Momma Told Me: Like cookies and homemade apple pie.
For me, few things symbolize home comfort like the taste of fresh baked cookies and aroma of home made apple pie. It really doesn't matter the time of year, the tastes and smells are tied to countless golden memories from my childhood on up. They didn't even have to be delicious, so long as there was a cookie around there was a memory to be made.
True story; Momma's Momma (grandmomma) had 2 large cookie jars sitting in the entryway, each always equally full. It was a cardinal sin not to have sweets on hand for the grand kids, and this way she could hand them out as she greeted them at the door (and one more out the door for good measure.)
Us grand kids were told numerous times not to go sneaking cookies; and she even had cookie jars that made noise when they were opened just to detour us of this. I recall for years there was a large ceramic cow jar that Moo'd every time she opened it. None-the-less, the promise of cookies is hard to ignore, and I found myself sneaking one when my grandmother went out back to feed the cats one day. Now, I knew that the cow jar my grandmother so often dipped into made quite a ruckus, but the teddy bear jar next to it made none. So off went the head of the teddy bear and in went my grabby little hands.
An odd shaped cookie came out, resembling a bone, but it was slightly pink and looked quite like a cookie so I thought nothing of it as I coyly stashed it in the pocket of my jumper to eat int he bathroom later. Unfortunately, the cookie looked, and smelled much more appealing to the 2 Labradors they were actually intended for. I didn't make it two steps down the hallway when I was knocked flat on my feet with an overzealous slurp and a bark.
I couldn't have been more than 5, and no sooner had my but hit the linoleum did I burst into tears, feeling the cookie crush in my pocket. By the time my grandmother made it back in to explore the cause of the commotion the contents of my romper had been raided and the dogs had long left, having been satisfied with all I could offer. However, I must have been quite a sight, as my grandmother promptly picked me up on her hip and reached into that glorious mooing jar to hand me a real, human, cookie.
It's memories like these that drive me to constantly connect through a passion of baking to share and try recipes of all kinds. So I was especially excited to be included in this year's annual Great Foodie Blogger Cookie Swap- an event in which food bloggers from around the globe pair up and send dozens of cookies to 3 different people, in hopes they will receive dozens back. It's delicious eating these handmade parcels, yet, but it's equally find pinning and printing all the great recipes you are sure to find today with the #FBCookieSwap hashtag!
This year I broke the rules a smidgen and made 2 different cookie recipes, you'll find my Salted Caramel Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe here. This was primarily because I had to make so many dozen cookies, and the ones I really wanted to make were simple but quite a time consumer in assembly. That's right, my Apple Pie cookies recipe can be done with rolled (pre-made) pie crusts and incorporate just about any fruit your heart desires. All they really require are a little patience on the lattice work for the top crust. But make these for potluck or cookie swap and they're bound to go fast; just think of them as a mini pie turnover!
Of course I also received my share of delicious cookies; 3 packages in fact. The first one had the least labeling or information but came in an adorable tin and appeared to be delightful lemon shortbread clusters. They were extra soft and full of flavor- a great start! My final 2 packages arrived on the same day and were a great contrast to one another. From La Coquette, Maria sent me Salted Dulce De Leche+ Ginger Alfajores, tiny sandwich cookies with a decadent caramel filling and soft crumbly exterior. From Take Two Tapas, Jennifer sent me a dozen Salted Caramel Almond Biscotti (which never made it to an actual cup of coffee.) All were delicious and all were a true treat, and shared among family and friends! Catch my Apple Pie Cookies recipe below, and tell me, do you participate in annual potlucks/parties/ or cookie swaps like this?
What Daughter Says: Food connects people beyond all languages and boundaries. Eat up!
Baked Apple Pie Cookies
Click here for printable Apple Pie Cookies recipe
Ingredients:
1 Box (2 Crusts) Ready Made, Rolled, Pie Crusts
1 14 OZ Can Applie Pie Filling
1 Jar Smucker's Salted Caramel Topping (Or 1 C Similar Caramel Sauce)
1 Egg
2 TSP Cinnamon Sugar
Flour For Dusting
Round Cookie Cutter
Directions:
Preheat the Oven to 375F
1. Roll out both pie crusts on a floured surface to extend the area of each to an even shape and size.
2. Pour some caramel onto one of the pie crusts and spread it evenly with the back of your spoon until a thin layer of caramel is created.
3. In a medium bowl dice the apple pie filling with two knives in cris-cross slices until the apples are broken down into small nibble size chunks. Spread the apple mixture thinly across the caramel layer.
4. Take your second pie crust and cut even striped lengthwise across the crust. Lay every other strip lengthwise across your apple caramel crust, leaving an equal gap between pie crust strips. Next, beginning from the bottom, take the remaining strips and weave them over and under the existing strips. I like to do this one strip at a time, all the way across.
5. Using a round cookie cutter (about 3-4") punch out cookies from your woven/layered pie crust creation. Place them on a silicone baking sheet or parchment lined cookie sheet. Brush the tops with an egg wash and sprinkle on cinnamon sugar. Bake at 375F for 20 MINS, or until tops begin to turn golden brown.
