Sweet, tart, mild or juicy? What´s your favorite apple for baking pie? The apple you choose for baking definitely matters! Every apple type has another taste and consistency before and also after it was baked. I prefer the one´s which are sour in taste such as boskoop or elstar. Boskoop is a very old apple variety and belongs to the winter apple type. They turn ripe in late September to mid-October and are available until March. Perfect for baking apple pie these days! The pleasant taste is developed by the juicy fruit pulp, a lot of sugar, but also a sweetness balancing taste of acidity. And after baking? It had a marvelous texture. It held its form, but melted with one bite. These apple cobbler bars are one of my all time favorite coffee treats. I love making these ahead. I mostly have a bunch of them frozen, just in case someone comes to visit spontaneously or I need to bring along some coffee dessert!
For the apple cobbler:
- 500g apples (preferably boskop)
- 50g butter
- 1/2 cup of sugar
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- a pinch of nutmeg
- 2tbs. of rolled oats (give the apple cobbler a nice texture)
- 100g of raisins (as you prefer)
- juice from one large lemon
Peel and core the apples and cut them into halves. Roughly grate them using a grater. Melt the butter in a medium sized pot, add the sugar and let it caramelize for a couple of seconds. Now add the apples, the cinnamon and nutmeg, the raisins, the lemon juice and the rolled oats. Stir the apple mixture well and bring it all to a simmer over medium temperature. Have it simmer for approximately 5 minutes. Then remove from the stove and allow it to cool out!
For the dough:
- 800g all purpose flour
- 250g butter
- 200g powdered sugar
- 2 eggs
- zest of one organic lemon
- a pinch of salt
- 1-2 tbs. of milk
- 1 egg, whisked for brushing
Combine all ingredients in an electric mixer or combine in a bowl and knead by hand. This is a typical pie crust dough. So combine the flour with a pinch of salt, the lemon zest and the powdered sugar. You want to cut that butter in very thin slices and knead it into the flour mixture very well. Knead as long as no lumps remain anymore. Crack in one egg after another and also add the milk. Knead until the dough turns out firm and all ingredients are well incorporated. Place the dough in your fridge for about 15-30 minutes. Then half the dough and lay each half (one after another) on a floured surface to roll it out just to fit the shape of your baking tray.
Spread all of the apple mixture on top of the crust evenly. Cover the apple layer with the over rolled out dough. Brush the top of the crust with one whisked egg and bake for about 30 minutes until the top has turned golden brown. After baken you should let them cool out. Cut them into squares. I usually serve them right away, but they can be stored in a box up to a week. I also like to freeze them and defrost them spontaneously.
Enjoy!
xx
Nadja
