Apple Crisp Bars

So, I went out to coffee with my nearest and dearest friend, Olivia. We had a nice heart-to-heart in Starbucks drinking our Pumpkin Spice Latte's (which are to die for!). I have not had a good talk like that in ages! Anyway, as we were talking we were naming off, randomly, the foods that we love about autumn. That got me thinking about Apple Crisp, but I tend to not want a whole, hunkin' piece.

And from that emerged the idea to make Apple Crisp Bars.

I had seen several recipes on Pinterest, but almost all of the had nuts in them. On a side note I am DEATHLY allergic to ALL nuts. So the Pinterest recipes were a no-go. Oh well, I decided to experiment and create my own.

As it turned out they were delicious, and they were even better with a scoop of vanilla ice cream! The only  problem is, is that I wish I had made more.

 

Apple Crisp Bars

Ingredients:

Crust:

1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. salt

1 cup all-purpose flour

 

Filling:

3-4 big apples (preferably Granny Smith)

2 Tbsp. butter

2 Tbsp. granulated sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

2 Tbsp. water

Topping:

4 Tbsp. butter, room temperature

5 Tbsp. brown sugar

5 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

1 tsp. cinnamon

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven o 350 degrees F. Line an 8x8-inch pan with parchment paper, leaving about 1-inch overhanging on the sides.

2. Make crust: in mixing bowl, beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy; 2-3 minutes. Add vanilla and salt, beat until combined. Add flour and mix until incorporated, dough may appear slightly crumbly. Firmly press into pan. Poke shallow holes into dough with fork. Bake 18-22 minutes, or until edges are lightly golden,

3. Make filling: Peel, core, and slice apples. Put them in sauce pan, along with sugar, water, cinnamon, and butter. Cover and cook over low heat for about 13 minutes, or until slices soften. Remove lid and cook a little longer until the liquid evaporates. Cool completely. When crust and filling are cooled, spread apple filling on top of the crust.

4. Make topping: Mix together butter, brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Should become crumbly (may need to add in more flour and sugar). Sprinkle evenly over apple filling. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until it is dark golden brown.

5. To serve: Let cool slightly. Cut into bar-like rectangles, then pull out of pan by parchment paper.

 

~Enjoy! - Gabi xoxo~

Broccoli & Cheese Quiche

As today marks autumn's arrival, I thought it only suitable to bake accordingly. Therefore for a nice sit-down Sunday dinner I decided to let my family be my taste-testers for my first ever quiche. With a bit of apprehension they agreed, and it turns out they loved it! Which it great because I am thinking about making it for a dinner I am having in October with some friends.

I thought that if my family loved then I had better share it with others to get their verdict on the quiche before I serve it to my friends. With fresh broccoli, sharp cheddar and Swiss cheese it is hard to go wrong. There is seriously nothing better than a cup of chai tea and broccoli quiche...Well unless you count jumping in leaves, hot cider, baking with pumpkin, pumpkin carving, and fall clothing, but that is beside the point.

 

Yes, I did make my own crust, but it was very time consuming!

 

 

And just because I had spent so much time on the crust already, I added a little flair.

 

 

The finished project! Ta-da!

  

Broccoli & Cheese Quiche

Ingredients:

 

1/4 cup olive oil

2 cups broccoli, cut into florets (the amount may vary with however much broccoli you want)

1 small onion, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 uncooked pie pastry shell

4 eggs

1 cup whole milk (it really is up to you which kind you want to use)

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided

1/2 cup shredded Swiss Cheese, divided

 

Instructions:

 

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2. In large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add broccoli and onion; cook and stir until broccoli in crisp-tender. Stir in garlic cloves; stir and cook for 4-5 minutes longer.

3. Fill pie crust with broccoli mixture. In a small bowl, whisk eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Stir in 1/4 cup of cheddar and 1/4 cup of Swiss; pour over vegetables. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.

4. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let stand 10-15 minutes before cutting.

 

Notes:

 This recipe is so easy that it would be quite simple to substitute in different vegetables or even meat. You can also substitute cheeses if so desired.

 

~Enjoy! - Gabi xoxo~

 

 

 



Cinnamon White Cake

I bake a lot! Because of my love and slight obsession for baking, I decided to start a blog. I will post recipes that I have done before, and also experimental recipes, letting you know how they turn out. Anyway, now that that is said, let's get down to baking.

Autumn is almost upon us, and so, to appease my ever growing taste for fall I just HAD to bake something. So, I took advantage of the chillier weather today and put on my jeans and a sweater, put my hair in girly braids and started baking. It took me a while to decide what exactly I wanted to bake and when I decided I wanted cinnamon, I settled on this delicious Cinnamon White Cake.

       

With the perfect amount of cinnamon, this cake is easy and quick (nice for when you have a sudden craving for fall). It tastes like you slaved over it for hours, when really it is quite speedy.

 

I have many dreams and aspirations, and maybe I'll do a whole post on just that in detail, but baking is a passion and to do it as a job would just make me the happiest person!

When I was going through the toughest year of my life, so far, my junior year, whenever I was stressed or in a mad mood, I would drop whatever I was doing and bake. It was something that calmed me and took my mind off of the stresses of my teenage life.

 I found that I had a gift for it and my love for baking grew over time as I learned more recipes and was finally able to make some of my own.

Well enough about why I started baking, lets get onto the recipe.

 

It is absolutely to die for when it is still warm, and I added a streusel topping just because I can!

 

Cinnamon White Cake

Ingredients:

 

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

2/3 cup white sugar (I used raw sugar)

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened

2 eggs

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 3/4 tsp. baking powder

1/2 cup milk

Streusel Topping (optional):

1 tsp. cinnamon

4 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

4 Tbsp. brown sugar

4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened

Instruction:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9x5 bread pan.

2. Beat together white sugar and butter until smooth and creamy. Beat in eggs until fully combined. Add in vanilla extract.

3.Mix in milk, flour, and baking powder. Mix until combined. Pour half of batter into greased 9x5 bread pan. sprinkle in brown sugar and cinnamon, combined. Make swirls in batter with toothpick or knife. Then, pour last of batter in pan, and sprinkle last of the brown sugar and cinnamon mixture. Again make swirls.

4. For streusel, combine all ingredients until it is somewhat crumbly (may need to add in more flour). Sprinkle over batter, evenly.

5. Bake until toothpick comes out clean when inserted. About 30-40 minutes.

 

~Enjoy! - Gabi xoxo~