Apple Crisp (2 recipes)

 Bryn told me we didn't have apple crisp on the yummy yoo-hoo yet.  So here are the two recipes that are my go-to recipes.  One from Mary Hunter is the one in the AF 1st Ward cookbook.  The other is from a very old pampered chef cookbook.  I love the oats from Sister Hunter, but love the amount of cinnamon in the Pampered Chef recipe.  Some day, I'll write down my experiments to combine these two recipes into one new favorite.  :)

Mary Hunter's recipe:

Put in 9x13" pan:
    8 cups apples, sliced
    2 Tbsp. flour
    1/2 cup sugar

Mix and combine for topping:

    1 1/2 cups brown sugar

    2/3 cup margarine
    1/2 tsp baking soda
    1 1/2 cups flour
    1 cup quick oats
    1 teaspoon salt (which I never put in)
    1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Sprinkle topping over apples.  Bake at 350 degrees until apples are tender, about 45 minutes.

Pampered Chef's Quick Apple Crisp 

(My notes are in parenthesis because I never purchase 9 ounce cake mixes. 😊  I also haven't made it in a while, so my measurements are estimates of what I think I would be using.)

5 Granny Smith apples (More apples, enough apples to fill a 13x9" pan nicely.  I rarely use Granny Smith but use whatever I've got in the fridge.)

1 package (9 oz) yellow cake mix (I purchase the regular size cake mixes=13.25 oz. Betty Crocker or 15.25 Pillsbury)

2 Tbsp sugar (3 Tbsp)

1 Tbsp cinnamon (5 tsp)

1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted (7 Tbsp)

1/2 cup chopped nuts (1 cup)

    Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Peel, core and slice apples.  Place apples in "Deep Dish Baker" (which is an 11" round pan).  (I use a 13x9" pan and make more topping using the cake mixes mentioned above.)  Combine remaining ingredients.  Mix until crumbly.  Sprinkle mixture evenly over apples.  Bake 35-40 minutes or until apples are tender.  Serve warm with ice cream or whipped topping, if desired.

Iced Pumpkin Cookes

I was looking through some old recipes and found this one that Mom sent to us at Christmas years and years ago.  She said she got it from the Albertson's website.  I decided to post the recipe here so I don't have to rely on keeping a piece of paper from getting lost.  I've been cleaning out my freezer to make room for wedding refreshment treats, so I made this with my frozen sweetmeat squash puree.  It is tasty and a pumpkin cookie recipe that doesn't take a lot of eggs.  :)

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Glaze:

2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 tablespoon melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Lightly grease cookie sheet or use parchment paper or silicone mat.  Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, and salt; set aside.

In a medium bowl, cream together the 1/2 cup butter and white sugar.  Add pumpkin, egg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla to butter mixture, and beat until creamy.  Mix in dry ingredients.  drop on bookie sheet by tablespoonfuls; flatten slightly.  (Mom flattened with the bottom of a glass dipped in sugar.  I used cinnamon sugar.)

Bake for 12 minutes.  Let sit on cookie sheet 2 minutes.  Remove to cooling racks.  Cool cookies, and drizzle glaze with a fork.

To make glaze:  combine confectioners' sugar, melted butter, and 1 teaspoon vanilla.  Add milk as needed to achieve drizzle consistency.  (Mom says you may need more than 3 tablespoons.)

When Mom made these, she used the frozen pumpkin and butternut squash that she had in the freezer.  She let the squash drain in a strainer with 3 thicknesses of cheesecloth and used this instead of canned pumpkin puree.

Makes approximately 3 dozen cookies.