mini apple crumbles

i was going through my stacks and stacks of magazines sometime last week and ran across a recipe for mini apple crumbles. yes, i've got piles of shape, marie claire, better homes & gardens, 7x7 and ca home & design magazines just to name some that i've left it piled on (and some i have yet to go through them). i guess i'm still one of the few left who appreciates actual printed materials over those ebooks or e-zines. okay, going off topic here. yes, as i was going through one of my shape magazines from a few months back, i noticed a recipe for mini apple crumbles. i think it must have been shape's november 2013 issue. leafing through the pages and seeing that, a lightbulb went in my head. well, hello… we've got a bunch of oatmeal lying around, i could actually put some to use with this recipe! so off i went with it.

okay, i've actually adapted the recipe a bit because i didn't have any maple syrup on hand or couldn't be bothered with the spices that were in it. but overall, the recipe was pretty straight forward. so go ahead and bake some. these make for perfect little one-bite treats and are great for parties or any occasions. :)


these one-bite mini apple crumbles make for the perfect little party treats and has only 95 calories.


this recipe is super simple to make. i love how you get many different kinds of texture, crunch and flavors from just one tiny bite.

mini apple crumbles
recipe from shape magazine's november 2013 issue

crumble topping:
cooking spray
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch kosher salt
1/3 c maple syrup
2 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

apple filling:
2 firm apples, peeled, cored and diced
2 tablespoons maple syrup

directions:
preheat over to 350°F. lightly coat a 12-cup mini muffing pan with cooking spray and set aside.

to make the crumble topping, combine oats, flour, cinnamon, and salt in medium bowl. stir in maple syrup until well coated. use a fork to smash the butter pieces into the oat mixture until crumbly. Set aside.

to make the apple filling, add apples, maple syrup, and 1/2 cup water to a small saucepan. cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. remove from heat and let cool slightly.

meanwhile, place 1 teaspoon of the oat mixture into the bottom of each muffin cup. see your fingers to gently press down to form  a solid crust. Place 1 tablespoon of the apple  mixture over each and top with remaining crumble distributing evenly among all muffin cups.

bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. remove from oven, let cool to room temperature, then use an offset spatula or a butter knife to gently remove from pan. serve at room temperature.

makes 12 mini apple crumbles. enjoy!

nutrition facts: 95 calories; 3 g fat; 18 g carbs; 1 g protein; 1 g fiber; 22 mg sodium; 20 mg calcium

12 days of christmas baking - day 8: cranberry apple walnut cake

i had been wanting to make this cranberry apple walnut cake since i tasted it for the first time a couple of months ago. one of my coworkers made this cake and brought it in for our company potluck. it was so good, i had to ask him for the recipe. i knew i would make it around this time of year and sure enough, i got around to baking it.

so, how was the recipe? ummm… the one he made tasted delicious. this one however, i think it was just okay. i've only had one tiny slice so far, so i don't know yet. but i can say it sounds like a great recipe and if it turns out right, it would be delicious! plus, i'm not sure if it was just me or what it is. but when i was making the batter, it was very cookie-batter-like and no cake-like at all. it was too dry. like there wasn't enough liquid ingredients in this. i looked at the person's photos and looked at mine and my batter did not look like hers. long story short, i improvised and added a couple tablespoons of water to my batter to make it more sticky or so that it would resemble a cake batter. that may have saved the cake, because it didn't come out too bad. now, if you're going to make this recipe, just be aware of that.

below's the recipe if you'd like to try it. i say go ahead, why not. cranberries, apples and walnuts are great combos for these kinds of cake. plus, it fits right in with the holiday season. so be merry and bake away! :)


i made these and gave them out as mini gifts.


another apple cranberry cake to add to the mix. these guys are great as bars too!

cranberry apple walnut cake
recipe from the bad girl's kitchen

ingredients:

• 1-3/4 cups light brown sugar OR 1 cup honey plus 2 tablespoons orange juice concentrate
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups sliced cooking apples (i used granny smith)
• 1/2 cup walnut pieces
• 1/2 cup fresh, whole raw cranberries

directions:

1. preheat oven to 350°F and grease a 9x13 pan very well, set aside.
2. in a medium bowl, sift together the flour and dry ingredients, also set that aside.
3. then cream together oil and sugar. add eggs and vanilla and beat well.
4. once that's incorporated, add in the dry ingredients and stir until thoroughly combined. then stir in apples, cranberries and nuts.
5. bake for 45-50 minutes. let it cool, then cut into squares or whatever serving size you like and enjoy!

makes one 9x13 pan size cake. enjoy! :)

check out last year's day 8 recipe: salted caramel chocolate pecan bars

12 days of christmas baking - day 4: apple cake with buttery caramel sauce

okay, here's day 4. again, very late in posting up these holiday recipes this year. i will try very hard this week to post up more recipes as christmas is literally right around the corner. and now that m is back from his 3-week hiatus (actually, more like 2-1/2 weeks because we did meet up with him last week in nyc), i can get in the christmas spirit like i do every year and bake away. you know, things just aren't the same when the usual people aren't around.

alright, enough said. below's the recipe for day 4's christmas baking. it's an apple cake with buttery caramel sauce. i have been in love with simple cakes these last several months so it's no surprise that i also love this recipe. i like how the little chunks of apple gives you a different texture when eating the cake. and that gooey buttery caramel sauce gives you a nice extra sweetness since the cake itself isn't super sweet.

so go ahead and bake yourself a cake today! enjoy and happy baking and eating! :)


i think if you prefer the cake without the buttery caramel sauce, you can definitely omit it. but i personally wouldn't because i love caramel sauce.


this apple cake is perfect for this time of year. i love the added apple chunks and pecans. and the caramel sauce on top gives you that extra bit of sweetness. delish!

apple cake with buttery caramel sauce
recipe from better homes & garden

ingredients:

• 2 cups  all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon  baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon  salt
• 1/2 teaspoon  ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon  ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon  baking soda
• 1/2 cup  butter, softened
• 2 cups  sugar
• 2 eggs
• 6 cups  coarsely chopped unpeeled cooking apples (about 5 to 6 medium apples)
• 1 cup  chopped walnuts (i used pecans instead)
• 1 recipe Buttery Caramel Sauce (recipe below)

directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 13x9x2-inch baking pan; set pan aside. In a medium bowl stir together the flour, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon, and baking soda; set aside.
2. In a very large mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Gradually add sugar, about 1/4 cup at a time, beating on medium speed until well combined. Scrape sides of bowl; beat for 2 minutes more. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add flour mixture to butter mixture, beating on low speed just until combined. Fold in apples and walnuts. (Batter will be thick.) Spread batter in prepared baking pan.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 45 to 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 45 minutes. Serve warm with Buttery Caramel Sauce. Makes 16 servings.

Notes: Cool cake; cover cake pan with foil and freeze for up to 1 month. Thaw covered cake in the refrigerator overnight. Reheat cake, covered, in a 325 degrees F oven about 30 minutes or until warm. Sauce can be covered and refrigerated for up to 1 week. Reheat in a saucepan over medium heat.

buttery caramel sauce

ingredients:

• 1/3 cup  butter
• 1/3 cup  granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup  packed brown sugar
• 1/3 cup  whipping cream
• 1/2 teaspoon  vanilla

directions
In a small saucepan melt butter over medium heat. Stir in sugars and cream. Bring to boiling, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla. Serve warm. Makes about 1-1/4 cups.

check out last year's day 4 recipe: cranberry apple crumb bars

the best baked apple tart ever!

a while back one of my coworkers brought in this delicious apple tart. it is definitely one of the best if not the best apple tart i've ever had. so good that i had to make one myself so m and my MIL can confirm it with me. and since i had made that lemon cream tart recipe from tartine and had 3 extra pie/tart dough leftover, why not?! the sweet tart dough would be perfect for this apple tart recipe.

this recipe was adapated from dalloyau, a very well known and popular pastry company in paris and comes from dorie greenspan's paris sweets book. of course, i missed out on tasting all the goodies from dalloyau the last time i was there. one, let's just say i wasn't aware of them as i am now and two, i'd been eating paris sweets literally every day we were in paris. i know, i was too spoiled. i remembered we even walked pass dalloyau's pastry stands inside galeries lafayette (the giant shopping mall in paris). they had so many opera cakes, macarons and every pastry you can possibly imagine! but at the time i remembered all i wanted was real food (no more sweets, at least at the time anyway) and opted for some thai food. i know, thai food in paris (kind of disappointing huh?). but this place is for sure on my to-eat-list the next time i'm in paris. i can't wait to go back and try everything (okay, maybe not everything, but almost?!) on their menu.

so, what's sooooo good about it? let's just say not only do you get these nicely sauteed caramel-y sliced apples, but the added almond cream with the apple is just delish. it's really THAT good! i've never had a tart with almond cream before and i have to say, the almond cream makes a giant difference. it's a nice added sweetness to the tartiness of the apples. ever since i've made the almond cream in this tart recipe, i've been making the almond cream and putting it on everything! it's super simple that you can whisk up in a few short minutes. one of my personal favorites i like to put the almond cream on is french toast. it's sort of like a take on those delicious bostocks i had at b. patisserie a while back, but homemade and just as good. i'll have to put up a post on these later at some point, but for now… let's enjoy this delicious apple tart.

oh, so what did m and my MIL say? they loved it. like absolutely loved it! m said it's the best he's ever had and the only kind of apple tart or pie he'll ever eat! we're for sure adding this to the list of many baked goodies we make during the holidays. he loves the sweet dough tart with the apples. it's like a nice shortbread crust that compliments the apples and almond cream nicely. i told him i could also make it with puff pastry sheets as the pie crust but he said no. the sweet dough tart is perfect and loves the apple tart exactly the way i had made it. so i guess i'll stick with what i have.

below's the recipe if you'd like to make it. seriously, it's the best apple tart ever! :)


this is really the best apple tart ever. even if you don't like apple pies or tarts, i say you should still give this a try. the almond cream will make you fall in love with it. really.


a close-up shot of a tart slice. seriously, so good. i can't wait until we go to paris again so i can really hit up dalloyau and have an actual slice made from the recipe maker themselves!


as i was taking a shot of this slice, little miss v couldn't help it. she wanted to get a piece (or this piece) of this delicious apple tart!

tarte aux pommes au four
dalloyau's baked apple tart recipe from sabrina ko's blog

ingredients:

the almond cream:
1-1/2 tablespoons (3/4 ounce; 20 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup (30 grams) ground almonds
1 large egg, preferably at room temperature
2 tablespoons (30 grams) heavy cream
1 tablespoon calvados or apple brandy (or 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract)

the apples:
6 large apples (2-1/4 pounds; 1 kilo), preferably Fuji or Granny Smith, peeled and cored (note: if you want to skip the grated apples part, you can use 4-5 apples instead)
7 tablespoons (3-1/2 ounces; 100 grams) unsalted butter (note: this can also be reduced without much sacrifice to the taste. i actually halved the butter here and it still came out delicious!)
1/2 cup sugar (75 grams)
2 tablespoons calvados or apple brandy (or 1-1/2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract)

the crust:
1 unbaked 9-inch (24-cm) tart shell made from sweet tart dough (recipe here) or you can use puff pastry (homemade or store-bought)
confectioners’ sugar for dusting

directions:

the apples:

1. center a rack in the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F (180°c).
2. cut 4 of the apples in half and slice each half into thirds. grate the remaining 2 apples on the coarse side of a box grater (you can skip the grating if you like – i didn't though).
3. melt 1 tablespoon of the butter and 1 tablespoon of the sugar in a large skillet over high heat. add the grated apples and cook, stirring, until they are golden brown, about 3 minutes. using a slotted spoon, transfer the apples to a plate (if you skipped the grating, you can skip this step). add the remaining 6 tablespoons (85 grams) butter and the rest of the sugar to the pan and, when the butter is bubbling, toss in the apple slices. cook the apples, stirring frequently, until they are lightly caramelized, 5 to 7 minutes. pour in the calvados, turn off the heat, and carefully touch a match to the liquid. when the flames die down, pull the pan from the stove. (note: if you don't have the calvados, you can just add in the vanilla extract after turning off the heat. no need for lighting up a match or anything like that.)
4. transfer the apple slices to a baking pan (or keep them in the skillet if it is ovenproof) and bake for 20 minutes, or until they are almost cooked through. cool for 30 minutes.
5. while the apples are baking, make the almond cream. working in a medium bowl with a whisk, beat the butter and sugar together for a minute or so, until the sugar dissolves and the butter whitens a little. whisk in the almonds, then the egg, beating until the mixture is blended. finally, whisk in the cream and calvados (or vanilla extract). cover the bowl and refrigerate until needed. (the cream can be kept covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.)

to assemble the tart:

1. position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and put the tart shell on the sheet.
2. spoon the almond cream evenly into the crust. top with the baked apples, arranging them attractively in a single layer. check the grated apples—if they are wet, press them either between your palms or between paper towels. fluff up the grated apples with your fingers or a fork and arrange them over the apple slices, leaving a bare border of an inch (2.5 cm) or so.
3. bake the tart for 40 to 50 minutes, or until the almond cream has puffed and the apples are beautifully browned. cool the tart on a rack; unmold and serve it when it is either just warm or at room temperature. dust the tart generously with confectioners’ sugar right before bringing it to the table.

notes:
while all of the elements can be prepared ahead, once the tart is assembled, it should be baked immediately, and once it is baked, it should be served soon thereafter.

this tart is perfect on its own or if you prefer, is also delicious with either a bit of crème fraîche or vanilla crème anglaise. but in our household (being the very english people we are! hehe) we have it with evaporated milk and it's delish! of course, a giant scoop of good ol' vanilla ice cream is yummy as well. i do love my vanilla ice cream. :)

makes 8 servings. enjoy!

12 days of christmas baking - day 4: cranberry apple crumb bars

cranberries are so festive this time of year. what's not to love about them?! nothing! since i had some left over cranberry from my cranberry apple breads i made sometime last week, i decided to make these cranberry apple bars. these are so delicious!

you can check out my blackberry crumb bars post for the recipe. basically, just substitute the blackberries for the cranberry and apples. i used 1 cup cranberries and 2 medium sized baking apples. of course, you can use whatever fruit you like for these as well. peach for one is a great fruit. the last time i made this recipe using peaches, oh man... they were soooooo good. no, really, like that good. the kind of good you wish you can replicate, but can't or not always. i have yet to make the peach kind again. i'm not sure it'll taste as good as that time. hmmm... maybe i'll have to consider it for some other time. :) enjoy the photos!

let the holiday baking begin!

this apple crisp/crumble is really that good! half of it disappeared within less than 5 minutes of serving.

oh, we absolutely love the holiday season. today was my first official holiday baking kickoff. that's because this morning i made this delicious and yummy looking apple crisp or as some people may call it, apple crumble. i don't have any pretty pictures to show apart from the instagram photo i took this morning (above). but i have to say, holiday baking is so much fun. with thanksgiving just days away, it's really just that exciting. i'm already planning out different recipes in my head, and which ones i want to make this year for thanksgiving. then we've got christmas and i don't know what to do! i mean, i know... but there's so many goodies i can't decide which ones to make. hah! i'm sure come december or at the end of the month anyway i'd already have an idea of what's in store for december. oh, how exciting!

below's the recipe for the apple crisp/crumble should you be interested in making it yourself. this is my favorite go-to apple crisp recipe. we make it every year around this time of year. occasionally we'll have it as dessert for those "english" dinner nights where we have turkey shepherd's pie with popovers, gravy and veggies. mmmm... so good with a drizzle of evaporated milk over this warm and yummy crisp. delish! writing about it makes me want to make another one. :)


apple crisp

ingredients:
4 or 5 medium baking apples (such as granny smith, golden delicious or gala)
1/3 butter, melted
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
optional: 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1/2 tsp cinnamon (i say optional because i don't always put these in)

directions:
preheat oven to 375° F.

peel and slice the apples. then place them in a baking dish (i used an 8x8 glass dish); making sure they cover the entire dish. in a mixing bowl, mix all the other ingredients together (yes, the melted butter, brown sugar, flour and quick cooking oats). if you're using the nutmeg and cinnamon, add those in as well. mix everything until they start to resemble crumb bits. then scatter the topping evenly on top of the apple slices. make sure it covers all the apples as you'll want to have that sweet yummy crumble in every bit! bake in the oven for 30 minutes. serve warm with ice cream or with cold evaporated milk. actually, you can even drizzle warm caramel on top too if you like. delish! enjoy. :)