Cranberry Apple Crisp

Round two of our epic battle of the berries, is...
..the rustic,
..the sweet,
..the tart,
..the beautiful and divine...

the CRANBERRY APPLE CRISP!

So remember how I told you to give yourself a gift this holiday season, and let it be the pear cranberry and gingersnap crumble?
I changed my mind.
Let it be the pear cranberry and gingersnap crumble AND this cranberry apple crisp.
You need both.
It's no big deal.
Just make them and sit in the kitchen and eat them both straight out of the oven. With ice cream. By yourself.
Or you can share, I guess.
I mean it is Christmas, after all.

Raw Salted "Caramel" Apple Dip

We've been indulging a lot in this here Ballard apartment lately.
Oops!
It's not my fault I love butter and cream cheese and dessert and carbs. It's not.
Hey, at least when we do indulge, it's almost always home cooking done without the use of processed foods and unnatural ingredients.
This week, I've decided to try to prepare some healthier dinner/snacks/desserts for me and Eric. Last night, I started with that amazing pasta dish I posted and today I tried something entirely new for me.
The lovely Sarah from My New Roots, posts endless unique and healthy recipes for diets of all kinds, including vegan, gluten-free, and raw food. Seeing as it's fall and Washington is currently experiencing an apple explosion, it only seemed fitting that I recreate her Raw Salted Caramel Apple Dip.
I love caramel and caramel apples, especially this time of year. Unfortunately, caramel doesn't love me back. Or my belly and thighs, for that matter. Rude.
BUT Sarah's caramel isn't really caramel at all. It's made with dates and almond butter, which are two things that tend to be much nicer to your belly, butt and thighs.
If you have a deep and true hankering for caramel, then maybe this isn't for you. But if you're looking for a dip that deliciously mimicks the flavor then this is perfect for you and for apples and bananas and probably carrots and celery, too! Give it a try, it's really great!

Raw Salted Caramel Apple Dip
(Adapted from My New Roots)

2 cups pitted Medjool dates
¼ cup raw almond butter
4 tsp. fresh lemon juice
½ tsp. sea salt (or more to taste)
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
soaking water as needed

1. Soak dates for at least 4 hours in water.
2. Drain dates, reserving the soak water.
3. Add dates to a food processor along with all other ingredients, except for soaking water. Blend on high until dates are smooth. Add soaking water, 1 tablespoon at a time until the desired consistency is reached (for a sauce to pour or drizzle, add more water).
4. Store in an airtight glass container in the fridge for up to a week.

Apple Cheddar Scones

Not a whole lot makes sense in life right now.
I've been feeling a little lost and confused when it comes to my future.
Those are really scary words. My future.
I have ideas, and maybe even some really big dreams, but I don't know how to make them happen.
And then there's always the money factor.
I'm already in debt.
How do I make big dreams happen when I'm in the hole?
I don't know. I don't know. I just don't know.

BUT what I do know is that these apple cheddar scones I made are of epic porportions and completely scream fall. Maybe life isn't making sense right now, but these scones def are.
When I found the recipe, I knew I had to make them that night. After work I went to the grocery store to pick up a few ingredients that I didn't have at home. I got apples and cheese and a fancy schmancy 4-pack of Eric's favorite beer and that's it. Scones and fancy beer for dinner makes sense. Eric understood (that's why I love him).

Apple and Cheddar Scones
(taken from Smitten Kitchen)
Makes 6 generous scones

2 firm tart apples (I used granny smith)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose unbleached flour
1/4 cup sugar plus 1 1/2 tablespoons for sprinkling
1/2 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt plus additional for egg wash
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes plus additional for baking sheet if not lining it with parchment
1/2 cup sharp (white) cheddar, shredded (I used Tillamook's Vintage Extra Sharp White Cheddar)
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 large eggs

Position a rack at the center of oven and preheat oven to 375 °F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

Peel and core apples, then cut them into one-sixteenths. Place them in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake them until they take on a little color and feel dry to the touch, about 20 minutes. They will be about half-baked. Let them cool completely. (You can speed this up in the fridge, as I did.) Leave oven on.

Sift or whisk flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together. Set aside. Place butter in the bowl of an electric mixer with a paddle attachment, along with cooled apple chunks, cheese, cream and one egg. Sprinkle flour mixture over the top and mix on low speed until the dough just comes together. Do not overmix.

Generously flour your counter top and place the scone dough on top of it. Sprinkle with flour. Use a rolling pin to gently roll (or use your hands to pat) the dough into a 1 1/4-inch thick, 6-inch circle. Cut circle into 6 wedges. Transfer them to a baking sheet that has either been buttered or lined with a fresh sheet of parchment paper. Leave at least 2 inches between each scone.

Beat remaining egg in a small bowl with a pinch of salt. Brush the scones with egg wash and sprinkle them with remaining tablespoon of sugar. Bake until firm and golden, about 30 minutes. With a spatula, lift them to a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes.

Apple Crisp

I have a sad, but serious confession.
I'm demented and have major issues. Major.
It all started when I was just a little kid. In school when teachers would ask my parents something important they should know about their daughter, the answer was always the same: "Ms. Teacher, Laura's a freak." Okay okay, they referred to me as a "perfectionist," but they/I know what I really am.
In elementary school, I would pull serious almost all-nighters working on art projects and pop-up books and "ME" posters. I would rewrite my papers if my handwriting looked ugly. Coloring and cutting and drawing and pasting....hours and hours of precision, people. What ten year old cares if their cutting looks too jagged?
As the years went on, these issues translated into my hobbies and sports and everthing I did and tried. And now, I hate to admit, I'm even a whack job in the KITCHEN. Stand next to me as I'm chopping or dicing or julienning anything, and I promise you'll want to grab the knife out of my hand and stab me with it. BUT I bet you will never see more evenly and beautifully diced produce!
You know how most recipes have a prep time? Yeah, those don't apply to me. I have to add like an extra hour.
So how does this relate to my glorious apple crisp? I had to PEEL and CORE and CUT SIX BIG APPLES! Normally I can deal with my time-consuming ways, but whoa, even this was too much for me. Don't they make apple peeling machines? I need one stat.
At least I can say all my time and hard work was worth it, because I made another epic warm, cozy fall dessert.
I'm going to go eat it all now (then I'll be weird AND fat). Kbye!

Apple Crisp
(recipe taken from Joy the Baker)

Filling:
5 to 6 medium-size granny smith apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1/4-inch slices. (About 7.5 cups)
3 tbsp granulated sugar
1.5 tsp cinnamon

Topping:
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/3 cups lightly packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 stick unsalted butter, well-softened
2/3 cup finely chopped pecans (optional)
1/3 cup quick oats

Preheat the oven to 350. Generously grease an 8×8 baking pan with butter.

Place a layer of apple slices in the bottom of the pan and dust with sugar/cinnamon mixture. Continue layering apples and dusting with cinnamon/sugar until done. Toss the apple mixture until evenly coated in cinnamon sugar. The apples should be just about to the top of the pan (they will cook down).



For the topping, place the flour, brown sugar, nuts, cinnamon and oats in a large bowl and stir well with a wooden spoon. Work the butter into the mixture with your fingertips until evenly distributed. Take one full handful of the topping and toss it into the sugared apple mixture. Spread the rest of the topping evenly over the apples. (I usually end up with a dough-like topping that I just lay on top of the apples).

Bake the crisp in the dish on a baking sheet on the center oven rack until the topping is crunchy and the apples are bubbling, 55-60 minutes.

Serve hot!