130307 – Oats ‘n Honey Apple Crisp (w/caramel sauce!)
OMG. I am never going to waste time making a crispy cobbler topping ever again. This was the easiest cobbler I have ever made and it was the best. The cobbler itself intentionally has (comparatively) very little sugar added, so the caramel topping goes really well with the tartness and texture of the cobbler.
[Serves 6-8]
Granola Bar Apple Cobbler
- 1 C all-purpose flour
- scant 1/4 C sugar (i used about 1/8 C here)
- Pinch of salt
- 4 T unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 10-12 pieces
- 2 C Oats ‘n Honey granola bars smashed up into pea size pieces (3 packages – just use a cooking utensil to smash them up in the bag)
- 6-8 Granny Smith apples, cored, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch pieces
- 1/4 C honey
Caramel Sauce
- 1 cup (210 g) of sugar
- 2 Tbsp (85 g) butter
- 1/2 C heavy whipping cream
Method
- Make the sauce: Heat sugar in a heavy saucepan over medium-high heat until it turns a amber color (close to the final product above). Once all the sugar is melted, vigorously stir in the butter to combine. As soon as the butter is mixed in, remove the pan from heat and wait 3 seconds. Gradually and vigorously stir in cream and keep stirring until it is all mixed in. Transfer to a seal-able heat proof container and let the caramel cool at room temperature.
- Make the cobbler: Preheat the oven to 350°. Combine sugar, flour, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Using your fingers, incorporate the butter into the mixture. Then add the granola bits.
- In the baking dish, toss apples and honey. Sprinkle on the topping and bake for 1 hour, or until the topping is golden and the filling is bubbling. Let cool for 20 minutes, then serve with caramel sauce.
Reheat the caramel in it’s container over a pot of boiling water.
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130226 – Salted Caramel Brownies
Oh yeah… Thank you, Smitten Kitchen. I just slightly adjusted the ingredients to simplify the items I had to buy, and to make it a little less bad for you. They are still extremely rich and delicious!
Caramel
- 1/2 C granulated sugar
- 2 T unsalted butter
- Heaped 1/4 t sea salt
- 2 T heavy cream
Brownie
- 3 ounces very dark chocolate (~70% cocoa), roughly chopped
- 4 T unsalted butter, plus extra for pan (notice you use less than a stick of butter for the whole thing – Smitten calls for 1 1/2 sticks!!)
- 2/3 C granulated sugar (Smitten called for 1 Cup of sugar here – after making them I think it could be further reduced to 1/2 Cup)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 t vanilla extract
- 1/4 t sea salt
- 2/3 C all-purpose flour
Make caramel:
- Smitten prepares parchment on a plate here – I ended up pouring the caramel directly on the plate and it worked out fine… I’m in Guatemala and didn’t want to buy parchment for the sake of one little dessert.
- In a medium, dry saucepan over medium-high heat, melt your sugar, stirring to break up large chunks, until it has turned a nice copper color.
- Remove from heat and quickly and carefully stir in butter. It may not incorporate entirely but do your best.
- Stir in cream and salt and return saucepan to the stove over medium-high heat, bringing it back to a simmer and melted again any sugar that solidified. Cook bubbling caramel for a few minutes more, until it is a shade darker.
- Pour out onto a large plate and transfer plate to your freezer. Freeze until solidified, which takes about 20 minutes.
- To separate the caramel from the plate, one swift yet careful hit with a utensil to the middle of the plate did the trick.
Meanwhile, or when your caramel is almost firm, make your brownies:
- Heat oven to 350°F. (Again, Smitten calls for parchment – not necessary!) Grease a 9 x 11 baking dish with butter or cooking spray (sides too).
- In a medium heatproof bowl over gently simmering water, melt chocolate and butter. Off the heat, whisk in sugar, then eggs, one at a time, then vanilla and salt. Stir in flour until just mixed – you don’t want to over stir the flour.
- Assemble brownies: Chop the caramel it into rough 1-inch squares. Gently fold all but a small amount of caramel bits into batter. Scrape batter into prepared pan, spreading until relatively even. Scatter remaining caramel bits on top. Bake in heated oven for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Cool thoroughly before cutting.
two skinny jenkins 