:

White chocolate raspberry with swiss meringue buttercream (top)

Chocolate mocha with mocha filling and frosting (bottom right)

Red Velvet with buttercream and chocolate ganache (bottom left)

my apartment cupcake operation :)

I'm going to share my swiss meringue buttercream recipe on my blog. I was definitely scared to make this because I had tried it once before and failed, but after reading in depth about it I realized what I thought was failure was actually supposed to happen :) So, take my word for it...it's not as hard as it looks.

Swiss Meringue Buttercream

will frost 24 cupcakes or a double layer round cake

1 cup sugar

4 large egg whites

3 sticks plus 2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature

1-1 1/2 tsp vanilla (or other flavoring)

Whisk the egg whites and sugar together in a metal bowl (I use my metal bowl that goes with my Kitchen-Aid mixer) and place over a double boiler.

Continue whisking and heat until the sugar is dissolved and not grainy....I feel it between my fingers. Place bowl on the mixer (or transfer to your mixing bowl) and use the whisk attachment to beat the egg whites and sugar until white and approximately double in volume.

The mixture should stay in place when you remove the whisk from the bowl (but not to stiff peaks). Switch to the paddle attachment. Cut the sticks of butter into pieces, and add it about a stick at a time and keep beating! It is ESSENTIAL that the butter is at room temperature. If it isn't, it will not incorporate correctly! When you're adding the butter is the time that it might look a little soupy and gross.

DON'T THROW IT OUT, JUST KEEP BEATING!! It might also look a little "bubbly" but it will eventually come together and be smooth, buttery, velvety, etc...all those good things!

Mine took only 3-4 minutes to come together, but on some websites I was researching it on, I read it could take up to 10 minutes! Just be patient, and you'll be rewarded :)

Enjoy, and take a bite!