Tasty Thursday: Thanksgiving Post 2

I have another great little recipe for y'all. These are a few of the sweeter recipes that we like to make around here.

Chow Mein Cookies

1 bag semi-sweet OR milk chocolate (my personal favorite) chips
1 bag butterscotch chips
1 bag chow mein noodles (the brown crunchy kind)

Melt the chips over very low heat or a double boiler until everything is smooth and melted, stirring occasionally.

Pop a hole in the bag of noodles and crunch them up a bit. This just helps keep the pieces a little smaller and easier to eat.

Combine the melted chips and noodles in a very large bowl until everything is covered in chocolately goodness.

Using a cookie scoop (or a spoon, but the cookie scoop is easier and more fun), scoop little mounds out onto waxed paper. You will have a lot of little cookies. Allow these to set at room temp (or in the fridge or covered outside if it's cool enough and you're in a hurry).


I love a good apple pie, and this is really one of the best recipes I've ever found. I make it one of two ways, and it's always hard to choose. The difference I go between is which spices I use. I'll either go for straight cinnamon (Extra Fancy Vietnamese Cinnamon), or Apple Pie Spice, both available at Penzey's. Occasionally, I'll even mix the two.

This is a precooked filling recipe. I usually cheat and use a store bought crust, only because I don't usually have the time to make a crust of my own. Because it's precooked, you can use any kind of top crust you want without any issues with the apples shrinking. A lattice crust looks great on this one, and if you use a disposable pie tin, people will think it's a store bought pie!

Apple Pie

3 pounds apples (6-8 medium-large) (Golden Delicious is what I usually use, though Jonagolds are also very good)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon OR apple pie spice
1/8 tsp. salt

Peel and core the apples. Slice them to a little thicker than 1/4 inch. Measure 7 cups. In a very large, wide skillet over high heat, melt the butter until sizzling and fragrant. Add the apples and toss until glazed with butter. Reduce heat to medium, cover tightly and cook, stirring frequently until the apples are soft on the outside but still slightly crunchy on the inside, about 5-7 minutes.

Stir in the sugar, cinnamon and salt. Increase heat to high and cook the apples at a rapid boil until the juices become thick and syrupy, about 3 minutes. (**I have had some trouble getting this to thicken up in only three minutes, so I will often let this cook a little longer). Immediately spread the apples on a baking sheet and cool to room temperature.

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Pour the apples into the bottom crust. Brush the hanging edge of the crust with cold water. Cover with the top crust or lattice, and seal the edge, trim, and crimp or flute. If using a closed top crust, cut steam vents. If desired, you can sprinkle the crust with a little bit of cinnamon sugar.

Bake until the crust is richly browned, and the filling has begun to bubble, 40 to 50 minutes. Cool completely on a rack, 3 to 4 hours.