Apple Treats

Apples Apples to to Apples Apples

Tasty fall recipes to pick from

KILEY CRUSE

World-Herald Staff Writer

Fall is just around the corner and I can’t wait. Cooler weather ushers in fire pit season, football games and one of my favorite activities: apple picking.

We took our kids on their first apple-picking adventure before they started school. There are so many great places to pick your own apples that it was easy to make it an annual tradition as they grew. And even now that they’re older, we still love hitting the apple orchards in search of the perfect apple.

After a day of apple picking, there’s nothing better than trying out a fun, new recipe to highlight the crisp fruit. Salted Caramel Apple Bars and Apple Pie Ice Cream are two of my favorites.

Apple Pie Ice Cream and Snickerdoodle Cookie sandwiches

Salted Caramel Apple Pie Bars

KILEY CRUSE PHOTOS, THE WORLD-HERALD

SALTED CARAMEL APPLE PIE BARS

SHORTBREAD CRUST

• ½ cup unsalted butter, melted • ¼ cup granulated sugar • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract • ¼ teaspoon salt • 1 cup all-purpose flour (spoon and leveled)

APPLE FILLING

• 2 large apples, peeled and thinly sliced (about 3 to 4 cups) • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon • ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg

STREUSEL

• ½ cup old-fashioned oats • ⅓ cup packed light or dark brown sugar • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon • ¼ cup all-purpose flour (spoon and leveled) • ¼ cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed • Homemade salted caramel or store-bought caramel sauce 1. Preheat the oven to 300 F. Line the bottom and sides of an 8-inch square baking pan with parchment paper leaving enough overhang on all sides. 2. For the crust, stir the melted butter, granulated sugar, vanilla and salt together in a medium bowl. Add the flour and stir until everything is combined. Press the mixture evenly into the prepared baking pan. Bake for 15 minutes and then remove from the oven. 3. For the filling, combine the sliced apples, flour, granulated sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg together in a large bowl until all of the apples are evenly coated. Set aside. 4. Whisk the oats, brown sugar, cinnamon and flour together in a medium bowl for the streusel topping. Cut in the chilled butter with a pastry blender or two forks until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside. 5. Turn the oven up to 350 F. Evenly layer the apples on top of the warm crust. It will look like there are too many apple slices, so layer them tightly and press them down to fit. Top the apple layer with the streusel and bake for 35 minutes or until the streusel is golden brown. 6. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 20 minutes at room temperature, then chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours (or overnight). Lift the foil or parchment out of the pan using the overhang on the sides and cut into bars. I usually cut them into 16 smaller bars, but you can cut them into 12 larger bars. Once cut, drizzle some salted caramel sauce on top of each. These apple pie bars can be enjoyed warm, at room temperature, or even cold.

Notes: The bars will stay fresh in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 days. You can freeze the bars for up to 3 months. Then, thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving and drizzling with caramel.

The recipe can be doubled and baked in a 9-by-13-inch pan. Pre-bake the crust for 18 minutes, then extend the bake time in step 5 to about 45 to 55 minutes.

APPLE PIE ICE CREAM

• 2 tablespoons butter • ⅓ cup brown sugar • 2 cups apples, peeled and diced into ¼-inch cubes • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, divided • 2 cups heavy cream • 1 cup whole milk

• ¾ cup granulated sugar • ¼ tsp kosher salt • 1½ cups snickerdoodles, chopped (recipe on page 10 1. Chill the ice cream bowl for a 2-quart ice cream maker for at least 24 hours or until solid. 2. Place brown sugar and butter in a medium saucepan. Stir until the butter is melted and the brown sugar and butter are combined. 3. Add apples and 1 teaspoon of the ground cinnamon, stir to coat the apples. 4. Cook, for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the apples are tender. Place in a bowl and refrigerate until chilled, at least 2 hours or overnight. 5. In a large bowl, combine the heavy cream, whole milk, granulated sugar, salt and remaining 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon. Whisk for 2 to 3 minutes, until the sugar is dissolved into the mixture. You should not feel any grit if you rub the mixture together between two fingers. 6. Churn the ice cream mixture in the bowl of your ice cream machine according to your manufacturer’s instructions, until it is thick and the consistency of soft-serve ice cream. 7. In the last two minutes, add the chopped snickerdoodle cookies and cooled apples and churn until evenly distributed. 8. Spoon the ice cream into a shallow container or a loaf pan. Press plastic wrap or wax paper to the surface of the ice cream. Freeze for at least 4 hours, or until solid. Let sit at room temperature for about 5 minutes before serving. Notes: You can use homemade (recipe follows) or store-bought snickerdoodles. Other store-bought cookies like cinnamon graham crackers, crunchy oatmeal cookies, or shortbread will work too.

To make ice cream sandwiches, let Apple Pie Ice Cream sit at room temperature for 5 minutes. Place one scoop of ice cream on the flat side of a snickerdoodle. Place a second cookie over the top and very gently squeeze together until the ice cream reaches the edges of the cookie.

Use some of the extra Snickerdoodles and the Apple Pie Ice Cream to create an ice cream sandwich.

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MAKES 30 COOKIES

• 3 cups all-purpose flour (spoon and leveled) • 2 teaspoons cream of tartar • 1 teaspoon baking soda • 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon • ½ teaspoon salt • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature • 1 ⅓ cup granulated sugar • 1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

COATING

• ¼ cup granulated sugar • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside. 2. Make the coating: Combine the granulated sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl. 3. Make the cookies: Whisk the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, cinnamon and salt together in a medium bowl. 4. In a large bowl using a hand mixer or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and granulated sugar together on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the egg, egg yolk and vanilla extract. Beat on medium-high speed until combined. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. With the mixer running on low speed, slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in three parts.

The dough will be thick. 5. Roll cookie dough into balls, about 1½ tablespoons of cookie dough each. Roll the dough balls in cinnamon-sugar coating. Arrange 3 inches apart on the baking sheets. 6. Bake cookies for 10 minutes. The cookies will be very puffy and soft. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Source: sallysbakingaddiction.com

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