RAISIN OR APPLE SQUARE

RAISIN OR APPLE SQUARE image

This is my husband's favorite and he will request this dessert. It is from our St. Paul's Church Cookbook,1960. The seasoned cooks who contributed the recipes did not detail ... so it was a learning experience. Living in this small town, we could call the cooks for advice. I was married in 1957 so this cookbook was my teacher. I will give better instructions on this recipe but it read: "Mix ingredients as you would a pie crust. Line your 8x8 pan. Put filling in and cut top crust in circles and overlap on top of raisins. Bake moderate oven 375 30-40 minutes. No instructions for the raisins.

Provided by Noreen Barbe @zepanther

Categories Cakes

Number Of Ingredients 13

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Ingredients

1 cup(s) shortening crisco
1 cup(s) white sugar
1 - egg
1 teaspoon(s) vanilla
2 1/4 cup(s) all purpose flour
2 teaspoon(s) baking powder
1/4 teaspoon(s) salt
RAISIN FILLING RECIPE OR USE YOUR OWN FAMILY RECIPE
2 cup(s) water
1 cup(s) brown sugar
2 cup(s) golden raisins or what you have on hand
2 tablespoon(s) flour mixed with water (runny texture) to thicken
METHOD; L COMBINE THE WATER BROWN SUGAR, RAISINS AND BRING TO A BOIL.... SIMMER UNTIL THIE RAISINS AR SOFT AND THEN THICKEN WITH THE 2 TBSP OF FLOUR MIXED WITH A LITTLE WATER. BRING BACK TO A BOIL AND SIMMER UNTIL THICKENED.

Steps:

CRUST RECIPE CREAM CRISCO OR SHORTENING OF CHOICE, WITH THE SUGAR; ADD THE EGG, AND VANILLA...... MIX,
COMBINE THE FLOUR AND THE BAKING POWDER AND SALT MIX DOUGH SOFTLY
USING HALF OF THE DOUGH, LINE AN 8X8 PAN WITH THE DOUGH. ADD THE FILLING; raisin, 1 can of apple or cherry pie filling; COVER WITH REMAINING DOUGH. I take a portion of dough and flatten it in the palm of my hand, and place it on top.... continue until done and if there are any spaces in between it does not matter as it will expand during baking. It also makes it look rustic
Using a pastry brush, add a little cream or milk on the top crust. NOTE: If using Cherry Pie filling, bake a little longer as there is more liquid than in the apple pie filling. Check the center for dryness like you would for a cake.
NOTE # 1: THIS DOUGH MAKES DELICIOUS COOKIES AS WELL. I ALWAYS KEPT A LITTLE OF THE DOUGH ASIDE FOR OUR DAUGHTER IF POSSIBLE TO MAKE COOKIES FOR HER. I made them in balls, rolled them in white sugar, FLATTENED WITH A FORK and baked them along with the square... She never ate any kind of pie with filling....She loved pastry dough, She enjoyed these cookes. When making pies, I always made her empty pie crusts and she added white sugar when she ate it it.
NOTE # 2: The following is the total directions in the cook book printed. These seasoned cooks thought everyone knew the basics of cooking. Too bad if you were a novice cook........ METHOD: MIX INGREDIENTS AS YOU WOULD A PIE CRUST... LINE YOUR 8X8 SQUARE PAN. PUT FILLING IN AND CUT TOP CRUST IN CIRCLES AND OVERLAP ON TOP OF RAISINS. BAKE in a MODERATE 375 OVEN FOR 30 - 40 MINUTES. My experience with the dough, is if it is mixed like a pie crust, the dough is altogether different and I much prefer my CAKE Method.