PRIZE-WINNING VANILLA-VANILLA BEAN ROASTED APPLE PIE

In the 2009 Crisco Great American Pie Festival, Dawn Viola’s vanilla apple pie won top honors in the professional category. Dawn, a professional member of the American Culinary Federation, is a food writer, award-winning cook, and nationally recognized artist who has written original recipe articles, food features, cooking instruction documents and commentary for a variety of publications and blogs.

There’s been some hype going around the blogosphere about Dawn’s winning recipe, and I was sucked in. I actually bought every expensive ingredient so that I could make this pie ($12.00/lb for Danish butter + vanilla beans + vanilla powder). This ranks as the most expensive pie I’ve ever made. And, sadly – or happily, depending on how you look at it – I will never make it again.

There were six of us ready to sink our teeth into this delectable-looking pie the day I made it. And all six of us were let down. The consensus was that the pie is over-flavored with vanilla and heavy with fatty butter in the crust and filling. It’s very heavy and rich tasting, to the point where the apples are overwhelmed. In addition, broiling the apples is very time-intensive. It took about a half hour for the amount of apples (13 cups to be exact) to broil properly. You really need to stand right by the broiler the whole time and constantly toss apples to keep them from burning. If you’re looking for a really great pie recipe that delivers a truer apple flavor, try Perfect Apple Pie, the absolute best apple pie I’ve ever tasted, and the hands-down fave of everyone who has tried it. For less work, and almost as good results, try Southern Living's Best-Ever Apple Pie or Food Processor Apple Pie. But, just in case you don’t believe me and need to find out for yourself, I’m printing the recipe below. I’ve rated this pie 7 out of 10. The reason I gave it such high marks is because we did enjoy it. The crust is very flaky and tender and the filling is good – it’s just not good enough to warrant the expense and work involved. Final word: It’s okay to add a little vanilla to an apple pie, but the amount that’s used in this recipe is overkill. And, although butter rocks, you can overdo anything.

Final, final word: It doesn't make me happy to diss a recipe. This pie did win a major prize, and the judges obviously loved it. Dawn clearly came up with a winning combination of flavors, and I'm sure that anyone who makes this pie will love it. I'm just sayin'...

Vanilla-Vanilla Bean Roasted Apple Pie Source: Dawn Viola, 2009 Crisco Great American Pie Festival Professional Category Rating: 7 out of 10 PRINTABLE RECIPE

INGREDIENTS: Crust: 2-1/2 cups flour 2 tsp. salt 1 Tbsp. vanilla powder 3 Tbsp. sugar 1 vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped 2-1/2 sticks unsalted Danish butter, cut into 1/2” cubes 1 Tbsp. white vinegar, chilled 6-8 Tbsp. ice water Filling: 4 Tbsp. Danish butter 12 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, sliced in large chunks (about 13 cups) 1 vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped 2 tsp. cinnamon 1 cup sugar 4 Tbsp. flour 1 tsp. salt 1/2 cup apple cider 1 Tbsp. heavy cream 1 tsp. vanilla extract (Dawn left this out of the ingredient list, and I’m guessing the amount.) Egg Wash: 1 egg 1 Tbsp. cream coarse sugar Measure out all crust ingredients and place in freezer 15 minutes. Place the food processor blade & bowl in freezer for 15 minutes. Combine flour, salt, vanilla powder, sugar & vanilla bean seeds in food processor; pulse to mix. Add butter cubes; pulse 10 times, or till mixture is like coarse meal with pea-sized pieces. Add vinegar; pulse to mix. Add 1 Tbsp. water at a time, pulsing to incorporate, till mixture begins to clump together. Pinch some dough in your hand. If it sticks together, the dough is ready. If dough does not stick to itself, add another Tbsp. of water, pulse and pinch dough again. Repeat till dough holds together without being overly wet. Remove dough from processor; transfer to work surface. Dive into two equal parts and gently shape into two flat round discs. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Preheat broiler. Add apples, vanilla bean seeds, cinnamon and 2 Tbsp. of the sugar to a roasting pan; toss apples to coat. Broil until the tops of the apples begin to brown. Toss apples as they brown. Once apples are caramelized, remove from heat and add remaining sugar, flour, vanilla extract and salt. Add apple cider & cream; stir to incorporate. Taste for seasoning, add salt, sugar, vanilla or cinnamon to taste. Place a 9” pie plate in freezer. Remove one dough disc from fridge and let sit at room temperature 5-10 minutes, or till easy enough to roll, but still chilled. Lightly flour work surface; roll dough out to 12” circle. Place in bottom of the chilled pie plate. Return to fridge to chill. Remove after 5 minutes and add apples. Remove second dough disc and roll out to 1” circle on lightly floured surface. Place on top of apples and pinch top and bottom dough edges together to enclose apples. Add decorate edge if desired. Slice 1” air vents around top of pie. Beat egg in small dish; mix in cream; lightly brush over top of pie and along edges. Sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake at 400F 30 minutes. Cover edges with aluminum foil if needed. Turn pie in oven and continue to cook for another 15 minutes, or longer until crust is golden brown and flakey and apples are cooked through. Transfer pie to wire rack and cool at least 2 hours before serving.

FOUR SEASONS HOTEL CHOCOLATE GINGER COOKIES

This cookie has made the rounds in the blogosphere lately, so I jumped on the bandwagon. The key to success is to underbake the cookie, resulting in the most amazing texture and flavor – the molasses and chocolate marry and become one, producing a decadently chewy chocolate-molasses flavor in every bite. Of course, you must use the very best chocolate you can afford.

These cookies are definitely worth making, but I will warn you: they are rich, sweet and very chocolatey. They are not a cookie that I will make again, because they are too sweet for my taste, but I have given them to friends who have swooned over them. Truth be told, while I was test-tasting some, I admit to swooning, too. They are that good.

Thanks to Kristin, of The Schell Cafe blog, for procuring this recipe. She actually hunted down the pastry chef at the Four Seasons Hotel, who gave her the recipe. Of course, it made huge quantities, so Kristin worked this recipe till she got the right ratios and was able to reduce it down to a manageable size for home cooks.

Four Seasons Hotel Chocolate Ginger Cookies Source: The Schell Cafe Rating: 9 out of 10 PRINTABLE RECIPE

INGREDIENTS: 12 oz. chocolate chips (I used Hershey’s Special Dark + Nestle Chocolatier Dark Chocolate Morsels, 53% cacao) 3 cups + 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour (Pillsbury unbleached) 2-1/2 tsp. ground ginger 2 tsp. cinnamon 1/2 tsp. ground cloves 1/2 tsp. freshly ground nutmeg 2 Tbsp. natural cocoa powder 2 tsp. baking soda 2 Tbsp. crystallized ginger, finely chopped 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature (If using unsalted butter, add 1/8 tsp. salt) 1 cup brown sugar 1 cup molasses bowl of granulated sugar for dusting + some coarse sanding sugar for tops Whisk together first 9 ingredients in large bowl. Cream butter and brown sugar in another large bowl until light and fluffy. Slowly add molasses, scraping well after each addition. Gradually add dry ingredients and mix only till combined. Cover bowl and refrigerate overnight for best results. Heat oven to 350F. Using rounded tablespoonfuls of dough, roll in wet palms to form balls. Roll balls in sugar to coat. (If using sanding sugar for tops, then roll part of the ball in sanding sugar and place, sanding sugar up, on parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake till puffy and just starting to crack. A toothpick inserted in center will return with some, but not too much, dough sticking to pick. These cookies are best when slightly underbaked and will continue to cook as they cool. My cooking time was approximately 9-10 minutes. Cookies deflate as they cool, also, and are supposed to be thin with a slightly crunchy, crispy edge and soft chewy insides. Yield: about 52 cookies

Merry Christmas, everyone! Thanks for stopping by.

TRIPLE-GINGER COOKIES

Bon Appetit is a dependable source for good recipes, and this ginger cookie is quite good. Crispy edges, soft chewy insides and bursting with spicy ginger flavor, it will have you coming back for seconds….and thirds….and more. A combo of ground, crystallized and fresh ginger, along with brown sugar, molasses, cinnamon and cloves produces the intense flavor and pleasing texture of this outstanding cookie. Full disclosure: You’re going to have to be a real ginger lover to appreciate this cookie, because ginger is the dominant flavor here, and it’s strong.

The recipe calls for two kinds of brown sugar: golden and dark. I only had light brown sugar in my pantry, and that’s what I used, without detriment. If ginger is your thing, then this is your cookie.

Triple-Ginger Cookies Source: Bon Appetit Magazine, December 2009 Rating: 8 out of 10 PRINTABLE RECIPE

INGREDIENTS: 2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1/3 cup minced crystallized ginger 1 tsp. baking soda 1/4 tsp. salt 3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature 1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar 1/2 cup (packed) dark brown sugar 1 large egg, room temperature 1/4 cup light (mild-flavored) molasses 1-1/2 tsp. finely grated fresh peeled ginger 1-1/2 tsp. ground ginger 1 tsp. ground cinnamon 1/2 tsp. ground cloves approx. 1/3 cup sugar for rolling Position 1 rack in top third and 1 rack in bottom third of oven; preheat to 350F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Whisk flour, crystallized ginger, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until creamy and light, about 2 minutes. Gradually beat in both brown sugars. Beat on medium high speed until creamy, about 3 minutes. Add egg, molasses, fresh ginger, ground ginger, cinnamon, and cloves. Beat to blend. Add flour mixture in 2 additions, beating on low speed just to blend between additions. Place 1/3 cup sugar in small bowl. Measure 1 Tbsp. dough. Roll into ball between palms of wet hands, then roll in sugar in bowl to coat; place on baking sheet. Repeat with remaining cookie dough, spacing cookies 2-1/2 to 3” apart to allow for spreading. Bake cookies until surfaces crack but cookies are soft in center, about 13 minutes. (Use a toothpick test to ensure cookies are set -- toothpick should have some dough on it.) Cool completely on baking pans set on wire rack before removing. Yield: about 40 (3") cookies.

MELISSA’S VANILLA-GINGER COOKIES

These are not your standard spicy ginger cookies. There’s no brown sugar or molasses, nor is there a consortium of spices. They’re really a deliciously tender vanilla-ginger flavored butter cookie, with crispy edges and soft chewy centers. And believe me, they are addictive. If you don’t have vanilla powder, just use vanilla extract in the same amount.

I love the vanilla-ginger combo in this cookie. My one disappointment, though, is that it’s very bland looking. I recommend sprucing up the tops in some way. Use coarse sanding sugar, sprinkles, or even white or dark chocolate drizzles to make them look more appealing. I took the easy way out, just heating up some cream cheese frosting and spreading it onto the tops of the cookies, then sprinkling some with red shots and some with crushed toasted walnuts.

Mellissa’s Vanilla-Ginger Cookies Source: www.melissas.com Rating: 9.0 out of 10 PRINTABLE RECIPE

INGREDIENTS: 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature 1 cup white sugar 1/2 tsp. sea salt 2 eggs 2 Tbsp. vanilla powder (or vanilla extract) 2 Tbsp. fresh ginger root, grated 2-1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour 3 oz. crystallized ginger (1 bag of Melissa’s crystallized ginger, in the produce section), chopped into 1/4” pieces Heat oven to 375F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, cream together butter, sugar and salt until creamy. Add eggs; mix well. Add vanilla and ginger root; mix well. Add flour and crystallized ginger; mix until combined. Drop heaping tablespoons of dough onto ungreased cookie sheet, 2” apart. Flatten balls to 1/4” thick and bake 10-11 minutes, or till just set and beginning to brown. (These are best a little underdone.) Yield: approximately 30 cookies

VANILLA-VANILLA BEAN BUTTER BALLS

I just purchased vanilla beans and vanilla powder to make a prize-winning apple pie (post will follow at a later date), and now, of course, I must use them. I made several batches of my own vanilla extract (I’ll be posting how to do that with the results, later) and I also made my own vanilla powder (another post to come). But I still have vanilla beans left. This cookie, from a very old recipe, is a classic fave of just about everyone I know. I used some vanilla, but also used part of a vanilla bean. I mixed some vanilla powder with the confectioner’s sugar that the cookies got rolled in after they baked. I won’t say they taste dramatically different from any other butter ball, but they are good. If you don’t have beans and powder to use up, just use vanilla extract in the cookie and leave the powder out of the final rolling. They’ll be delicious.

Using confectioner’s sugar in the cookie makes it more tender. You can put regular sugar in the food processor and grind it more finely, but confectioner’s sugar also has cornstarch in it. I’ve made butter balls both ways; and, frankly, no matter how you make them they melt in your mouth and are amazing. I could eat these all day long, but thankfully, I gave them all away so they won’t tempt me.

Vanilla-Vanilla Bean Butter Balls Rating: 10 out of 10 PRINTABLE RECIPE

INGREDIENTS: 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter 1/2 cup toasted walnuts or pecans 1-1/8 cups all-purpose flour 1/4 cup confectioner’s sugar 1/2 vanilla bean, scraped (put the scraped pod in your sugar jar, or make vanilla powder) 1/8 tsp. sea salt 1 tsp. vanilla extract Confectioner’s Sugar Coating: 1/2 cup 10X sugar + 1/2 tsp. vanilla powder Heat oven to 350F. Place all ingredients in the work bowl of a food processor. Pulse till mixture forms a dough (about 1 minute or so), scraping sides + bottom as needed. Turn mixture out onto lightly floured board and roll slightly rounded teaspoons of dough into balls. Place balls, 1” apart, on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 11-13 minutes, till set but not browned. (The undersides should be lightly browned, and tops should start to crack.) Transfer carefully to wire rack. Place coating ingredients in resealable sandwich bag; seal; shake well to distribute vanilla powder. Carefully toss hot cookies, two at a time, in coating and place back on rack to finish cooling. When completely cool, repeat process for a second coating. Butter balls made with confectioner’s sugar will be more fragile, so handle them very lovingly or you will have cookie pieces instead of cookies. Yield: 24-25

GLAZED COCONUT-ALMOND RUM BALLS

Based on the classic Mexican Wedding Cakes, these Coconut-Almond Rum Balls are a delicious deviation from the norm. I was disappointed that the coconut flavor didn’t come through more, but the toasted coconut on the outside of the cookie makes up for that. Fussy hubby gave these two thumbs up, way up, and he’s not a coconut fan.

If you don’t have, and don’t want to buy, coconut oil, just sub butter. You can also sub vanilla extract for the vanilla powder, if you want. (I’ll have a post coming soon on how to make your own vanilla extract and vanilla powder.) If you’re looking for something a little different for your Christmas cookie tray, try these.

Glazed Coconut-Almond Rum Balls Source: Judy’s Kitchen Rating: 8.5 out of 10 PRINTABLE RECIPE

INGREDIENTS: Cookie: 1 cup toasted slivered (not sliced) almonds 1/4 cup sugar 6 Tbsp. unsalted butter 2 Tbsp. coconut oil (or butter) 1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour 1/4 tsp. sea salt 2-1/2 Tbsp. coconut-flavored rum (or 1/4 tsp. coconut flavor + 1/4 tsp. rum flavor + 2 Tbsp. coconut milk, water or cow’s milk) 1/2 tsp. vanilla powder (or vanilla extract) Glaze: 2 Tbsp. butter 1 Tbsp. cream cheese 1 cup confectioner’s sugar 1 Tbsp. or more coconut-flavored rum (or dash of coconut & rum flavors + milk) 3/4 cup dried sweetened coconut flakes, toasted* Heat oven to 350F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. In work bowl of food processor, combine all ingredients. Pulse several times to mix, then pulse till mixture comes together and forms a dough. Turn out onto lightly floured board. Using rounded teaspoonfuls of dough, roll dough into ball with hands and place on baking sheet, 1” apart. Bake 11-13 minutes, or till dough is set but not browned. Underside of cookies should be lightly browned. Let cookies cool on pans for 2-3 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to finish cooling. Make glaze: In small microwaveable bowl, heat butter & cream cheese on high in 10-second intervals, till melted. Beat in confectioner’s sugar and rum, using enough rum to bring mixture to a thick glaze consistency. Dip tops of thoroughly cooled cookies in warm glaze, then into toasted coconut. Allow glaze to set before storing or freezing cookies. Yield: 30 cookies *To toast coconut, spread flakes onto a pie plate and place in 325F oven. Check coconut after 8 minutes. If edges are starting to brown, stir with spatula to redistribute. Once coconut starts to brown, check it every couple of minutes and stir. It will take close to 20 minutes to completely toast it to a nice golden brown. If it is browning too quickly, turn oven heat down 25 degrees. Cool pie plate on wire rack. Coconut will crisp up as it cools.

$2500 BH&G HOLIDAY WINNER – SANTA’S SPICY GINGERSNAPPERS

This cookie was last year’s holiday prizewinner in BH&G’s contest. After making it, I can see why it won. It’s softly chewy inside, with just the slightest crunch on the outside. The topping (of raisins and pecans) accentuates the additional raisins and pecans on the inside of the cookie. Although the cookie contains orange zest, I couldn’t really taste it. So you can either leave it out or up the amount. Honestly, I don’t think you even need it. And the orange juice in the glaze is also undetectable, so feel free to sub milk, cream or water. Actually, some melted cream cheese icing works very nicely too. The title of the cookie says it’s spicy, but the spice works as an undertone. If you want a really spicy cookie, you’d better up the spices. I liked it just like it was. All in all, this is a cookie worth making. You’ll have trouble staying away from them, because they’re just that good. I made a half batch (17 cookies), but I’m printing the full recipe for you because I think you’ll want all of them.

Santa’s Spicy Gingersnappers Source: Better Homes and Gardens Rating: 10 out of 10 PRINTABLE RECIPE

INGREDIENTS: 1 cup raisins 1 cup unsalted butter, softened 2 cups packed brown sugar 2 eggs 1 Tbsp. chopped crystallized ginger (Increase if you want a spicier cookie) 1 tsp. finely shredded orange peel 1 tsp. vanilla 3-2/3 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 cup chopped pecans 1-1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon (Increase if you want a spicier cookie) 1 tsp. baking soda 1/2 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg (Increase if you want a spicier cookie) 1/4 tsp. ground ginger (Increase if you want a spicier cookie) 1/4 tsp. salt 1 recipe Pecan Topping, below 1 recipe Orange Glaze, below 1. Preheat oven to 350F. Place raisins and butter in food processor; process until raisins are chopped and combined with butter. Transfer mixture to extra-large bowl. With electric mixer, beat in brown sugar, eggs, crystallized ginger, orange peel and vanilla until creamy. 2. In medium bowl, combine flour, pecans, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder,nutmeg, ginger and salt. Gradually beat flour mixture into butter mixture. Mix until well combined. 3. With a 2-Tbsp. cookie scoop, drop dough 4” apart on ungreased cookie sheet. (Note: I used a rounded Tbsp. of dough and lined my cookie sheet with parchment paper.) Flatten tops lightly. Spoon about 1 tsp. pecan topping onto center of each unbaked cookie. 4. Bake 11-13 minutes, until edges are just set. (Note: cookies will be soft and look undone, but they harden as they cool.) Let cool on pan for 2 minutes; transfer cookies to cooling rack. Cool completely. 5. Drizzle cooled cookies with Orange Glaze. Yield: 3 dozen large cookies. (My yield was 34.) Pecan Topping: In small bowl, combine 1/2 cup chopped raisins, 1/2 cup chopped pecans, 3 Tbsp. dairy sour cream and 2 Tbsp. caramel topping. (Note: I used 3 Tbsp. cream cheese + 2 Tbsp. Kraft caramel bits.) Orange Glaze: In small bowl, combine 1-1/2 cups powdered sugar and 2 Tbsp. orange juice. (Or just microwave some cream cheese or butter cream frosting till melted.)