Wintry apple bake with double ginger crumble

 from: smitten kitchen

Ingredients

For the filling

• 3 large, firm, tart baking apples (680g to 775g total or 1½ to 1¾ pounds)
• zest and juice of ½ lemon
• ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
• a few gratings of fresh nutmeg
• a pinch of ground cloves
• 2 tsp (10ml) brandy, or 1 tsp (5ml) vanilla extract
• 40g (3 tbsp) granulated sugar
• a pinch of salt

For the topping

• 150g (about ⅔ cup) unsalted butter
• 50g (¼ cup) demerara sugar
• 50g (¼ cup) granulated sugar
• ¼ tsp coarse or sea salt
• 1½ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• 260g (2 cups) plain flour, or more if needed
• 1 tbsp (10g) finely chopped candied ginger, or more to taste (optional)

Method

Heat the oven to 375*

Peel, halve, and core your apples. Cut each piece into 1-inch wedges. Arrange these in the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.

In a small bowl, combine the lemon zest and juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, brandy, sugar, and salt. Pour the mixture over the apples, and toss the pieces so that they’re coated.

Make the crumbs

Melt the butter in a large bowl or saucepan. Stir in the sugars, then add the salt, baking powder, and ground ginger. Stir in the flour and candied ginger. Clumps of dough should easily form; if not, add another tablespoon of flour, and stir again.

Sprinkle the crumble on top of the prepared apples.

Bake the crumble

Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the crumble is lightly browned and apples poked with the tip of a knife have no resistance.

Crispy short rib carnitas with sunset slaw

from Smitten Kitchen 

INGREDIENTS

  

Carnitas

• 3 pounds bone in short ribs
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 orange juiced
• 2 limes 1 1/2 juiced save the other half for slaw
• 5 garlic cloves unpeeled

Slaw

• 3 cups red cabbage finely shredded
• 1 carrot peeled, coarsely grated
• 2 scallions
• 1/4 cup cilantro roughly chopped
• kosher salt
• 1 dollop mayonnaise
• dash hot sauce (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

 

Short Ribs

• preheat the oven to 275'F. Combine the salt and chili powder in a small dish. Spread this mixture all over the short ribs. Arrange the ribs in a dutch oven or similar as long as the dish is taller than the ribs. Pour the orange juice and lime in the bottom of the dish, scatter the garlic around the ribs. Cover the dish with the cover or tightly with tinfoil. Bake slowly for 2-2 1/2 hours. The meat should be tender, the fat rendered. The meat should be starting to separate from the bones.
• Remove the cover and increase the heat to 425'F. Basting the ribs with the pan juices once or twice for 15-20 minutes. You want the edges crispy and browned.

Slaw - make while waiting for the ribs to finish

• Toss the cabbage, carrot, salt and lime juice together in a bowl. Set aside for 5 or so minutes, the slaw will be easier to work with. Stir in the scallions, then the mayo and hot sauce if you are using it, adjust the seasoning and then add the cilantro.

finishing up the ribs

• Discard the bones, pick off any large chunks of fat, then lightly shred the meat into a dish. pouring the extra pan juices over it.
• You can squeeze the garlic out into a small dish and smear on the tortilla or save for later

Assembling

• heat the corn tortillas for 20-30 seconds on each side. Pile a small amount of shredded short rib meat on top. either add slaw to the top or on the side. If desired top with chopped white onion, cilantro, squeeze of lime. you do you

Chocolate Peanut Butter Blondie Brownie Bars

 from: half baked harvest

6TBS melted butter

1 (13.9 oz) box brownie mix

4 eggs

10 TBS butter (room temp)

3/4 C creamy peanut butter

1 C. brown sugar

1 TBS vanilla

2 C. Flour

1 tsp baking powder

2-3 chocolate chips

flakey sea salt for serving

Preheat oven to 350* grease 9 x 13 dish

Make brownies- whisk together brownie mix, melted butter, 2 eggs, 1 TBS water. transfer batter to dish.

Make the blondies- combine 10 TSP butter, 1/2 C peanut butter and microwave on high until melted. stiring every 30 seconds. stir in sugar and 2 eggs and vanilla. add flour and baking soda and chocolate chips.

layer peanut butter dough on top of brownies batter. Bake for 25 minutes. sprinkle blondies with flakey salt and let cool completely. 

Smitten kitchen gooey oat bars

 From smitten kitchen 

These were so good! Chewy, rich and a bar! 

Ingredients

• Non-stick cooking spray

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (230 g)

• 1/2 tsp fine sea salt, or table salt

• 3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp cold unsalted butter (200 g)

• 1/3 cup granulated sugar (65 g)

Filling

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter (115 g)

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar (100 g)

• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar (145 g)

• 1/4 tsp fine sea salt, or table salt

• 3 large eggs

• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla

• 1 1/3 cups rolled oats (105 g)

• 1/2 cup finely shredded coconut, sweetened or unsweetened (optional)

• 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips, chopped white or dark chocolate, candy bars, dried fruit, or a mix thereof (with the dried fruit, a mix with chocolate is best or the sweetness of the fruit will be overwhelming)

• Icing sugar, to finish

Instructions

• Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottom of a 9-x-13-in. baking tray (a quarter sheet pan or cake pan is fine) with parchment paper (if using a cake pan, hang the parchment over the sides so the bars are easier to remove). Lightly coat the sides with nonstick spray.

• Combine the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor. Cut the butter into chunks, and add it to the bowl, then run the machine until the mixture forms large clumps—that’s right, just keep running it; it might take another 30 seconds for it to come together, but it will. Transfer the dough clumps to the prepared baking pan and press them evenly across the bottom and 1/4 in. up the sides. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until very pale golden.

• Meanwhile, prepare the filling. Melt your butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Continue to cook the butter, stirring frequently, until golden brown bits form at the bottom, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the sugars and salt. Let cool for 5 to 10 minutes, then whisk in the eggs, one at a time, and the vanilla, and stir in the oats, coconut (if using), and chocolate, fruit, and/or candy.

• Pour over the parbaked crust, spreading evenly.

• Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until the top is firm and golden and the bars are set or, at most, barely jiggle if shimmied. The bars are much easier to cut cleanly from the fridge, but they are gooiest when warm. Dust with powdered sugar before serving or selling for the prettiest finish.