My First Ever Homemade Apple Pie

Well, this was by far my biggest challenge so far!! I have always cheated it when it comes to apple pie by using premade pie crusts and even apple pie filling and then adding more flavor. I was so excited to try it even though I was terribly nervous about it. The recipe I ended up using was partially Paula Deen and a few other random sources that I researched before my first attempt. Yep, that's right, I did my homework before making the pie...looking at pie crust recipes, instructions for how to make a good pie crust, looking at apple pie recipes to find just the right flavorings, etc.






So, here's the recipe...



Pie Crust:



2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon fine salt

3 tablespoons granulated white sugar

1/4 vegetable shortening, cold

12 tablespoons butter, cold and cubed

1/4 cup to 1/2 cup ice water



In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, salt, and sugar. Add the shortening and break it up with your hands as you start to coat it all up with flour. Add the cold butter cubes and work it into the flour with your hands, a pastry blender or a fork. Work it quickly, so the butter doesn't get too soft, until the mixture is crumbly, like very coarse cornmeal. Add the ice water, a little at a time, until the mixture comes together forming a dough. Bring the dough together into a ball.



When it comes together, stop working it otherwise the dough will get over-worked and tough. Divide the dough in half and flatten it slightly to form a dish shape. Wrap each disk in plastic and chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes. On a floured surface roll each disk out into a 10 to 11-inch circle to make a 9-inch pie. (Yields 2 9-inch pie crusts) *See suggestions/comments section for more pie crust tips.



Apple Pie Filling:



3/4 cup light brown sugar

1/4 cup all-purpose flower

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus more for sprinkling

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

7 medium Granny Smith apples, peeled and cored and thinly sliced

1 lemon, zested and juiced

3 tablespoons butter, diced

Sugar for sprinkling



Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Mix together the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg in a small bowl. In another bowl, sprinkle apples with the lemon zest and juice and toss. Stir in the sugar mixture to evenly coat the apples.



Set aside. Roll out chilled dough into 2 circles and use 1 round to line a 9-inch pie pan. Using the tines of a fork, prick the bottom of the pie crust several times to allow steam to be released during baking and preven the crust from bubbling. Chill the other round.



Mound the apple and sugar mixture into the pie pan lined with dough. Dot with the cubed butter.



Using a pastry cutter, cut an even number of strips from the remaining rolled out dough. Transfer every other strip to the pie top and weave in the lattice by folding every other strip back onto itself and laying another strip perpendicularly. Fold the strips back across and repeat until completed.



Brush the top of the pie with milk for a brown crust, with a mixture of milk and egg yolk for a golden crust, with egg white for a shiny crust, or sprinkle with sugar for sparkly crust. (I opted to brush the top of my pie with milk.) Then sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Trim the overhanging dough and crimp edges.



Bake pie for 45 minutes. Let rest 20 minutes before slicing. Serve with vanilla ice cream





SUGGESTIONS/COMMENTS:



*Pie Crust tips:

When rolling out the dough, do so on a floured surface. Flatten the dough and sprinkle lightly with flour. Using a floured rolling pin, begin rolling the dough from the center outward, turning to shape and re-flouring as needed to prevent sticking. Use light, even strokes and lift the pin up as it comes to the edge. Sprinkle flour underneat the dough occasionally to prevent sticking. Roll the dough into a circle 2 inches larger than the diameter of the pie plate.



Also with water, make sure it is ice cold and added very gradually. Too much water will make the pastry tough, while too little will make it crumbly and difficult to roll out.



Another thing to note is that it calls for cold shortening and cold butter, I kept both of mine in the fridge until I was ready to use them.

Also, I laid a piece of aluminum foil over the top of my pie for a bit so that my crust topping would not over bake or burn.

To make sure you are not getting apples that are too big or too small, here's a reference for you. One medium-sized apple is about 6 ounces, 7 medium equal 2 1/2 pounds.



RESULTS:



I won't lie this is a bit of a time consuming task but well worth it. The reviews are in and according to the average person, it's amazing. According to my baking guru, I needed to roll out the top pie crust a bit thinner for the lattice topping. This would definitely have made the lattice topping even more difficult for me to make because it was breaking as I was trying to lay it out, but it was great advice. He did think it looked awesome though so that was pretty exciting for me :) Other than that, he said it was great for my first homemade apple pie and he was really pleased :)



So, I am pretty happy to have gotten such good feedback :) I don't know when I will make another one, but I now know that I can make a homemade pie crust and apple pie filling that is crowd pleasing and pleasing to the discriminate in taste :)

Ritz Cracker Pie

This is one of my hubby's absolute favorite pies. His mom used to make it for him for his birthday every year. I am not sure where she got the recipe but she says it is also called Surprise Pie.




Ingredients:

3 Egg Whites
1/2 c. chopped pecans
scant cup sugar (which means not quite a cup)
pinch of salt
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. baking powder
20 Ritz crackers
Cool Whip

Spray a 9-inch pie plate with non-stick cooking spray. Beat egg whites until peaks form. Slowly add in sugar. Then add pinch of salt and vanilla. Crush Ritz crackers and mix them with baking powder. Blend the two mixtures together and add pecans. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

After cooling, add Cool Whip and serve.


I have no suggestions for this one. My mother-in-law is an amazing cook and this is a pretty great pie. It's hard to believe that it's made of Ritz Crackers. Not too difficult to make either.

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Again, this is a Paula Deen recipe. I will print the entire recipe and will give you my changes below the recipe.



Ingredients

Nonstick cooking spray
3 cups cake flour, plus more for pan
1 cup butter, softened, plus 1/2 cup, melted
2 1/4 cups sugar
5 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups whole buttermilk
1 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
2 (20-ounce) cans pineapple slices in juice, drained well (reserve 2 tablespoons juice for frosting)
1 (10-ounce) jar maraschino cherries, drained well
Pineapple Buttercream Frosting, recipe follows
Chopped pecans, for garnish, optional

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 2 (9-inch) round cake pans with nonstick cooking spray and coat with flour.

In a large bowl, beat 1 cup butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add the sugar, beating until fluffy. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in the vanilla and set aside.

In a small bowl, add the 3 cups of flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir to combine. Add the flour mixture into the egg mixture alternately with the buttermilk, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.

Divide the brown sugar evenly into each pan. Pour the melted butter equally over the brown sugar. Arrange the pineapple slices and cherries over the brown sugar. Reserve remaining pineapple slices and cherries for another use.

Pour equal amounts of batter over the fruit and bake until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, about 40 to 45 minutes. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 10 minutes. Invert the cakes onto wire racks to cool completely.

To assemble the cake, carefully arrange 1 cake layer, pineapple side up, on a cake plate. Carefully stack the remaining cake layer, pineapple side up, over the first layer. Frost the sides of the cake with Pineapple Buttercream Frosting. Press chopped pecans into sides of cake, if desired.

Pineapple Buttercream Frosting:


1/2 cup butter, softened
2 tablespoons reserved pineapple juice
3 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
Beat all the ingredients in a large bowl until well combined.

Yield: about 2 cups

SUGGESTIONS/COMMENTS

First of all, I did not use the pineapple buttercream frosting. I love Pineapple Upside Down Cake and my first thought was that it did not need a frosting. So, I decided to skip it. Also, I did not use pecans to garnish it.

I also added a small bit of pineapple juice to the cake batter to give the cake a little more flavor. I also put a cookie sheet on the second layer to catch any spillover from the cake.

This got some rave reviews :) In fact, one of the recipients was a baker for 6 years and said it was delicious :) I admit, he had my nervous knowing that he was going to possibly taste it because his skill intimidates me! Another person said she was shocked that it was the first one I ever made! So, definitely a success. A little messy to make, but I would make it again!

Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake

I got this recipe out of one of my Taste of Home magazines. I made it a few weeks ago for a friend and it was everything I hoped it would be...and more :)

Crust:

1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup crushed Oreos
1/4 cup sugar
6 tablespoons butter, melted
3/4 cup Creamy Jif Peanut Butter

Filling:

3 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup (8 oz.) sour cream
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup hot fudge ice cream topping, divided
6 Reese's Cups, cut into small wedges


In a bowl, combine cracker crumbs, cookie crumbs, sugar and butter. Press onto the bottom and 1 inch up the sides of a greased 9-inch springform pan. Place on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 7-9 minutes or until set. Cool on a wire rack. In a microwave-safe bowl, heat peanut butter on high for 30 seconds or until softened. Spread over crust to within 1 inch of edges.

In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar and sour cream until smooth. Add eggs, beat on low speed just until combined. Stir in vanilla. Pour 1 cup into a bowl; set aside. Pour remaining filling over peanut butter layer.

In a microwave-safe bowl, heat 1/4 cup fudge topping on high for 30 seconds or until thin, fold into reserved cream cheese mixture. Carefully spoon over filling; cut through filling with a knife to swirl. Do not put the knife all the way the through the mixture because you will then be swirling into the crust.

Place pan on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 55-65 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around edge of pan to loosen; cool 1 hour longer.

Microwave remaining fudge topping for 30 seconds or until warmed; spread over cheesecake. Garnish with peanut butter cups. Refrigerate overnight. Remove sides of pan and serve!

SUGGESTIONS/COMMENTS

Don't use reduced-fat or generic peanut butter for this recipe. If you do, the cheesecake does not set well.

When making cheesecakes, make sure all the ingredients are at room temperature. They mix more easily and give the finished cake a smoother texture. Make sure you combine the cream cheese and eggs thoroughly before adding any extracts or sour cream because lumps are impossible to remove after the liquid ingredients have been added. Make sure to use your mixer at low or medium-low so as to only allow a minimum amount of air being whipped into the batter. The center of the finished cheesecake should be soft, but not wobbly.

This recipe was simply amazing :) As a peanut butter cup lover, this recipe rocks :) And yes, I tried a small piece of this one because I simply couldn't pass it up! It was well worth the extra cardio :)

Red Velvet Cake

This one is a Paula Deen recipe :) See below recipes for my changes or suggestions :)

Ingredients

Cake:

2 cups sugar
1/2 pound (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
2 eggs
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
2 ounces red food coloring
2 1/2 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon vinegar

Icing:

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese
1 stick butter, softened
1 cup melted marshmallows
1 (1-pound) box confectioners' sugar
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup chopped pecans

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a mixing bowl, cream the sugar and butter, beat until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time and mix well after each addition. Mix cocoa and food coloring together and then add to sugar mixture; mix well. Sift together flour and salt. Add flour mixture to the creamed mixture alternately with buttermilk. Blend in vanilla. In a small bowl, combine baking soda and vinegar and add to mixture. Pour batter into 3 (8-inch) round greased and floured pans. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from heat and cool completely before frosting.

Icing:
Blend cream cheese and butter together in a mixing bowl. Add marshmallows and sugar and blend. Fold in coconut and nuts. Spread between layers and on top and sides of cooled cake.


MY SUGGESTIONS/COMMENTS

Definitely make sure you use cake flour...this is not all-purpose or self-rising flour. If you use either a-p or s-r flour instead I have read that the cake doesn't turn out well. I also made this a two layer and not a three layer cake.

Also, when I made it, I didn't use the coconut in the icing.

The reviews from my friends were extremely positive :) And I admit that I had to have a taste of it and it was delicious :) I will definitely be willing to make it again !!

Baking Joys :)

A lot of people know that one of my favorite passions is baking! I love it :) I love making some sweet delight and gifting it to a special friend. It's always great to see the joy it brings to others when you deliver something so tasty and sweet to someone!

So, I get questions from time to time about my baking. I admit I am not an amazing baker, I am just talented enough to be able to follow most recipes succesfully. Occasionally, I try to remember to get a picture of my creation before it's delivered (sometimes after delivery too!) So, I thought that I would post some of my successes and share with others recipes that I find and try that are simply delicious :)

Happy Baking :)