Homemade Cherry Pie

We made this pie for Christmas, even though it's a summery pie, because I promised the kids cherry pie after they requested it and didn't get it for Thanksgiving.  I'm the only one who has eaten any.  Surprise?  No. :)  This is delish served warm with french vanilla ice cream (Breyers is delish!)

Homemade Cherry Pie

yield: 8-10 SERVINGS

prep time: 3 HOURS (INCLUDES DOUGH CHILLING)

total time: 7 HOURS (INCLUDES FULLY COOLING)

Ingredients:

·         Homemade pie crust

·         4 and 1/2 cups halved pitted fresh cherries*

·         2/3 cup (135g) granulated sugar

·         1/4 cup (28g) cornstarch

·         1 Tablespoon (15ml) lemon juice

·         1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

·         1/4 teaspoon almond extract (it's delicious!)

·         1 Tablespoon (14g) cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

·         egg wash: 1 large egg beaten with 1 Tablespoon (15ml) milk

·         optional: coarse sugar for sprinkling on crust

Directions:

1.       My #1 tip? Keep the dough, filling, and prepared (unbaked) pie as cold as you can at all times. Refrigerate (or freeze) the prepared pie before baking for up to 1 hour. Refrigerate the filling before you need it. Keep everything cold cold cold-- always.

2.       Make the filling: In a large bowl, stir the cherries, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, vanilla, and almond extract together until thoroughly combined. Set filling aside in the refrigerator as the oven preheats. This gives the filling a chance to rest.

3.       Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C).

4.       Roll out the chilled pie dough: On a floured work surface, roll out one of the discs of chilled dough (keep the other one in the refrigerator). Turn the dough about a quarter turn after every few rolls until you have a circle 12 inches in diameter. Carefully place the dough into a 9x2 inch pie dish. Tuck it in with your fingers, making sure it is smooth. Spoon the filling into the crust and discard any leftover juices in the bottom of the bowl. Dot the pieces of butter on top of the filling.

5.       Arrange the lattice: Remove the other disc of chilled pie dough from the refrigerator. Roll the dough into a circle that is 12 inches diameter. Using a pastry wheel, sharp knife, or pizza cutter, cut strips of dough-- I cut four strips 2 inches wide and two strips 1 inch wide. Carefully thread the strips over and under one another, pulling back strips as necessary to weave. (See video above!) Press the edges of the strips into the bottom pie crust edges to seal. Use a small paring knife to trim off excess dough. Flute or crimp the edges with a fork, if desired.

6.       Lightly brush the top of the pie crust with the egg wash. Sprinkle the top with coarse sugar, if using.

7.       Place the pie onto a large baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Keeping the pie in the oven, turn the temperature down to 375°F (190°C) and bake for an additional 30-35 minutes. After the first 20 minutes of bake time, I place a pie crust shield on top of the pie to prevent the edges from browning too quickly.

8.      Allow the pie to cool for 3 full hours at room temperature before serving. This time allows the filling to thicken up. Cover leftovers tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

*If using frozen cherries, measuring in heaping cups and thaw for several hours and drain juice to avoid soupy filling.

https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2017/07/01/cherry-pie/print/

Homemade Buttery Flaky Pie Crust

I found this recipe at sallysbakingaddiction.com and I loved it.  I used to use Pioneer Woman's pie crust, but I actually like this recipe much better.  It's much easier to work with as well!  Ady even helped me make a lattice top pie!

Homemade Buttery Flaky Pie Crust

yield: 2 PIE CRUSTS

 

prep time: 15 MINUTES

 

total time: 2 HOURS, 15 MINUTES (INCLUDES CHILLING)

This recipe is enough for a double crust pie. If you only need 1 crust for your pie, cut this recipe in half OR freeze the other half per the Make Ahead Tip instruction below.

Ingredients:

• 2 and 1/2 cups (315g) all-purpose flour (measured correctly)
• 1 and 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 6 Tablespoons (90g) unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
• 3/4 cup (148g) vegetable shortening, chilled
• 1/2 cup (120ml) ice water

Directions:

1. Mix the flour and salt together in a large bowl. Add the butter and shortening.
2. Using a pastry cutter (the one I own) or two forks, cut the butter and shortening into the mixture until it resembles coarse meal (pea-sized bits with a few larger bits of fat is OK). A pastry cutter makes this step very easy and quick.
3. Measure 1/2 cup (120ml) of water in a cup. Add ice. Stir it around. From that, measure 1/2 cup (120ml) of water-- since the ice has melted a bit. Drizzle the cold water in, 1 Tablespoon (15ml) at a time, and stir with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon after every Tablespoon (15ml) added. Do not add any more water than you need to. Stop adding water when the dough begins to form large clumps. I always use about 1/2 cup (120ml) of water and a little more in dry winter months (up to 3/4 cup).
4. Transfer the pie dough to a floured work surface. The dough should come together easily and should not feel overly sticky. Using floured hands, fold the dough into itself until the flour is fully incorporated into the fats. Form it into a ball. Divide dough in half. Flatten each half into 1-inch thick discs using your hands.
5. Wrap each tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours (and up to 5 days).
6. When rolling out the chilled pie dough discs to use in your pie, always use gentle force with your rolling pin. Start from the center of the disc and work your way out in all directions, turning the dough with your hands as you go.
7. Proceed with the pie per your recipe's instructions.

Make ahead tip: Prepare the pie dough through step 4 and freeze the discs for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using in your pie recipe.

Twice-Baked Potato Casserole Recipe

I made this casserole this Christmas and everyone loved it.  I will say, in this recipe I halved the dairy ingredients because it was WAY overboard in the original... I didn't even add everything when I made it the first time around.

Twice-Baked Potato Casserole Recipe

Ingredients

·         4 large russet potatoes

·         1 tablespoon olive oil

·         3/4 teaspoon salt, divided

·         3/4 teaspoon pepper, divided

·         2 Tbsp butter, cubed

·         1/3 cup heavy whipping cream

·         1/4 cup sour cream, scant

·         1 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided

·         3 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled, divided

·         1 green onions, sliced, divided

Directions

·         1. Preheat oven to 375°. Scrub potatoes; pierce several times with a fork. Brush with oil; sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Place in a foil-lined 9x13-in. baking pan; bake 1 to 2 hours or until tender. Cool slightly.

·         2. In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in whipping cream and 1/4 cup sour cream. Add 1-1/2 cups cheese; stir until melted. Remove from heat; cover to keep warm.

·         3. When potatoes are cool enough to handle, cut each potato lengthwise in half. Scoop out pulp and place in a large bowl. Cut two potato skin shells into 1-in. pieces; save remaining skins for another use.

·         4. Mash pulp with the remaining salt and pepper. Stir in cheese mixture, half of the bacon and 2 tablespoons green onion. Transfer to a greased 1-1/2-qt. baking dish. Top with the cut-up potato skins. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and bacon.

·         5. Bake 30-35 minutes or until heated through and lightly browned. Sprinkle with remaining green onion. If desired, serve with additional sour cream. Yield: 8 servings.

MAPLE PUMPKIN CINNAMON ROLLS

I slightly tweaked this recipe to amp up the flavor, but we all really liked these.  The dough makes a very soft roll too!

MAPLE PUMPKIN CINNAMON ROLLS

INGREDIENTS

For the Dough:

·         2¼ teaspoons active dry yeast

·         ¼ cup warm water

·         about 3 cups of flour, divided

·         ⅔ cup pumpkin puree

·         ½ cup milk

·         ¼ cup butter, melted

·         ¼ cup sugar

·         1¼ teaspoons salt

·         ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

·         1 teaspoon vanilla

For the Filling:

·         ¼ cup sugar

·         ¼ cup brown sugar

·         3 tablespoons flour

·         1½ teaspoons cinnamon

½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

·         4 tablespoons butter, melted

For the Glaze:

·         1½cup powdered sugar

·         1-2 tablespoons milk

·         1 teaspoon maple extract

·         1 tablespoon maple syrup

INSTRUCTIONS

1.     To prepare the dough: Dissolve yeast in warm water in a large bowl and let stand five minutes. Add ⅔ cup flour, pumpkin, milk, butter, sugar, salt, nutmeg, and vanilla to bowl and mix well. Transfer to a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook and knead on low 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Add flour 1 tablespoon at a time until dough forms a ball and is mostly no longer sticky. (May still be a bit tacky)

2.    Coat a large bowl with cooking spray. Place dough in bowl and cover. Place bowl in a warm place and allow dough to rise 45 minutes or until doubled in size.

3.    To prepare the filling: combine sugar, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice in a bowl. Cut in butter with two forks or a pastry cutter until mixture resembles course crumbs.

4.    Punch dough down. Allow to rest 10 minutes. Roll dough into a rectangle, about 12x12 inches. Sprinkle with filling. Roll tightly, pinch ends to seal, and slice into 9 sections. Place sections flat side down in a well greased 8x8 inch square pan. Cover and allow to rise about 30 more minutes or until doubled in size.

5.    Preheat oven to 375. Bake rolls about 20 minutes or until golden brown. Allow to cool slightly.

6.    Prepare the icing by mixing together powdered sugar, milk, maple extract, and maple syrup. Drizzle over rolls and serve warm.

https://www.lecremedelacrumb.com/maple-pumpkin-cinnamon-rolls/

GRAHAM CRACKER CRUST (WITH BROWN SUGAR)

This is, by far, the best graham cracker crust we've tried.  It's my go-to recipe.

GRAHAM CRACKER CRUST (with Brown Sugar)

INGREDIENTS:

·         1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (from about 9 whole graham crackers)

·         1/4 cup packed brown sugar

·         1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

·         Pinch of salt

·         7 tablespoons butter, melted

·         DIRECTIONS:

1.       If you’re using whole graham crackers, finely crush them in a food processor or place them in a ziploc bag and roll with a rolling pin.

2.       Stir graham cracker crumbs, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt together in a large bowl. Add melted butter and stir with a fork.

3.       Press mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a 9” pie plate. Press hard to compact. You can use a glass to press the bottom, but use your fingers to press the sides.

4.       To make a no-bake pie: Chill pie crust for at least one hour before filling. Cover if chilling longer. Make pie as directed.

5.       To make a baked graham crust: Preheat oven to 325°. Bake crust for 10 minutes, until it just starts to brown. Cool completely before filling.

https://www.crazyforcrust.com/perfect-graham-cracker-crust/

Pumpkin Spiced Scones Recipe

We loved these!  The original recipe called for kosher salt, but I swapped it for regular because I didn't like getting random salty bites.

Pumpkin Spiced Scones Recipe

·         PUMPKIN SCONES

2 cups (280 grams) all-purpose flour

1/3 cup (65 grams) brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt, slightly heaping

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon ground ginger

3/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

8 tablespoons (115 grams or 1 stick) cold unsalted butter

1/2 cup (115 grams) pumpkin puree

1 tablespoon molasses

3 tablespoons half and half or cream

1 large egg

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

·         SIMPLE SUGAR GLAZE

1 cup (125 grams) powdered sugar, sifted

1 to 2 tablespoons half and half or cream

·         PUMPKIN SPICE GLAZE

1 cup (125 grams) powdered sugar, sifted

1 tablespoon pumpkin puree

1/8 teaspoon cloves

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 to 2 tablespoons half and half or cream

DIRECTIONS

·         MAKE DOUGH

Center a rack in the middle of the oven and heat oven to 400ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Or use non-stick cooking spray.

Whisk the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg together until blended. Cut the butter into small cubes then scatter over the flour mixture. Use two knives or a pastry cutter to “cut” the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal with a few pea-sized bits of butter, about 5 minutes. In a separate bowl, whisk the pumpkin puree, molasses, half and half, egg and vanilla extract until blended. Stir the pumpkin mixture into the flour and butter mixture until a soft dough forms. Transfer the dough to a floured surface. Knead three to four times until it comes together.

Pat the dough into a 10-inch by 7-inch rectangle (a rolling pin can be used here). Cut the rectangle in half lengthwise then cut into 4 even pieces crosswise, making eight rectangles. Cut each rectangle into two triangles, making 16 scones.

Transfer scones to the baking sheet then bake 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.

Whisk together separate glazes (you want a bit of a thicker consistency here) and dip each cooled scone directly into the simple sugar glaze then place glazed side up back onto the cooling rack. Use a spoon to drizzle a zigzag pattern of the pumpkin spice glaze across each scone. Wait 15 minutes or until the glaze has set then enjoy!

Store baked and glazed scones covered with plastic wrap. We recommend storing in the refrigerator if storing them for more than a day. They will lose a little moisture, but will still taste great.

http://www.inspiredtaste.net/16810/spiced-pumpkin-scones-recipe/itr_print/

Peppermint Crunch Puppy Chow

Peppermint Crunch Puppy Chow

yield: 5 CUPS

 

prep time: 10 MINUTES

 

total time: 10 MINUTES

Ingredients:

• 5 cups Rice Chex cereal
• 10 ounces melting white chocolate OR vanilla flavored Almond Bark
• 1/4 tsp peppermint extract
• 1 cup crushed candy canes
• 1 cup confectioners' sugar

Directions:

1. Pour the cereal into a large bowl. Melt white chocolate/almond bark according to the package directions. Stir in peppermint extract.  Pour melted chocolate over cereal, stirring and folding until the cereal is completely covered. Fold in the crushed candy canes.
2. Pour the confectioners' sugar into a zipped-top bag. Pour the chocolate covered cereal/candy canes in next. Seal the bag or container and shake until all the cereal is coated with the confectioners' sugar mixture.
3. Discard excess powder. Store at room temperature up to 2 weeks, if it lasts that long!

https://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2012/11/25/peppermint-crunch-puppy-chow/

*I added the peppermint extract for a little extra flavor... I think it was just right with it included, but the original doesn't include it.

Chunky Monkey Breakfast Bake

Yum! This bakes up a bit cake-like, but is moist and still really oatmeal-like too. How's that for a confusing description? Anyway, it is so good and all of my kids like it (which is rare!).

Chunky Monkey Breakfast Bake
3 c. rolled oats
1 c. flour (I've done with 1/2 c. of wheat too)
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4-1/2 tsp salt
4 overripe bananas
2 c. milk
1/4 c. maple syrup
1 T. vanilla extract
chocolate chips
peanut butter chips

Preheat oven to 350 and grease a 9x13 pan.
In a medium bowl, combine dry ingredients. Mash the bananas (some chunks are ok) and mix with the wet ingredients in another bowl. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones, mixing well. Fold in the chocolate and peanut butter chips. Scrape into the 9x13 pan. (I usually sprinkle some of the chips on top instead of mixing them all into the batter).
Bake 25-30 minutes, or until it has reached your desired consistency.

Serves 6-8

Adapted from runningwithspoons.com where she has lots of yummy looking oatmeal recipes!