Sunday, May 24, 2015

Can She Bake a Cherry Pie?

 CHERRY CRUMB PIE


This has been on my list of pies to bake for eons!  
I have always wanted to bake a cherry pie from scratch and finally did.





Hubby gave it a double thumbs up!


Cherry Crumb Pie

adapted from Alan's Kitchen

Makes 1 pie
Prep Time: 15 min
Baking Time: 40 min

Ingredients:

  •    1/2  recipe Sweet Pastry
  • Filling
    • 2-1/2  cups sour cherries
    •    1/2  cup granulated sugar
    •    1/2  cup light brown sugar
    •       2  Tablespoons flour
    •       2  Tablespoons butter
    •    1/2  cup water or cherry juice
  • Crumbs
    •     3/4  cup flour
    •     3/4  cup sugar
    •     1/4  teaspoon salt
    •     1/4  cup butter
    •     1/2  teaspoon nutmeg or cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350° F.
  1. USE half of recipe for Sweet Pastry, roll out bottom crust, and line 9-inch pie dish.  Dredge with a little flour and sugar and dot with butter.  In a saucepan, add and mix flour, sugar, and water or cherry juice to a smooth paste. 
  2. COOK over low heat until mixture thickens.   Add balance of butter and cook a minute longer.  Remove from heat, mix with cherries, cool, then pour into pie shell.
  3. FOR crumbs, mix flour, sugar, and salt, blend with butter, add nutmeg or cinnamon (or substitute vanilla or lemon juice) and when mixture breaks into crumbs sprinkle thickly over cherries.  Bake for 35-40 minutes.

Sweet Dough

Ingredients:

  •    1  cup sifted flour
  • 1/2  cup sugar
  • 1/4  cup butter and lard, mixed (1/8 cup butter & 1/8 cup lard)
  •    1  egg

Directions:

1Mix ingredients into dough, form into ball, and chill.  Roll out lightly on floured board.  Line pie dish with pastry and chill again. 
2For pies with strips on top, reserve 1/3 of the dough and add to it:
1  teaspoon baking powder
2  Tablespoons milk
3Mix again and roll out.  Cut in strips and place on top of pie, all in one direction.  These strips may not be crossed because they puff up. Use for fruit and berry pies.

Thursday, May 21, 2015

Cinnamon Bun Cookies


Soft Buttery goodness rolled up with cinnamon deliciousness.
A lovely cookie!


My roll did not turn out as tight as it should have but it still tasted wonderful...it helps if you watch the video on how to make a rolled cookie log. I didn't do it until after the cookies came out of the oven.  That's what I get for being so impatient!  Watch the video! 

cinnamon bun cookies


INGREDIENTS

1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
1/3 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 teaspoons grated orange zest
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 large egg
2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

FOR THE CINNAMON SMEAR

5 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons unsalted butter, softened
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons light corn syrup
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

FOR THE GLAZE

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon water
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, sugars, salt, zest, and vanilla together on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 or 4 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the egg, beating well to incorporate.
Turn the mixer down to low and add the flour, mixing until just barely combined.
On a sheet of wax or parchment paper (whatever your preference), roll the dough out to approximately 12" square (or more if you want to get more spirals – see my comment above). When it comes time to roll into a log, the paper makes it easier to lift the edge and handle the dough.

MAKING THE ROLL

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine all of the cinnamon smear ingredients and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 or 3 minutes.
Spread the cinnamon mixture on top of the rolled out cookie dough.
Roll the dough into a log shape. Once you get an edge started rolling by just folding it over slightly, you can simply lift the paper edge and use it to guide the dough to continue rolling. There's a video here that shows what I mean about lifting the paper edge to create the roll. The ends of the log will likely be a bit gappy, so you can just smoosh them in to form a flat edge. The first slice from each end will not have the pretty spiral, but there won't be any wasted dough.
Wrap the log in plastic wrap or the parchment paper you used to roll it out and gently squeeze the log to ensure there are no air pockets inside. You can then roll the log a few times to smooth it back out if necessary.
Transfer the dough to the freezer for at least 15-20 minutes, until firm.
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375°F.
Remove the dough log from the freezer and using a sharp knife, cut the dough into 1/4" slices. Give the log a quarter roll after each cut so it doesn't develop a flat edge from constantly pressing on the same side.
Transfer the cut slices to your prepared cookie sheets and bake for about 12-14 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through, until they’re lightly golden around the edges. Allow to cool on a wire rack for a few minutes before removing the cookies from the pan and allowing them to cool completely.

GLAZING THE COOKIES


Combine all the ingredients for the glaze in a small bowl and whisk together. Add additional water if it seems too thick. Using a pastry brush, apply a thin coat to the top of each cookie. Allow to sit at room temperature to dry completely
Yields approximately 4 dozen cookies