Applesauce Cookies and Muffins

I found this recipe in an old cookie recipe pamphlet from the late ‘50s, and of course, have wanted to make it for a while. Additionally, Chef G recently acquired a contraption called the “Supershooter,” which oozes shapes, and is great for frosting and liquidy cookie batter. This batter ended up being too gooey, though, and didn’t hold its shape so well after extrusion. I added very few bran flakes, ‘cause I didn’t want them to clog the Supershooter, and so the cookies turned out to be very soft, but if you favor crunchier cookies, err on the higher amount of bran.

Supershooter in use

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups sifted cake flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon powdered cloves

1 cup canned applesauce

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 cup Crisco

1 cup sugar

1 egg

0-1 1/2 cups crushed bran flakes

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Preheat oven to 375* and grease several cookie sheets.

Sift together flour, salt, and spices. In a small bowl, combine applesauce and soda. In a large bowl, cream shortening, egg and sugar until light. Add in dry mixture and applesauce alternatively, stirring until combined. Fold in bran flakes until texture suits you.

Drop by teaspoonfuls about 2” apart. Bake about 20 minutes, or until the edges darken slightly.

I got bored with the Supershooter, and it was late, and we had fresh blueberries. These factors aligned, and I decided to add blueberries (and a bit more applesauce) to the remaining batter and made muffins with them. They were quite delicious! I baked them for about 20 minutes as well, if I recall correctly. They should brown slightly around the side, and a toothpick inserted should come out clean.

~ The Baker's Apprentice/Chef A