Tag Archives: recipes

German Apple Torte (Apfelkuchen)

Posted on December 4, 2025 by Ruthanne

I married into this recipe. My very first time visiting my husband’s grandma Gisela (Gisi, to us), she made this unbelievably delicious apple cake. I don’t even like cooked apples, but I politely took a piece and LOVED it!!!

With all of my heart, I believe we need to carry the recipes of the ones we love forward into new generations. I’ve featured recipes from both of my grandmas, my aunts and my mom here on the Easybaked blog, and I knew that this recipe needed to be shared with the world. Last week, grandma Gisi patiently explained her recipe (translated from German) so that I could try it, and the results made me smile.

This was how she greeted us on our visit last week- the birthday we were celebrating was my husband’s.

Grandma Gisi grew up in Neumarkt, a town in Bavaria, Germany. Her aunt Minni used to make this cake, and now she has made it for her own family occasions for years. To me, it feels like shortbread or butter cookies with a big sweet layer of tart apples in the middle. Is it a cake? A torte? It’s like nothing I’ve ever had before and it’s delicious!

Want to try it? Here’s the recipe (in English!!!) (printable recipe here)

Ingredients:

  • 12 medium McIntosh apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
  • Juice from one lemon
  • 3-4 Tablespoons of water
  • 1 1/3 cup of granulated sugar (divided into two 2/3 portions)
  • 2 teaspoons of cinnamon
  • 2 3/4 cups of flour (may need a little extra if dough is sticky)
  • 2 sticks of butter plus 2 Tablespoons, softened to room temperature
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 Tablespoon of baking powder
  • 1/4 cup of powdered sugar (to sift over the top of cake)

Directions: (pay attention to my extra notes!)

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees
  • Prepare a 26cm (or 10 inch) springform pan by spraying it with cooking spray.
  • Place prepared apples, lemon juice, 2/3 cup sugar, and cinnamon into a large pot and cook over the stove on medium heat, stirring to prevent them from burning.
  • Cook apples until they are softened but not mushy and set aside. *Note: the amount of water needed depends on the size of your apples, so if your mixture is soupy after cooking (small apples), spoon some of the liquid away until the apples are still covered in a light sauce, but not dripping with it.*
  • In a mixing bowl, cream together butter with 2/3 cup sugar, and add eggs and vanilla.
  • Add flour and baking powder, and mix until combined.
  • Knead dough together with your hands until it is smooth. Start with 2 and 3/4 cups of flour and if it is sticky, add a little extra flour until it is a nice roll-out cookie dough consistency.
  • Divide dough into 2 equal parts, and press one part into the bottom of your springform pan, pushing the edge up a little along the sides (to hold the apple filling in a bit). Think cookie- not cake. I was surprised at how thin the layer of dough was, but it rose some in the oven.
  • Bake this bottom layer at 350 degrees for about 12 minutes to firm it up a little.
  • Remove from oven, pour apple filling in and spread it to cover the base.
  • Press bits of the remaining dough flat with your hands and lay it on the top of the apples, pinching together each section to form a complete layer of dough on top of the apples. *Note: This step sounded difficult to me, so I simply rolled a 10 inch circle of the dough on parchment paper using a rolling pin, and flipped it over the apple layer like a pie crust*
  • Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes (when you can see that it is beginning to brown a little on top, it is done).
  • Cool and sift powdered sugar over the top before serving.
  • Enjoy!

My thoughts: Other than the apple prep, this cake is really simple to make. Grandma Gisi told me that to make this cake the correct German way, you really need to purchase a 26cm springform pan. I found that a 10 inch one worked fine as well, but if you want to stay true to the original recipe, you should get that 26cm pan 🙂 I really hope you try and enjoy this delicious cake! Recipes from grandma are always the best!

Other delicious family recipes you might want to try (click a photo to see the recipe):

Leave a comment

Posted in Cakes, Pies, Tarts and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

S’mOreos!

Posted on November 14, 2025 by Ruthanne

These are one of my new favorite treats! Take a S’more, add an Oreo, and you have… a S’mOreo! These take a little while to put together, but the end result is SO worth the effort!

(The links to Amazon in this recipe are affiliate links. Your purchases help to support future recipe creations here on Easybaked!)

One note to make: Originally I made these, and photographed them on sticks, like an Oreo pop, but since then, I have made them in a mold without a stick, and they were much easier to eat, as they are very heavy on a stick. You choose which way you like them best, but use the correct Oreo mold (with sticks or without).

Ready to give these a try? Here is a printable recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 24 Double Stuf Oreos
  • 2 12 oz bags of Wiltons Candy melts in dark cocoa
  • 1 12 oz bag of Wiltons Candy melts in white
  • 1 small jar of marshmallow fluff
  • About 8-10 graham crackers
  • 24 Hershey’s milk chocolate drops
  • You will also need a 1 inch circle cookie cutter

DIRECTIONS:

  • Cut 24 1 inch circles out of graham crackers, and brush away crumbs.
  • Melt both white and cocoa candy melts in microwave-safe bowl in 30 second increments, stirring in between until smooth.
  • Place a small amount (1/4 cup) of dark cocoa melts into a zip-top bag and clip a small corner.
  • Using a fork, dip graham crackers into white chocolate melts. Tap fork on edge of bowl and drag bottom of cracker along edge to get off excess white chocolate.
  • Slide onto parchment paper and drizzle lines of dark cocoa across the top. Squeeze the remaining cocoa melts back into the bowl with the rest of the cocoa melts.
  • Set a Hershey drop on top and allow this to cool and harden.
  • Slide sticks into Oreos at this point (if using).
  • Using a knife, spread a layer of marshmallow fluff on top of 4 Oreos.
  • Spoon about 1 tablespoon of cocoa melts into each mold cavity.
  • Press an Oreo into each cavity, allowing melts to rise up along sides.
  • Spoon a little more of the candy melts on top, and tap on counter to get bubbles out and fill in along the sides. Note: if you have these clear molds, you can lift them up and check for any areas that might have bubbles or where the melts aren’t covering the Oreo, and use a toothpick to poke those out and allow the candy melts to fill in.
  • Allow candy melts to harden. I put these on a small cookie sheet and freeze them for about 5 minutes to speed up the process.
  • Turn the mold over and tap to release the covered Oreo.
  • Once these are room temperature, use a little of the white melts (reheat if needed) to spread on the bottom of each covered graham cracker and then press on top of covered Oreo.
  • Allow this to harden, and wrap in a little cello bag to keep fresh. These will stay fresh for about 1 week if they are kept wrapped in one of these.

My thoughts: YUM! These are my favorite variety of Oreo dessert I’ve made so far (and we love Oreos around here!) Nick, my favorite taste-testing hubby agrees. These are the perfect blend of flavors! I really hope you get a chance to try them! Enjoy! ~r

In case you love Oreo desserts, and want a few more ideas, click on a photo to see the recipe!

Leave a comment

Posted in Cake Pops, oreo pops and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Friendly Monster Oreo Pops

Posted on October 26, 2025 by Ruthanne

These friendly purple monsters are filled with an Oreo, and are sure to make the kids in your life smile this Halloween!

(The links to Amazon in this recipe are affiliate links. Your purchases help to support future recipe creations!)

Usually, I dip my Oreo pops, but this time I used some Oreo Pop molds (got mine here), and I love how they turned out! If you don’t want to purchase molds, these would be just fine dipped as well (instructions here). You could also save some time on these by purchasing the large eyes, but I wanted to save a little on the cost (and I already had both white and black candy melts).

Want to know how to make these fun little monsters??? Here we go! (Printable recipe here)

INGREDIENTS:

DIRECTIONS:

  • Slide a lollipop stick into each Oreo, making sure it doesn’t come out of the top.
  • Melt purple candy melts in the microwave in 30 second increments, stirring in between, until melted and smooth.
  • Spoon about 1 tablespoon of melts into each mold cavity
  • Press an Oreo into each cavity, allowing melts to rise up along sides.
  • Spoon a little more of the candy melts on top, and tap on counter to get bubbles out and fill in along the sides. Note: if you have these clear molds, you can lift them up and check for any areas that might have bubbles or where the melts aren’t covering the Oreo, and use a toothpick to poke those out and allow the candy melts to fill in.
  • Allow candy melts to harden. I put these on a small cookie sheet and freeze them for about 5 minutes to speed up the process.
  • Turn the mold over and tap to release the covered Oreo.
  • For the eyes (if you do not purchase them), put some melted white candy melts into a zip-top bag and clip a corner.
  • Put some melted black candy melts into a bag as well, and clip a smaller corner.
  • On parchment or wax paper, squeeze the white candy melts out into a 3/4″ to 1″ circle.
  • Use the black candy melts to squeeze a pupil in the center of the white to create a big eyeball.
  • Allow your eyes to harden up.
  • Mix a little white into any leftover purple candy melts you have, to make lavender. Put this lighter purple into a zip-top bag and clip a corner.
  • Squeeze some lavender melts onto the top-middle of the Oreo pop and press an eye on top until the lighter purple squeezes out around the edges.
  • Pipe a little half-smile under the eye.
  • Allow everything to harden up.
  • Tie these up in cute little bags (I LOVE these ones because they fit a covered Oreo perfectly and leave room to tie a ribbon under it!) to make them last longer (they will last 4-6 weeks in tied bags) and ENJOY!!

My thoughts: These turned out exactly as I pictured them in my mind, and I love that they aren’t scary 🙂 Be creative with yours- maybe you need three eyes or a different color? However you decide to make them, I hope you enjoy the process and the results! ~r

Other monster-y recipes you might enjoy:

Leave a comment

Posted in Halloween, Kids recipes, oreo pops and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Gum Ball Machine Oreo Pops

Posted on July 22, 2025 by Ruthanne

These fun little gum ball machines aren’t filled with gum balls, but with a yummy Oreo! Easy to make, these little treats are sure to bring smiles!

It’s no secret that we love to try new versions of Oreo Pops around here. In fact, the very first time I tried making cake pops (an utter, embarrassing failure), I had the thought… maybe I could put a cookie- like an Oreo- on a stick and dip it in chocolate instead! I searched the internet for an example of this and couldn’t find anyone else who’d tried it. Does this mean I invented the Oreo Pop? Maybe. Or I did a bad job on Google searching them! 🙂 In any case, from that day in 2012 on, we have turned all sorts of things into Oreo Pops! The sprinkles were the inspiration for these. Every time I used them, they reminded me of little gum balls! The basics of how to create an Oreo Pop live on in my original recipe. The only thing I have changed is a little freezer time to harden the stick in place before dipping.

Let’s make these! (printable recipe is found here)

INGREDIENTS:

  • One package of Double Stuf Oreos
  • 2 (12oz.) bags of Wilton White Candy Melts
  • 24 Lollipop sticks  (I like the 6-8 inch ones)
  • Small, round sprinkles (for the gum balls)
  • Silver dragees (for top knob)
  • White heart sprinkles (Or you could use squares too- for the coin slot)
  • Dots Candy (for the stand)

DIRECTIONS: (to see pictures, refer to my original “how-to” post here)

  • Carefully twist apart all of the Oreo cookies.
  • Using one of the pop sticks, make an indentation in the white filling of each cookie.
  • On the rest of the sticks, slide one red Dots candy about an inch down the stick. Yes, it is sticky, and leaves a trail of red on the stick, but this part will go inside the Oreo.
  • Melt the Candy Melts in the microwave in 30 second increments, stirring until completely melted and smooth.
  • Dip the end of one stick into the melted white chocolate, drizzle a little in the center of the white cookie filling and then gently press it into the indentation made, making sure that the Dots Candy is right up against the bottom of the cookie.
  • Place the top of the cookie back on and allow white chocolate to harden (5 minutes or so), cementing the cookie back together with a stick inside. (I like to place all the cookies on a small baking sheet and set them in the freezer for a few minutes to really firm them up before dipping)
  • Holding the stick, lower the entire Oreo into the bowl of melted white chocolate, spooning it over the top and sides to cover it completely, but being careful to not get too much on the Dots Candy.
  • Allow the excess chocolate to drain off, and slide the bottom of the cookie against the lip of the bowl to remove excess. Then, gently place the covered Oreo on a piece of parchment paper to harden.  
  • Immediately (before the candy melts harden!), sprinkle the gum ball sprinkles on the bottom half of the Oreo pop, and set a dragee on the top.
  • Allow the pops to harden completely.
  • Use a little bit of the melted white candy melts to “glue” the heart sprinkle on the front of the Dots candy. Allow this to harden as well.
  • Eat and enjoy!!!

My thoughts: I love these little cuties! They make me smile. How fun would a mason jar of these be at a Birthday party?!? You can easily put a cello bag over each pop and tie them with a ribbon to share! I really hope you try these and enjoy them! ~r

Want to try some of our other Oreo Pops? We have a whopping TWENTY FOUR varieties on the blog- plus a couple of cute not-on-a-stick Oreo creations (scroll here to see them all)- but here are just four of my favorites (click on photo to see recipe):

Snowman Pops
Lil’ Chick Pops
Spider Pops
Cookie Monsters!!

Leave a comment

Posted in Cookies, Easy recipes, Kids recipes, oreo pops, Oreo pops and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Knafeh Cheesecake

Posted on April 2, 2025 by Ruthanne

A couple of years ago, while on a trip to Israel, we tried a popular Middle Eastern dessert called Knafeh (also spelled Kunafa). It is made with layers of thin, shredded pastry dough (called Kataifi), a delicious sweet cheese (called Nabulsi or Akkawi), honey or simple syrup, and pistachios. We were sitting in Jericho, the waiter brought us a complimentary piece of this, and the rest is history! I spent far too long reading up on the history of the dessert, finding a local store that sells the ingredients, and making it! (I also specifically visit middle eastern restaurants, looking for this. It’s THAT good!)

Earlier this week, I was thinking about Knafeh and began to wonder if cream cheese, in the form of a cheesecake, would be a good addition to this dessert, and this recipe was born!

Usually, the thin pastry (Kataifi) is wrapped around the cheese, baked or fried, topped with simple syrup and pistachios. So I made the crust of the Kataifi, added my very favorite cheesecake on top, and then topped the cheesecake with a giant pile of crunchy Kataifi, simple syrup and pistachios. YUM!

Want to try this? Here is the recipe: (printable recipe here)

INGREDIENTS:

For the crust:

  • 8 oz. Kataifi (I find this frozen, in a 16 oz box, at our local Halal grocery)
  • 3 Tablespoons butter, melted
  • 2 Tablespoons sugar

For the cheesecake:

Filling: 

  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 3 (8 oz.) Philadelphia cream cheese bars (must be the Philadelphia brand)~ softened to room temperature.
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • pinch of salt

Sour cream cheesecake topping:

  • 1 pint (2 cups) sour cream
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • pinch of salt

Crunchy Kataifi Topping:

  • Toasted Kataifi (made from original 8 ounces, used for crust)
  • Simple syrup (boil 1/2 cup water with 1/2 cup sugar and cool)
  • chopped pistachios- to taste- I like a lot of them!

DIRECTIONS:

Crust:

  • Heat the oven to 350 degrees
  • Mix kataifi with butter and sugar in a bowl until well-coated, using clean fingers.
  • Grease an 8 or 9 inch springform pan, place a piece of parchment paper into bottom (cut into a circle to fit), grease the top of paper.
  • Press half of the kataifi mixture into the bottom of the pan.
  • Spread the other half of the kataifi out on parchment paper-covered cookie sheet.
  • Bake both items at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes (until lightly browned and crunchy)
  • Cool
  • Place loose kataifi into a ziptop bag to use as topping prior to serving.

Cheesecake:

  • Combine the sugar and softened cream cheese in a large mixing bowl and beat together until smooth.
  • Add the eggs, one at a time, beating between each addition.
  • Add the vanilla, lemon juice and salt and beat until smooth and creamy.
  • Pour over crust.
  • Bake at 350F degrees for 35-45 minutes- I like to set the pan on a cookie sheet to prevent any leaks from getting on oven.
  • While cheesecake is baking, make sour cream topping by simply mixing together all of the sour cream topping ingredients.
  • After 35-45 minutes of baking, remove cheesecake from oven and turn oven down to 325F degrees.
  • Pour sour cream topping over hot cheesecake, gently spreading to edges.
  • Return cheesecake to oven and bake for an additional 12-15 minutes.
  • Remove cheesecake from oven and leave sides on pan while allowing cheesecake to cool to room temperature.  
  • Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Crunchy Kataifi Topping: (add this just before serving)

  • Chop pistachios (as many as you like- I like LOTS!)
  • Make a simple syrup by boiling 1/2 cup water with 1/2 cup sugar until it is combined, and the sugar is completely dissolved.
  • Spread crunchy kataifi all over the top of the cheesecake.
  • Drizzle with simple syrup (enough to add sweetness, but not so much that it gets soggy)
  • Sprinkle with pistachios
  • ENJOY!

My thoughts: This fusion of knafeh and cheesecake is delicious! Two of my favorite things all together in one dessert. I wanted to drizzle some melted chocolate over the top, for a little bit of that “Dubai Chocolate” feel, but I haven’t yet! We still have two pieces left though, so I’m planning to try it. The topping gets just a little less crispy as time goes by in the fridge. If you don’t plan to serve the whole cheesecake, you might keep the toppings separate and add them to each piece. I hope you enjoy trying this recipe! If you are a cheesecake purist, this cheesecake is amazing without all the extras. You can find it here.

Other international desserts to try here on Easybaked (click a photo to see the recipe):

Leave a comment

Posted in Cheesecakes and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

A Cut-out Cookie Collection!

Posted on December 19, 2014 by Ruthanne

Cut-out Cookie CollectionIt’s nearly Christmas, and those cute bells, stars and tree cookie cutters are begging to be used!  This post is dedicated to our favorite cut-out cookie recipes featured here on Easybaked. We have everything from gingerbread to mocha, simple sugar cookies to international favorites! Make this year’s cookies your best yet!

Let’s start with the family favorite. My mom’s thick and cake-like cutout cookie recipe features a hint of cinnamon flavor and is truly a part of our Christmas (and Easter, and 4th of July, and back-to-school and GO PACKERS!) traditions. These are easy, and freeze well- so you can make them ahead. Go ahead and click on that photo to see the recipe.

IMG_1195

 

Next, is my personal favorite: GINGERBREAD!  These, too, have been a part of our family Christmas traditions. This recipe is my grandmother’s, and she faithfully made them every year, cut them as Christmas trees and decorated them with red-hots! Click on the photo to see her oh-so-yummy recipe!

Gingerbread Cookies!Similar to gingerbread are my Pumpkin Spice Cookies. These are sweeter and bake very flat and easy to decorate.

Pumpkin Pie Cutout cookies!Chocolate cut-out cookies that taste like the richest brownie but roll out and cut like a dream? Yes, please!  I love how the frosting colors really stand out on that dark chocolate! These chocolate cut-outs have been in our family awhile too- but as drop cookies that I tweaked to make cut-outs. Click the photo to see this delicious recipe:

Chocolate cut-out cookies

That chocolate cut-out recipe is so yummy that I experimented a little more with it to create a chocolate espresso cut out cookie and…oh my…one of my favorites!

Dark Chocolate Espresso Cookies!I’ve spent some time overseas and discovered a wonderful dessert in Prague called Medovnic. Then I found these wonderful little honey-filled cut out cookies called Medovniky that are often made at Christmas. I made them for autumn, but they are a delicious flavor for any season!!

Honey cookies cut into leaf shapes!

Speaking of international cookies, these Alfajores from Peru add a totally unique (and deliciously caramel-filled) flavor to the holidays.

Alfajores (Peruvian caramel cookie)!

When it comes to cut-out cookies, the cookie cutters make all the difference! I absolutely LOVE the look created by Linzer cookie cutters. Typically they are layered with a fruit filling, but I just used colored frosting and you have beautiful cookies with very little fancy frosting technique!

Linzer Christmas CookiesOne other thing you’ll need are some good frosting recipes, which I’ve compiled right here in a post called: Frostings, fillings and fun!

mmm......frosting!

I hope that these recipes inspire fun-filled cookie making times with your family this season.

Merry Christmas! 

~r

12/19/14: On a personal note: I blog my recipes ahead, and I prepared this post and my next one (very fun New Years cookies) several weeks ago. Since that time, my mom has been diagnosed with very, very aggressive cancer and admitted to Hospice. I just wanted to ask for all of you who have followed this little blog and enjoyed these recipes to keep our family in your prayers as we say good bye to her this Christmas. After next week’s post (which is already scheduled),  I will probably take a little break from sharing recipes here. Many thanks, friends! ~r

(My personal and ministry blog is at: www.thenavajojourney.com, if you want to keep up with me there.)

Leave a comment

Posted in Cookies and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.