Apple Pie Pancakes

Ingredients:
Serves 4

3 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, seeded
4 tbs granulated  sugar or brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
Juice from 1 lemon
1 box of your favorite pancake mix or your favorite pancake recipe

Pancakes are a family favorite here. I make batches and serve them up and freeze them up. Truth be told I prefer the boxed variety (Aunt Jemima) over the home made. I really can't taste the difference. And they're a bit easier to make. (Everything's in the box. If the recipe calls for milk I'll make buttermilk.) My toppings can range from sliced bananas or strawberries or fresh, plump blueberries. Sometimes I cook the fruit inside. Sometimes I cook it and toss it on top. These baked apple like pancakes are a favorite of ours.

To serve 4 people, to generously cover 6 - 8 nicely sized pancakes, you'll need 3 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, seeded and cored, thinly sliced as though you are making an apple pie.

Place apple slices in a large bowl or dish and cover with about 4 tbs of brown or granulated sugar and 1 tsp of cinnamon. Cover dish with plastic wrap and shake so that the mixture covers the apples well. Pour the lemon juice over the apples and let sit a few minutes.

In a non-stick pan add your apple mixture and cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes. Turn heat off or to low and keep on the burner.

Meanwhile in another pan prepare your pancakes.
When the pancakes are ready, place on warm plates. (I like to place plates in oven to warm prior to serving.) Place a generous amount of the cooked apples on top and then drizzle syrup lightly over the top, careful not to add too much. You really need just a small amount.

A bite of heaven, right?!

White Chocolate and Cranberry Shortbread Cookies

and the holiday baking continues... and this one was a hit as well. We had a hard time keeping our hands out of the cookie jar!

I love shortbread. Because it requires very few ingredients. Because it is easy to make and bake. And I'm lazy. I ought to be called the Lazy Gourmet!

Ingredients:

3/4 lb butter (3 sticks)
1 cup of confectioners sugar
3 1/2 cups of flour
1 cup of white chocolate morsels
1 cup of dried cranberries

In a large mixing bowl (preferably of a large mixer like KitchenAid) beat butter and sugar until creamy. Slowly add the flour, one cup at a time until well blended. Fold in cranberries and chocolate. (See, wasn't that easy?!)

Roll into a log and slice, or cut into shapes using a small cookie cutter. (I also love shortbread because it doesn't spread like sugar cookies do and you can place them close to each other.)

Place on a cookie sheet lined with a Silpat, parchment or wax paper.

Bake at 325 degrees for 20 minutes-  until the edges are a nice light golden brown. Let cool on a cooling rack for a few minutes before serving.