Spiced Apple Cookies

My hubby is pretty good at buying something for a snack that he is so excited about, to only turn around a few days later and tell me he is sick of this snack. It generally leaves me to either eat it, throw it away, or use it in a recipe. The most recent snack he bought was a large bag of Honeycrisp apples from Sams. He thought he could finish them all. He was quite disappointed as these apples didn't have as much flavor as the ones they sell at Publix. He ate a few, but with about 5 apples left, he decided he couldn't eat another apple. What to do? Well, I came across a few recipes I wanted to try, but these apple cookies looked different and yummy, so I tried it out. They were AMAZING! My family kept coming back for more. I brought them to work and they were gobbled up there too! Definitley a recipe I will make again.
I modified the recipe on Sweet Pea's Kitchen blog

Spiced Apple Cookies

1/2 cup shortening
1 1/3 cups packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup milk
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup finely diced peeled apple- I might use more apple next time
1 cup golden raisins (you can use regular if you'd prefer or none at all)

Maple glaze

1-1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 to 3 teaspoons milk
1 Tbsp (or more to taste) maple syrup

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease cookie sheets (I used 2)
2. Cream shortening and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and milk and beat until combined.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, nutmeg, cinnamon and cloves. Add to the creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in nuts, apple and raisins.
4. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls one inch apart onto greased baking sheets. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until edges begin to brown. Allow to cool prior to glazing.
5. In a small bowl, combine the confectioners’ sugar, butter, vanilla, salt, maple syrup, and milk. Drizzle over cooled cookies.

Apple Strudel

I made this recipe for Thanksgiving last year and this past Thanksgiving as well. It is always a huge hit. So much easier than pie and just as tasty, if not more tasty. I might make it for my dad for Christmas, because he is asking for pie.

Apple Strudel
Courtesy of Peppridge Farm
(Printable Recipe)

1 sheet of thawed puff pastry (1/2 of a 17.3 ounce package- there are 2 sheets per package)
1 egg
1 Tbsp water
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
1 Tbsp flour
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 large apples, cored, peeled and sliced thinly (original recipe calls for Granny Smith, but I used a mixture with Gala and Granny Smith)

1. Preheat the oven to 375F.
2. In a small bowl, beat egg and water. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, stir together sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Add sliced apples and toss to coat.
4. On a lightly floured surface, unfold sheet of puff pastry. Roll into 16x12 inch rectangle with the short side closest to you.
5. Spoon the apple mixture onto the edge closest to you. Roll up like a jelly roll. Tuck in edges to seal. Place seam side down on a baking sheet. Brush the pastry with the egg mixture. Cut slits on top of pastry.
6. Bake 35 minutes, or until browned. Let cool for about 20 minutes before serving.

This would be SO good with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!