HOLIDAY Desserts

Bake your way through the holiday season with these festive recipes!

Caramel Apple Pumpkin Pie

MAKES 8 SERVINGS | TIME: PREPARATION 90 MINUTES–2 HOURS; COOKING 45 MINUTES-1 HOUR

For the Caramel Apple Layer

Pie dough (for two 8-inch pies or one 10-inch pie; see Cook’s Notes)

5 apples, peeled, cored, and cut into ½-inch chunks (see Cook’s Notes)

3 tablespoons butter

½ cup brown sugar

1½ teaspoons L&B Apple Pie Spice

Pinch salt

1 tablespoon cornstarch

2-4 tablespoons water

For the Pumpkin Layer

1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin purée (not pie filling)

1 cup brown sugar

Pinch salt

1½ teaspoons L&B Pumpkin Pie Spice

2 large eggs

½ cup sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

1. Heat oven to 350°F.

2. Layer one pie crust in the bottom of your pie pan and parbake it by lining it with foil and pie weights. Bake for about 20 minutes.

3. Remove the foil and bake until the crust is set but not browned.

4. In a skillet, heat the apples, butter, brown sugar, apple pie spice, and salt until the apples are tender, about 10 to 12 minutes.

5. In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and 2-4 tablespoons of water, depending on how juicy your apples are. Add to the skillet.

6. Stir over medium heat to combine, until apple juices thicken and the cornstarch no longer looks cloudy. Allow apples to cool.

7. Turn oven down to 325°F.

8. Whisk together the pumpkin purée, brown sugar, salt, pumpkin pie spice, eggs, sour cream, and vanilla.

9. Put the apples into the parbaked pie shell.

10. Pour the pumpkin mixture over the apples, making sure to pop any large bubbles with a fork.

11. Bake for about 1 hour, but check after 45 minutes to make sure it’s not cracking in the middle. The pie will be done when the pumpkin is set and puffed up slightly. Set the pie on a rack to cool.

12. Once the pie is at room temperature, place it in the refrigerator to chill for at least 1 hour for easier slicing.

For Decorations on Top of Pie:

1. Heat your oven to 350°F.

2. Roll out 1 (8-inch) pie crust dough or leftovers from a 10-inch pie crust dough and cut with cookie cutters of your choice.

3. Beat 1 egg and brush over the cutouts.

4. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until golden brown.

5. Arrange on top of the cooked, cooled pie.

Cook’s Notes:

Use refrigerated pie crust dough or frozen pie crusts, thawed—enough dough for two 8-inch pie crusts or one 10-inch pie crust (the 10-inch size includes enough for the pie and the decorations). Or, you can make your own pie crust using your favorite recipe that makes these amounts.

For the decorations, you’ll use one of the 8-inch crusts or the leftovers from one 10-inch crust after lining the pie plate will be enough dough for the decorations.

Sweet-tart apples, including Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, Granny Smith, or a mix of two to three of the varieties, work well in this recipe.

Cranberry White Chocolate Blondies

MAKES 16 SERVINGS | TIME: PREPARATION 35 MINUTES; COOKING 20 MINUTES

¾ cup unsalted butter, melted

1 cup packed organic brown sugar

2 L&B Large Organic Brown Eggs, room temperature

¾ teaspoon vanilla extract

2¼ cups all-purpose flour

1½ teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

⅛ teaspoon L&B Organic Ground Cinnamon

1 cup frozen cranberries

¾ cup coarsely chopped white chocolate

Organic powdered sugar, for finishing

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×13-inch baking pan with cooking spray and line it with parchment paper, allowing 2 long sides to hang over the edges of the pan.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the butter and brown sugar until light and flu y, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, whisking to incorporate between each addition. Whisk in the vanilla extract.

3. In a second large bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, salt, and ground cinnamon.

4. Using a rubber spatula, mix the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients in two additions, making sure there are no streaks of flour and the batter is smooth.

5. Stir in the cranberries and white chocolate until evenly distributed.

6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and use a rubber spatula to smooth the top. Bake for about 25 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool on a wire rack for 2 hours.

7. Use the long sides of the parchment paper to lift the blondies from the pan. Cut the bars into 8 equal squares, then slice the squares in half diagonally to create 16 triangles.

8. Fill a small fine-mesh sieve with powdered sugar and lightly dust the blondies. Leftover blondies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Pistachio Shortbread

MAKES 20 COOKIES | TIME: PREPARATION 10 MINUTES (PLUS 2 HOURS REFRIGERATION); COOKING 20 MINUTES

1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

¼ cup granulated sugar, plus more for sprinkling

½ teaspoon kosher salt

½ cup shelled, salted, and roasted pistachios, plus extra crushed pistachios for sprinkling

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into ¼-inch pieces

10 ounces bittersweet chocolate chips (60% cacao), divided minutes, until the cookies are light golden brown on the top and bottom.

1. In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, salt, pistachios, and vanilla, and pulse 10 to 15 times until the pistachios are finely ground.

2. Scatter the butter pieces in the food processor and pulse until the dough forms a ball, 1 to 2 minutes. Be careful to not overmix the dough.

3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and shape into a log about 10 inches long and 2 inches in diameter. Tightly cover the log in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 5 days. You can also freeze the dough for up to 3 weeks (see Cook’s Note).

4. Heat the oven to 325°F. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.

5. Cut the chilled cookie dough into ½-inch thick coins and place them about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.

6. Lightly brush the top of each shortbread cookie with water and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until the cookies are light golden brown on the top and bottom.

7. Cool the cookies on the baking sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

8. Meanwhile, heat 1 inch of water in a saucepan over medium heat and cover with a glass bowl, setting up a double boiler. Add ⅔ of the chocolate chips to the glass bowl and heat until completely melted, stirring constantly. Take the chocolate o the heat and stir in the remaining chocolate chips until fully melted.

9. Dip half of each cookie into the chocolate and place them on a sheet of parchment paper. Sprinkle with crushed pistachios and cool completely. Store the cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.

Cook’s Note:

You can bake the cookies from frozen dough, if desired—just add 1 to 2 minutes baking time.