Apple Gingerbread with Vanilla Glaze

Classes are ending this week (thank goodness!) and I promised my upper level seminar snacks on the last day. I decided I wanted to bake and I had some apples left in the fridge that needed using up. Apple spice cake? Apple muffins? 

I wanted something holiday-related, so I went back through some of my bookmarked recipes. I found a recipe for pear gingerbread. Aha! Apple gingerbread it is. 

Notes: Me and glaze? We're not friends. I've never been good at getting the consistency right. This recipe as it was originally written did not work: the glaze was too dry. I upped the amounts and that worked better. If there's one thing I've figured out, it's that glaze is not an exact science. I heated a little bit more milk than I needed and just fiddled with the amounts until I got it right. 

I used my stand mixer to make the glaze and it worked great. You don't need to use it; you just need some elbow grease and a whisk.

Mixing the apple pieces into the flour will help them not sink to the bottom of the batter, so be sure not to skip that step.

The gingerbread is fluffy and sticky and delicious! If you're bored with other holiday desserts, give this one a try. It would be perfect for a holiday potluck because you can make it well in advance.  

Ingredients:

For gingerbread (adapted from this recipe):

2 cups flour

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 teaspoons fresh ginger

1 cup milk

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup molasses 

1 teaspoon vanilla 

2 eggs

2 apples

For vanilla glaze (adapted from this recipe):

1 1/2 cup of confectioners sugar

1 tablespoon butter

2 tablespoons milk

Pinch salt

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Directions: Heat the oven to 350 and butter a 9x13 baking dish.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and sugar. Peel and chop apples into small pieces (mine were a little smaller than 1/2 an inch). Mix the apples into the dry ingredients. 

In another bowl, crack and beat the eggs. Add in oil, milk, vanilla, and molasses. Stir to combine. 

Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until well-combined (don't over mix). Pour batter into the baking dish and bake for 30-40 minutes until a tester comes out clean. 

Let cool completely and then cut into small squares. Put wax paper under a cooling rack and transfer the squares to the rack. 

To make the glaze, add sugar, salt, and vanilla to the bowl of your stand mixer. Stir together. Melt the butter and add it to the bowl. Heat the milk for a few seconds in the microwave and pour it in the bowl while the mixer stirs. The glaze should be thick, but you should be able to drizzle it. If it seems too thick, add a little more milk. If it seems too thin, add a little more sugar. 

Using a whisk or a fork, drizzle the glaze over the gingerbread. Allow it to set for about 15-20 minutes. Serve and enjoy!

Apple Pie Scones

It's fall break for us! Scott and I are off on a second honeymoon and I could not be more excited. But before we go, we're doing our best to use up the food we have in the house. I had about a cup of yogurt left and a rather sad looking apple. As luck would have it, I saw a recipe for apple scones from Runner's World. Even if we don't finish them before our trip, we can just pack them in a bag and have a snack for the plane.

Notes: Scones that you buy at the store or the coffee shop are hit-or-miss if you ask me. Most of them are really dry and crumbly or dense. These are light and fluffy and fresh. The key to fluffy scones is to not overwork the dough. Don't mix it too much before you transfer it to the cake pan.

Speaking of the cake pan, this is a great trick! I usually cut my scones like biscuits and make them round, but this recipe gives you the triangle shape.

The dough it really sticky, so when you pat it into the cake pan, run your hands under some lukewarm water first.

We're charging the camera battery for the trip, so I don't have a photo for you. Trust me--they are beautiful!

Ingredients (adapted from this recipe):
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup sugar
6 tablespoons cold butter
1 cup plain yogurt
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 apple

Directions: Heat oven to 350. Butter a 9-inch round cake pan.

Peel and dice the apple. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, and baking powder.

Dice the butter and cut it into the flour mixture using either a pastry blender or your fingers. The butter should end up the size of small peas.

Add the yogurt and vanilla to the butter-flour mixture. Stir with your hands until just combined into a soft dough ball.

Move the dough into the cake pan and gently pat it evenly into the pan. Bake for 35-40 minutes until golden brown. Cut into triangles (yields 8 triangles).

Serve and enjoy the flavors of fall!

Carrot Apple Ginger Soup with Spinach Gruyere Toast

Given the whole viral colitis incident, I've been feeling very picky about what I eat. While I was sick, all I wanted was carbs: bread, pasta, pretzels, and that was about it. Now that I'm feeling better, it's time for fruit and veggies to come back. One of the blogs I subscribe to had a link to this soup. It's apparently good for stomach upset. I do know it was tasty.

Notes: This meal is not only healthy and delicious, it's cheap! If you just made plain toast, you could probably get out of the grocery store under $10. That's budget-friendly!

I got a new toy: an immersion blender! I have been wanting one for a long time because I love creamy blended soups. Hopefully it will become a cornerstone of my kitchen. You'll need some sort of blender for this recipe.

You could easily double this recipe if you needed to feed a crowd. This easily yields 4 servings. 

Ingredients:
For soup:
1 lb of carrots
4-5 apples
1 piece of fresh ginger (approx. 2 inches)
2 cups of water
Salt
Butter or olive oil for sauteing 

For toasts:
2 slices of sourdough bread
3/4 cup baby spinach leaves
1/2 - 3/4 cup of grated Gruyere cheese

Directions:

Dice your carrots and apples and mince the ginger. Melt the butter in a soup pot over medium-high. Add the apples, carrots, and ginger and saute until just tender. Season with salt. Add the water and bring to a boil. Turn the heat to simmer and simmer for 30 minutes.

Right before the soup is done, heat the oven to 350. Place two slices of bread on a baking sheet. Put spinach leaves on top of the bread and top with grated cheese. Bake for 5-7 minutes.

While the toast is baking, blend the soup with an immersion blender or regular blender. Taste and add more salt if needed.

Serve and enjoy!