Autumn Bliss: Apple Hand Pies

Fall is in the air. The leaves are starting to turn into beautiful warm shades of red and yellow. The air is cooler and much crisper. New York Fashion Week has left every fashionista dreaming of Spring collections. Boots and chunky sweaters are finally making their way out of dusty closets. Comfort food is replacing light and fresh salads and ice cream. Fall is finally here.

To be honest, Fall is my favorite season. The food and fashion make it a winner in my book. I love the warm spices of fall. Cloves, nutmeg, and cinnamon can be found in almost every autumn treat. September is a month of transition. We move away from the hot weather of summer, and ease into the cool essence of Fall.

I figured since it is finally September, an apple dessert was much needed. I love any baked apple dessert, and I really love pastry desserts. I'm not going to lie. I used to love those little Hostess hand pies as a kid. How I liked them? I will never know, especially after seeing their calorie content.
I think we all used to love those little pies, until we were old enough to know better.

I decided to do a little play on those hand pies, with a much more gourmet and grown-up version. You can use any fruit you would like. Because of the season I chose apple. These are much more decadent and healthier than the kind you can find at gas stations.

Crust: (Recipe from Land O' Lakes)

2 cups pastry flour

1/4 tsp. salt

2/3 cup cold butter

4 to 5 tbsp. cold water

combine flour and salt in a bowl 

Add 2/3 cup of cubed cold butter

Use a pastry blender to combine flour mixture and butter.
 Mix until it a crumbly mix forms. 

Add milk, and form dough into a disc. Wrap in plastic wrap, and
refrigerate it until you are ready to roll it out. 

Apple Mixture:

2 to 3 peeled and cubed apple 

1 tbsp. butter

1 tsp. lemon juice

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/8 tsp Nutmeg

1/8 tsp. pumpkin pie spice 

3 tbsp. cornstarch

 Peel and cube apples. Place 1 tbsp. butter in a pan, and cook apples
 on medium high heat 6-8 minutes until they soften.  

Add sugar, cinnamon, lemon juice, nutmeg, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla, and corn starch. 

Cook for 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat, and allow mixture to cool. 

Recipe adapted from: http://www.fabulousfoods.com

Rollout dough and cut into discs using the outline of a small container

scoop a small amount of cooled apple mixture on each crust

Brush edges with egg wash (1 whisked egg and 1 tbsp water). Fold crust over and pinch the edges close. Use a pastry wheel to lightly seal edges. 

Brush top of hand pie with egg wash. Add finishing touches. ( I used crust
cutouts to make the little leaves) Bake for 12-15 minutes.

Glaze: 

1 tbsp butter

1/8 tsp salt

1 cup powdered sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

3 tbsp milk 

Combine melted butter salt powdered sugar, and vanilla. 

Add  milk and whisk until smooth. 

Allow pies to cool for 15 min. Brush with glaze, and server with whipped cream. 

Recipe from:www.thecookingphotographer.com

Enjoy

Fleur de lis Sugar Cookies

There are few better things in life, than a cuddling with a cute little puppy. Let's be honest, puppies have the power to melt even the hardest of hearts. I have previously written about my little Maltese, Versailles. She was one of the greatest joys in my life. Sadly, she lost her battle to a congenital liver defect, when she was only 1 1/2 years old (last April). I was devastated by the loss of her, and felt her absence everyday. To this day, I still greatly miss her playful and loving nature.

I have finally gotten another puppy. I decided to get another female maltese, in honor of Versailles. It has been wonderful hear the pitter patter of paws and playful barking again. My new pup, Stasia (short for Anastasia), came all the way from Louisiana. She is 1 pound & 5 oz. of pure energy. I searched long and hard for the perfect dog, to prevent the another heartbreaking outcome. I was inspired to make some New Orleans Saints "fleur de lis" cookies, since Stasia is clearly going to be a Saints fan. ;) Even though the team has been in the news lately, for their "bounty program", they still have an unbelievable quarterback, and all around solid team (minus coach Sean Payton, and a few defensive players).

         Anyway, back to the cookies. I decided to decorate the cookies with royal icing, for a nice hard and shiny look. I'm not going to lie, the taste of royal icing does not come close to a French buttercream. The look; however, is much sleeker and more refined. Royal icing is really not hard to make. It can be a little fussy (do not expose it to air very long, or it will get hard). Also, try not to use plastic utensils when making the icing, because it is sensitive to ANY grease or oil (that includes touching it with your fingers). The thing about royal icing, is that it makes for the prettiest decorated cookies.

For the cookies: 

Start with a basic cut out cookie dough. I recommend:
 Williams Sonoma Easter Cut-Out Sugar Cookies It helps to refrigerate the
dough for at least one hour, prior to rolling it out. Use a floured cookie
cutter to cut dough into desired shapes. Freeze unbaked cookies on a cookie
sheet for ten minutes, to prevent the cookies from spreading. After all, we want
them to hold their shape, so that they can be decorated. 

Bake until lightly golden around the edges. Let them completely cool before icing. 

For the Royal Icing: I usedTaste of Home's Royal Icing Recipe, which I doubled. 

Beat: 4 cups powdered sugar, 4 tbsp. plus 4 tsp. water, 9 tsp. meringue powder, and
 1/2 tsp.cream of tartar on low until everything is combined. Increase speed to high, and
 continue to beat 4 to 5 minutes until STIFF peaks form. 

Divide frosting into bowls, for each color you plan on using.
 For black, add enough to create a graphite color, and allow it to sit
for an extended period of time. The color will deeply progress over time, and
will not taste bitter from too much food coloring. 

After 30 minutes

After 24 hours.

For gold: add 10 parts yellow to 1 part brown food coloring. This
color will become more vibrant, as well. For storing: press saran wrap
 directly into frosting and cover with press n' seal or an airtight lid. 

For Decorating: 

Put the different colored icings into pastry bags or squeeze bottles.
 You may need to use a pastry bag, to squeeze the icing into the bottles.
 For flooding, I recommend using a squeeze bottle. To make
flooding icing: reserve some royal icing (which will be icing main
 color), and start adding water by the 1/2 teaspoon. Be careful not
to add too much water. Only add enough to make a some-what thick
syrupy consistency. Allow it to sit for 5 minutes, and pop any air bubbles
 (which will form from adding water, and stirring the icing) with a toothpick.

Place a damp paper towel in the bottom of a glass, and store bottles/pastry
bags face down, to prevent a crust from forming in the piping tips.

Outline cookies with royal icing.

Flood cookies, by squeezing flood icing throughout the cookies. Be careful
not to add too much, or it will run off the sides of the cookies. Gently use a toothpick,
 to spread the icing, and fill any empty spots. Pop any air bubbles, and dry on cooling
rack, for at least a few hours. 

For an added touch: I love working with luster dust. It is basically an edible shimmer that makes all your baked goods look much more glamorous. 

Cool tip: Combine luster dust, and a few drops of vodka. It will not alter the taste
 of the cookie or the icing. It works as an adhesive for the luster dust. I used gold luster dust,
mixed with a little pearl luster dust.

Use a paint brush to apply the luster dust to the cookie. Allow it to dry, before adding the
finishing piping decorations to the cookie.    

Pipe details with the alternate icing color.

Let dry for several minutes. 

Finished Cookies: 

 

Stasia's fleur de lis "Saints" bow

Her little "Saints" cheerleading uniform

Little Stasia, taking an afternoon nap.

Fruity Pebbles Marshmallow Treats

               We all need a little nostalgia in our lives. As we all get older, it's nice to be able to have a little taste of yesterday. Like most children, I was a huge fan of rice krispie treats. I was also a fan of sugar cereal. It's funny how as you age, your palate becomes more sophisticated, and your tolerance of sweetness declines. I still have quite the sweet tooth, but it has become more refined. Well, with exception to this recipe.

           I recently saw an advertisement for "Fruity Pebbles Marshmallow Treats". Something about their artificial quality, seemed to resonate with me. It's two of my childhood favorites combined into one. There really isn't much to these little bars. They are made exactly like your basic rice krispie treat, only with fruity pebbles instead of the unflavored rice cereal. The fun colors are also much more vibrant,  These make a very fun snack for children, although they are not the healthiest option. Everyone needs a little break from reality, here's to nostalgia. 

You will need: 13 ounce box of fruity pebbles, 1/4 cup of butter/margarine (1/2 stick), 10 1/2 ounce (6 cups) package of mini marshmallows,  and white chocolate

Melt butter/margarine in double boiler ( or in bowl over a boiling pot of water) 

Once melted, add marshmallows.

Stir marshmallows until melted. Add cereal, and stir until well combined. 

place mixture into a greased 13x9in. pan. Place wax paper on top of the marshmallow crispy bars, and press to form an even layer.

Melt white chocolate and drizzle over bars. Once the white chocolate is dry, cut into 24 bars.

Recipe adapted from:Postfoods.com