2 Homemade GrapeNuts Cereal Copycat

 

Have you heard about the GrapeNuts shortage?

I didn't until last week. I grew up with this CRUNCHY whole wheat cereal as a child and still love it to this day. I enjoy it with cold milk, heated as a hot cereal, or as toppings in my homemade yogurt. 

Apparently, due to the pandemic, GrapeNuts has been in short supply. Post hopes to get this cereal back on the shelves by late Spring, but in the meantime, you can make your own!

I couldn't believe how easy this was to make....

Ingredients

White Wheat Flour - I grind my own wheat flour, but you can use King Arthur Whole White Wheat or Prairie Gold White Wheat flour. I prefer the color and mild taste of white wheat flour, but you can definitely use red wheat flour for a heartier, nuttier taste. Weighing your flour will give you more consistent results. 

Brown Sugar - I used light brown sugar, but you can use dark brown sugar for a deeper, darker color and stronger flavor. This recipe tastes sweeter than the original GrapeNuts, but you can cut it back to 3/4 cup.

Buttermilk - Gives moisture and a slight tang to the recipe. I used milk & lemon juice (or vinegar) to create a soured milk that works great in place of buttermilk. You can use powdered buttermilk and water as well. 

Salt -added to enhance the flavors 

Baking Soda -neutralizes the acid (from the buttermilk), adds tender texture and leaving (rising). 

1. Mix all the ingredients together, scraping the sides of the bowl. I really enjoy my Kitchen Aid Flex Edge beater that scrapes the sides. 

2. Spread the mixture into a prepared 13"x18" baking sheet. Use parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. 

3. Bake for 15 minutes in a preheated oven. 

4. Remove and let cool completely, about 45 minutes.

5. Once cool, break into large chunks and place into a food processor. Pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Don't pulse too many times or it will become a powder. 6. Spread the crumb mixture onto 2-3 large cookie sheets or in a couple of 9x13 baking pans and place in the oven. Bake, stirring mixture every 15 minutes or until crisp. 

7. Cool the cereal completely and store in an airtight container for up to two weeks. For longer storage, put cereal in the freezer for up to three months. 

The cereal tasted great, was super crunchy, but the real test comes with pouring milk...

These little nuggets stayed crunchy and were perfectly sweet, without any need for sugar.

I plan on making this again and again, as I always have the ingredients on hand. I hope you try this recipe and let me know your results. Enjoy!

Homemade Grape Nuts Cereal

Yield: 8 cups

Author: Frieda Franchina, adapted from HeavenlyHomemakers recipe

Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 1 hour 15 min
Total time:  1 hour 30 min

A crunchy, nutty-sweet cereal that is great with cold or hot milk, or as a topping on yogurt. 

Ingredients:

• 3 1/2 cups whole wheat flour, 532g/18oz
• 1 cup brown sugar, 217g/7.6oz 
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 cups buttermilk (or 2 Tablespoons lemon juice & enough milk to make 2 cups)

Instructions:

Homemade Grape Nuts Cereal

1. In a large mixing bowl, or stand mixer, combine the wheat flour, sugar, salt, & baking soda.
2. Pour the buttermilk into dry ingredients, mixing well. Mixture should resemble a thick batter.
3. Prepare a 13x18 baking sheet with a silicone baking mat, parchment paper, or grease it well with butter or shortening.
4. Spread the batter onto the prepared baking sheet, into an even layer.
5. Bake in a preheated 375°F oven for 15 minutes.
6. Remove pan from oven and allow to cool completely, about 45 minutes.
7. Once cooled, break the bread into large chunks and place into a food processor. Pulse until the mixture looks like coarse bread crumbs. Don't over process into a powder.
8. Divide crumbs between 2 or 3 large 13x18 cookie sheets and spread into a single layer.
9. Reduce oven temperature to 250°F, place baking sheets with crumbs and bake for 1-1.5 hours, stirring mixture every 15 minutes, or till crisp. 
10. Remove from oven & cool completely, about 30 min and store in an air tight container for up to two weeks. For longer storage, put cereal in freezer safe baggies for up to three months. 

Notes: You can use white or red wheat flour. I like to use white wheat for a more mild flavor. You can use light or dark brown sugar. Dark sugar will give your cereal a darker color and more pronounced flavor. For a malt flavor, try adding 1 teaspoon barley malt powder or flour. 

0 No Fail Steel Cut Oats - Instant Pot

Cooked oatmeal has never been easier to make, thanks to using my pressure cooker! I simply stir steel cut oats, water, & salt into the pot, put the lid on and set the delay timer for it to be hot & ready, first thing in the morning!

My husband loves a bowl of creamy, chewy oatmeal, with cinnamon, maple syrups and a splash of milk. The problem? He gets up at 4 A.M. Me? No way. I wanted to surprise him by making this oatmeal using the Delay setting, and when I woke up at 8 A.M., I had hot oatmeal (thanks to the Keep Warm setting) and a note from my hubby, "WOW! That was delicious! I love you!"

Smiling, I knew this recipe would be a keeper, I hope you enjoy it too.

What are steel cut oats?
Steel cut oats are a great pantry staple. These are oat grains, cut into smaller pieces with a steel mill. Steel cut oats are also known as Irish oats, coarse oats, or pinhead oats. Steel cut oats are an excellent source of protein, have slightly fewer calories, lower glycemic index, more fiber, and are equivalent to rolled oats in protein, carbs & fat content. I use regular steel cut oats (not quick cooking) for this recipe.

Cook Times
Steel cut oats can take as long as 20-30 minutes to cook on the stove, stirring occasionally, to become tender enough to eat.  When cooking steel cut oats with a pressure cooker, the cook time is only 4 minutes, but uses a full natural release (about 20 min), so the overall "cook" time is 35 minutes.

The advantages to using a pressure cooker are no hands on stirring, and you can use the Delay Start setting to enjoy hot oatmeal the next morning. How? It depends on the cooker you have. I wanted the oatmeal to be ready by 4 A.M., right? The overall cook time is 35 minutes, so I set my cooker to START the process at 3:25 A.M. If it's 10 P.M. right now, I'd set the Delay Start for 5 hours, 25 minutes.

Shelf Life
Dry steel cut oats have shelf life of 1-2 years in an airtight container.
Cooked oats will keep in the fridge for 5-7 days, and up to 3 months in the freezer.

I like to make individual Oatmeal "cups" by using an ice cream scoop and scooping cooked oatmeal into these silicone muffin cups. You can use muffin tin, if desired. Once frozen, transfer them to a freezer baggie for up to 3 months,
Put the frozen oatmeal into a microwave safe dish and warm it on Hight for 2-3 minutes, add your favorite toppings and enjoy.

Pressure Cooking Steel Cut Oats
Oats & other grains can foam during cooking, so it is important that your do not fill your cooker more than half full. If using a smaller, 3 quart pressure cooker, cut this recipe in half. If using a larger, 8 quart pressure cooker, increase the cook time by three minutes.

Toppings & Add-Ins
You can add a variety of fruits, nuts, spices, milks, etc. to your hot, cooked oatmeal. Let this list inspire you to create your favorite morning oatmeal or even have an Oatmeal Bar with these toppings at your next brunch gathering:

• Fresh fruit - chopped apples, bananas, mango, peaches, etc.
• Berries - raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, etc.
• Dried fruits
• Jams
• Nuts
• Chocolate chips
• Coconut
• Nut butters - almond, peanut or cookie butter
• Caramel
• Brown sugar
• Maple syrup
• Honey
• Cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla extract
• Hot chocolate mix
• Yogurt, milk
• Protein powder

print recipe

Steel Cut Oats - Pressure Cook

by Frieda Franchina,  March-17-2020

This is a great recipe to prepare the night before, using the Delay setting of your pressure cooker and have it ready first thing in the morning! Oats and other grains can foam during cooking, so it is important that you do not fill your cooker more than half full. If using a 3 quart cooker, cut this recipe in half. If using a larger, 8 quart cooker, increase the cook time to 7 minutes.

Ingredients

• 2 cups steel cut oats
• 5 cups water
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

1. Combine oats, water into insert and stir.2. Close the cooker and close the pressure valve.3. Select High pressure and the timer for 4 minutes.4. When cooking cycle is complete, allow the cooker to naturally release for 20 minutes.5. After 20 minutes, open the pressure valve.6. Open the lid and sitr the oats. They will appear watery, but will thicken upon stirring.  Serve warm with maple syrup, cinnamon, or a splash of milk.  Leftover oatmeal will keep in the fridge for 4-6 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. You can scoop oatmeal into muffin tins or silicone muffin cups, freeze, and transfer to a freezer baggie. Warm oatmeal in the microwave for 2-3 minutes and add your favorite toppings.  ADD-INs: fresh or dried fruit, berries, nuts, chocolate chips, coconut, almond/cookie/peanut butters, caramel, ams, brown sugar, maple syrup, honey, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, hot chocolate mix, yogurt, milk or protein powder.

Details

Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: 4 mins Total time: 39 mins Yield: 6-8 servings

0 Presto FlipSide Belgian Waffle Maker Review

After hunting and trying a few waffle makers, this is the one! It makes perfect, round, crispy, thick waffles and clean up is so easy.

We have a family tradition of making waffles every Sunday. I got this WaringPro waffle maker over 20 years ago at Costco for about $60. It was just like the ones you see at hotels, and it did a wonderful job of making consistent waffles until I tried to rotate it and it broke...

Frantically, I searched for a replacement, and was so sad to see that it was discontinued!!

Waring does make a commercial waffle maker that costs $300-$400, and I wasn't about to plunk down that much for waffles...

Costco did offer this Cuisinart vertical waffle maker, which I was excited about. A space saver and a three year warranty!

But, no matter how I tried, I could not get a perfect waffle. My waffle batter was simply too thick. It would plug up the top and it was a messy clean up job. I even tried thinning out my batter, but the waffles just didn't taste the same.

The Cuisinart promptly went back to Costco (thankful for their GREAT return policy!) and I went back to Amazon, searching for the perfect waffle maker and filtering by average customer review.

For under $30, you can get this traditional Cuisinart waffle maker.
Compact, easy to use, but....it does not make the thick Belgian waffles that have deep pockets to hold butter & syrup that my family loves.

For under $40, customer reviews suggested I look at the Presto FlipSide waffle maker.
Compact, Belgian style, and a ceramic non stick interior checked all the boxes. With free one day shipping, this baby was at my door the next day!

Woo hoo! Perfect, crispy, golden brown waffles!  Look how thick they are...

I love how it stands on its end for compact storage. Takes much less real estate than my older waffle maker.

Pros:

Compact storage

Non stick interior

Easy clean - wipe interior with damp paper towel

Even browning for uniform, crispy waffles

Cooker flips for spreading the batter evenly for a crispy outside, tender fluffy inside

Cons:

Manual Timer. You have to manually set the timer each time. I used the 4 minute setting. It beeps when it has one minute left, counts down the seconds, and beeps when time is complete.
It's not a deal breaker, but it does take some getting used to setting the timer for waffles each time. 

Grills are not removable, but that doesn't bother me, as it is so easy to take a wet paper towel and wipe the grids clean. 

Enjoy these recipes with your waffle maker:

Buttermilk Waffles

Gingerbread Waffles & Buttermilk Syrup

Hot, Homemade Maple Syrup

0 Roasted Red Pepper Tomato Soup: Pressure Cooker & Stove Top

One of the things I love to do at Costco is try their samples.  Roasted Red Pepper Tomato soup, by Pacific Foods, was one of the samples that I fell in love with. It had a mild sweet taste, so I decided to do my best to replicate it.

Roasted red peppers give tomato soup a sweet and smokey flavor, which balances out well with the acidity of the tomatoes.

You can roast your own peppers in the oven or over a gas stove flame, which I did with Anaheim Peppers in this post for Green Chicken Chili Verde, or you can grab a jar of roasted red peppers.

I love Better Than Bouillon for any recipe that calls for chicken or beef broth. It comes in a jar and is a paste made from real meat and juices. Once opened, I store it in my fridge and it lasts a very, very long time without going rancid. It comes in a roasted chicken flavor and reduced sodium as well as many other varieties.

Making this soup cuts down the cooking time in half and infuses all the flavors and spices in the soup. I like to saute my onions, garlic, and add the spices to "bloom" or intensify the flavors.

There is a touch of cayenne, which you can control the heat. I like just a 'pinch.'

I choose to use Smoked Paprika to continue the smokey flavors.

Adding the jar of roasted red peppers was so much easier than roasting, removing the charred skin, slicing, taking the seeds out, etc. etc.

Using an immersion blender is SO helpful! Stick it into the hot soup and blend away.

If you are using a stand blender, it is more helpful to strain and blend smaller batches.

To give this soup some body, I browned some butter and flour for a couple of minutes and scooped some tomato soup into the pan to dissolve.

Poured this mixture back into the soup and gave it a good stir.

This soup was really good, especially served with fresh Parmesan cheese and a dollop of sour cream.

My kiddos loved croutons in their soup and we had it the next day with grilled cheese sandwiches.

Enjoy!

Roasted Red Pepper Tomato Soup
1 tablespoon cooking oil (olive, canola, vegetable, etc)
1 onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed (Try roasted garlic!)
1 t. dried thyme
1/2 tablespoon dried basil
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
1 pinch of cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
4 cups chicken broth (or 4 teaspoons of Better Than Bouillon + 6 cups water)
1-12 oz.  jar of roasted red peppers, not drained
1-28 oz. can of diced tomatoes, not drained

2 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons all purpose flour
Salt & pepper to taste
Sour Cream
Parmesan Cheese
Croutons

Pressure Cooker:
1. Turn pressure cooker on Saute Low or browning setting, add cooking oil.
2. Add chopped onions, stir, let cook for 1-2 minutes.
3. Add minced garlic, thyme, basil, paprika, pepper and sugar. Stir until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
4. Pour in chicken broth, making sure to scrape off the browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
5. Add red peppers and diced tomatoes, do not stir. 
6. Close pressure cooker and close the pressure valve (set to sealing).
7. Cook high pressure for 5 minutes.
8. After timer beeps, allow a 5 minute natural release.
9. Open pressure valve, and when all pressure is released, open the lid.
10. Using an immersion blender, blend all of the vegetables.
        (or, strain and put veggies into a blender, with 1 cup of soup. Pour back into pot).
11. In a small saucepan, mix the butter and flour over med-low heat for 1-2 minutes.
Mix some hot tomato soup into the flour and stir till dissolved. Pour this mixture into the soup and stir well.
12. Set the pressure cooker on Saute Low or browning, stirring occasionally for about 5 -10 minutes.
Salt and pepper to taste.
Ladle into serving bowls and top with sour cream, cheese, and croutons.

Stove Top:
In a large pot, over medium heat, heat oil and onions until softened. Add garlic and seasonings, stirring until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes. Pour in chicken broth, red peppers, and tomatoes, stirring well. Cook over medium-low heat, uncovered, about 25 minutes. Use an immersion blender to puree soup, or strain and blend the veggies with about 1 cup of soup broth in a blender. Return mixture to pot and stir well. In a small saucepan, over med-low heat, mix flour and butter for 1-2 minutes. Add 1-2 cups of soup and stir till dissolved. Add mixture back into soup. Bring to boiling over med-high heat, lower to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes.

0 Gingerbread Waffles & Buttermilk Syrup

A thick, crisp, light and fluffy Belgian waffle, drenched in syrup, gets a makeover with spices and buttermilk syrup. Buttermilk Waffles are a weekend favorite, as you can fill each square with the perfect amount of syrup,  just right for each bite.

With the holidays around the corner, I looked for a spiced waffle and this Gingerbread Waffle recipe from King Arthur Flour fits the bill. The buttermilk syrup is just right, adding a sweet touch and compliments the spices.

WaringPro Waffle Maker

Granted, I don't have all the ingredients to make these festive waffles, but there are some substitutions you can use.

For instance, the recipe calls for sour cream and molasses. I used homemade yogurt, which works just as well as sour cream, adding a slight tang and providing moisture to the batter.  You can also use soured milk (lemon juice + milk) or buttermilk as a substitute. If you make your own yogurt, you can use whey as an acid to sour the milk.

Molasses is something that I have on hand for making soft gingerbread men cookies, but I don't use it year round for anything else. To me, it has a very strong taste. You can use brown sugar (dark or light), dark corn syrup, or even maple syrup as a substitute for molasses. I opted to use brown sugar.

Buttermilk syrup is soooooo good. It is sweet, slightly tangy, and made with pure vanilla extract, I think it would be great to bottle and give as gifts. It's fantastic as a pancake/waffle syrup, sauce, or ice cream topping.

I have Saco buttermilk powder on hand for making bread, biscuits, pancakes and waffles, but it was easier to make soured milk.

Soured milk is made by putting 1 tablespoon of lemon juice (you can use white vinegar) into a measuring cup and filling the measuring cup up to 3/4 cup line. Let the milk sit for a few minutes and it will begin to curdle and sour. It's a great substitute for buttermilk in many recipes: Waffles, Flaky Biscuits, etc)

Heat the sugar, buttermilk (soured milk) and butter in a heavy bottom 3 quart sauce pan. Using this size of pan is important, as the syrup will double in size while heating. A thick, heavy bottom pan will help keep the mixture from burning.

You will want to stir it constantly, to keep the bubbling under control.  A flat whisk is a great tool for this. After it reaches a boil, cook it only for 5 minutes, then remove it from the stove. Wait till the bubbling subsides and add the baking soda and pure vanilla extract.

The baking soda gives the syrup a foamy, airy texture and the extract will give it a lovely vanilla flavor.

TIPS: Use a large pot. The syrup will foam, bubble and double in size. Stirring constantly helps keep the bubbling under control.
          Do not cook it for very long. If you cook it longer, it will become darker and more like a caramel candy. It will also set firmer and not be as syrup-y if cooked longer. It will become more chewy.
          Do not walk away. Stir it and stir it constantly. If you walk away, it will double in size and possibly overflow, creating a big, sticky mess.

This Anchor Hocking 10 oz glass pitcher is perfect for serving and pouring hot, lovely, syrup...

Gingerbread Waffles
Adapted from King Arthur Flour

2 cups all purpose flour (can use a mix of whole white wheat and all purpose flours)
2 Tablespoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground powdered ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
4 large eggs
6 Tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
1 cup milk
1/2 cup plain yogurt or sour cream
3 Tablespoons brown sugar, molasses, maple syrup or dark corn syrup

Preheat your waffle maker.
In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices.
In another separate bowl, mix together eggs, melted butter, milk, yogurt and brown sugar.
Pour the milk/egg mixture into the flour/spice mixture, stirring until just combined.
A few lumps is o.k.
Ladle about 3/4 cup batter into your waffle maker and cook according to your waffle maker directions.
Makes about 5-6 Belgian style waffles.

Can make ahead and store in freezer bags.
Reheat by putting your waffles in the toaster.

Enjoy!


Buttermilk Syrup
1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup butter milk -or- 1 tablespoon lemon juice and enough milk to make 3/4 cup. Let sit 5 minutes.
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

In a heavy 3 qt saucepan, melt the butter. Add sugar and buttermilk (or soured milk).
Stir to dissolve.
Over medium heat, allow mixture to come to a rolling boil, stirring constantly for 5 minutes.
Remove saucepan from heat. Wait for bubbles to subside.
Add baking soda - stir vigorously, as it will foam.
Add vanilla extract.
Serve warm over pancakes, waffles, cake or ice cream.

Refrigerate up to 2 weeks. Reheat to serve.

1 EASY Thick No Sugar Added Applesauce - Pressure Cooker FAST!

Applesauce is so basic, so good, and so simple to make. Soon it will be fall and apples will be ready to harvest. If you have ever wanted to make applesauce, now is the time to try!

I used to cook my quartered/cored apples in a large stock pot on top of the stove. The steamed, cooked apples would go into a food mill, where the apples would be pushed down with a large, wooden stick. The sauce would come down a large funnel, and the peelings would come out of the other end.

It was messy, hot work, but now, there's an easier, faster way - using your pressure cooker!

OXO Good Grips Digital Scale

Choosing Your Apples
Some apples work better for freezing. Some are more suited for eating and others are better for making applesauce. Which to choose? Here are some suggestions. You can mix or match apples to create your own custom made applesauce.

• Braeburn - sweet/tart
• Cameo
• Cortland - similar to McIntosh, but sweeter/tarter
• Crispin (Mutsu)
• Empire - very sweet when baked
• Fuji -sweet/tart,watery
• Gala - thin skinned, but grainy texture
• Golden Delicious - sweet, thin skinned
• Gravenstein
• Ida Red
• Jonagold - sweet, thin skinned
• Jonamac
• Jonathan
• Liberty
• McIntosh - strong structure of pectin
• Newtown Pippin
• Rome Beauty - mild, thick skin
• Stayman
• Winesap

Apple Corer, Slicer, Peeler - All in One!

Skin On or Off? 
Leaving the skins on will give your applesauce a pink or rosy color. Skins can be fibrous, and if you have a food mill, it will catch all the skins and leave you with a silky, smooth applesauce. If you have a good food processor or blender, you can use it to finely pulverize the skins.

I like to use a Slicer/Corer/Peeler - It saves SO much prep time! It took me 6 min to prep 3 pounds of apples, about 10 medium apples.

Don't throw away the peels! Use them to make your own Apple Cider Vinegar... 

Truly liquid gold in a jar!

If you want to leave your skins on, you can try this Apple Slicer/corer.

Core the Apples?
Yes, you will want to core the apples. The seeds are tannic and will impart a bitter taste.

Size?
When cutting your apples, you will want to cut them into quarters or smaller. Try to keep them uniform in size. An apple corer/slicer or peeler works great!

Sweeten and when?
Apples are naturally sweet, so you will want to taste your applesauce and adjust it to your taste. You can use your choice of sweetener, apple juice, brown sugar, especially if you are using tart apples. Brown sugar can give a caramel taste to your applesauce.

Can I Double the Recipe?
If you are using a 6 quart pressure cooker, I would not recommend it. Apples foam when cooking under pressure, and pressure cookers should not be filled more than half full.

If you fill your pot more than half full, you will not be able to quick release the pressure valve without applesauce spraying out from the valve and clogging it.  If you want to make a bigger batch of applesauce, you will need to make multiple batches.

You may note that this recipe only uses 1/4 cup of liquid. Apples will give off a lot of liquid on their own and 1/4 cup is enough to get the pressure going. This amount will also help you create a nice, thick applesauce. You can use water, apple juice, apple cider, or yogurt whey. 

I like to use an immersion blender, directly into the pot. It saves me another dish to wash, and I can control the texture; ultra smooth, or a little bit chunky. You can use a food processor, or an inexpensive potato masher.

Enjoy warm, or chill for a refreshing treat. Enjoy!

6 min prep
8 min to pressure
4 min cook time
2 min QR
TOTAL TIME: 20 min, Start to Finish

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Easy Thick Applesauce - Pressure Cooker

by Frieda Franchina August-30-2017

Use your pressure cooker to enjoy no sugar added, thick applesauce! Choose a blend of baking apples or a sweet/tart apple (such as Fuji). This recipe doesn't need a lot of liquid, as apples naturally release liquid in the form of juice to help create pressure. Do not fill the cooker more than half full, as apples foam and can spray through the pressure valve during the release.

Ingredients

• 3 pounds (8-10 medium apples) cooking/baking apples
• 1/4 cup water, apple juice or yogurt whey
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon or 1 cinnamon stick, optional

Instructions

1. Wash, peel, quarter and core the apples. If you have a thin-skinned apple, you can leave the peels on.2. Pour 1/4 cup liquid of your choice into the pressure cooker.3. Add prepared apples into the pressure cooker.4. Close lid, close pressure valve, select HIGH pressure, and time for 4 minutes.5. At the end of the cook time, open the pressure valve (Quick Release). 6. Remove the cinnamon stick, if used.7. Use an immersion stick blender or potato masher to blend the cooked apples to your desired consistency.8. Taste for sweetness and add your choice of sweetener. Examples: brown sugar, granulated sugar, honey, maple syrup, etc.Applesauce will keep well in the fridge for 1-2 weeks or in the freezer for 1-2 months. You can water bath can your applesauce for longer storage.

Details

Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 4 mins Total time: 20 mins Yield: 4 cups

0 Fast & Easy PopEye Pancake! (German or Dutch Pancakes)

This puffy, golden brown pancake makes a great presentation at the table and is perfect with any topping of your choice: fruit, powdered sugar, whipped topping, or pure maple syrup. Our family affectionally calls this "Popeye Pancakes."

Do you remember Popeye? 

He's the one-eyed, spinach-loving cartoon character from the early 30's. His forearms are super-sized muscles, which lends its name to this large pancake, as it has "muscles" that pop up while cooking.

This pancake is also known as a German Pancake or Dutch Baby Pancake, often baked in a round cast iron pan.  I use a glass 9x13 pan, but you can use any 9x13 pan that you have on hand.

It is so fast and easy to make, is ready in 25 minutes, and even gets eaten up even faster..... Here's how!

1. Heat your oven to 425°F. Put 1/4 cup of butter into the pan and set it in your preheating oven while you are preparing the rest of the ingredients.

2. Mix together your milk, eggs, flour and salt. I use a large 8 cup measure and an immersion blender, but you can throw all of this into your favorite blender, and pulse till mixed.

3. Using hot pads, remove your pan from the hot oven. Your butter should be melted - swirl it around to coat the bottom and sides of your pan.

4. Pour your egg/milk mixture directly into the buttered pan. Put into your heated oven, and bake for 15-20 minutes, until golden brown and puffy.

It's so fun to watch the 'muscles' puff up!

5. Remove from your oven. Cut into large squares and top as desired. Fruit, jam, powdered sugar, whipped cream, maple syrup.... I love HOT, homemade Maple Syrup on mine! 

 

POPEYE PANCAKES

1/4 cup butter

1 cup milk

6 large eggs

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

Turn oven on to 425°.

Put cold butter into a 9x13 pan and set it inside your oven while it is preheating.

In a blender, or large bowl using an immersion blender, put the milk, eggs, flour and salt and blend until mixed and no dry flour is seen. 

Using hot pads, remove the pan of butter from the oven. 

Tip/swirl the pan to butter the bottom and sides of the pan.

Pour the egg/milk mixture directly into the buttered pan.

Put filled pan in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes or until 'muscles' have popped and is golden brown. 

Cut into large squares, serve hot with desired toppings.

Serves 6-8 

Enjoy!