Apple Roll

Happy New Year to all Bag-makers and bag-lovers!

My first recipe of the year is my version of a yummy apple roll we had at Ikea a weeks ago. I couldn't let it pass and wanted to try it and to present it. It is very simple, just Apples, sliced almonds, a bit, really a bit of sugar, some cinnamon and pre-made Puff Pastry (welcome if you want to make your own. I didn't want to risk it, so I bought a pre-made pack with I've had no troubles at all).

So here it is the recipe, and I hope you enjoy it. Serve warm with some warm vanilla sauce, or whipped cream (I recommend the vanilla sauce, hmmmmm going to have some later this afternoon!).

Ingredients:

• 3 Medium Sized Apples
• 1 package Pre-Made Puff Pastry
• 1 Tbsp Margarine
• 2 Tbsp Sugar
• 3 Tbsp Sliced Almonds
• 1 tsp Vanilla powder
• 1 tsp Cinnamon powder to decorate

Preparation:

Leave your Puff Pastry roll outside to reach room-temperature. If its frozen, let it defrost naturally in your fridge or outside. For best results, follow instructions in your package.

Clean carefully your apples. Remove the core and peel them off. Cut the apples in halves, and slice each half in pieces aprox. 1/4 inches (1/2 cm) thick. Reserve.

In your clean working area, carefully extend the puff pastry roll (leave its protective paper, this will protect the pastry from sticking to your table).

Once its extended, use your cooking brush to paint the puff pastry with previously melted margarine. Reserve the rest of the margarine.

Mix sugar and vanilla powder in a small bowl. Sprinkle the surface of the pastry you just painted with margarine. Spread the sliced almonds in all the surface.

Now lay the apple slices covering all the pastry surface. Leave a small space on the side you're going to begin to roll, and a bigger space on the side you will finish, or close your roll.

Carefully and not that tight, begin to roll, covering the apples and closing both ends of the roll to avoid apple pieces to fall out. Be sure to work slow but steady, and to remove carefully the protective foil from the pastry as you roll it.

Close the roll, rolling it over the bigger space reserved to close it. Carefully lay the roll in your baking tray (prepared with baking paper). Be sure that the closing is below the roll.

Paint with the rest of the margarine. Mix the cinnamon with the rest of the sugar. Sprinkle this sugar-vanilla-cinnamon mix over the roll.

Bake at 200°C /392°F for 25-30 minutes, or until the surface turns golden-brown.

Serve warm and accompany with warm vanilla sauce, or whipped cream.

Enjoy!

Lemon Cookies

Ahh December! Christmas! COOKIES! Yep! more cookies!, we can't get enough of them, and nothing is better than freshly baked, homemade lemon flavored cookies!

This time I just made the classic german Mürberteig, or as we call it, the 3-2-1 dough, which is just Flour, butter and sugar on specific proportions, that makes a soft dough and crunchy cookies. I added Lemon skin, mixed and after 15 to 20 minutes, we have delicious cookies to share, or to give as presents, or just to enjoy them!

Ingredients:

• 300 gr./11 oz. Flour
• 200 gr./ 7 oz Butter
• 100 gr. / 3.5 oz. Sugar (I normally use less sugar, around 80 gr./ 2.8 oz.)
• 1 egg
• 1 Tbsp. Lemon zest

Preparation:

Mix the flour, sugar and butter very well in a bowl, until the butter is well combined with the flour and sugar.

Then add the egg and knead until the dough is soft but firm, not sticky but not crumbling. Have some extra flour at hand as you will need to add a bit to your hands when kneading.

Then spread some flour to your working area, and to the rolling pin. Stretch the dough until you have 5mm /1/4 in. thick dough.

Cut your cookies with your cookie cutters. If you don't have cookie forms, just make a roll of 5 cm / 2 in. aprox. and using a very sharp knife, cut your cookies 5mm / 1/4 in. thick cookies.

Place them in your baking plate and bake them on 180°C/356°F for 15-20 minutes.

When they are a bit bright brown on the borders, they are ready. Take them out and let them cool down. Then eat and enjoy!

Vanillekipferl - Vanilla crescent

Here comes another typical recipe from the wide range of options for Christmas cookies that are baked in almost every home in Germany during this festive days. Vanillakipferl, or Vanilla Crescent have to be my favorite ones... just LOVE THEM!

They are crunchy and at the same time dissolve in the mouth. Not that sweet in this recipe, and the taste of nuts with vanilla makes them a delight no-one should miss. And they are SO easy to make! -one of the easiest cookies I've ever made!

Ingredients:

• 100 gr Flour (I used whole grain)
• 150 gr Corn Starch (Maizena)
• 1/4 tsp Baking powder
• 110 gr Confectioners sugar
• 3 egg yolk
• 200 gr Soft butter or Margarine
• 125 gr Grounded Hazelnuts or Almonds (I made them with Hazelnuts)
• 1 tsp Vanilla extract (liquid or powder)

Preparation:

Preheat the oven in 180-200°C (356°F - 392°F). Mix the flour with the corn starch and the baking powder. Sieve and pour in a bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix first with your mixer using the kneading hook in slow speed first then on the highest speed.

Once all is mix and you have a consistent dough, place it in your working table and knead with your hands until you have a soft dough, like if you were making bread. If your dough is too sticky, add some flour to your working area and to your hands and continue kneading until it is soft and not sticky anymore. You can also place it in the freezer for some minutes.

Take a very small portion of the dough and form the crescent form (or half moon) and place them in your baking plate, previously prepared with baking paper.

Bake for 20 - 25 minutes (check constantly as every oven is different).

When ready, let them cool down (I just had to get them out to our balcony for about 5 minutes, it is so cold, snowy and windy over here right now!) and then sieve some confectioners sugar over them.

Munch them and enjoy!

Choco-Crunch Pralines

Last weekend, while making late lunch, I decided on the run, to make some of the most delicious and easiest pralines, candy or crunchy treat I've ever had. I don't know what name to give to them, as the official commercial name owned by Nestle is Choco-Crossies and they are very very well known here in Germany. It is nothing but Cornflakes and Chocolate. So I decided to call them Choco-Crunch Pralines.

As I just mentioned, they are known and loved by the Germans. I always see people getting them in the supermarkets, and particularly, my husband's family love them. So, some time ago I decided to give it a try and it was so easy to make that I started experimenting with other classical additions that enhance the Choco-experience.

Last weekend I decided to make to kinds. First with dark Chocolate, I added Nougat (Hazelnuts-Cocoa cream), and Chopped Hazelnuts, and the second kind, with White Chocolate, Almonds and Coconut. Easy, quick, and delicious... Last day they were all gone!

Ingredients:
(many many portions, 2 baking plates full)

For the dark Chocky-Crunchy Praline:

• 100 gr Dark Couverture Chocolate
• 50 gr CornFlakes
• 100 gr Nougat (Hazelnuts-Cocoa cream)
• 2 or 3 Tbsp Chopped Hazelnuts

For the white Chocky-Crunchy Praline:

• 100 gr White Couverture Chocolate
• 50 gr CornFlakes
• 2 or 3 Tbsp Chopped Almonds
• 2 or 3 Tbsp grounded Coconut

Preparation:

In different bowls, melt in the microwave -carefully not to burn them- the Dark and White Couverture Chocolate. As well if needed, the Hazelnuts Nougat. You can also do it in your stove only in water-bath. But trust me, it is way easier and faster in the Microwave. Just some seconds and you're done. Once Chocolate and the Nougat are melted, comes the fun!

Grab one bowl for the dark Pralines and another for the white ones. Drop in the cornflakes, and each ingredient on each bowl. Add the corresponding Chocolate and mix energetically until the cornflakes are covered with the chocolate. (Reserve some of the chopped hazelnuts and the grounded coconut for later).

Now get 2 of your oven baking plates or any other big surface plate, cover it with baking paper (or aluminium foil or any non-sticky surface) and with 2 tablespoons, make little "hills" as seen on the photos. Don't worry for its irregular form, that makes them look much more home-made. To the Dark Choco-Pralines, let fall some Chopped Hazelnuts over them for decoration. To the white ones, add the grounded coconut.

Let them cool down in your fridge, or right now in the northern hemisphere, you can just leave them outside (covered) to cool down. Here at home, at around 6 pm, I placed them in my balcony garden-table, and they were cold and ready to be eaten in 10 to 15 minutes!

To store them, you can store them in a cookies can outside your fridge. They keep hard enough as any other good chocolate. About how long does they last? I don't really know, because every time I make them at home, they don't last more than 2 days... they are delicious!! And a last short tip: they are EXCELLENT for Christmas times!