DISNEY – Page 6 – Whole Heartily

Rufus’s Gingersnap Cookie Recipe (The Rescuers)

INTRODUCTION

Welcome back friends! This week we’ll be baking the Gingersnap cookies Penny gives Rufus the cat in Disney’s The Rescuers.

Rufus's Gingersnap Cookie Recipe from Disney's The Rescuers. These cookies are featured when Bernard and Miss Bianca visit the orphanage to find Penny. They find Rufus the cat instead, and he recollects the last time he saw her. In his memory, she snuck him two Gingersnap cookies, which he charmingly mistook for “Catnipsnaps”.

Rufus's Gingersnap Cookie Recipe from Disney's The Rescuers. I think baking cookies is my favorite! There is just something so satisfying about making cookie dough and then baking snack size treats for loved ones. I tend to enjoy eating the chewier and gooier cookies, but these were like eating crunchy gingerbread cookies and I really love them! Perhaps its the crunchy store-bought or factory-made cookies I’m not as fond of!

GINGERSNAPS

2 cups of all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons of baking soda
½ teaspoon of ground black pepper
2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1 ½ teaspoons of ground ginger
½ teaspoon of salt
11 tablespoons of unsalted butter, at room temperature
2/3 cup of sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
¼ cup of mild-flavored molasses (sometimes called ‘light’ molasses)
½ teaspoon of vanilla extract
Coarse sugar crystals or granulated sugar for coating the cookies

INSTRUCTIONS (GINGERSNAPS)

In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, black pepper, cinnamon, ginger and salt.
In another medium to large bowl, beat the butter until soft, then add the sugar and continue to beat until light and fluffy; scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Add the egg, molasses and vanilla to the butter and sugar; scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Gradually mix in the dry ingredients until the dough is smooth; scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Lightly flour your hands and gather all the dough into a loose ball (if it starts sticking to your fingers add a little more flour until it doesn’t), then place it back in the bowl.
Cover the top of the bowl with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour.
We are to firm up the dough enough so it isn’t floppy while rolling it into a cylinder shape in the next step.
Divide the dough in two equal portions and roll each on a lightly-floured surface until each is in a cylindrical shape that’s about 2 inches in diameter. Don’t worry if they’re not perfect; you can neaten them up in a second.
Wrap each portion of dough in plastic wrap then roll them lightly on the counter to smooth them out.
Refrigerate until both are firm (I let mine refrigerate overnight).
To bake, preheat the oven to 350 F and line a baking sheet or two with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
Remove the dough cylinders from the refrigerator, remove the plastic wrap, and slice the cookie dough into 1/4-inch thick rounds with a sharp knife. I would work with one portion at a time so the other doesn’t get too soft.
Pour coarse or granulated sugar into a bowl and dip one side of each dough slice into the sugar to coat.
Place each slice sugar side up on the baking sheet, evenly spaced apart. Leave a couple of inches between the cookies since they will spread while baking.
Bake for 10-14 minutes, rotating the baking sheets midway during baking, until deep-golden brown. This will depend on your oven, but you can bake closer to 10 minutes for softer cookies, and closer to 14 minutes for snappier ones.
Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for about two minutes, then remove them with a spatula and transfer them to a cooling rack.

Ichabod’s Turkey Recipe (The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad)

INTRODUCTION

Welcome back friends! This week we’ll be baking what must be one of the many turkey’s Ichabod Crane is fed by the ladies of Sleepy Hollow in Disney’s The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad.

Ratty and Mole's Crumpet, Ichabod's Red Velvet Cake and Ichabod's Turkey Recipe from Disney's The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad or the Wind in the Willows. This turkey is featured when Ichabod visits one of his student’s households for supper and is fed a turkey by the lady of the house.

Ichabod's Turkey Recipe from Disney's The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad, or Sleepy Hollow. I highly doubt the residents of Sleepy Hollow had access to the Godzilla size turkeys we have available today, so I chose to work with a smaller size turkey. Smaller stature, paired with classic and simple seasoning and cooking methods resulted in the best tasting turkey I think I’ve ever created!

TURKEY

12 to 14 pound turkey (thaw if frozen)
freshly ground pepper
kosher salt
1 carrot, cut into chunks
1 rib of celery, cut into chunks
1 onion, quartered
3 sprigs of sage, plus 1 tablespoon of chopped leaves
3 sprigs of thyme, plus 1 tablespoon of chopped leaves
12 tablespoons of unsalted butter
2 teaspoons of paprika

INSTRUCTIONS (TURKEY)

Let the turkey sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Position an oven rack in the lowest position and remove the other racks, then preheat to 350 degrees F.
Remove the neck and giblets from the turkey and reserve for gravy if desired.
Pat the turkey very dry with paper towels and rub inside and out with pepper and salt.
Stuff the cavity with the carrot, celery, onion, sage and thyme sprigs; then tie the legs together with kitchen twine.
Put the turkey on a rack set it in a large roasting pan and tuck the wings under the body.
Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat and whisk in the paprika, chopped sage and thyme leaves.
Let the paprika butter cool slightly, then brush it all over the turkey.
Transfer the turkey to the oven and roast for 1 hour.
After the turkey has roasted for 1 hour, baste with the drippings.
Continue roasting and basting every 30 minutes until the skin is golden brown and a thermometer inserted into the thigh registers 165 degrees F.
Transfer the turkey to a cutting board and let it rest for 30 minutes before carving; reserve the drippings for gravy if desired.

Ichabod’s Red Velvet Cake Recipe (The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad)

INTRODUCTION

Welcome back friends! This week we’ll be baking up the red velvet cake Ichabod Crane stuffs into his mouth in Disney’s The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad.

Ratty and Mole's Crumpet, Ichabod's Red Velvet Cake and Ichabod's Turkey Recipe from Disney's The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad or the Wind in the Willows. This cake is featured during the Halloween party thrown by Baltus Van Tassel, Katrina Van Tassel’s father. Ichabod’s stomach is never satisfied so he snatches a piece of this cake up while dancing with Katrina, and pops it in his mouth without even skipping a step.

Ichabod's Red Velvet Cake Recipe from Disney's The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad, or Sleepy Hollow. Similar to Mrs. Frankenstein’s Dutch Apple Cake, the first cake recipe I posted, this recipe was a lesson in trial and error. I knew I wanted to go more natural and traditional, using beets as the red component in the red velvet and ermine icing (or flour buttercream) instead of cream cheese frosting. The first attempt was delicious, but I only used the beet juice and it came out more cocoa brown than red. This time I used the physical beets and it resulted in a red I am very happy with.

RED VELVET CAKE

3 medium beets
¾ cup buttermilk
Juice of 1 large lemon
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons white vinegar
3 tablespoons non-dutched cocoa powder
2 cups cake flour (sift before measuring)
1 ⅛ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
¾ cup butter, plus more for greasing pan
1 ¾ cup granulated sugar
3 eggs

INSTRUCTIONS (CAKE)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Wash the beets and wrap each one in aluminum foil.
Bake the beets until the tip of a knife slides easily into the largest beet (about 1 hour 15 minutes), then remove them from the oven and allow to cool until they can be handled.
Peel the beets and place them into a food processor, then chop them until they’re about the size of finely diced onions.
Measure 1 cup of the finely chopped beets and set aside. Remove the remaining beets from the food processor and reserve them for another purpose.
Return the cup of beets to the food processor and purée with the buttermilk, lemon juice, vanilla and vinegar until smooth.
In a medium size bowl, sift together the cocoa, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
In a large bowl, beat the butter until soft.
Slowly add the sugar and beat until fluffy, then beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition.
Alternate adding dry ingredient mixture and the beet mixture to butter mixture, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients. Beat for 10 seconds after each addition and scrape down the bowl after each addition of the beet mixture.
Grease two 9-inch cake pans, then line the bottoms of the pans with parchment and grease again.
Divide the batter between the prepared cake pans and smooth the tops.
Bake until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean (about 20 to 25 minutes), then remove the pans from the oven and allow them to cool completely on a wire rack.
To assemble, peel away the parchment of one cake and place the flat side down on a serving platter. Place about 1 cup of icing (see below) onto cake and, using a flat spatula, spread evenly over top. Remove the parchment from the second cake and place the flat side down on top of first layer. Use the remaining frosting to cover the top and sides of cake.

ERMINE ICING

10 tbsp. all-purpose flour
2 cups whole milk
2 pinches salt
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature (do not microwave)
2 cups granulated sugar

INSTRUCTIONS (ICING)

In a small saucepan, whisk together flour, milk, and salt.
Bring to a boil over medium heat, whisking constantly, and continue to cook for 1-2 minutes until mixture is very thick. If small lumps develop, whisk vigorously until smooth.
Remove from the heat and whisk in the vanilla extract.
Transfer to a small bow and press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the mixture’s surface to prevent a skin from forming, then set aside to cool completely.
In a medium to large bowl, cream butter and sugar for about 3 minutes then stop and scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl. Cream butter and sugar for another 3 minutes until very smooth, light, and fluffy (insufficient creaming of the butter/sugar will result in a gritty frosting).
Gradually beat the cooled flour mixture into the creamed mixture a few tablespoons at a time and the icing will begin to lighten. The mixture might look curdled when the flour paste is first added, but additional whipping will smooth it out.
Gently scrape bowl and beat until mixture is fluffy and resembles whipped cream.
Ermine Icing will break down above 70 degrees F. It’s best when freshly-whipped, but cakes and cupcakes should be completely cooled before frosting.

Ratty and Mole’s Crumpet Recipe (The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad)

INTRODUCTION

Welcome back friends! This week we’ll be cooking up the crumpets Ratty and Mole share during their tea time in Disney’s The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (or The Wind in the Willows).

Ratty and Mole's Crumpet, Ichabod's Red Velvet Cake and Ichabod's Turkey Recipe from Disney's The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad or the Wind in the Willows. These crumpets are featured when Ratty and Mole are sitting down to afternoon tea, before they’re pulled into all of Mr. Toad’s manias. Looking at them, they really could be crumpets or cookies, but since we’ll be featuring cookies from other Disney features, I thought it would be a fun challenge to make something new!

Ratty and Mole's Crumpet Recipe from Disney's The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad or the Wind in the Willows. Crumpets are relatively easy to make, albeit time consuming due to the amount of time the dough/batter spends resting. These are tasty on their own, but you’ll definitely get the most out of them by slathering them with some butter, honey, jam or whatever topping you prefer. Like most foods, these are best when they’re fresh, but my husband has toasted them the last two mornings for breakfast and they’re still tasty!

CRUMPETS

1 teaspoon of cane sugar
1 tablespoon of dried active yeast
1 cup of warm milk
2 cups of all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon of salt
½ teaspoon of baking soda
1 cup of warm water

INSTRUCTIONS (CRUMPETS)

Stir the sugar and yeast into the warm milk and let it rest for 10 minutes until frothy.
In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt.
Add the liquid to the flour mixture and stir/knead until a thick dough forms.
Cover the bowl loosely with plastic wrap and set it in a warm place for an hour to let the dough rise.
Dissolve the baking soda in the warm water and add it to the dough. Using a mixer, beat the dough for about one or two minutes. Any remaining lumps will dissolve during the next resting stage.
Cover the batter again and let it rest in a warm place for at least 30 minutes. After 30 minutes the batter should be nice and bubbly.
Prepare the crumpet rings by oiling the inside of each rim and lightly oil the frying pan. You can use a regular skillet or a cast iron pan (my preference for even heating).
Place the rings in the frying pan over medium-high heat.
Once the rings are hot, pour the batter into each ring until it’s slightly more than half full.
Cook for about 5 minutes or until the classic pores/holes are present and the bottoms slightly browned.
Remove the rings and flip the crumpets over to cook the other side for a minute or two until golden brown.
Serve warm with butter, jam, golden syrup or honey. To reheat later, toast them in the toaster. These can also be frozen, thaw first before toasting.

Dante’s Concha Bread Recipe (Coco)

INTRODUCTION

Welcome back friends! This week we’re baking the concha bread, or pan dulce, Dante tries to steal in Disney and Pixar’s heartfelt and visually stunning Pixar film, Coco.

Abuelita's Pork Tamale Recipe, Churros and Dante's Concha Bread Recipe from Disney and Pixar's Coco. When Miguel’s family brings him back to the land of the dead to ask Mama Imelda for help, they enter the Department of Family Reunions and Dante tries to steal a plate of sweets off of one of the desks. The Concha bread is on this plate, and it can also be seen in various scenes throughout the film.

Dante's Concha Bread Recipe from Disney and Pixar's Coco. Like the tamales, I wanted to research and find a traditional recipe for this treat. I then took my recipe to my friends to see if they thought it was traditional enough and they approved! There are different variations of toppings out there, but I chose to go with something closer to the film, with no food coloring.

I’ve never really worked with yeast before; it’s really fascinating to see the dough doubling in size! The topping is cinnamon deliciousness and I highly recommend eating these freshly baked and warm, but they do hold up well the following few days.

CONCHA BREAD

1 packet (1/4 ounce) of active dry yeast
1⁄2 cup of warm water
1 egg
1⁄2 cup of warm evaporated milk
1/3 cup of sugar
1/3 cup of butter (melted)
1 teaspoon of salt
4 cups of all-purpose flour (plus enough to lightly flour a surface)
1⁄2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon

INSTRUCTIONS (BREAD)

In a large bowl stir together the yeast and the warm water., then let the mixture stand for 10 minutes.
Stir in the egg, evaporated milk, sugar, melted butter and salt.
Stir in 2 cups of the flour and then gradually stir in another 2 cups of flour and the cinnamon to make a dough.
Place the dough on a lightly floured surface. Knead for 3 to 5 minutes or until smooth and elastic, then shape into a ball.
Transfer the ball of dough to a large greased bowl and turn it to coat the surface of the dough.
Cover and let it rise in a warm place until doubled in size (about 1 to 1 1⁄4 hours).
Punch down the dough, then cover, and let it stand for another 10 minutes.
Make the topping (see below).
Divide the dough into 12 portions and shape each portion into a smooth ball.
Place the dough balls about 3 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper and press down on each dough ball slightly.
Divide the topping into 12 balled up portions; then pat each ball flat.
Place one round of topping on each dough ball.
Using a sharp paring knife, cut grooves in the topping to resemble a scallop shell.
Cover the rolls and let them rise in a warm place until nearly doubled in size (about 45 minutes).
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Bake rolls for 18 to 20 minutes or until light golden brown.
Remove from the baking sheets to cool on wire racks.
Serve warm or cool.

TOPPING

1⁄2 cup of butter, softened
2/3 cup of sugar
1 cup of all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

INSTRUCTIONS (TOPPING)

In a medium bowl, beat the softened butter with an electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds.
Add the sugar, beating until well mixed.
Stir in the flour, cinnamon, and vanilla; mix until well incorporated.

A Returning Skeleton’s Churro Recipe (Coco)

INTRODUCTION

Welcome back friends! This week we are creating the churros a Skeleton brings back with him to the Land of the Dead in the heartfelt and visually stunning Pixar film, Coco.

Abuelita's Pork Tamale Recipe, Churros and Dante's Concha Bread Recipe from Disney and Pixar's Coco. When Miguel’s family brings him back to the land of the dead to ask Mama Imelda for help, they join a customs line and our friend with the churros is at the front of this line. We never really get to know this Skeleton, but he likes churros and that’s a perfect excuse to make them!

A Returning Skeleton's Churro Recipe from Disney and Pixar's Coco. These are delicious and they taste exactly like churros should taste, but they came out the size of fries due to my pastry tip being small! I plan on buying myself a bigger pastry tip, but the moral of the story is, churros are delicious in any size!

CHURROS

vegetable oil (corn or canola)
1 cup of water
1/2 cup of butter
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/2 cup of sugar
1 cup of all-purpose flour, sifted
3 eggs
1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon

INSTRUCTIONS

In a medium saucepan, heat the water and butter together until the butter melts.
Add the salt and 1 tablespoon of the sugar, then stir until they’re dissolved.
Bring mixture to a full boil, then mix in the flour, stirring vigorously to blend well. Continue stirring for about a minute or until mixture forms into a doughy ball, but remove from the heat after about 30 seconds or the churros will not puff properly.
Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Continue mixing until all the egg is completely incorporated and the dough is glossy. Set aside to cool and rest for about 5 minutes.
Mix remaining sugar and cinnamon in a shallow dish and set aside.
In a heavy/deep pan or deep fryer heat at least 2 inches of oil to 375 F.
Test the temperature of your frying oil. Drop a small ball of the dough into the hot oil. It should bubble up to the surface immediately. If is doesn’t, the oil is not hot enough and you’ll end up with soggy, greasy churros.
Spoon the dough mixture into a cake decorators’ piping tube with the largest star tip available. Rolling down from the top, squeeze 4-inch strips of dough into the hot oil. Don’t crowd the churros. 3 or 4 at a time is about right. Fry 3-4 minutes, turning once, until golden brown.
Remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and set onto paper towels to drain. Roll churros in cinnamon/sugar mixture and serve warm.

Abuelita’s Pork Tamale Recipe (Coco)

INTRODUCTION

Welcome back friends! This week we are creating Abuelita’s tamales from the heartfelt and visually stunning Pixar film, Coco.

Our first two recipes from Frankenweenie (the Double Dutch Cherry Muffins and the Dutch Apple Cake) were featured as actual recipes in a cookbook during a scene in the film, but this is the first recipe we are creating based on our interpretation of what is seen in the film.

Abuelita's Pork Tamale Recipe from Disney and Pixar's Coco. Miguel’s family, especially his Abuelita, are very traditional so I tried to find the most traditional recipe for tamales I could. I then took that tamale recipe to my friends and asked them whether or not they believed it was genuine and got a resounding yes!

Tamales take time to make as there are many steps, but if you have family or friends to help, it could go by much quicker! Your reward is a tasty meal that can be enjoyed fresh or frozen for later!

RED CHILI SAUCE

15 large dried chillies (ie: anaheim, new mexico, california or pasilla)
2 teaspoons of ground cumin
4-5 garlic cloves
1 teaspoons of salt
2 teaspoons of melted shortening, or 2 teaspoons of olive oil
2 teaspoons of all-purpose flour

INSTRUCTIONS (SAUCE)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Remove any stems and seeds from the dried peppers.
Place the peppers in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast them in the oven for 2 to 5 minutes, or until you smell a sweet roasted aroma (check often to avoid burning).
Remove the peppers from the oven and soak them in enough hot water to cover for about 30 minutes, or until cool.
Put the peppers, 2 ½ cups of the soaking water, cumin, garlic and salt into blender (save the remaining soaking water).
Cover and blend until smooth.
In a small to medium saucepan, melt the shortening and stir in flour over medium heat until browned.
Gently stir in blended chili mixture.
Simmer uncovered for 5 to 10 minutes or until slightly thickened. If the sauce gets too thick, stir in up to 1 cup of the remaining soaking water until you reach the desired thickness.

TAMALES

3 ½ lb. of pork shoulder or butt, cut up and trimmed of fat
10 cups of water
1 medium onion, peeled and quartered
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 ½ teaspoons of salt
3 to 4 cups of red chili sauce (see above)
¾ cup of shortening
6 cups of masa harina
1 ½ teaspoons of baking powder
50 dried corn husks (8 inches)

INSTRUCTIONS (TAMALES)

In a Dutch oven, bring the pork, water, onion, garlic and 1 ½ teaspoons of salt to boil.
Simmer covered for about 2 ½ hours or until the meat is very tender.
Remove the meat from the broth and allow both to cool.
Using two forks, shred the meat.
Strain the broth and reserve 6 cups.
Start to soak corn husks in warm water for at least 20 minutes; rinse to remove any corn silk and drain well.
In a large sauce pan, heat the red chili sauce and add the shredded meat; simmer, covered for 10 minutes.
To make the masa, beat shortening on medium speed in a large bowl for 1 minute.
In separate bowl, stir together masa harina, baking powder and 2 teaspoons of salt.
Alternately add the masa harina mixture and broth to shortening, beating well after each addition. Add just enough broth to make a thick, creamy paste.
To assemble each tamale, spread about 2 tablespoons of the masa mixture on the center of the corn husk.
Place about 1 tablespoon of the meat and sauce mixture in the middle of the masa.
Fold in the sides of the husk and then fold up the bottom.
Using strips of corn husk, tie each tamale together.
Place a mound of husks or a foil ball in the center of your steamer basket.
Lean the tamales in the basket, open side up.
Add water to your steamer to just below the basket.
Bring the water to a boil and reduce heat.
Cover and steam for 40 minutes, adding water when necessary.
You can freeze these for future meals, leave them in the husks and place them in freezer bags.

Mrs. Frankenstein’s Dutch Apple Cake Recipe (FrankenWeenie)

INTRODUCTION

Hello friends! This week we’re going to be making Dutch Apple Cake from Tim Burton’s stop motion animated film, Frankenweenie.

Mrs. Frankenstein's Double Dutch Cherry Muffins and Dutch Apple Cake from Disney and Tim Burton's FrankenWeenie. Like our first recipe, this recipe is featured in Mrs. Frankenstein’s cookbook, along with the Double Dutch Cherry Muffins we made last week!

Unfortunately, I was unable to keep this recipe true to the film’s version. I attempted to bake this cake twice, first following the recipe as is and the second time I removed the apples from the batter as I suspected they were adding too much moisture to the batter as they baked. Both experiments ended up as very un-cake-like brown masses; what a bummer!

I took another look at the recipe’s image, and judging by the slice it looks like the cake has apples layered on the top outer edges. I decided to rework the recipe with a simple cinnamon cake with the apples cooked separately and then arranged on top.

DUTCH APPLE CAKE

1 tablespoon of baking powder
1 tablespoon of cinnamon
2 cups of all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon of salt
2/3 cups of butter, softened
1 1/3 cups of sugar
2 teaspoons of vanilla
3 large eggs
1 cup of whole milk

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Using butter, or shortening, generously grease and lightly flour a 10-inch springform pan.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the baking powder, cinnamon, flour, and salt.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter, sugar, and vanilla until the mixture is light and fluffy.
Add the eggs, one at a time, fully incorporating each one.
Slowly beat in the flour mixture, roughly a third at a time, alternating with 1/3 cup milk each time.
Pour the batter in the prepared pan and bake for about 40 – 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Remove the cake from the oven and, taking a regular fork, poke the top of the cake as many times as desired. This will allow the juices from the apple topping to seep their way into the cake. Making it tasty and moist.
Allow for the cake to cool for at least 10 minutes before removing it from the pan and applying the topping.

APPLE TOPPING

4 apples (I used Granny Smith), cored, peeled and thinly sliced
4-6 tablespoons of brown sugar (to taste)
1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon of butter

INSTRUCTIONS (TOPPING)

In a medium to heavy saucepan on medium to high heat, add the apples, brown sugar, butter and cinnamon.
Stir to distribute the sugar and cinnamon and then cover for about 5 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the juices released from the apples cook down into a slightly thick syrup.
Remove the pan from the heat and allow the filling to cool enough so it’s comfortable to handle.
Carefully begin to arrange the apple slices in a circle around the outer edge of the cake , tip to tip, and work your way inwards until you’ve run out of slices.

Mrs. Frankenstein’s Double Dutch Cherry Muffin Recipe (FrankenWeenie)

INTRODUCTION

Welcome to my very first recipe post! This week we are baking Mrs. Frankenstein’s Double Dutch Cherry Muffin’s from Tim Burton’s stop-motion animated film, Frankenweenie.

Mrs. Frankenstein's Double Dutch Cherry Muffins from Disney and Tim Burton's FrankenWeenie. This recipe is featured in Mrs. Frankenstein’s cookbook, along with the Dutch Apple cake we’ll be making next week. I kept the recipe as true to the film’s version as possible with a few minor differences. Firstly, I expanded on the instructions. Secondly, I added 1/2 tsp. of salt to the batter to help enhance flavor and thirdly, I substituted whipped heavy cream for the double cream. Double cream, I found, is more so common in the United Kingdom and not so easily obtainable here in the United States.

DOUBLE DUTCH CHERRY MUFFINS

1 teaspoon of baking soda
2 cups of flour
½ teaspoon of salt
1 cup of sugar
2 eggs
¾ cup of butter
½ cup of milk
½ cup of fresh pitted and quartered sweet cherries

INSTRUCTIONS (MUFFINS)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) and place liners in a muffin tin.
Mix the dry ingredients (baking soda, flour, salt, and sugar) together in a bowl.
Whisk liquid ingredients (melted butter, eggs, and milk) together in another bowl.
Pour liquid mixture into the dry mixture; stir gently until incorporated.
Fold the cherries into the batter.
Spoon batter into the muffin liners, filling each 2/3 of the way full.
Sprinkle a pinch of sugar on each muffin top.
Bake muffins in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

WHIPPED HEAVY CREAM TOPPING (OPTIONAL)

½ cup of heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons of sugar, honey or maple syrup
½ teaspoon of vanilla

INSTRUCTIONS (TOPPING)

Place mixing bowl and whisk in the freezer for about 20 minutes to chill.
Pour heavy whipping cream, sugar and vanilla into the cold bowl and whisk on high speed for about 1 minute or until medium to stiff peaks form.
Do not overbeat.