Co-op Apple Crisp

This is a recipe I've used a million times. I generally do it by feel, just throwing in some oats and flour and sugar and cinnamon and adding butter to make it delicious. As for the title, I've been a member of a co-op for the last 3 and a half years and have made this recipe countless times in that co-op kitchen, usually in batches big enough for a hundred people or so! So let's get to the recipe!

The apples in the pan, tossed with cinnamon and sugar.

Here's the topping- basically looks like crumbs.

And here's the crisp ready for the oven!

Co-op Apple Crisp
-4-6 large apples, sliced
-cinnamon and sugar
-1- 1 1/2 cups flour (can be whole wheat, part or all)
-3/4 - 1 1/4 cups sugar (white or brown)
-2 - 2 1/2 cups oats
-1 stick to 1 1/2 sticks (1/2 cup-3/4 cup) butter, melted
-cinnamon
Grease a 7x11'' or 9x13'' pan, or adjust the recipe to whatever size you need. Preheat the oven to 375 F.
Toss the apples with the cinnamon and sugar then put in the greased pan.
Toss together the flour, sugar, oats, and some more cinnamon Pour over the butter and stir well.
Put the crumbs all over top of the apples.
Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until apples are fork-tender, at 375 F.

Here's the crisp all baked up- crunchy on top and tender underneath!

Up-close of the finished crisp- yum! Delicious with milk or vanilla ice cream!

Savor it!
love, rue

Hot Pretzels

Hello! Today's post is primarily pictures from my mom. She made some delicious hot pretzels while I was at home, and I wanted to share the pictures and recipe with you.

Here's the dough in the mixer- see how it's clumped on there?

Here's the dough out of the mixer, ready to rise.

And the dough after rising- so much bigger!

Here's the turned out dough before shaping...

And the pretzels being boiled for about 30 seconds a side.

The pretzels after shaping and boiling.

And the pretzels just before baking- brushed with an egg wash and sprinkled with salt!

And the finished pretzels! Bake at 450 until golden.

And here's the recipe! Just go by feel and enjoy.

Those are all the details I have for now, so go adventure in the land of soft pretzels! They're super easy, I promise!

Savor it!
love, rue

Gingerbread Bars

Hello! I made these gingerbread bars as quick and easy as anything and just positively filled the house with delicious smells. These bars are spicy and dark and delicious, and easy to make!! A double win, in my book! On to the recipe and pictures of what I did...

Here's the batter, all finished up- it'll be pretty thick.

And here are the bars ready for the oven- I did several smaller pans for easier sending through the mail!

Gingerbread Bars
-1 1/4 sticks butter (3/4 cup)
-3/4 cup brown sugar
 -7 tablespoons sugar
-2 eggs
-1/4 cup molasses
-2 cups flour
-2 teaspoons ginger
-1 teaspoon cinnamon
-1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
-1/4 teaspoon cloves
-1/2 teaspoon baking soda
-1/2 teaspoon salt
Grease a 9x13'' pan, or several smaller ones, even muffin tins. Preheat oven to 350 F.
Cream together the butter and sugars. Then mix in the eggs and molasses. Stir in the dry ingredients until uniform.
Put batter in pan(s) and bake until a toothpick comes out clean, 30 or so minutes for a 9x13'' pan, but it'll vary based on your oven temperature, etc. so just keep an eye on it!
Optional: once cool, sprinkle with confectioner's sugar.

The finished bars!! See how they're just beginning to pull away from the edges of the pans? Just right.

Savor it!
love, rue

Lime Bars

Hi again all!!

I made these lime bars for a friend as a holiday present and they were apparently all gobbled up at 2am because they were so good! I call that a success story (though moderation can be good too, ha!). So let's get on to the pictures and the recipe- it's super easy!

Here's the prepared pan- the grease helps hold the parchment paper in place, and the parchment paper allows you to get the bars out of the pan much easier, so leave some overlap on two of the sides for lifting out!

And here's the crust, make sure to press it a little ways up the sides.

And here's the filling- I just whipped it up with a fork, super simple!

Lime Bars
-2 cups graham cracker crumbs
-1/3 cup melted butter (5 1/3 tablespoons)
-2 egg yolks
-1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk (I use fat free)
-1/2 cup lime juice
Grease an 8'' square pan, and line one way with parchment paper (check out picture) and re-grease.
Mix together the graham cracker crumbs and butter and press into your prepared pan.
Mix together the egg yolks, sweetened condensed milk, and lime juice.
Pour filling into crust.
Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes. Chill at least 1 hour before serving.

Here are the bars ready to go into the oven...

And here are the finished bars! See how the filling has set and the crust has browned lightly? Perfect!

Savor it!
love, rue