Pastries

Apple Pie

By: Sasha Lennox

The real reason you want this recipe is for the crust. This crust is divine. My family makes all of our pies from this recipe. Even my mom’s Russian meat pie is made with this crust. It. Is. Amazing.

Note: Some ingredients show up twice. So make sure to read carefully before going to the store (in a hazmat suit I assume) to get the correct amount of each ingredient.

Ingredients (in order of use)

For Step 1: The “Basic” group

• 2 cups of all-purpose flour

• 1 tablespoon sugar

• ½ teaspoon baking powder

• ½ teaspoon salt

For Step 2: The “The godly hand and finger strength” group

• ¾ cup unsalted butter

• 4 to 5 teaspoons water (I’ll explain this one later)

• A working fridge

The Loner (Step 2.5)

• 1 egg (just the egg white)

For Step 3: The “Sweet, Sour, and Sassy” group

• 7 medium apples, the more sour, the better (in my opinion). I usually use a mix of Granny Smiths and Mclntoches

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

• 1 ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

• ⅓ cup flour

• ¾ cup of sugar

• 3 tablespoons of salted butter

• 1 tablespoon sour cream

• Another egg (the full egg this time)

Now for how to put everything together:

Step one: “Uhhh, did I already put the baking powder in? Or is that just the salt?”

• Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and “stir” together with a spoon (or basically anything you want)

Step two: “I better have abs on my fingers after this”

• Chop the ¾ cup unsalted butter with a butter knife until its texture is like that of coarse crumbs. Do not soften the butter.

• Start to add the COLD water (This is so the butter doesn’t melt) one tablespoon at a time, and start mixing
  it in with a fork. Now get in there with your dirty Corona-ridden hands and knead the dough until it holds together.

• Split the dough into two parts, one slightly bigger than the other for the base of the pie. Wrap both in plastic wrap, then refrigerate for 30 minutes. Also now would be a good time to preheat the oven to 450 degrees

• (You can skip ahead to step 3 while you’re waiting for the dough to harden and the oven to preheat)

• Once this is done, roll both dough pieces (the surface of the table and the top of the dough should be sprinkled with flour so it does not stick to the pin) into a round 12-inch circle.

• Put the bigger piece of dough into the bottom of a 9-inch pie pan. Trim the edges of the dough so that there’s only a ½ inch overhang over the rim of the pan.

• Take your lone egg white and brush it over the bottom dough.

Step 3: “The satisfying part”

• Peel the apple’s (hopefully you have a peeler at home, I do not, so I use a knife) then core them (this means to cut it open, cut it into smallish slices then take the hard part with the seeds out)

• Place the slices into a bowl, then elegantly sprinkle the lemon juice on.

• Stir in the rest of the flour (⅓ cup), then the sugar (¾ cup), and then the cinnamon (1 ¼) teaspoons until all of the apples are coated evenly.

• Scoop all this mixture into the pie. Then put 3 tablespoons of butter (about 3 to 4 small slices) and lay them on the top of the apple mixture evenly spread out.

• Moisten the edge of the pie dough (all around) with water. Now roll out the top layer of the pie dough and place it on top. Finally, flute it together (press the edge with your fingers and seal the pie all around). You can also use a fork to do this.

• Make four slits in the pie and then put the pie in the oven.

Step 4: “Wait, we’re not done?”

• Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce the temp to 375 degrees. Bake for another 30 minutes.

• While waiting, take an egg and a tablespoon of sour cream, and mix them together.

• Take the pie out of the oven. Take the sour cream and egg mixture and brush it on the top of the pie. Make sure to cover the entire top. (This is what makes the pie look golden brown.)

• Put the pie back in for another 25 minutes. Take it out and LET IT COOL.

“Contain yourself, the last thing you want is to burn your tongue off. Also, you are required to eat this with vanilla ice cream, no exceptions.”- 10-year-old Sasha

Banana Bombe Cake

By: Maia Feik Reinhart

The recipe of this cake is a variation of another recipe. Throughout the years, my grandmother changed it and worked on perfecting it. The recipe has now been in our family for three generations and remains a family favorite for all special occasions. The fluffy airy bottom paired with the sweet bananas, velvety whipped cream, rich almond paste and dark chocolate provide for a great combination that is absolutely delicious. This cake is surprisingly light and does not sit heavy in your stomach, which makes it a perfect dessert. I hope you will enjoy this cake as much as my family does.

Ingredients:

Cake bottom: Cake Top:

• 3 eggs - 5-6 bananas

• ½ cup sugar - 1 carton heavy whipping cream

• ¾ cup flour - 1 roll almond paste

• 1 teaspoon baking powder - 1 bar dark chocolate

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350℉ and grease a round baking pan

2. Separate the eggs

3. Whip the egg whites until they form stiff peaks

4. Add the sugar and continue to whip the mixture

5. Add the egg yolk and whip more

6. Fold in the flour and baking powder with a spatula

7. Bake the cake for 25-30 minutes until golden brown

8. Take the cake out of the oven and let it cool completely

9. Halve the bananas lengthwise and layer them onto the cooled cake bottom until the entire surface is covered

10. Whip the heavy cream and spread it evenly on top of the banana layer

11. Roll the almond paste out into a thin circle that is big enough to cover the entire bottom

12. Cover the cake with the rolled out almond paste

13. Melt the bar of chocolate in a double boiler and pour it over the almond paste until the whole cake is covered

14. Before the chocolate becomes hard, mark the individual cake pieces using the tip of a knife to make thin lines through the melted chocolate

Let the chocolate become completely hard before serving

Vanilla Mug Cake

By: Junee Manandhar

So recently I’ve been getting into baking, specifically making mug cakes. I’ve been using this recipe from a website called Just So Tasty that I want to share with you guys. I also added a little twist to these to make them even better.

Ingredients:

I’ve been using an 8 ounce mug but if yours is smaller you may have to change this recipe a bit.

• 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter

• 1 tablespoon of milk (to make it rise higher I add 2 tablespoons)

• ½ teaspoons of vanilla extract

• 1 large egg yolk *DO NOT ADD THE EGG WHITE*

• 2 tablespoons of white sugar

• 4 tablespoons of all-purpose flour

• ½ teaspoons of baking powder

• And sprinkles! (optional but I highly suggest you add them)

• Add butter to your mug and microwave it until melted (about 30 seconds).

• Whisk in the milk, vanilla extract, egg yolk, and sugar with a fork.

• Whisk in flour and baking powder. Then add your sprinkles!

• Microwave for 60-70 seconds.

• Wait at least 30 seconds to 1 minute to cool before eating.

Peanut Butter Honey Walnut Banana Bread

By: Leah O’Connell

This coronacation has left us all in boredom. With nothing to do many people choose to start eating and snacking, thinking they are hungry but really they are just bored. We don’t have to give up our snacking in order to stay healthy but rather switch the ingredients and have a way where we can consume healthier foods. By switching to paleo recipes we can reduce the amount of processed foods we consume.

One of my favorite paleo recipes is this Peanut Butter Honey Walnut Banana Bread which is also grain-free and gluten free. It is a great way to satisfy a sweet tooth while avoiding all of the processed ingredients that are usually found in many dessert foods.

Ingredients:

2 large overripe bananas

¼ cup coconut oil

¼ cup creamy peanut butter (sub cashew butter or almond butter for paleo)

2 Tbsp. honey

1 tsp. Vanilla

2 eggs

¼ cup almond flour

¼ cup coconut flour

½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

½ tsp cinnamon

½ cup chopped walnuts

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350℉. Grease an 8” loaf pan (or, alternatively, line it with parchment paper)

2. In a small bowl, combine coconut flour, almond flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon; set aside

3. In a large bowl, melt coconut oil and peanut butter in a microwave, approx. 1 minute

4. Add mashed bananas, honey, vanilla, and eggs; mix well

5. Add dry ingredients to wet and stir until well combined

6. Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

EMMIE'S THREE INGREDIENT SUGAR FREE COCONUT COOKIES (yields about 15-18 small cookies)

By: Emmie Knippen

INGREDIENTS

2 cups shredded coconut

2 1/4 cups oats (put more or less if you wish, measure it with your HEART)

4 ripe bananas

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F, and prepare a cookie sheet or two with parchment paper, butter, or cooking spray.

2. Put all of the ingredients into a blender, and blend until a fine paste forms.

3. Empty the blender into a bowl, and mix in some more oats, if you wish (this makes the texture better).

4. If the consistency is off, melt some butter and mix it in to soften the paste. It should be easily workable, and not crumbly.

5. Make cookies on the tray(s). Flatten them down and make sure to shape them into cookie or biscuit shapes, because they don't spread at all.

6. Put the tray(s) into the oven and bake for about 20 minutes. Keep a close watch on them towards the end, the bottoms tend to burn easily.

7. Enjoy your delicious sugar free snack.

Cheddar and Chive Scones

By: Leah Wedaman