cookies

i baked some cookies this week. i found some simple and easy recipes.

first, russian tea cakes:
http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/russian-tea-cakes-i/Detail.aspx



i added too much walnuts, but i didn't mind. i like that they're not too sweet and fall apart in the mouth. next time, i'll roll them into smaller bite-sized balls.

next, chocolate crinkles:
http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/chocolate-crinkles-ii/Detail.aspx

before baking:


after baking:


they're so pretty! they're also soft, chewy, and delicious.

success.

baking with apples

i was in a baking mood today. after my last not-so-good attempt, i decided to go for a previously successful recipe: apple muffins. this time, no icing. i also baked a bit longer, so the top edge is slightly crispy, exactly the way i like it.



i also tried an apple loaf recipe:
http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/apple-loaf/Detail.aspx



i overbaked the loaf a little; there's a thick crust now. next time, i should bake for 50 mins. it tastes good. i was a bit too liberal with the butter, so it feels a bit heavy.

bisquick apple pie

i went apple picking with my friends last weekend. now, i've got a bunch of cortland and macintosh apples.

the next day, i was making pancakes with bisquick, and i saw a recipe on the box for "impossibly easy french apple pie". so i tried it out.



eh. it turned out kind of soggy. kind of underbaked too. maybe my sliced apples were too watery. it tastes good. but the soggy texture in the mouth ruins everything.

it was definitely easy to make. but the results are meh.

apple bars

i still have apples left from the apple picking activity of over a month ago...

i tried another easy recipe:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Apple-Bars/Detail.aspx

a piece:


it's soft and slightly moist, the consistency of muffins.

apple cupcakes with maple buttercream

another mix-and-bake experiment with apples.

i found a simple cupcake recipe:
http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/apple-cupcakes

i halved the cupcake recipe to make only a dozen. i didn't have any nutmeg, so i omitted it from the mix. i mixed everything by hand, so the butter+sugar mix was probably not as 'pale and fluffy' as it should have been. oh well.

batter:


i had to bake a bit longer than instructed; the bottom of the cupcakes had seemed undercooked when i first took them out of the oven.

before baking:


after baking:


i found a very simple maple buttercream recipe:
http://www.chow.com/recipes/27758

again, i halved the recipe since i doubted that i would need 2 cups of frosting. still, it ended up being too much for only 12 cupcakes. i had to use an electric mixer to get the right texture.

it was my first time trying to use a piping bag. i did a poor frosting job; it looks so sad:


the cupcakes turned out soft and moist, which i like. the buttercream was a bit too sweet for my taste, which is why i didn't load the cupcakes with too much of it. still edible though.

soft apple cinammon cookie

another food experiment with the apples.

this time, i tried to make soft apple cinammon cookies, following this recipe:
http://www.5to10aday.com/en_recipe_details.asp?id=71

again, it was simple enough for me to make.

i had been a bit worried at first because the cookie dough didn't look too appetizing:


the cookies turned out alright:


detail shot:


yeah, they're kind of lumpy shaped, since i dropped them onto the cookie sheet without shaping.

the cookie are soft, with a bit of a spongy texture (like cake). they definitely taste better when re-heated. not too sweet, with enough cinammon. my mom's only complaint was that she could not taste any apples, even though i had used 6 small ones.

apple maple crumble pie

a couple of weeks ago, i went apple picking with my friends, and returned home with a 18lb bag of apples. i finally searched for some recipes and tried something yesterday.

since i've never really baked anything from scratch, i found this very simple recipe:
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Apple-Maple-Crumble-Pie/Detail.aspx

here's a piece that i cut out:


detail:


and it turned out pretty edible! at this stage, that's all i aim for.