Meals
Forward of the Patriots’ journey to Tennessee in Week 7, quarterback Drake Maye hosted the offensive line at his residence for dinner. The road, which gathers collectively for dinner virtually each Thursday, loved a scrumptious meal (and efficiency) by a Hibachi chef.
However the actual star of the present was the dessert: apple cinnamon oat crumble bars baked from scratch by Maye’s spouse, Ann Michael.
Because the Patriots proceed to rise as one of many hottest groups within the NFL, the 22-year-old Ann Michael has emerged as a social media sensation for her baking. She usually posts movies of her creations, from do-it-yourself focaccia utilizing her sourdough starter to a spiced apple cider donut loaf to iced pistachio bread to lemon raspberry cookies.
Loads of Patriots followers have embraced her content material, spamming the remark sections with overwhelming help.
“You learn recipes the best way Drake reads defenses,” one person wrote. “Good couple.”
“Thanks for conserving our king wholesome and fed,” wrote one other.
So, when Ann Michael shared the recipe for her now-famous apple cinnamon oat crumble bars, I made a decision to offer them a attempt myself. As somebody who loves baking (and consuming) confections, how might I not? In spite of everything, heart Garrett Bradbury referred to as them “phenomenal.”
A lot of the elements have been objects already in my kitchen — flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, butter, granulated sugar, cornstarch, and a lemon — although I did need to cease by Wegman’s to select up three medium-size apples and a canister of Kodiak protein oats. I’m positive you can substitute basic rolled oats, however I needed to observe Ann Michael’s recipe as is.
Step one is making the underside oat layer that can function the bottom for the bars. In a bowl, I blended collectively 1½ cup of the oats, 1 cup of flour, ¾ cup of brown sugar, ½ teaspoon of cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon of salt, and ½ cup of melted butter.
I stirred every part along with a small spatula earlier than pouring the combination right into a 9-inch sq. pan. Then, utilizing my spatula, I packed the oats evenly throughout the underside of the pan.
Subsequent up: the apple filling. Ann Michael didn’t specify what sort of apples she used, so I diced one Granny Smith, one Gala, and one Honeycrisp as a result of she appeared to make use of a spread. I tossed the cubes into the identical bowl I used for the oats — in an effort to reduce the variety of soiled dishes — and added 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar, 1 tablespoon of cornstarch, and ½ teaspoon of cinnamon.
After making certain the entire apples have been coated, I poured them over the packed-down oat layer. At this level, understanding that I nonetheless needed to match the highest layer of the crumble, I turned a bit involved about overloading my pan. However In Ann Michael We Belief.
I blended collectively the identical aforementioned elements to create a second oat layer after which poured that combination over the apple filling, evenly spreading it throughout the highest.
“We wish to actually press down, so it’s going to be agency and never too crumbly,” Ann Michael says in her video. “As a result of we don’t need these bars to crumble as quickly as somebody picks them up.”
Every thing managed to suit, so into the oven the pan went. I baked the bars as Ann Michael suggested — 40-45 minutes at 350 levels — however would contemplate upping the temperature to 400 subsequent time to brown the highest a bit bit extra.
The dessert was nonetheless pleasant, a reminder of the thrill of fall. The apple filling had a contemporary fruit taste with out overpowering sweetness. The additional protein within the oats didn’t appear to have an effect on the style of the crumble. Though the bars held their form when minimize, they have been served greatest with a fork — or spoon, in case you’d prefer to take pleasure in them à la mode.
Ann Michael acknowledged she particularly likes her bars to be thick, however you can most likely modify the ratio to your liking. You could possibly additionally simply flip the dessert right into a crisp by eradicating the underside oat layer and growing the quantity of apple filling.
The prep course of took me about half-hour, so the recipe is pretty fast and straightforward. It’s a enjoyable one so as to add to the rotation subsequent fall, particularly after a day at an apple orchard. The truth that the recipe is from the spouse of the Patriots quarterback is an interesting dialog starter.
My bars didn’t final lengthy, as I made them on Thanksgiving to share with household and mates. The general consensus was a thumbs-up. My boyfriend even ate one chilly, topped with some plain yogurt, for breakfast on Friday.
If something, the expertise was a heartwarming glimpse contained in the lifetime of Ann Michael, who moved to Massachusetts in July after graduating from the College of North Carolina in Could and marrying Maye, her center college sweetheart, in June.
Her love for baking is apparent, evidenced by the sheer frequency of her baking movies. Her face lights up when she cuts into her jalapeño cheddar sourdough loaves and beams with satisfaction when she samples the dough of her white chocolate oatmeal cranberry cookies. Such reactions simply make me wish to bake, too.
On Monday, Ann Michael launched her personal monthlong problem referred to as “Bakemas,” the place she bakes a brand new goodie each day of December till Christmas. Her first deal with was chocolate chip cookies with pink, white, and blue M&Ms to have fun the Patriots-Giants recreation.
If and when one other considered one of her recipes makes waves, I definitely wouldn’t hesitate to offer it a attempt.
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