Dorie's Custardy Apple Bars

I'd been paging through my copy of Dorie Greenspan's newest cookbook, Baking Chez Moi, trying to decide which recipe to try first, when I happened to see her on TV promoting the book.  She was demonstrating this delicious recipe for Custardy Apple Bars.  I loved the way she described them and that pretty much sealed the deal for me.  I made them the next day and we absolutely loved them.    

Dorie Greenspan's Custardy Apple Bars

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 3 medium juicy, sweet apples, such as Gala or Fuji, peeled and cored

• 1/2 (68 grams) all-purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 2 large eggs, at room temperature

• 1/3 cup (67 grams) sugar

• Pinch of fine sea salt

• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

• 6 tablespoons whole milk at room temperature

• 2 tablespoons (1 ounce; 28 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

• Confectioners' sugar, for dusting (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400F and place rack in center position.

2. Butter an 8x8-inch square baking pan; set aside.

3. Use a mandoline to slice apples 1/16-inch thick.

4. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder; set aside.

5. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, and salt for 2 minutes, until the sugar dissolves and the color of the eggs is pale.

6. Add the vanilla, milk, and melted butter.

7. Add the reserved flour mixture and continue to whisk until batter is smooth.

8. Use a spatula to gently fold the apples into the batter, being sure each apple gets coated.

9. Pour mixture into prepared pan and pat into as even a layer as you can (it will level as it bakes).

10. Bake for 30-40 minutes until the apples turn golden brown and a knife inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

11. Cool cake on baking rack for 15 minutes before cutting.

12. Slice and dust with confectioners' sugar if desired.

Notes

• I prefer these bars served at room temperature, but they're also good served warm or cold right out of the fridge.  

• Pears may be substituted for the apples. 

Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Who doesn't love chocolate chip cookies?  We're big fans and I have a family favorite recipe, but I recently stumbled upon a really interesting technique for making really big, really soft, really chewy CCCs that piqued my curiosity so I thought I'd share them with you. 

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Mmmm. Look how big these cookies are. Let’s make some, shall we?

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The dough is super easy to mix by hand.

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I usually use a #50 scoop for cookies, but these cookies are much larger - they use a #20 scoop.

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Sally suggests chilling the dough well before using a scoop to portion the dough, but I scooped it first, then chilled.  Either way, chilling the dough anywhere from 2 hours to 3 days is very important (be sure to cover it well with plastic wrap to prevent it from drying out in the fridge).

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When it's time to bake the cookies, use the heat of your hands to roll the cookie dough into smooth balls.

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Then shape each of the dough balls into a barrel shape - they should be a bit taller than they are wide. Place 3 chocolate chips on top of each (not necessary, but doing so will look nice then the cookies are done). Place on prepared sheet pans; bake and cool as directed.

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Yum!

Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

makes 12 cookies

Printable Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups (280 grams) all purpose flour

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch

• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt

• 3/4 cup (170 grams) unsalted butter, melted

• 3/4 cup (135 grams) light brown sugar, loosely packed

• 1/2 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar

• 1 large egg, room temperature

• 1 egg yolk, room temperature

• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

• 1 cup (180 grams) chocolate chips or candy coated chocolate pieces (or a combination thereof)

• 48 chocolate chips for decoration (optional)

Directions 

1. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cornstarch, and salt; set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the melted butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until smooth.

3. Whisk in egg, egg yolk, and vanilla.

4. Pour the wet ingredients into the reserved flour mixture and mix with a spoon or spatula until well combined.

5. Fold in the chocolate chips and/or candy coated chocolate pieces.

6. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and chill for anywhere from 2 hours to 3 days (Sally says this step is mandatory).

7. When it's time to bake the cookies, preheat oven to 325F and prepare 2 half sheet pans with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

8. Allow the cookie dough to sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes.

9. Use a #20 scoop to measure out each cookie (the cookies are big - about 3 tablespoons each).

10. Use the warmth of your hands to roll each dough portion smooth and shape into a ball, and then into a barrel (so the dough is a little taller than it is wide - that way they'll puddle into perfect mounds while baking).

11. Place 8 portions of dough on each sheet pan and top each with 3 chocolate chips as shown. If dough gets too soft, chill for several minutes before baking

12. Bake cookies, one sheet pan at a time, in the center of the oven for 11-12 minutes.

13. Remove from oven and allow cookies to rest on hot sheet pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to finish cooling (don't be alarmed if the cookies look underbaked when they're removed from the oven).

adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction.