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      Mini Apple Pies

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      There’s nothing better than classic apple pie, unless it’s having one all to yourself! These little individual pies are big on flavor, and their sweet, buttery pastry crusts bake to golden perfection.I return to this time-honored classic for every kind of occasion, but I especially enjoy making it on patriotic holidays. It somehow feels reverent and dignified, having an apple pie on our buffet on Memorial Day or July 4th. Its origins lie across the pond, but it has become an American symbol, perfected by the hands of our predecessors and steeped in tradition.Individual desserts have always felt special to me, so I decided this year we’d all have our own little apple pie. The apple filling formula is pretty standard and easy to mix up, but the crust recipe is different from regular pie crust. I learned to make pate sucrée in pastry class, and I’ve found it holds up well to nearly any type of juicy pie filling – and it’s perfect for mini pies!
      A food processor makes quick work of forming the dough and it helps keep it cool, as warm hands will melt the cold butter pieces dispersed throughout the dough. Once processed, it will need to rest 30 minutes before rolling. I used a large pastry cutter to stamp dough rounds from the pastry, but you could also flip over your mini pie pans and trim around them 1″ larger than the pan rims.
      These little pies will need to be vented, and you could do so by cutting a slit in the tops of the pies, but I wanted to make these extra-cute for our holiday.A reinforced vent hole can be made with two small, nesting cookie cutters. To do this, first cut a circle from the rolled pastry for a top crust; set aside. Then, use the larger cutter to stamp a shape from the rolled pastry (here, a star). Lay it on the top center of the circle. Use the smallest cutter to cut a vent hole through the stamped shape and pastry round. Now you’re ready to top a pie!
      After fluting the edges of the pie crusts together, cover the pies with egg wash using a pastry brush and immediately sprinkle with coarse sugar. This makes the top crust golden brown and crunchy!

      The thyme in my little herb planter is full of twisty green sprigs, so I added a pinch of chopped fresh thyme to the pie filling. This is optional, but I really love the flavor.I’m serving these pies directly from the little glass pans they were baked in. You can find the pans I used here, if you’re looking for a set of your own.Wishing you a safe and happy holiday weekend!

      Mini Apple PiesYields about eight 5-inch piesFor 8 pies, make two batches of pastry crust, or you can halve the pie filling recipe and make just one batch of pate sucrée to yield just 4 pies.Pate sucrée crust2 cups (10oz/284g) all-purpose flourPinch of salt7/8 cup (14 tablespoons/198g) unsalted butter, cold and cubed1/2 cup (3.5 oz./100g) fine granulated sugar1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract1 egg, slightly beatenPlace the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor, pulse to combine. Add the cubed butter on top of the flour and pulse repeatedly in short bursts until the mixture looks crumbly. Add the vanilla and egg and pulse until the mixture forms a ball to one side of the bowl. Remove the dough and flatten into a circle. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest 30 minutes before use.Apple pie filling1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar1/2 cup (106g) brown sugar, packed3 tablespoons all-purpose flour1 teaspoon ground cinnamon1/4 teaspoon ground ginger1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg5 large, tart, firm apples, thinly sliced (tested with Granny Smith)1 tablespoon lemon juiceIn a small bowl, combine the sugars, flour and spices; set aside. In a large bowl, toss apples with lemon juice. Add sugar mixture; toss to coat.Assemble the piesEgg wash (1 egg beaten with 1 tbsp. water)Coarse crystal sugarPreheat the oven to 375°F.Roll the dough on a lightly floured work surface using a floured rolling pin. Cut 7-inch rounds from the dough and fit inside the pie pans. Fill each pie with the apple filling until heaping. Gather the dough and re-roll to 1/4-inch thickness.Cut more pastry rounds to fit the top of each pie. Cut a vent in the center of each pie using a small cookie cutter (or cut 3 slits in the top of the pie using a paring knife). Top the pie with the crust and press edges of the crusts together and flute. Brush pies with egg wash then sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake the pies for 15-17 minutes, or until the pastry turns golden brown.Allow pies cool before serving, or serve warm with scoops of vanilla ice cream on top.
      link Mini Apple Pies By Heather Baird Published: Monday, May 25, 2020Monday, May 25, 2020Mini Apple Pies Recipe LEGGI TUTTO

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      Three Ingredient Cream Cheese Mini Biscuits

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      These tiny biscuits are rich and buttery beyond words! Serve them when you’re short on time, or when you’re looking for a fuss-free bite.This year we’ll be celebrating Easter with a lot less people around our table, but I’m still holding tight to our holiday dinner traditions. I’ll be making a smaller version of Easter dinner with a turkey breast I found in the freezer, some scaled-down sides, and these lemon icebox pies in jars for a sweet ending.Last weekend I was able to replenish my eggs and dairy, but flour is still proving to be elusive. I was planning to make my favorite buttermilk dinner rolls, but ultimately decided 7 cups of flour for one recipe was too much to part with right now. Instead I’ll be whipping up these truly decadent cheesy mini biscuits.
      This is a recipe that’s easy to commit to memory. You’ll need a package of cream cheese, a stick of butter, and a cup of self-rising flour. If you don’t keep self-rising flour on hand, then a cup can easily be made at home with my recipe notes. 

      When measuring flour for this recipe, I recommend the spoon-and-sweep method. Spoon flour into the measuring cup until overflowing, and then sweep the top level with the back of a flat butter knife. This will help you avoid tough biscuits, which can happen with too much flour. You could also weigh 120g of flour on a scale to be absolutely certain you’re getting the amount right.
      These baby biscuits bake in a mini muffin tin (1 3/4-inch cavities), and you won’t even need to grease the pan! These biscuits butter themselves!The dough is lax enough to pipe into the cavities, but if your dough seems too firm to pipe, place batter in the tin using two spoons.
      Fill the cavities all the way to the top! The tops may look a little ragged, but you can smooth them down by dipping fingertips in water and then lightly tamping them down.
      Bake until the edges are puffed and lightly golden brown.

      These little biscuits are so rich and cheesy, they could almost be an appetizer or part of a cheese course! Although they are delectable warm, they are also quite good at room temperature. I might just serve these as an hors d’oeuvre when family and friends are able to celebrate together again.

      Three Ingredient Cream Cheese Mini BiscuitsYields 14-16 mini biscuitsThis recipe requires the use of a mini muffin pan.1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, at room temperature1/2 cup (1 stick/113g) unsalted butter, at room temperature1 cup (120g) self-rising flour (*see note for substitution)Preheat oven to 400°F.In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and butter until creamy. Gradually add flour beating at low speed, just until blended.Pipe or spoon dough into ungreased mini muffin pans (1 3/4 inch cavities), filling them full to the tops. If dough looks ragged, dip fingertips in water and pat down any peaks in the dough. Bake for 15-17 minutes, or until the muffins are lightly puffed and golden around the edges. Serve warm.*Note: For homemade self-rising flour, combine 1 cup of all-purpose flour in a bowl and whisk in 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Use in this recipe as a replacement for self-rising flour.
      link Three Ingredient Cream Cheese Mini Biscuits By Heather Baird Published: Saturday, April 11, 2020Saturday, April 11, 2020Three Ingredient Cream Cheese Mini Biscuits Recipe LEGGI TUTTO

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      Strawberry Jam Muffins with Cinnamon Oat Streusel

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      These eggless muffins have a tender crumb and a pocket of strawberry jam baked inside. The cinnamon-oat streusel topping makes them so perfect for breakfast!I’m not sure why, but when I wake up in the morning it takes a while for my appetite to kick in. My husband on the other hand, is ready for breakfast the moment his feet hit the floor. His preference is something sweet – waffles, pancakes, English muffins with jam or cream cheese pastries. Those recipes usually require a good amount of eggs, butter, and milk. Since we’re still carefully conserving those items, I turned to pantry staples once again – and these muffins are the result!
      The vanilla muffin batter is easy enough to whip together using a hand mixer, and it contains no eggs or butter. I used some canned evaporated milk in the recipe, but if you don’t have that on hand you can replace it with water, or even oat or nut milk.
      A dollop of jam is swirled into the centers of the muffins, and then each muffin is topped with a generous amount of streusel. Good streusel usually contains butter, but I used vegetable shortening which was just fine, but a little crumbly. If you have two tablespoons of butter to spare, then use that instead!
      I baked these in cupcake liners, which I prefer because clean-up is much easier. 

      This recipe can be endlessly varied with whatever jam you have on hand. I’m eyeing a jar of fig jam in the fridge that needs to be used for a second batch of muffins. I like these best warm, but not hot. Let them cool a little after you take them out of the oven, because the jam in the center is molten and will burn your tongue (I learned the hard way!).We really loved these, and I hope you will too!

      Strawberry Jam Muffins with Cinnamon Oat StreuselYields 12 muffinsMuffins1 3/4 cup (210g) all-purpose flour3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar1 teaspoon baking powder1/2 teaspoon baking soda1/2 teaspoon salt1/2 cup (120ml)evaporated milk (can substitute water, oat or nut milk, or cow’s milk)1/3 cup (80ml) vegetable oil1 tablespoon white vinegar or cider vinegar1 teaspoon vanilla extract1/2 cup (120ml) water6 tablespoons strawberry jam or other jam (tested with Smucker’s Seedless Strawberry Jam)Streusel1/3 cup (40g) all-purpose flour1/3 cup (25g) old-fashioned oats1 tablespoon sugar1 tablespoon ground cinnamonPinch of salt2 tablespoons cold vegetable shortening (or cold butter or margarine)Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a standard cupcake pan with 12 paper liners.In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, soda, and salt. Whisk to combine. Add the evaporated milk (or recommended substitution), oil, vinegar, and extract. Mix on low speed until thick. Add the water and mix again until the batter is smooth with a pourable consistency.In a small bowl, stir the jam with a spoon until smooth. Scoop the batter into the prepared muffin tin and place about 1-2 teaspoons of jam in the centers of each cup of batter. Use a skewer to swirl the jam down into the batter (turn the batter over the jam with the skewer instead of swirling it throughout the batter).For the streusel, combine the flour, oats, sugar, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk to combine. Add the shortening and use a fork to mash the ingredients together until crumbles form.Divide streusel mixture among the tops of each muffin and transfer to the oven. Bake for 20-23 minutes, or until the tops are well puffed and spring back when pressed. Or test with a toothpick – it should come out with only jam clinging to the pick, and no uncooked batter.Let cool before serving. These are wonderful served warm, but hot-from-the-oven muffins will hold a pocket of molten jam, which will cause burns. Let them cool down before serving.Store in an air-tight cupcake keeper, or on a platter covered with plastic wrap.
      link Strawberry Jam Muffins with Cinnamon Oat Streusel By Heather Baird Published: Saturday, April 04, 2020Saturday, April 04, 2020Strawberry Jam Muffins with Cinnamon Oat Streusel Recipe LEGGI TUTTO