Ingredients

Serves 10

Cinnamon & Apple Pie
6-8 granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced
1½ tbsp cinnamon sugar
3 eggs
1½ cups caster sugar
1½ cups light olive oil
3 tsp vanilla extract
1½ cups plain flour
Extra cinnamon sugar for sprinkling (optional)

 

Almond Kifli
Makes 60
125 g whole raw almonds (skin on), freshly ground
250 g unsalted butter at room temperature
2½ cups plain flour
1 tbsp vanilla caster sugar (see note)
1 cup vanilla icing sugar for dusting (see note)

Method

Cinnamon & Apple Pie
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease and line the base and side of a 26 cm springform cake tin.
Layer the apple slices in the prepared tin so they come about two-thirds of the way up the side. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the apples.
Make the batter by beating the eggs and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the oil and vanilla and beat well, then stir in the flour. Spoon the batter on top of the cinnamon-covered apples and sprinkle with extra cinnamon sugar if desired.
Bake for 1 hour and 20 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the cake comes out clean. Cool in the tin. Serve warm with cream or ice-cream.

Almond Kifli
Preheat the oven to 160°C. Line two large baking trays.
Mix together the ground almonds, butter, flour and vanilla sugar by hand until a dough is formed, taking care not to overwork the dough. This can also be done in a food processor.
Roll the dough into small thumb-sized rolls and bend slightly into crescent shapes. Place on the prepared trays and bake for 30-40 minutes until pale golden. When cool, roll in the vanilla icing sugar.
Store in an airtight container with any excess vanilla icing sugar tipped on top of the biscuits.

Note:
To make vanilla caster sugar, store a split vanilla bean (with or without seeds) in 1 kg caster sugar in a container. Shake vigorously and allow the vanilla flavour to permeate for a t least 1 week before using. Seal the container until ready to use. Lasts for months.

To make vanilla icing sugar, scrape the seeds from a vanilla bean into 1kg icing sugar mixture in a container. Roughly chop the vanilla bean and add to the icing sugar. Shake vigorously until the seeds are dispersed, using a whisk to help if needed. Seal the container until ready to use. Lasts for months.

 

Recipes from:
Monday Morning Cooking Club: the food, the stories, the sisterhood, Hardie Grant, RRP: $59.95
www.mondaymorningcookingclub.com.au