apples Archives | The Vanilla Bean Blog

Apple Blondie Snack Cake

Sarah Kieffer — Mon, 16 Dec 2024 23:25:43 +0000

This snack cake started out as a cross between two of my recipes: blondies, and the Apple Brandy Bread from my 100 Morning Treats cookbook. I wanted something plump full of apple flavor, but also rich and winter-y. Using the blondie base (minus the coffee and chocolate) made for a moist, rich bar, but the added liquid from the apples made if feel almost underbaked, even though I had steamed them beforehand. I added streusel on the top to mimic the bread recipe, but that was too much extra sugar and butter. I started over, and this time I added another egg for structure and swapped the streusel for a cinnamon-sugar topping. After it baked, I was met with what I like to call an almost-cake: it was a perfect cross-between a blondie and a snack cake, with a moist, rich base and lots of flavor. My family voted that it was still closer to cake than a blondie so I have named it here accordingly, but my kids now refer to this dessert as “Apple Clondies”. Baking with Apples Apples take a long time to break down during baking, so often I like to give them a head start. […]

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Double Apple Scones

Sarah Kieffer — Sun, 03 Nov 2024 21:18:03 +0000

I make scones for every possible occasion and in every possible flavor (like pumpkin, panettone, ginger chocolate, and sprinkle) and I especially love them around the holidays, as the can be shaped ahead of time and frozen, then pulled out and baked as needed. These apple scones are no exception, and they bake up flaky and tender. How I Make My Scones I have made many scones over the years, and have finally settled on this buttery scone base, with crème fraîche and an extra egg yolk for rich flavor and a tenderness, and gently folded layers to keep the scones flaky. This scone recipe includes folding the dough over several times to create multiple flaky layers. I take advantage of the folds: I spread a thin layer of apple butter across the surface and sprinkled the top with apples gently steamed in apple cider. The apple butter boosted flavor and helped the apples adhere, and the scones baked up tall and lofty. A drizzle of icing to the scones while still warm helps keep the scones stay tender for hours after baking. Baking with Apples Apples take a long time to break down during baking, so often I like to […]

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Flaky Puff Pastry Apple Turnovers

Sarah Kieffer — Wed, 30 Oct 2024 17:09:50 +0000

I am a big fan of anything apple in the Fall months, and while I love something elaborate like my Apple Morning Buns and Apple Pull-Apart Bread, a flaky apple turnover might be number one on my list of favorites. This recipe does involve a few steps, but it comes together easily. The turnovers can also be assembled ahead of time and frozen for up to two weeks, which comes in handy for crisp Autumn Sunday mornings. Storebought vs. Homemade Puff Pastry: I prefer to use my homemade Rough Puff Pastry for these turnovers; the dough is rich and flaky, and I always have some ready to go in my freezer. However, you can make these with store-bought puff pastry and they will still turn out well. If you are going to use store-bought puff pastry, use a brand that uses butter instead of oil if possible. The Apple Turnover Filling The filling here is based it on the Apple Flip recipe from my cookbook, 100 Morning Treats. I spend a few minutes cooking the apples until they are just tender, creating a quick “pie filling” which insures that the turnovers will have perfectly cooked apples in their centers. I […]

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Apple Morning Buns

Sarah Kieffer — Thu, 21 Sep 2023 13:24:04 +0000

These buns are (of course) inspired by the famous morning buns created at Tartine. On my only visit to San Francisco, I was able to try one of these perfect buns – orange and cinnamon and sugar and butter all wrapped up in flaky dough. I’ve tried to re-create something similar; in my book 100 Morning Treats, I have the classic version of this bun using my Cheater Croissant Dough. Here I have an apple version, perfect for both chilly Autumn mornings and afternoons. One thing to note: The recipe for the Morning Buns in 100 Morning Treats has a typo in it (but the same recipe in Baking For the Holidays does not). The recipe calls for 1 cup [200 g] of granulated sugar, which is correct, but the sugar needs to be divided. The filling for the Morning Buns uses 1/2 cup [100 g], not the 1 cup stated, and the remaining 1/2 cup [100 g] is used to toss the warm buns in. I am so sorry for the mistake! Baking with Apples Apples take a long time to break down during baking, so often I like to give them a head start. I found steaming the […]

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Apple Cider Pull-Apart Bread

Sarah Kieffer — Sun, 06 Nov 2022 22:35:15 +0000

This fluffy, soft pull-apart bread is just as the name suggests; you simply pull it apart to eat a slice! Infused with apple cider and cinnamon, it’s a variation on my Apple Cider Cinnamon Rolls. You’ll also find a Lemon Pull-Apart Bread in my Baking for the Holidays cookbook. I’ve used apple cider in both the dough and the icing for this bread, rather than apple chunks or bits or shreds. I find the pieces very distracting in my breads or buns; they tend to just fall out on the plate and need to be eaten with a fork at a later time. Apple cider takes care of this problem nicely. The apple flavor is light but bright, and does shine through especially with a hit of apple brandy in the icing. It’s as fun to eat as it is delicious, and makes a great Autumn weekend breakfast, especially if you’ve just been to the apple orchard and came home with cider. How to Make Pull-Apart Bread: Although this bread is a little time consuming to make, it is always worth the effort. Make the sweet dough. It will have a rise time of 2 hours. It is recommended to […]

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Hard Cider Caramel Apple Pie

Sarah Kieffer — Thu, 11 Nov 2021 16:29:28 +0000

Apple pie is quintessential holiday fare, and my family would be highly disappointed if it was missing from our dessert table. In my cookbook, Baking for the Holidays, I’ve taken my favorite apple pie recipe (found in The Vanilla Bean Baking Book) and added hard cider and caramel to it, elevating it to superstar level. A Different Apple Pie Making Technique The method I use for making pie comes from Ms. Rose Levy Beranbaum and her wonderful book The Pie and Pastry Bible. Releasing the fruit juice and then cooking it down helps control how much liquid is in the filling and gives it a more concentrated flavor. To release the juice from the apples in this recipe, you’ll mix the cut apples with brown sugar, lemon juice, and salt, and let them sit for a few hours, or overnight. The sugary juice is then strained and boiled down with the hard cider, to eventually be stirred into the caramel. Store-bought caramel can also work to save time, but make sure it is not overly sweet. Can this pie be made without alcohol? If you don’t prefer to use alcohol, the hard cider can be replaced with straight-up apple cider. […]

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Apple Pear Cranberry Crisp with White Wine

Sarah Kieffer — Wed, 16 Nov 2016 20:26:41 +0000

I made the most delicious apple cranberry skillet crisp in this Le Creuset braiser, which has become one of my favorite kitchen items. I use it for everything – both dinner and dessert, sweet and savory. This recipe is based one from my new book, a crisp with cherries and rhubarb, but I’ve replaced the summer fruits with winter-y ones instead. Also, some friends have been posting recipes from my book, The Vanilla Bean Baking Book! Check out: Orange Cranberry Poundcake on Apt. 2B Baking Co. Chocolate Chip Cookies on Eat This Poem Mint Chocolate Cake on Appeasing a Food Geek Pumpkin Chocolate Cake with Meringue on Turntable Kitchen Sweet Potato Scones on A Thought For Food Pumpkin Olive Oil Bread on Simple Bites Apple Pear Cranberry Crisp with White Wine Recipe Makes 6 to 8 servings Note that the weight of apples/pears needed is the weight after being peeled, sliced, and cored. Cranberries add a very tart note here, so if you are looking for something sweeter you can omit them, and make up the difference in apples and pears. This apple pear cranberry crisp bakes fine in a 9 x 13 inch pan; I’ve used the Le Creuset […]

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roasted apple scones with ginger

Sarah Kieffer — Fri, 07 Sep 2012 08:44:00 +0000

The month of September is usually a space of transition for me. So many times it has started out that way: grade school, college, moving, marriage, new jobs, more moving, and third trimesters. I usually look forward to this season of life, eager for something new, something different. Maybe it’s the time of year – summer and autumn intertwine for a few short weeks; the leaves are starting to get lazy high up in their trees; they are itching to let go, let the wind take them. There are apples to pick, new routines, less time in the day. There is a faint humming: everyone chanting change under their breath, picking up pace, moving so fast. But this time round I’ve just felt stuck. There was a glimmer of change, but it is still hovering around on standby, and I’m not really moving anywhere. Oddly enough it makes me feel rather rebellious as I watch everyone starting fresh, going forward. I want to chant my own words, things like slow down, and just be, and don’t try so hard. I don’t want to keep up; I’m overwhelmed at this fast-paced culture as it is. Right now I’m just trying to […]

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