There are fewer desserts that conjure up patriotism like the all American apple pie. But before you start singing the National Anthem, apple pie is not as American as you might think. The first apple pies were made in 14th century England. While the basic ingredients were almost the same as the modern day dessert, there were some pretty significant differences. The pastries for the original pies were inedible and used as a container to hold the filling inside. Also, sugar was omitted from the ingredient list as it was very expensive and not readily available so many spices like cinnamon and saffron were used to create a sweet flavor. Apple pie was first documented on U.S. soil after the pilgrims brought apples to the continent and it continues to be a favorite dessert for holidays and patriotic celebrations.

For a dessert that has had so many transformations, apple pie is a classic dish perfected by grandmothers and culinary experts alike. Today’s apple pie is sweet and flaky and rich. The ingredient list can be short or extensive with a lattice crust or closed top. This recipe is very simple and resembles the original pie with very basic ingredients combined to meld simple flavors into a big taste. Serve warm from the oven with vanilla ice cream.

Ingredients

6 – 7 small apples
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp butter
prepared double pie crust

Directions

1. Peel, cored and thinly slice apples.

2. In pie dish, lay bottom layer of prepared pie crust down.

3. Mix sugar and cinnamon in bowl, set aside.

4. Layer apples in pie dish. Sprinkle each layer with cinnamon sugar mixture.

5. Top final layer with small pieces of butter. Cover pie with the second crust.

6. Bake at 450°F for 10 minutes. Then reduce heat to 350°F and bake for 35 more minutes or until the pie is golden and bubbly.

Enjoy!

If there is a dessert that screams Southern cuisine it has to be pralines. The buttery, melt-in-your-mouth candies have been perfected in Southern states like Louisiana and Georgia, but the treat hasn’t always been a Southern delicacy. Pralines first originated in France during the 17th century. The first pralines were made with almonds instead of pecans and were made for French dignitaries. Throughout the years, they were often given as Christmas gifts and were enjoyed on special occasions. These days, you can enjoy them year round in cities like Savannah and New Orleans where many bakeries and candy shops specialize in making the sweets.

Anytime you make your own candy, you need to allow room for error. There is a feel to candy making that only comes with practice. With that said, do not be discouraged! Pralines are simple to make and one of the foolproof candies. Make sure to watch your candy thermometer and do not cook past the soft ball stage and your pralines will be good enough for those New Orleans candy shops. Or even a French dignitary!

Ingredients
1 cup whole pecans
1 1/2 cup sugar
6 tbsp butter
3/4 brown sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla

Directions

1. Line a baking sheet with buttered foil. Prepare an ice bath in the sink.

2. Combine the first six ingredients in a large saucepan over medium heat.

3. Heat to a boil. With a candy thermometer, heat to 234° F (approximately 3 minutes from boiling point).

4. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.

5. Place saucepan in ice bath and stir mixture until the color lightens and the texture thickens.

6. Drop by spoonfuls onto foiled baking sheet. Cool.

There can be no more flavourful combination worthy of tickling your taste-buds than the classic pairing of peanut butter and chocolate. It is, in a word, perfection, and the very thought of such a wonderful partnership is enough to make your mouth water with anticipation.

So how can we get this delightful culinary treat on the go, short of grabbing a spoonful of peanut butter, slathering it in chocolate sauce and running out the door? Why, with the compactness of a cookie of course! Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip cookies – the salvation of any desperate sweet tooth. This handy little recipe, compliments of Easy-Cookies.com.

The Things You’ll Need:

Courtesy of SanFranAnnie

1/2 cup butter (softened or melted)
1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup peanut butter (the creamier, the better)
2 eggs and 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips (but nobody will scold you if you throw in a bit extra)

The Things You’ll Need to Do:

1. Preheat your oven to 350F.
2. Mix together butter, both sugars, salt and peanut butter (mmm!)
3. Add in the eggs (beaten), vanilla, flour and baking soda.
4. (The best part!) Add in the chocolate chips.
5. Roll the dough into generous dollops and place onto a greased cookie sheet, making sure to space them evenly apart.
6. Flatten, either with the palm of your hand, a spoon, or the bottom of a glass.
7. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.
8. Hey presto! Allow to cool, and you’re done!  Easy as pie, but delicious like a cookie!

photo courtesy of Magnolia Bakery

A lot has been said about New York City’s most popular bakeries. But things change on a yearly basis, so let’s see who’s baking the most delicious desserts in NYC this year! In random order!

If your favorite is not on the list, leave us a comment! We’d love to hear your nominations!

***

MAGNOLIA BAKERY – is often credited with starting the modern day cupcake craze with their signature pastel colored, buttercream-frosted versions. Magnolia Bakery specializes in old fashioned baked goods including red velvet cake, icebox cake, and banana pudding.

Location: With four bustling store fronts –two of which have opened in the past year– owners Steven and Tyra Abrams have made Magnolia’s in-demand pastries and desserts more accessible to New Yorkers and, with the Rockefeller Center location, tourists as well.
- 401 Bleecker St. , New York, NY (Downtown)
- 1240 Avenues of the Americas, New York, NY (Rockefeller Center)
- 200 Columbus Ave., New York, NY (uptown)
- Grand Central 107 East 42nd Street, New York, NY

***

RUBY ET VIOLETTE – is a New York City bakery and café that specializes in handmade, small batch gourmet chocolate chunk cookies, brownies and cookie dough ice creams.  The company is owned by three sisters; they offer exquisitely detailed gift and bakery boxes filled with their sinful treats which they send across the country as indulgent presents.

Reminiscent of a charming Parisian café, it features an old fashioned tin ceiling, black and white marble floors and custom artwork.  Customers can also enjoy an espresso bar, homemade drinking chocolates, and small batch cookie dough ice creams and sorbets.

Location: Manhattan-ites can indulge a sweet tooth on any given Tuesday through Saturday at Ruby et Violette’s café, located at 457 West 50th Street, in New York City’s Hell’s Kitchen.

***

5th AVENUE CHOCOLATIERE: is a family-owned business that specializes in macaroons (the best!!), matzo for Passover, the most fabulous gourmet truffles  and other baked goodies. They have over 12,000 different molded shapes and sizes and have been around for over 40 years.

Location: You can visit them at 693 Third Avenue and 11 Madison Avenue at 24th Street in New York and a factory which produces everything in Valley Stream Long Island. At the Long Island Location, they do tours where they let everyone learn about the chocolate making process, dip your own strawberries and other goodies.

***

LITTLE CUPCAKE BAKESHOP: is a highly successful carbon neutral bakery in Brooklyn, NY. They specialize in cupcakes, cakes, pies, puddings, cookies and more. They also exclusively serve Illy coffee and espresso, widely regarded as the finest coffee in Europe.

Their products and carbon neutral mission have received massive acclaim from New York Times, Fox News and many others. Little Cupcake Bakeshop, blends the lively spirit of a bygone generation with the youthfulness of contemporary culture and design.

Location: 9102 Third Avenue in Brooklyn, New York

***

BABYCAKES NYC : specializes in refined sugar-free, wheat-free, gluten- free, soy-free, egg-free, vegan and kosher sweet treats. Their innovative and delicious desserts made them one of the most talked-about bakeries in New York City; they have been featured in a lot of printed & online magazines and in TV shows. Erin McKenna, who was diagnosed with wheat and dairy allergies in 2004, is the founder of  BabyCakes ; she is also the author of “BabyCakes: The Cookbook”.

Location: 248 Broome Street (Btwn Orchard & Ludlow), NYC, NY. They also have a bakery in Los Angeles.

***

TWO LITTLE RED HENS, an American Bakery: specializes in gorgeous custom cakes, pies and cupcakes. In a city where cupcakes are available almost everywhere, a trip to Two Little Red Hens is definitely worth it! Their cupcakes and cheesecakes are amongst the best in NYC!

Location: 1652 Second Avenue New York, NY- Upper East Side (86th & 2nd).

***

Also on our list of most popular Bakeries in NYC and definitely worth visiting:

- Madeleine Patisserie – 132 West 23rd Street, New York (6 & 7 Avenues)

- Butter Lane Cupcakes – 123 East Seventh Street, New York

- Sugar Sweet Sunshine Bakery- 126 Rivington Street, NYC

- Billy’s Bakery – 75 Franklin Street (Between Broadway and Church Street)

- Bouchon Bakery - Ten Columbus Circle, Third Floor ( of Time Warner Center), New York

INGREDIENTS

1 roll (16.5 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated sugar cookies
1 cup fluffy white frosting (from 16 oz container)
Yellow gel food color
18 semisweet chocolate chips, cut in half
Yellow candy-coated licorice
Orange candy slices

DIRECTIONS

1.Heat oven to 350° F. Cut dough into 1/2-inch slices. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets.

2.Bake 10 to 12 minutes or unitl edges are light golden brown. Cool 2 minutes; remove to cooling rack. Cool completely.

3.In medium bowl, stir frosting and 2 to 3 drops gel food color until well blended. Frost cookies.

4.Decorate cookies using chocolate chip halves for eyes, yellow candy-coated licorice for feathers and pieces of orange candy slices for beak and feet.

photo and recipe courtesy of Pillsbury.com

Looking for a slice of something refreshing to serve this summer? Why not put a twist on the official Florida state pie – or rather a thick rich layer of meringue topping? Key lime meringue pie is a positively divine deviation from its popular sister recipe, Lemon Meringue, and just as kitchen friendly to make!

To begin with, you will require one ready made 9-inch pie crust (available at any quality grocery store and foolproof!) Often times these types of pie crusts are sold in pairs, so there’s twice as much pie to go around.  What’s not to love about that?

Courtesy of leeno

For the Key-Lime Curd:

4 key limes, finely grated
1/3 cup squeezed key lime juice
½ cup sugar
3 eggs
8 tablespoons butter (unsalted is best)
1 cup heavy cream
A pinch of salt

Courtesy of Bright Star

For the Meringue:

4 separated egg whites
¼ cup sugar (granulated)
1 tsp vanilla extract

The making of this pie is as easy as one, two, three!  Literally! There are three distinct phases when it comes to creating this tasteful tart; crust, filling, and meringue.

But don’t let that deter you!  With a little bit of planning pulsing through your kitchen beat, assembly is a breeze and this oh-so good dessert will be whisked up in a matter of moments.

How to Put it All Together:

1. Defrost the pie crust and poke holes all over it, then pre-bake (if required). Remove from oven and set aside to allow cooling.
2. Whisk together the key lime zest, juice, sugar, eggs and salt in a heatproof bowl. Place over top a pan of boiling water and stir non-stop for about 15 minutes until it thickens
3. Remove from heat and whisk butter into the mixture.
4. Strain curd using a sieve. Next cover the curd with plastic wrap and place in fridge to cool for about 30 minutes.
5. Whip cream into firm peaks and fold into the now chilled curd mixture.
6. Pour entire mixture into the cooled pie crust and preheat your oven to 375F.

Courtesy of linda boucher

…and to top it off…with meringue….
7.  Use an electric mixer to whisk egg whites together, gradually increasing speed and the measured sugar.

8.  Add vanilla extract and continue mixing until meringue is quite thick and stiff.

9.  Spread meringue over the curd, making sure to create swirls with a fork or handy spatula.

10. Bake for 10-12 minutes, rotating the pie in the over half way through the baking time (this ensures an even gold ‘toasting’ effect all over.)

Allow time to cool, then dig in! There is really only one word that can truly be used to describe the key lime meringue pie – sublime!