Applesauce Cake

1/2 cup butter
1 cup granulated or brown sugar
1 cup applesauce
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon allspice
1 cup raisins
1/4 cup chopped nuts

Cream butter; add sugar, beat until light. Add egg; beat until fluffy. Add applesauce; mix well.

Sift together flour, salt, baking powder, soda, cloves, cinnamon and allspice. Add nuts and raisins. Combine two mixtures. Bake in a greased 8-inch square pan at 350 degrees F for 40 to 45 minutes.

Frost with vanilla or chocolate frosting, if desired.

Apple Strudel

Apple Filling
1 bag tart baking apples, sliced and peeled
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup butter

Topping
1 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9 x 13-inch baking dish.

Place apples in bottom of baking dish.

Mix 1/4 cup sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon; sprinkle on top of apples. Dot the top of all this with pieces of butter. Set aside.

In mixing bowl, sift together sugar, baking powder, flour and salt. Make a well in center of this mixture until it is all crumbly; then pour this mixture over apples. Bake until crust is brown, about 50 to 60 minutes.

Serve warm with ice cream, if desired.

Apple Grunt

1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons butter
1 egg
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups sliced apples
1/2 cup sour milk or buttermilk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 1/2 tablespoons butter

Cream sugar and butter together; add egg and mix.

Blend flour, salt and baking powder together and add to mixture. Mix baking soda with milk and vanilla extract; mix all together. Add apple slices and pour batter into a buttered baking dish.

In a separate bowl, combine brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and butter, mixing until of crumb texture; sprinkle over apple batter. Bake at 375 degrees F for 35 to 40 minutes.

Serve hot with rich milk, half-and-half or a scoop of ice cream.

Makes 4 generous servings.

Amish Fry Pies

9 cups cake flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon salt
3 cups shortening
2 cups water
Thick fruit filling
Shortening for deep fat frying

Glaze
8 pounds powdered sugar
1/2 cup cornstarch
1/3 cup powdered milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups warm water

To make pies, combine in large mixing bowl the flour, sugar and salt. Cut in shortening until pieces are the size of small peas. Add water a little at a time until the four mixture is moistened. Form into 4 balls. Divide each ball into 10 pieces and roll each piece into a circle. Top one side of circle with filling and fold circle in half. Cramped edges to seal.

Heat shortening; fry a few pieces at a time in deep fat until golden brown. Cool on wire rack.

Meanwhile, in large mixing bowl, combine all glaze ingredients until smooth. While pies are still warm, dip them into glaze. Allow pies to drip on wire racks until cool.

Yields about 40 pies.

Amish Country Strawberry Pie

1 baked 9-inch pie shell
1 tablespoon confectioners’ sugar
3 ounces cream cheese
1 1/2 quarts whole strawberries, sliced
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons white Karo syrup
1 cup water
3 tablespoons dry strawberry gelatin
Pinch of salt
3 tablespoons cornstarch

Beat cream cheese with sugar. Spread carefully over bottom of baked pie shell. Arrange berries in shell.

Cook all remaining ingredients except the gelatin powder over medium heat until thick. Add gelatin powder. Cool before pouring over berries.

Amish Delight Apple Pie

3 cups apples, peeled and sliced
1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
Pinch of salt
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk

Melt butter in a 9-inch cast iron skillet. Add apples and toss lightly with butter. Saute 5 minutes.

Mix sugar, cinnamon and pinch of salt. Pour over apples. Stir gently. Remove apples with slotted spoon. Set skillet aside.

In small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir in milk. Pour into skillet and stir until smooth. Return apples to skillet and stir gently. Put into 350 degree F oven for 40 minutes.

Bushel of Cookies

5 pounds granulated sugar
2 1/2 pounds lard
12 eggs
1 cup maple syrup (or 1 pint syrup)
3 tablespoons baking soda
2 pounds quick oats
3 tablespoons baking powder
1 quart sweet milk
6 pounds all-purpose flour
1 pound salted peanuts
1 pound raisins

Mix all ingredients. Coarsely grind peanuts and raisins before adding. Bake at 350 degrees F.

Brown Sugar Pie

1 unbaked 8-inch pie shell
1 cup brown sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Speck of salt
1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk
2 1/2 tablespoons butter
Ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In the pie shell, place the brown sugar, flour and salt. Mix with your fingers. Pour the evaporated milk over the flour and sugar, but do not stir or mix in. Dot with butter, and sprinkle cinnamon liberally over all. Bake for 50 minutes, or until the filling just bubbles up in the middle. The filling will never completely set, but that’s the way it’s supposed to be.

This pie is better eaten at room temperature. If you refrigerate leftovers, reheat them in the oven before serving.

NOTE: Recipe can be doubled and prepared in a 10-inch pie shell. For that size, bake 1 hour and 20 minutes.

Yield 12 servings.

Bread Pudding

2 cups milk, scalded
1/4 cup butter
2 eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 cups soft bread, torn into small pieces
1/2 cup raisins

Combine milk and butter, stirring until butter is melted. Cool to lukewarm.

Combine eggs, sugar, salt and nutmeg; beat at medium speed of mixer for 1 minute. Slowly add milk mixture. Place bread in a lightly greased 1 1/2-quart casserole; sprinkle with raisins and pour batter over all. Bake at 350 degrees F for 50 minutes or until set.

Serve warm with Lemon Sauce.

Apple Crisp

5 or 6 apples, peeled and sliced
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Topping
1 cup flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 unbeaten egg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup butter, melted

Place apples in a deep dish pie pan. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon.

Mix topping ingredients with the exception of the cinnamon with a fork until blended. Sprinkle topping over apples. Drizzle melted butter over topping. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Bake at 375 degrees F for 40 minutes.