I always like to bake Todd a treat at the weekend. Because we are both retired, the weekend can easily blend into our weeks, so I like to do something which marks these two days apart from the other five. It is so easy to lose your weekend when you are not working any longer. I try to mark Saturday and Sunday as still being special days in our lives.
For the most part (with a few exceptions) I only bake at the weekend. Sunday is set apart because that is the day we go to church. We don't shop on Sundays or order takeaways, we have designated Sunday as our day of rest.
I usually try to make Todd something special to enjoy with his early morning cuppa. I am not one much for hot drinks, but Todd he is so British . . . . he really needs his morning hot cuppa.
That can be a barley cup, or a hot chocolate, sometimes an herbal tea. So long as it it wet and hot, he is happy. Adding a tasty bake into the mix increases his joy factor two-fold!
Especially when it is something as delicious as these Apple Pie Danish! Yum yum!
These quick and easy drop Danish are bound to become a real favorite of yours as well. I confess they use a prepared Baking Mix. I make my own from scratch and keep it in the freezer (as it is sometime I don't use really often.) You can find my recipe for that mix here.
If you are not keen to make your own from scratch, you can use Bisquick or Tea Bisk, which is what I used to use many moons ago. Do they even still make it? Or has Bisquick taken over?
You add some sugar and cinnamon to the baking mix and then you cut in some butter. Milk is stirred into give you a thick yet still drop-able mixture. Not as thin as cake batter, but not so thick that you feel the need to roll it out.
You then drop the dough by heaped dessert spoons onto a lined baking sheet. If you look at these spoons above the second spoon from the left is a dessert spoon. (The others are from left to right, Soup, Tea and Coffee spoons.)
I use a small damp teaspoon to make a dip in the center of each mound of dough. I dampen it so that the dough doesn't stick to it. Makes it a lot easier.
The center is filled with chunky applesauce. I make my own but you can use any good store brand chunky applesauce. If you want to make your own you can find my recipe here.
I like it to be a bit chunky so I don't mash the apples up too much. It is lightly sweetened. You can add cinnamon and nutmeg to it, but I like it just plain.
You spoon a bit of this applesauce into the hollows and then you bake them. Don't be overly generous with the applesauce, but don't be stingy either. Bear in mind that sauces like this can expand when baking, especially if they have sugar in them.
You bake them for about 15 minutes, until they are puffed and golden brown all over and especially on the bottoms.
Scoop them off onto wire racks to cool just a bit and then glaze with a cinnamon glaze. Easy peasy.
Todd really REALLY enjoys these. I think apple anything is his favorite thing!
Yield: 12
Author: Marie Rayner
Apple Pie Danish
ingredients:
- 280g of baking mix (2 cups)
- 1/4 tsp each cinnamon & ground nutmeg
- 2 TBS sugar
- 65g of butter, softened (1/4 cup)
- 156ml milk (2/3 cup)
- chunky applesauce (about 1/4 cup)
- 1/4 tsp each cinnamon & ground nutmeg
- 90g icing sugar (2/3 cup confectioners sugar)
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg (optional)
- 1 TBS warm water
- few drops vanilla extract
instructions:
How to cook Apple Pie Danish
- Preheat the oven to 220*C/425*F/ gas mark 7. Lightly butter a baking sheet.
- Measure the baking mix, sugar and spices into a bowl. Whisk to combine. Drop in the butter and using a fork, cut it in until crumbly. Stir in the milk. You should have a nice stiff but drop-able dough. Drop by rounded dessertspoons onto the prepared baking sheet, leaving 2 inches between each one. Using the back of a damp spoon make a well in the center of each. Drop one heaped teaspoon of applesauce into each well.
- Bake for 10 to 15 minutes until golden brown, and browned on the bottoms. Remove from the oven. Whisk together the glaze ingredients until smooth. Drizzle this over top of the danish while still warm and serve immediately
I confess that I really enjoy them also, even if I really shouldn't. I know . . . . Me<----- little="" nbsp="" no="" or="" p="" willpower.="">
Up tomorrow: Pork Fried Rice and Chicken Tenders with Oriental BBQSauce.