Autumn is my favorite season of the year. Not just because the temperatures are now getting cooler, but also because it contains some of my favorite smells and flavors! Pumpkins, apples, warm baking spices like cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and ginger.
Don't get me started on the smell of autumn leaves and that beautiful crispness in the air!! Yep, I am officially a girl who just loves autumn!
To celebrate the first day of Autumn, I decided to bake some of my favorite cookies, Applesauce Cookies. Oh I do so love a good applesauce cookie or cake! Don't you?
This recipe is a small batch recipe and makes only 18 delicious cookies. I got the recipe from the cookbook by Debbie G Harman entitled, Cooking for Two, a collection of quick and easy recipes sized just for two.
I love this book and have had it for quite a while. Published in 2007 by Covenant Communications. All of the recipes in the book are pretty basic for the most part and sized for the smaller family. They use simple ingredients and methods.
It is filled with charming illustrations and script. I think it would make a great gift for a young couple just starting out and it is the perfect book for a set of empty nesters or singletons who don't want complicated food or cooking in their lives on a day to day basis!
The applesauce cookie recipe was one which I had flagged for quite a while now. I love anything applesauce, especially cookies and cakes! Autumn is the perfect time to enjoy them!
These are soft and cake-like moist cookies, crisp around the edges and studded throughout with plenty of toasted pecan nuts and sticky sweet raisins. Nicely spiced with just the right amount of cinnamon and cloves for a lovely warmth. The glaze is my own addition.
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE APPLESAUCE COOKIES
Plain simple storecupboard and baking cupboard ingredients. There is nothing complicated or out of the ordinary here!
For the cookies:
- 1/2 cup (125g) unsweetened applesauce
- 1/2 tsp baking soda (bicarbonate)
- 1 cup (140g) plain, all purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1/2 cup (115g) butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup (100g) sugar
- 1 large free range egg well beaten
- chocolate chips, toasted nuts, or raisins to taste (I added 1/2 cup of toasted nuts and 1/2 cup of raisins)
For the glaze:
- 1/4 cup (50g) soft light brown sugar, packed
- 1/4 cup (60g) butter
- 2 TBS heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup (45g) icing sugar, sifted
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
You know those lunch box sized containers of applesauce? They are just the right size for this recipe. I used one container of it and it worked beautifully. Un-spiced and unsweetened.
Make sure all of your ingredients are at room temperature and you won't have any problems. It is easy to bring an egg to room temperature. Simply place it into a bowl of really warm (not hot) tap water. Leave for 2 to 5 minutes and the egg should be okay.
I used granulated sugar. I use the organic unbleached sugar that you can get at Costco. But you can use any granulated sugar. Its simply a personal preference for me.
I always like to toast my nuts before baking with them. Just pop them onto a baking sheet and toast for 8 to 10 minutes in a moderate (350*F/180*C) oven. Leave to cool and then use as per the recipe.
Toasted nuts just taste nuttier. You can toast them a whole bag at a time and then store them in your freezer. Its not a bad idea to store your nuts in the freezer anyways. This keeps them from going rancid and prevents waste!
You can use any kind of toasted nut. I used pecans. I did not add any chocolate chips, but you certainly can. I think regular or even white chocolate chips would be nice. Oh, and butterscotch chips? Heavenly!
HOW TO MAKE APPLESAUCE COOKIES
These are a real simple, quick and easy make. As I said the glaze was my own idea. You can leave it off entirely if you wish, but it really adds a delicious touch.
Preheat the oven to 400*F/s00*C/ gas mark 6. Line a large baking tray with baking parchment. Set aside.
Stir the baking soda into the applesauce and leave it to sit while you cream the butter, sugar and egg together. Sift the flour, cinnamon and cloves together.
Beat the applesauce mixture into the creamed mixture. Add the dry ingredients and stir well together. Fold in the nuts, raisins, etc. as desired.
Drop by heaped spoons (I used a cookie scoop) onto the baking sheet, leaving plenty of space in between.
Bake in the preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes. They are done when they are golden brown on the bottom and a toothpick inserted into one comes out clean.
Leave on the cookie sheet for about 5 minutes then scoop off onto a wire rack to cool completely.
To make the glaze, melt the butter, sugar and cream together in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring until the sugar has completely dissolved. Take off the heat. Whisk in the vanilla. Leave to cool for a few minutes before sifting in the icing sugar and cinnamon.
Using a spoon drizzle this mixture over the cookies in a decorative manner. Leave to set before serving.
Store in an airtight container with wax paper between the layers. Will keep up to 4 days, should you have them so long.
These were really lovely cookies and had a really old fashioned flair to them. They reminded me very much of the kinds of cookies that my grandmother, mother and aunts used to bake. There is nothing pretentious here!
These are the perfect cookie to enjoy with a nice cold glass of milk, or with a hot cup of tea or coffee. They would be perfect for dessert along with a nice scoop of vanilla ice cream! They would also be really wonderful wrapped up in wax paper and tucked into lunches!
APPLE JACK COOKIES - Apple Jack is a type of cider that was popular during the American Colonial age. The only thing these cookies have in common with them is the name and apples. There is no cider in these cookies! Think of your favorite chocolate chip cookie . . . crisp edged, with a buttery and chewy almost caramel like texture. Studded throughout not with chocolate chips but sweet chunks of eating apple. Delicious!
APPLE CIDER DONUT WHOOPIE PIES - These Apple Cider Donut Whoopie Pies are a real favorite around here! No surprise there. The cakes are lovely and light and moist with beautiful spicy flavors. Cinnamon and nutmeg for the most part, but a touch of cloves and ground ginger. Rolled in butter and a spiced sugar after baking, once cooled they are paired together with a lush cream cheese frosting. Oh so delicious!
Yield: about 18 cookies
Applesauce Cookies
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 11 MinInactive time: 10 MinTotal time: 31 Min
These soft cake-like cookies taste just like autumn with their apple and warm baking spice flavors. The crunch of toasted pecans and the sticky sweetness of raisins add to the pleasure of eating these. I added a caramel fudge drizzle. All I can say is wow!
Ingredients
For the cookies:
- 1/2 cup (125g) unsweetened applesauce
- 1/2 tsp baking soda (bicarbonate)
- 1 cup (140g) plain, all purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1/2 cup (115g) butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup (100g) sugar
- 1 large free range egg well beaten
- chocolate chips, toasted nuts, or raisins to taste (I added 1/2 cup of toasted nuts and 1/2 cup of raisins)
For the glaze:
- 1/4 cup (50g) soft light brown sugar, packed
- 1/4 cup (60g) butter
- 2 TBS heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup (45g) icing sugar, sifted
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400*F/s00*C/ gas mark 6. Line a large baking tray with baking parchment. Set aside.
- Stir the baking soda into the applesauce and leave it to sit while you cream the butter, sugar and egg together. Sift the flour, cinnamon and cloves together.
- Beat the applesauce mixture into the creamed mixture. Add the dry ingredients and stir well together. Fold in the nuts, raisins, etc. as desired.
- Drop by heaped spoons (I used a cookie scoop) onto the baking sheet, leaving plenty of space in between.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes. They are done when they are golden brown on the bottom and a toothpick inserted into one comes out clean.
- Leave on the cookie sheet for about 5 minutes then scoop off onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- To make the glaze, melt the butter, sugar and cream together in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring until the sugar has completely dissolved. Take off the heat. Whisk in the vanilla. Leave to cool for a few minutes before sifting in the icing sugar and cinnamon.
- Using a spoon drizzle this mixture over the cookies in a decorative manner. Leave to set before serving.
- Store in an airtight container with wax paper between the layers. Will keep up to 4 days, should you have them so long.
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com
Thanks so much for visiting. Do come again!
Rice is a fabulous and economical side dish. Every time I cook it I ask myself why I don't cook it more often. It is something which I really enjoy.
It was not something we got very often when I was a child, and more often than not if we did get it, it was the instant cook rice. You know the one I mean. You add equal amounts of dry instant rice and boiling water, cover and let sit for 5 minutes.
It was something I did cook often when my children were growing up. It made a change from noodles or potatoes and they really enjoyed it. We often had it with sweet and sour meatballs or a stir fry dish.
I also liked to cook Spanish Rice for them. They enjoyed that also. I always used the recipe from the Fanny Farmer Cookbook.
The Fanny Farmer cookbook was one of the very first cookbooks I bought myself. I bought it even before I was out of high school. I think I have worn out three copies of it through the years. It is a standard in my kitchen.
The recipe for Spanish Rice which I am sharing with you today has been adapted from one I found in this book, Retro Recipes from the 50's and 60's by Addie Gundry. It is a book I have had for a couple of years now.
I had flagged this recipe and have only now just gotten around to cooking it. I did take the liberty of cutting the measurements down so that it feeds only 2 to 3 people, but can give you the full measurements if you would like them.
It appealed to me as it was slightly different from the Spanish Rice recipe which I have always cooked. It appeared to be a bit spicier. I am always game to try new things. I loved that it also included peas. I love peas with rice. They are great partners.
Spanish Rice is a popular recipe from the South West of North America, and is also called Mexican rice, largely due to the use of traditional Mexican spices, etc. In all truth, rice isn't actually native to Mexico. It was brought to the country by the Spaniards in the 1500's. Since it is the Spanish who introduced the Mexicans to rice it has taken on the name of Spanish Rice.
Spanish Rice makes for a delicious and hearty mid-week side dish that the whole family will love. Not only is it quick and easy to make, but it is also versatile.
Mostly a side dish, you can also easily amp it up to create a main dish, simply by adding ground cooked meat, such as beef, turkey or even sausage. I have also used leftover cooked beef or chicken in Spanish Rice with great success.
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE EASY SPANISH RICE
There is nothing complicated about this recipe. You use simple, ordinary, every day ingredients. It seems like a long list of ingredients, but most of them are herbs, seasonings and spices.
- 1/2 TBS light olive oil
- 1/2 small onion, chopped
- 1 TBS chopped jalapeno pepper (optional)
- 1 clove of garlic, peeled and minced
- 1/2 cup (63g) raw, long grain white rice
- 1/2 tsp chili powder (mild, North American style)
- 1/4 tsp ground cumin
- 1/4 tsp dried oregano leaf
- 1/2 cup (120ml) chicken broth
- 1/2 cup (120ml) tomato sauce (passata)
- 1/2 cup (70g) frozen peas, thawed
- 1 small tomato diced
- 1 heaped dessertspoon of tomato salsa (optional)
- hot sauce as desired
- salt and black pepper to taste
If you are in the UK, don't be tempted to use regular chili powder. The chili powder used here is North American style and a lot less potent than the UK version. I remember I had not been long in the UK when I made some potatoes using chili powder.
I used a whole TBS of it as I usually did and blew the tops of our heads off. If you are in the UK, use a much smaller amount or use Spanish Smoked Paprika in its place. This is also spicy, but not near as nuch.
The tomato sauce referred to in the recipe is NOT tomato ketchup. Don't make that mistake. In North America tomato sauce is a completely different ingredient to ketchup. Typically sold in jars or cans it is thicker than tomato juice, but not quite as thick as spaghetti sauce.
It is often used as an ingredient in making spaghetti sauce. In the UK, feel free to use tomato passata or water with tomato puree added to make up the same amount. I repeat do NOT use ketchup.
Use regular long grain rice. Uncooked. You can use other kinds of rice but you may have to adjust the cook times and maybe even the amount of liquid used in the recipe. Refer to the package of rice and judge accordingly.
HOW TO MAKE EASY SPANISH RICE
This really is an easy dish to make. I would go so far as to call it a real doddle!
Heat the oil in a medium skillet over moderate heat. Add the onion, jalapeno and garlic. Cook, stirring, for one minute until very aromatic.
Add the rice. Cook, stirring, for about three minutes, until the rice becomes translucent. Stir in the dry herbs and cook for one minute longer.
Add the chicken stock and tomato sauce. Bring to the boil. Reduce to a low simmer. Cover and cook for 20 to 25 minutes, until the rice is tender.
Stir in the frozen peas and remove from the heat and let sit covered for 5 minutes to heat the peas through.
Stir in the salsa and hot sauce and season with salt and black pepper to taste. Serve hot.
I just use a very mild tomato salsa. My hot sauce of preference is Green Tabasco. It is not as spicy as the regular Tabasco and I quite like the flavor, which is very Mexican to me.
You can leave out the jalapeno and add chopped green peppers for color if you wish. Its up to you.
This really is one of my favorite side dishes. You can freeze any leftovers in an airtight freezer container and thaw them out to use as a side dish on another occasion. To use, simply thaw overnight in the refrigerator and then reheat in a buttered pan over medium heat until heated through.
It goes very well with just about any kind of grilled, fried or roasted meats, fish or poultry. We always liked it with chicken. On this particular occasion I enjoyed mine with some leftover cooked chicken and a salad on the side. It went down a real treat!
If you are a fan of rice as a tasty side dish, do check out the following recipes I have shared on here in the past:
OVEN BAKED FRIED RICE - This easy dish makes the perfect mid-week side dish! There is no need to precook the rice ahead of time. Nor the vegetables. You simply stir everything together in a baking dish, cover and bake, leaving your hands free to get on with something else. Easy peasy. I also like this recipe because it uses ingredients that I normally have on hand, so its a great store-cupboard recipe as well!
BAKED MUSHROOM RICE - This baked rice dish is a mix of rice, stock, thyme and garlic powder is put into the bottom of a casserole dish and covered with a thick layer of garlic mushrooms. There is no need to cover the dish as the layer of mushrooms serves as a sort of a jacket for the rice, covering it . . . the juices running down and mingling with the stock and rice beneath it as it cooks. This is one very delicious side dish.
Yield: 2 - 3 servings
Easy Spanish Rice
Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 30 MinTotal time: 35 Min
This was a very popular recipe when I was a child. It was delicious then, it is delicious now.
Ingredients
- 1/2 TBS light olive oil
- 1/2 small onion, chopped
- 1 TBS chopped jalapeno pepper (optional)
- 1 clove of garlic, peeled and minced
- 1/2 cup (63g) raw, long grain white rice
- 1/2 tsp chili powder (mild, North American style)
- 1/4 tsp ground cumin
- 1/4 tsp dried oregano leaf
- 1/2 cup (120ml) chicken broth
- 1/2 cup (120ml) tomato sauce (passata)
- 1/2 cup (70g) frozen peas, thawed
- 1 small tomato diced
- 1 heaped dessertspoon of tomato salsa (optional)
- hot sauce as desired
- salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a medium skillet over moderate heat. Add the onion, jalapeno and garlic. Cook, stirring, for one minute until very aromatic.
- Add the rice. Cook, stirring, for about three minutes, until the rice becomes translucent. Stir in the dry herbs and cook for one minute longer.
- Add the chicken stock and tomato sauce. Bring to the boil. Reduce to a low simmer. Cover and cook for 20 to 25 minutes, until the rice is tender.
- Stir in the frozen peas and remove from the heat and let sit covered for 5 minutes to heat the peas through.
- Stir in the salsa and hot sauce and season with salt and black pepper to taste. Serve hot.
This content (written and photograph) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at mariealicejoan at aol dot com.
Thanks so much for visiting! Do come again!
Red meat is not something I eat very often. It is a rare treat. I think one of my favorite cuts (Aside from the tenderloin) has to be the Brisket. I think pound for pound, penny for penny, this is one of the most delicious pieces of beef that you can enjoy.
When I was living in the UK, Brisket was very common and often available rolled and tied, to be used for a pot roast. Whenever I did a roast, this was what I used more often than not.
It is not so common where I live. I hardly ever see it. I did find a small piece one day in the local Sobey's store and I snapped it up and put it into the freezer. It was only 1/2 a kilo in weight, so not a very large piece, but I knew it would be large enough for me.
I was moving some things around in the freezer last night and spied it and thought to myself, I am going to cook that tomorrow and so I took it out and that is just what I did. It was not a rolled brisket like I was used to getting in the UK, but a flat one.
Generally speaking, Brisket is one of the cheaper cuts of beef, although in all honesty I don't think any beef is cheap these days! It comes from the lower chest area of the animal, which means that it is a very highly used muscle. It is what is known as a "Primal Cut."
Other primal cuts include loin, flank and rib. All cuts that I enjoy. Usually the brisket has a fat cap on top, unless its been removed. This is helpful in basting the meat.
It can have a tendency to be tough if it isn't cooked properly, which is the same with any of these primal cuts. Long and slow cooking is the key to cooking a piece of meat that is tender and juicy.
One thing I really love about Brisket is that even with a long slow cooking, unlike other cuts of meat, you can still cut it in thin slices without it falling apart or shredding, which makes it ideal for sandwiches and the like, and makes for a much nicer presentation.
I saw a recipe for cooking a flat brisket on a page called Cafe Delights. It looked really tasty, all tender and juicy. She actually gives three methods of cooking it. In the slow cooker. In the Insta-Pot and in the oven.
Because my piece of meat was much smaller than most, I decided to take the oven route. I adapted all of her timings and additional ingredients to reflect the smaller size of my own piece of meat.
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE A JUICY BEEF BRISKET
Other than the meat you only need a few other simple ingredients.
For the meat and seasoning:
- 1 pound beef brisket (approximately 1/2 kg.)
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp cracked black pepper
- 1/8 tsp ground cumin
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
- 1/2 TBS light olive oil
- 1/4 cup each beef broth and water (120ml each)
For the Sauce:
- 1/2 cup (120ml) your favorite BBQ sauce
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 1/2 TBS soft light brown sugar
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/4 tsp salt
As I said, my beef was only a little more than a pound in weight, and flat not rolled. If you have a rolled brisket, you could certainly un-tie it and un-roll it and cook it in the same way as this.
These are all spices I regularly have in my spice cabinet. I did use some cayenne. Not the full measure as I am not overly fond of a lot of heat. I do think you could use smoked paprika with excellent results as well. This would also give you a bit of heat, so you could leave the cayenne out altogether.
This special rub of spices that you make and rub into the meat is where the flavor begins! This helps tastiness penetrate right into your meat, so don't stint on the spice or leave them out.
The BBQ sauce I used was the regular Bulls Eye BBQ sauce. You can use any kind of BBQ sauce which you enjoy.
Have you ever heard the story of where Worcestershire sauce got its name? This guy was travelling and he stopped at a pub for lunch. The lunch came with this delicious savory sauce to spritz over top. He had never tasted it before and said to the Landlord, "Wots this here sauce?" ba-da-boom!
haha I know, don't quit my day job!
HOW TO MAKE A JUICY BEEF BRISKET
This is such a simple method of cooking the brisket. It basically cooks itself. I like that.
Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Whisk all of the spices together for the meat, along with the olive oil. Rub this all over the meat.
Whisk all of the ingredients together for the BBQ sauce/glaze.
Place the meat, fat side up in a small baking dish. Pour the water and stock around it in the dish. Pour half of the BBQ sauce mixture over top of the meat. Cover tightly with aluminum foil. Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour.
Reduce the oven temperature to 3258F/160*C. Cook for 1 - 1 1/2 hours longer. At this time the meat should be fork tender.
Remove the meat from the oven, uncover, and increase the oven temperature to 400*F/200*C. gas mark 6.
Mix about 2 TBS of the meat juices in the pan with the remaining BBQ sauce. Brush this over top of the meat and pop back into the oven for 10 to 15 minutes until nicely glazed and beginning to char a bit on the edges.
Let rest for 10 minutes so that the meat juices can be reabsorbed into the meat. To serve slice brisket thinly across the grain and serve with any remaining BBQ sauce.
This was absolutely delicious! It was juicy and tender. I couldn't stop picking at it while I was slicing it and getting it ready to photograph.
I served it as is, thinly sliced with some of the extra BBQ sauce spooned over top, a baked potato on the side and some cheeky Cheese Slaw. It was a fabulous meal!
If you love Brisket as much as I love Brisket, you might also enjoy the following:
SLOW BRAISED BRISKET SANDWICH WITH QUICK PICKLED ONIONS - This is a fabulous sandwich. The meat is slow roasted in a small covered roasting tin with some stock, balsamic vinegar, onions, garlic and a few herbs until it is melt in the mouth falling apart. Shredded and mixed with the pan juices and served on a crusty baguette along with some tangy sweet home pickled red onion for a real tasty treat!
BRAISED BEEF BRISKET WITH CARROTS - This is one of my favorite ways to cook it . . . Boeuf Aux Carottes . . . or Braised Beef Brisket with Carrots. Browned on top of the stove and then oven braised with onions, bacon lardons, carrots, bay leaf and other aromatics . . . white wine. The end result being a deliciously tender roast, with a fabulous au jus and wonderfully flavored carrots that you could almost mash into the juices for an extra tasty gravy!!
Beef Brisket
Yield: 2 with leftovers
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 2 H & 45 MTotal time: 2 H & 55 M
Juicy Beef Brisket, slow cooked to perfection and basted with a mouthwatering BBQ glaze. This is fabulous.
Ingredients
For the meat and seasoning:
- 1 pound beef brisket (approximately 1/2 kg.)
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp cracked black pepper
- 1/8 tsp ground cumin
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
- 1/2 TBS light olive oil
- 1/4 cup each beef broth and water (120ml each)
For the Sauce:
- 1/2 cup (120ml) your favorite BBQ sauce
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 1/2 TBS soft light brown sugar
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/4 tsp salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Whisk all of the spices together for the meat, along with the olive oil. Rub this all over the meat.
- Whisk all of the ingredients together for the BBQ sauce/glaze.
- Place the meat, fat side up in a small baking dish. Pour the water and stock around it in the dish. Pour half of the BBQ sauce mixture over top of the meat. Cover tightly with aluminum foil. Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 3258F/160*C. Cook for 1 - 1 1/2 hours longer. At this time the meat should be fork tender.
- Remove the meat from the oven, uncover, and increase the oven temperature to 400*F/200*C. gas mark 6.
- Mix about 2 TBS of the meat juices in the pan with the remaining BBQ sauce. Brush this over top of the meat and pop back into the oven for 10 to 15 minutes until nicely glazed and beginning to char a bit on the edges.
- Let rest for 10 minutes so that the meat juices can be reabsorbed into the meat. To serve slice brisket thinly across the grain and serve with any remaining BBQ sauce.
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com
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