Lunchbox Multigrain Apple Crisps - vegan & gluten free

There's been a revolution in lunches here at Chez Sweets. 

I started playing with this idea over the summer, and I'm really happy about it. There are actually a couple of ideas at play, but the main one is that you can bake individual desserts - the kind that don't travel as well as a brownie or a cookie - in the relatively recent generation of storage containers. These are glass containers that are labeled as oven safe and come with tightly fitting lids. All parts are dishwasher safe, which is an excellent quality in any lunch container. 

My mom found these glass Anchor containers for me when I first started wondering out loud about the concept, and they are pretty great. They're a nice size (1 cup), sturdy, and very packable (and not just with crisp). Full disclosure - Anchor has no idea who I am or that I am writing about their product. I just like them. 

One of the other ideas at play is that of trying to make lunches more exciting/more delicious/something to look forward to. I am happy to say that a cinnamon spiced sweet apple crisp is a sure-fire way to do so. My lunch mates this week have been happy to help themselves to a bite or two. I am dreaming of translating other recipes the same way. 

You don't have to make this for your lunchbox, of course. Make them in small ramekins, and voila, you have individual desserts. Serve them for guests with a dollop of whipped cream (and perhaps a decorative sprinkling of cinnamon?) for instant accolades. They are also totally healthy enough to have for breakfast. 

I've already waxed on about the portability concept, but I don't want to neglect the crisps themselves (it's bad for their self esteem). These multigrain apple crisps are super yummy! The apples are soft and sweet, and the crisp provides great contrast, not only in terms of texture, but also in flavor. The nutty and cinnamony crunch is delightful. So go forth and bake! You probably already have all the ingredients on hand. Just think how much better your brown bag lunch will look.

Lunchbox Multigrain Apple Crisps - vegan & gluten free

adapted from Smitten Kitchen

For the nuts - any will work. Pick your favorite! For the pictured batch, I used pecans, but it was a tough internal struggle deciding between those and walnuts. Almonds or hazelnuts would also work well, as would an equal volume of a nut meal or flour. If you have oat flour on hand, substitute a quarter-cup of that for the first quarter-cup of rolled oats.

For the flour - again, any will work. Crisps are wonderfully forgiving in that way. The flour doesn't really bind things together with gluten here, so you can use your favorite regular, wheat, white whole wheat, nut, gluten free, or any other flour of choice. I'm thinking that rye flour might be a fun option next time. 

For the oil - I used olive oil, but you could certainly use any other vegetable oil, melted butter, melted coconut butter, or some combination thereof. I haven't tried it, but I suspect something like walnut oil would also be a yummy choice. 

Makes 8 small crisps

4 large or 5 small-medium apples (about 2 pounds)
1 Tbsp cornstarch
3 Tbsp plus 1/4 C raw, Turbinado (often sold as Sugar in the Raw) sugar, or Sucanat
1/4 C plus 3/4 C rolled oats (be sure to use certified gluten free if making for gf folks)
1/4 C sliced or slivered nuts of your choice (see note)
1/2 C whole wheat flour (or a mix; see note)
1/4 C light or dark brown sugar (I used Sucanat)
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

pinch or two of nutmeg
Two pinches sea salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 C plus 1 Tbsp olive oil (see note)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Arrange either eight 6-ounce or six 8-ounce ramekins or oven-safe food storage containers (I love these) on a baking tray. Peel, halve and core apples. Dice them into somewhat small pieces - about .5-inches. Smaller pieces have several advantages; you can squish more fruit into each container, they will bake faster, and they will deflate or sink less as they cool. Toss apples with 1 tablespoon cornstarch and 3 tablespoons raw sugar or Sucanat until evenly coated. Divide apples evenly between baking dishes.

Grind 1/4 cup oats with nuts in a food processor until powdery. In a medium bowl, us a fork to whisk oat/almond mixture with remaining rolled oats, wheat flour, remaining 1/4 cup raw sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, sea salt and baking powder. Keep using the fork to stir in olive oil until crumbly. Divide crumbs over each dish of apples, packing them on with your palms if needed to get them all on (don’t worry, the apples will deflate a bit when they bake- see photos). If you use fewer than eight containers, you will probably have extra topping. Not to worry - save it in the freezer, and pull out anytime you want to make a couple of individual crisps with whatever leftover fruit you have on hand.

Bake apple crisps for about 30 to 40 minutes, or until you can see the juices from the apples bubbling up around the crumbs. If you start to worry about the over browning of the top, put a sheet of foil over the whole tray for remaining baking time. Let cool on rack and serve when lukewarm. Store remaining crisps in fridge. Enjoy at room temperature, or give them a quick blast in the microwave to serve warm. 

Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Cookies - vegan

Yesterday evening, while I was mixing calzone dough for dinner, I started daydreaming about cookies. Then, on top of the cookie craving, I realized it had been a while since my last batch - last year, in fact. Clearly, a pressing problem, a situation, a wrong that needed to be made right. So today, which here in the Bay Area has brought March in like a lion, I made cookies. Personally, I think these could even fall into the current trend of breakfast cookies because they are legitimately not bad for you. Good for you, even.

These cookies have a bit of an outer crunch, they are super soft in the middle, and the apples provide surprising bursts of, well, apple, that are really only surprising if you're not the cook.

Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Cookies - vegan
adapted from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian
I made half this recipe and ended up with about 3 dozen cookies. I don't see why it couldn't be doubled for a party, and the dough should freeze beautifully if you want to make up a big batch and save some for later.

1/2 C vegetable oil*
1/2 C sugar
1/2 C brown sugar
1/4 C unsweetened applesauce
1 1/2 C flour
2 C rolled oats
1 1/2 C chopped dried apples (about 5 ounces)
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
pinch of salt
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 C nondairy milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
up to 1/2 C cinnamon chips, optional**

Preheat your oven to 375F.

Use an electric mixer to cream together the oil and sugars. Add in the applesauce and beat to combine.

Combine flour, oats, apples, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder in a bowl. Alternating with the milk, add the dry ingredients to the batter a little at a time, and mix to combine. Stir in the vanilla and cinnamon chips, if using.

Drop tablespoon-size globs of dough onto ungreased or parchment paper lined baking sheet 1or 2 inches apart (mine didn't spread much). Bake for 11-14 minutes- if you like softer cookies aim for 11 minutes, longer if you like slightly crunchier cookies.

Remove from oven, and cool a few minutes on the baking sheets before transferring the cookies to a wire cooling rack. Wait until they're cool enough not to burn, and then, quick, pop one in your mouth before anyone counts.

*Bittman suggests a neutral oil, like grapeseed or corn, but I used olive oil and it worked well. Admittedly, it's not the best olive oil out there, so it's flavor isn't as pungent as some.

**Chocolate chips would (obviously) also work. I used these guys from King Arthur Flour, but it looks like Hershey's makes some. They may be available in your regular grocery store??

Apple Tart - vegan & gluten free

Valentine's Day always shouts raspberries, and I'm really curious why. Maybe, in combination with their color, it's because fresh raspberries in February are such a luxury, such an indulgence, that their cost proves the intensity of your love. (It makes me think of oranges at Christmas in the Little House series. Anyone else?)

To be fair, I am all for raspberries (and love). BUT, and there's always a but, I am not willing to pay, or have someone I love, pay $6 or $7 for a 6 oz clam shell. Nuh-huh, no way, not on my watch. 

For the locavores amongst us, unless they live in the tropics, raspberries are not even an option. So I'm starting a campaign: Apples for Valentine's. You can use red ones if it makes you feel more festive, but, really, apples are a much more reasonable choice today. 

This was my first tart, and I was pretty pleased with the result. Luckily, my cousin and his family thought so too. I always get nervous taking something untried to gatherings, but I hoped that since it looked good and smelled good, it would also taste good (it did).

I hope that you try this, and, more importantly, I hope that you have someone you can shower some affection on today. Because it really is good to give.

Apple Tart - vegan & gluten free

Graham Cracker Crust - vegan & gluten free
2 Tbsp sugar
6 oz broken graham crackers (1 of the the 3 packages inside a box)*
OR
6 oz gluten free broken gingersnaps**
4 Tbsp vegan butter, melted, plus more as necessary

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the sugar and graham crackers/cookies. Pulse until the crackers are crumbs, and slowly add the butter, stirring or pulsing, until well blended. If the crumbs are not all moistened, add a bit more butter. Distribute the mix fairly evenly in the bottom of a 9-inch (ish. there seem to be a lot of sizes out there! this is a pretty flexible crust recipe) pie or tart pan. Press the mix down along the bottom and sides.

If the pie or tart recipe you are using (this one!) calls for prebaking, heat your oven to 350F. Bake the crust for 8-10 minutes- just until it starts to brown. Cool on a rack before filling; the crust will harden as it cools.

*I use cinnamon graham crackers because they make the crust that much more awesome
**I have found these at Whole Foods and maybe one or two other local and/or hippie grocery stores. I could not find anything suitable at my neighborhood Safeway, but maybe you are lucky enough to do so. Depending on the sweetness of the cookie, you may be able to reduce the amount of sugar you mix in. I think some sort of almond cookie would also be delicious here

Apple Tart - vegan & gluten free
2-3 lbs tart apples*
1-2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1-2 Tbsp vegan butter, plus more if necessary

Prebake your crust (see above), and start on your apples while it's in the oven. When the crust is done, set it aside to cool, and turn the oven up to 375F.

Peel and core the apples, and then cut them into thin - like 1/8-inch thick - slices. Here is a great time to use that mandoline your mom got your for Christmas (just watch your fingers!). Toss them well with the lemon juice so they don't turn brown. Arrange the apples in concentric circles in the tart shell, with the circles overlapping. I found it was easier to start from the outside, but you may have better luck starting from the inside.** Sprinkle the top with sugar and cinnamon, and then dot with butter (more or less than the listed amount above will work just fine).

Put the tart pan on a baking sheet and bake about 40 minutes. Apples will be quite soft, but they will still look like apple slices. Cool on a rack for about 20 minutes. Serve alone, with ice cream, or some fresh berries.

*I used Granny Smith. McIntosh would also work. In addition, please note that while my uncooked photos look like I used a lot of apples, the baked tart looks almost naked. Silly me didn't think about the apples shrinking during baking. Pack in your apples!
**Perhaps it's a right v. left-handed thing? or clockwise or counter-clockwise? I'm not sure. I also think you may want to do a whole flat bottom layer of apples and then start your circles on top of that.

Vegan Applesauce Cookies

These cookies are comfort food. They're not fancy, they're not strongly flavored, and they are super easy to put together. They also happen to smell delicious while baking. So far, I don't really like March 2011, so comfort food cookies are my perfect antidote. I can also practically count them as a fruit (I totally could if I also made my own applesauce).

I'm not going to lie, I like the ones with chocolate chips the best (I made 3 kinds: plain, chocolate chip, dried cranberries. I don't do nuts). It's not really a fair fight, since chocolate is pretty much a rockstar. They are the most cookie-like. The plain and dried cranberry versions are kind of like mini muffins. So, not bad at all, and definitely breakfast-qualifying.

Vegan Applesauce Cookies
1/2 C vegan butter
1/2 C brown sugar (packed)
3/4 C unsweetened applesauce
1/2 C all-purpose flour
1/2 C white whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
chocolate chips/chopped walnuts/dried cranberries (optional)

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.

Cream the butter and sugar. Mix in the applesauce. Add the flours, baking soda, baking powder, and spices to your bowl and blend thoroughly. Stir in any add-ins.

Drop generous teaspoonfuls of the dough onto your parchment covered baking sheet 1-2" apart. Bake for 9-10 minutes. Let them cool somewhat on the cookie sheet, and then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes:
If you use regular butter, add a pinch of salt.

Feel free to use some other ratio of the flours, all whole wheat, or 100% all purpose. I just like sneaking in the whole wheat.

If you're not going to eat all of these within a day or two, they can be frozen for later.

Vegan & Gluten Free Apple Cranberry Pie

This week turned really cold really fast. Fast enough for there to be thunderstorms the other night that were windy enough to knock down formerly happy trees. So I wanted something warm and comforting that was delicious, not overly complicated, and easily made without braving the grocery store. (Have you noticed that grocery stores get crazier and crazier the closer we get to Christmas? It makes me not want to go, and grocery shopping is my favorite chore. It's a bummer, but maybe I'll vacuum instead?)

Oh yeah, and sweet. I wanted sweet.

Official Taster is big into pies, and apple is his favorite. Apple is not my favorite, and I don't like crust that much, so the standard double-crust apple pie is relatively low on the dessert list. But, since I'm awesome, and since OT has been feeling a bit under the weather, I decided I could get on board with a baked apple pie-like thing.

I've mentioned before that fruit crisps are one of my favorite things, so I chose to use my favorite topping on the apples and dress them up with some dried cranberries. One of these days I'll make a homemade pie crust, but, in the meantime, store bought does just fine.

Vegan Apple Cranberry Pie

1 premade pie crust (both vegan and gluten free are available)
6 Cups-ish apples, peeled, cored, and sliced thin (5-6 medium apples)
1/2 C sugar
1/4 C cornstarch
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 C dried cranberries
lemon juice

For the topping:
1/2 C flour
3/4 C brown sugar
6 tbsp chilled vegan butter, cut into half inch pieces
1 C quick oats
gluten free: see the notes below


Prepare the pie crust according to directions on the package. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix sugar, cornstarch, nutmeg, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Stir in the apples and cranberries. Drizzle a little bit of lemon juice over the bowl and mix again. Transfer the fruit to the pie crust.


In a food processor, blend the flour, sugar, salt and butter with several on-off pulses or only until the mixture looks like a coarse meal. Add the oats and pulse a few more times to break them up.


Spread the topping over the fruit and bake for 45-60 minutes, or until the top is a nice golden brown. 


Notes:
I used the juice of about half a lemon since I had a fresh one left over. It's probably totally optional, and you could also use juice from a bottle. 


I didn't use enough apples because I was lazy. I only used four. As you can tell from the pictures, it's a pretty small layer, so you should use more. 


Want to make this gluten free? Click here for the post with the wheat free topping recipe.

Easy Strawberry Jam (for real)

'Tis the season for excess fruit! With all the bounty that's starting to appear at farmers' markets and in grocery stores, if you're anything like me, you're seduced every time you shop and end up with more than you can eat or bake. That's where jam comes in handy! Freezer jam, that is. It doesn't involve canning and you can do small batches. It stays good for up to a year (6 months according to some) in the freezer and for about a month in the fridge.

Vegan Apple, Strawberry, and Blackberry Crisp

The farmers' market was a success! Even though it was cold and cloudy (yes, really) and I couldn't find what I specifically was looking for, I did find the makings for a delicious vegan fruit crisp. Crisps are definitely one of my favorite desserts, and sometimes I even like them better than cake (shh don't tell my mom). They are easy to put together, don't get lots of stuff dirty, and taste good pretty much no matter what. Exact measurements aren't as critical as in cakes, either. And, so, without any further ado: