Yesterday I watched my sisters kids so she could have a day to herself.
It was very hot so we went swimming in the lake and then we picked apples.
Aren't they pretty?
Cody found some good ones. Half went in the basket,
and the other half
in his mouth!
My nephew Blake showing me his prize apple!
My niece Lyla just hung out in the grass
picking dandelions, she's such an easy baby.
Here is Savannah showing all the apples we picked.
Then the kids turned into little
monkeys and climbed the trees.
~so pretty~
~so pretty~
I just love this time of year!
Applesauce keeps these miniature apple cakes moist and flavorful without adding fat. Drizzled with apple glaze, they are picnic-perfect.INGREDIENTS 2 1/4 cup(s) flour1 teaspoon(s) baking soda1/2 teaspoon(s) salt1 teaspoon(s) ground cardamom2 eggs1 1/2 cup(s) sugar1 1/2 teaspoon(s) vanilla extract1 cup(s) applesauce1/2 cup(s) butter, melted2 tablespoon(s) butter, melted1/2 cup(s) sour cream1 1/2 teaspoon(s) lemon zest1 1/2 cup(s) peeled and chopped Granny Smith apple1 1/4 cup(s) confectioners' sugar3 tablespoon(s) apple cider DIRECTIONS. Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Butter and flour 24 3 1/2-ounce cake molds or 2 12-cup cupcake tins and set aside.Sift the flour, baking soda, salt, and cardamom together and set aside.Beat the eggs and sugar together, using a mixer set on medium-high speed, until the mixture forms a thick ribbon when the beaters are lifted from the bowl. Reduce speed to low and mix in the vanilla and applesauce. Add 1/2 cup of the melted butter, sour cream, and zest and beat until combined. Gradually add the flour mixture and mix until smooth.Fold in the apples and divide the batter among the prepared molds (about 1/4 cup per mold). Bake until a skewer inserted in the center of the cake tests clean -- 20 to 25 minutes.Cool for 5 minutes in the pan on a wire rack. Unmold the cakes and cool completely on the rack.Stir the remaining melted butter, confectioners' sugar, and apple cider together in a medium bowl until smooth and drizzle over the cooled cakes and let the icing set before serving.TIPS & TECHNIQUES Tip: Cardamom is a fragrant spice that pairs well with apples, but this cake batter will also work well with cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, or a combination of all four spices. Experiment and customize this cake to suit your own tastes.
But for today we are making homemade applesauce.
Applesauce Recipe
Preparation time: 45 minutes. The sugar amounts are just guidelines, depending your taste, and on the sweetness of your apples, use less or more. If you use less sugar, you'll likely want to use less lemon juice. The lemon juice brightens the flavor of the apples and balances the sweetness.
Ingredients
3 to 4 lbs of peeled, cored, and quartered apples. (Make sure you use a good cooking apple like Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Fuji, Jonathan, Mcintosh, or Gravenstein.)
4 strips of lemon peel - use a vegetable peeler to strip 4 lengths
Juice of one lemon, about 3-4 Tbsp
3 inches of cinnamon stick
1/4 cup of dark brown sugar
up to 1/4 cup of white sugar
1 cup of water
1/2 teaspoon of salt
Method
1 Put all ingredients into a large pot. Cover. Bring to boil. Lower heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes.
2 Remove from heat. Remove cinnamon sticks and lemon peels. Mash with potato masher.
Ready to serve, either hot or refrigerated.
There is nothing better than homemade applesauce with hand-picked apples, and it is so easy to do! If you want chunky applesauce, use a potato masher to mash the cooked apples. If you prefer smooth apple sauce, run the cooked apples through a food mill. The key is adding a few strips of lemon peel to the apples while cooking. The lemon heightens the apple flavor.
It's called
Apple-Cardamom Cakes with Apple Cider Icing
{say that 5 times fast!}
Here is the recipe:
Applesauce keeps these miniature apple cakes moist and flavorful without adding fat. Drizzled with apple glaze, they are picnic-perfect.INGREDIENTS 2 1/4 cup(s) flour1 teaspoon(s) baking soda1/2 teaspoon(s) salt1 teaspoon(s) ground cardamom2 eggs1 1/2 cup(s) sugar1 1/2 teaspoon(s) vanilla extract1 cup(s) applesauce1/2 cup(s) butter, melted2 tablespoon(s) butter, melted1/2 cup(s) sour cream1 1/2 teaspoon(s) lemon zest1 1/2 cup(s) peeled and chopped Granny Smith apple1 1/4 cup(s) confectioners' sugar3 tablespoon(s) apple cider DIRECTIONS. Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Butter and flour 24 3 1/2-ounce cake molds or 2 12-cup cupcake tins and set aside.Sift the flour, baking soda, salt, and cardamom together and set aside.Beat the eggs and sugar together, using a mixer set on medium-high speed, until the mixture forms a thick ribbon when the beaters are lifted from the bowl. Reduce speed to low and mix in the vanilla and applesauce. Add 1/2 cup of the melted butter, sour cream, and zest and beat until combined. Gradually add the flour mixture and mix until smooth.Fold in the apples and divide the batter among the prepared molds (about 1/4 cup per mold). Bake until a skewer inserted in the center of the cake tests clean -- 20 to 25 minutes.Cool for 5 minutes in the pan on a wire rack. Unmold the cakes and cool completely on the rack.Stir the remaining melted butter, confectioners' sugar, and apple cider together in a medium bowl until smooth and drizzle over the cooled cakes and let the icing set before serving.TIPS & TECHNIQUES Tip: Cardamom is a fragrant spice that pairs well with apples, but this cake batter will also work well with cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, or a combination of all four spices. Experiment and customize this cake to suit your own tastes.
But for today we are making homemade applesauce.
I like this recipe, it's so easy to make!
Applesauce Recipe
Preparation time: 45 minutes. The sugar amounts are just guidelines, depending your taste, and on the sweetness of your apples, use less or more. If you use less sugar, you'll likely want to use less lemon juice. The lemon juice brightens the flavor of the apples and balances the sweetness.
Ingredients
3 to 4 lbs of peeled, cored, and quartered apples. (Make sure you use a good cooking apple like Golden Delicious, Granny Smith, Fuji, Jonathan, Mcintosh, or Gravenstein.)
4 strips of lemon peel - use a vegetable peeler to strip 4 lengths
Juice of one lemon, about 3-4 Tbsp
3 inches of cinnamon stick
1/4 cup of dark brown sugar
up to 1/4 cup of white sugar
1 cup of water
1/2 teaspoon of salt
Method
1 Put all ingredients into a large pot. Cover. Bring to boil. Lower heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes.
2 Remove from heat. Remove cinnamon sticks and lemon peels. Mash with potato masher.
Ready to serve, either hot or refrigerated.
Delicious with vanilla ice cream or vanilla yogurt.
Freezes easily, lasts up to one year in a cold freezer.
Freezes easily, lasts up to one year in a cold freezer.
There is nothing better than homemade applesauce with hand-picked apples, and it is so easy to do! If you want chunky applesauce, use a potato masher to mash the cooked apples. If you prefer smooth apple sauce, run the cooked apples through a food mill. The key is adding a few strips of lemon peel to the apples while cooking. The lemon heightens the apple flavor.
Do you have any spectacular apple recipes worth sharing?
xoxo
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