Absolutely Apple Pie Spice and Baking Blend ~ Apple Pie Spice Recipe!!

I recently shared an apple pie rugelach recipe in which I used my homemade apple pie spice blend.  Today I want to share this blend with you so that you can make it for yourself and use it in your baking for the upcoming holiday season!

This blend is simple and contains many spices that you most likely already have on your spice rack or pantry shelf.  This one contains the basics, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice,clove and my secret ingredient, cardamom!  The cardamom adds a citrusy note that is not available anywhere else.  It really is delicious and reminiscent of many Scandinavian recipes for the holidays including Christmas Stolen.  

This recipe makes about 1/2 cup and will be very useful this season.  To  use, simply add up the amount of spices your recipe calls for and use an appropriate amount.  For instance, if your recipe calls for a teaspoon of cinnamon and 1/2 a teaspoon of nutmeg, a 1/4 teaspoon of clove and 1/4 teaspoon of allspice you can simply use two teaspoons of this blend.  The added cardamom will only add a delicious extra flavor profile to your finished recipe.

I have stored mine in a 1/4 pint mason jar and I think these would make lovely take away gifts for your holiday table.  Especially for your Thanksgiving dinner!  Then your guests could use these for their holiday baking and remember you while they do it.  These would make lovely place card holders for your guests to take home as well!  Decorate to fit your tablescape and you are all set!

I hope you give this homemade apple pie spice and baking blend a try and I hope you love it!

Happy eating!

You can find a printable recipe for this on my website here:

http://bit.ly/2eo1OAN

You can see how I made this spice blend in my YouTube video here:

You can find Molly Green Magazine on their website: http://bit.ly/2cTAqMh

Business Inquiries can be sent to:

info@noreenskitchen.com

Noreen's Kitchen

Apple Pie Spice and

Baking Blend

Ingredients

4 tablespoons ground cinnamon 1 tablespoon ground allspice 2 teaspoons ground nutmeg 1 teaspoons ground cardamon 1 teaspoon ground clove

Step by Step Instructions

Combine all ingredients in an airtight container and give it a good shake.

Store in a cool, dry and dark place and use within 6 months for best flavor.

Use by the teaspoon in recipes calling for apple pie spice or cinnamon for a delicious alternative to the single spice. 

Enjoy!

The Apple of my Pie! Apple Pie Rugelach Cookie Recipe! Noreen's Kitchen

Today we have a fun and delicious collaboration to share!  I am teaming up with Jac, from the Vegetarian Baker channel to do a couple of videos in celebration of National Cookie Month!  Did you know there was a national cookie month?  Well there is!  And October is the auspicious occasion!  So, to honor all things cookie, we are teaming up to share a couple of pie inspired cookie recipes.  Jac will be sharing his pumpkin pie cookies and I am sharing these amazing, flaky, rich and delicious apple pie rugelach!

If you are not familiar with what rugelach is, it is a little Jewish or Israeli cookie that when translated to English means "little twist".  they typically look like a crescent and the original version is filled with cinnamon, sugar and ground nuts.  However they fillings can run the gamut.  Some of my favorites include raspberry or apricot jam with ground nuts and cinnamon, Nutella or hazelnut spread, brown sugar, you name it!  If you can roll it up in the dough, you can make these cookies any way you like them.

This dough is so amazing and reminds me very much of the dough for my grandmother's kifli recipe.  It is a very short dough, meaning it has a lot of fat and a little flour, just to hold it all together.  A dash of sugar and a splash of vanilla extract add loads of delicious mild flavor to this cookie dough that will be enhanced by the filling you choose to put inside.    This is very easy to make in the mixer, just cream the fats, add the flour and flavorings and blend till it comes together.  Then I wrap the whole thing in some plastic and stow it in the fridge for at least a half hour.  You can make this dough a couple days in advance in preparation for a big baking marathon and have it all read to go.

When you are ready to make the cookies, divide the dough in four and only keep out one portion to work with.  Roll it into a 12 to 14 inch circle then using a pastry or pizza cutter, divide the circle into 12 wedges.  These will be your cookies.  

I made a filling out of shredded apples, golden raisins, sugar and apple pie spice.  Sauteed in a bit of butter and let it all cook down into an beautiful thick mixture that was perfect for filling my rugelach.    I allowed the filling to cool while the dough was in the fridge.  You just don't want the filling to be hot otherwise it will melt all that butter and cream cheese in the dough.

Then you fill you cookies by adding a scant teaspoon to the wide end of each wedge and the roll up like a crescent roll.  Place each cookie on an awaiting baking sheet lined with either a parchment or a silicone mat.  I brushed the rugelach with egg wash and sprinkled with some coarse crystal sugar for crunch and decoration.  Baked them for 15 to 18 minutes until they were lightly browned on top and bottom.  Then let them cool on the baking sheet for five minutes before removing to a rack to cool completely.

These cookies are super delicious and you are going to love them.  They taste like apple pie, of that you can be sure and they will disappear quickly.  

I only made half of the dough because that is all the filling I had.  The rest of the dough was wrapped and placed in the freezer.  It will be good for up to six months but I will be using mine sooner.  Just thaw in the fridge for a day or so when you want to use it and proceed as usual.  

I hope you will check out the Vegetarian Baker Channel!  He has so many delicious vegetarian versions of awesome recipes I know you will love it!  Hit is subscribe button and show him some YouTube family love!  Links can be found below!  His pumpkin pie cookies look like they will be amazing!

I hope you give these apple pie rugelach a try and I hope you love them!

Happy Eating!

You can find a printable version of this recipe on my website here: http://bit.ly/2dJX8VN

Click to go to the Vegetarian Baker Channel:  http://bit.ly/2dSqK1q

Jac's Pumpkin Pie Cookie Video Here: http://bit.ly/2e7PSpa

You can see how I made these cookies in my YouTube video here:

Noreen's Kitchen

Apple Pie Rugelach

Ingredients

Dough 1 brick (8 ounces) cream cheese 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, cubed 1 cup sour cream 4 ½ cups all purpose flour ¼ cup granulated sugar 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 1 teaspoon salt (optional)

Filling 3 medium apples, peeled and grated ½ cup golden raisins ½ cup granulated sugar ¼ cup (1/2 stick) butter 2 teaspoons, apple pie spice blend 1 egg 1 tablespoon of water Crystal sugar for garnish

Step by Step Instructions

Using a stand mixer, cream butter and cream cheese until smooth and fluffy.

Add sour cream and beat until incorporated.

Add sugar and vanilla and whip to combine.

Add flour and salt and mix until incorporated.  Do not over mix.

Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least half an hour.  Longer is better. 

To make the filling:

Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat.  Add apples, raisins, sugar and spices and stir well.  Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning.  When all the water has cooked out and the apple mixture has thickened, remove from heat and allow to cool to room temperature.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Divide dough into four equal portions.  Return three to the refrigerator.

Roll out your working portion of dough into a 12 to 14 inch circle.  Using a pastry or pizza cutter, divide the circle into 12 even wedges.

Spoon the apple filling onto the dough using a scant teaspoon of filling for each wedge of dough.  Roll from the wide end like a crescent roll into the cookie.

Place the rugelach onto a baking sheet lined with a parchment or silicone mat.

Beat egg and water together to create an egg wash.

Brush each cookie with the egg wash evenly.  This will give the cookies a nice sheen.

Sprinkle each cookie with crystal sugar if desired for crunch and garnish.

Bake cookies, one pan at a time for between 15 and 18 minutes or until lightly golden brown on the top and the bottom.

Remove from oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet for five minutes before removing to a rack to cool completely.

Store these rugelach in an airtight container for up to a week.  I promise they won’t last that long.

I only made two dozen cookies with the amount of filling shown in this recipe.  I froze the remaining dough.  You can tightly wrap the dough in plastic wrap and then place it in a freezer bag and freeze for up to six months.

Enjoy!

The Frost Is On the Pumpkin and Autumn is Here! Pumpkin Bundt Cake Recipe

We are getting ready to celebrate the arrival of fall!  Many of you know that fall or Autumn is my very favorite season of them all.  Winter is a close second, spring coming in third and summer, well, you can have it!  Hate summer with a passion.  Who has time for hot, sticky, humid, weather and bugs?  Don't even get me started on sand in your pants from going to the beach.  Yes, Autumn is the perfect season!  Crisp mornings full of cool air with a tinge of wood smoke. Warm but not hot afternoons that are also not humid.  Colorful leaves falling to decorate the earth creating a red and gold carpet that rivals anything any artist ever envisioned.  Autumn is my jam.  

With autumn comes the welcomed arrival of pumpkin everything so I will just go there today with this delicious and simple, from scratch pumpkin cake that will have you dancing like Snoopy on top of her dog house!    

This pumpkin cake is very much the same as my banana cake only instead of banana we are using pumpkin and instead of a few spices we are using a lot of my homemade perfectly pumpkin spice blend.  I will eventually share this with you.  Regular old pumpkin spice will work fine.  If you don't have that, I will give you a simple formula in the written recipe that will be available on my website.  

This cake is simple and delicious.  It is moist and best of all it can be dressed up or down.  I have made it in a Bundt pan in this video because we took this to our monthly church pot luck a couple of weeks ago and this made for simple portioning.  The Bundt cake does take about twice as long as baking this in a 9 x 13 pan, but if you are going for looks, go for the Bundt!     You could also make this in two loaf pans or in two nine inch rounds,  three eight inch rounds or this will make 3 dozen standard cup cakes.  That's a lot of choices!  

This cake has no added oil.  Only the eggs and buttermilk to serve as the fat along with the pumpkin puree to keep the cake moist.  You won't miss it, I promise.  This cake is delicious just the way it is or you go simple and dust with powdered sugar or really go whole hog and slather on some cream cheese frosting.  This is best done if you have made the sheet cake version of this recipe.  Today I chose to go somewhere in between with a simple icing glaze flavored up with maple and vanilla extracts and enough powdered sugar and a splash or two of milk until I got the perfect consistency.  Then I draped that glaze right over the cake and let it dry.

This cake is delicious, any way you make it.  plain, frosted or glazed, you will have them coming back for more!

I hope you give this delicious pumpkin spice Bundt cake a try and I hope you love it!

Happy Eating!

You can get a printable version of this  recipe on my website here: http://bit.ly/2d0VTP0

You can see how I made this in my YouTube video:

Noreen's Kitchen

 Pumpkin Bundt Cake

Ingredients

1 cup pumpkin puree 1 cup buttermilk 2 eggs 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice 2 cups brown sugar 2 cups flour

Maple Glaze 2 cups powdered sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 teaspoons maple extract 1 tablespoon maple syrup 2-4 tablespoons milk, to achieve thick icing

Step by Step Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray a 10-12 cup Bundt cake pan with cooking oil spray.

Whisk together pumpkin puree, buttermilk, eggs vanilla and sugar in a large bowl until well combined.

Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt and wisk well to incorporate. 

Pour batter into prepared pan and distribute evenly.  Smooth top.

Bake for 55 to 60 minutes or until a wooden skewer inserted in the center comes out clean with no sign of wet batter.  The top will spring back when lightly touched.

Remove From oven and allow cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely before glazing.

Prepare glaze by whisking together powdered sugar, extracts, syrup and 1 tablespoon of milk at a time until you get a thick but pour-able consistency that will cling to the sides of the cake.

Drizzle  the icing evenly over the cake being sure to glaze down the center.  Allow icing to dry in before slicing and serving.

Store cake in a cake dome or air tight cake keeper.  This cake will last for up to one week, but won’t last that long, if you know what I mean!  LOL!