Apple Cranberry Braid Food

APPLE CRANBERRY BREAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda and salt;. In a small bowl, whisk eggs and oil. Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened (batter will be very thick). Fold in apples, cranberries and walnuts. , Transfer to an 8x4-in. loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 60-65 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

APPLE DANISH BRAID

Steps:

• Place a large pot or deep skillet over high heat. Melt 3 Tbsp butter and stir in 1/4 cup sugar. Add sliced apples and stir until evenly coated. Add cranberries and let the mixture sit 3 min to caramelize before stirring. Cook apples and cranberries a total of 6-7 min, stirring 3 times or until apples are lightly caramelized. Transfer apples to a plate and let cool until just warm (not hot).
• Unfold thawed pastry over a lightly floured work surface and roll it in one direction to make it a total of 2 inches longer. The natural folds in the pastry will guide your process.
• Place the cranberry apple filling down the center of the pastry, keeping it in the middle third and leaving 1" of space at the top and bottom of the pastry.
• Cut away the top corners from the left and right thirds of the. Cut 8 equal 1" strips along each side, leaving 1/2" of space from the apples. Cut away excess dough at the bottom corners.
• Fold down top flap of dough and pinch the corners down to seal. Fold in the side strips, alternating from left to right. Fold up the bottom flap, pinching the corners to seal then finish folding in the last 2 side strips, pinching the corners to seal. Transfer to a baking sheet lined with silicone or parchment, brush with egg wash, sprinkle with coarse sugar, and bake at 400˚F for 18-22 minutes (mine was perfect at 20 min) or until top is golden brown.
• To make the glaze, stir together 1/3 cup powdered sugar with 1/2 Tbsp milk. Once the braided apple danish is at room temperature or just warm, drizzle with glaze, slice, and enjoy!

APPLE-CRANBERRY CRISP

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C.) Butter an 8 inch square baking dish.
• In a large bowl, mix together apples, cranberries, white sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Place evenly into baking dish.
• In the same bowl, combine oats, flour and brown sugar. With a fork, mix in butter until crumbly. Stir in pecans. Sprinkle over apples.
• Bake in preheated oven for 40 to 50 minutes, or until topping is golden brown, and apples are tender.

APPLE-CRANBERRY STRUDEL

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375°F. Grease 15x10x1-inch baking pan. In medium bowl, combine apples, cranberries, sugar, walnuts, lemon peel and lemon juice; toss to coat.
• Unroll phyllo sheets; cover with plastic wrap or towel. Place 1 phyllo sheet on piece of plastic wrap. Brush with butter; sprinkle with 1 tablespoon bread crumbs. Repeat layering with remaining phyllo sheets and butter, sprinkling 1 tablespoon bread crumbs on every other sheet. (Top phyllo sheet should be brushed with butter only).
• Spoon apple mixture over phyllo stack to within 2 inches of each edge; press lightly. Fold shorter sides of phyllo up over filling. Starting with longer side and using plastic wrap, lift phyllo and carefully roll up jelly-roll fashion. Place, seam side down, in greased pan. Make several crosswise cuts in top of roll. Brush top with any remaining butter.
• Bake at 375°F. for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Cool at least 15 minutes before serving. To serve, cut into slices.

APPLE CRANBERRY PIE

Steps:

• Prepare my pie crust recipe through step 5.
• Stir the apples, cranberries, granulated sugar, cornstarch, orange zest, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg together in a large bowl. Set filling aside as the oven preheats.
• Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C).
• On a floured work surface, roll out one of the discs of chilled dough (keep the other one in the refrigerator). Turn the dough about a quarter turn after every few rolls until you have a circle 12 inches in diameter. Carefully place the dough into a 9×2 inch pie dish. Tuck it in with your fingers, making sure it is smooth. Spoon the filling into the crust, leaving any excess liquid in the bowl (you don't want that in the filling- discard it). Dot the pieces of butter on top of the filling. Stick in the refrigerator until ready to cut the lattice.
• Remove the other disc of chilled pie dough from the refrigerator. Roll the dough into a circle that is 12 inches diameter. Using a pastry wheel, sharp knife, pizza cutter, or this fun ribbon cutter, cut strips 1 or 2 inches wide. Remove the pie from the refrigerator and carefully thread the pie dough strips over and under one another, pulling back strips as necessary to weave. Press the edges of the strips into the bottom pie crust edges to seal. Use a small knife to trim off excess dough. Crimp the edges with a fork, if desired. See recipe notes for making the braid or apple shapes! (Alternatively, you can simply cover the filling with the 12-inch pie dough circle. Cut slits in the top to form steam vents. Trim and crimp the edges. Or crumble topping (from apple crumble pie) or streusel topping (from peach pecan crisp) would be great as well.)
• Lightly brush the top of the pie crust with the egg wash mixture.
• Place the pie onto a large baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Keeping the pie in the oven, turn the temperature down to 350°F (177°C) and bake for an additional 30-35 minutes. After the first 20 minutes of bake time, I place a pie crust shield on top of the pie to prevent the edges from browning too quickly.
• Allow the pie to cool for 3 full hours at room temperature before serving. This time allows the filling to thicken up. Cover leftovers tightly and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.