Double Apple Muffins

On October 16, 2025October 16, 2025 By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Column, quick breadsLeave a comment

One of my favorite baked goods tricks is to replace some of the fat in the recipe with homemade applesauce. It works well with all sorts of muffins and quick breads, but it’s particularly delicious when you’re already featuring apples, like in the muffin recipe I share this week in my Twice as Tasty column for the Flathead Beacon.

I make two types of applesauce: Frozen Chunky Applesauce and Canned Smooth-Style Applesauce. Both work as replacements for up to half of the oil, butter or other fat in many baked goods that get their rising power from baking soda or baking powder, especially when that fat is liquid rather than solid. Use canned smooth applesauce if you want the substitution to blend in seamlessly. Chunky applesauce does the job when you don’t mind bites of apple in the mix or when pureed before measuring to make it smooth.
Learn to make Double Apple Muffins

Frozen Chunky Applesauce

On October 5, 2023November 18, 2023 By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Column, frozen1 Comment

When I first moved to Montana and inherited my mom’s canning kettle, the first thing I canned was applesauce. I’ve never liked the flavor or texture of commercially made applesauce, and I’d missed the ready access to barely sweetened homemade versions every since I graduated high school and went off to university, a career, and traveling the world.

I share one of my favorite homemade versions this week in my Twice as Tasty column for the Flathead Beacon: Grandma Tiny’s Frozen Chunky Applesauce. This version requires no special tools (although I do like to freeze it in oversized silicone ice trays), and it can be made from just a few pounds of apples. My grandmother was probably in her mid-90s when she made her last batch, an indicator of how easy it is to make this recipe. If you have a lot of apples, you may want to scale this up to a canning project using the recipe I share later in this blog post.
Learn to make Frozen Chunky Applesauce and a smooth home-canned variation

Ginger-Spiked Carrot and Apple Pickle

On December 16, 2021November 19, 2023 By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Column, Cookbook, pickles2 Comments

Pickles have been a holiday staple since I was a kid. A bowl of home-canned pickles always sat on the dinner table at gatherings. While we waited for guests to arrive, my dad would be sneaking Christmas cookies, but I’d be dipping the cute little serving fork into the pickle bowl. If we set the table too early, I could nearly empty that bowl before the doorbell rang.

The flavorful pickle I share this week in my Twice as Tasty column for the Flathead Beacon adds a bit of zing to many rich holiday main dishes and puts a splash of color on the table. It’s one of the 125 recipes you can find in my cookbook The Complete Guide to Pickling.
Learn to make Ginger-Spiked Carrot and Apple Pickle

Crumble-Top Deep-Dish Apple Pie

On November 25, 2021November 19, 2023 By Julie Laing | Twice As TastyIn Column, piesLeave a comment

It’s feast time! I’m excited to be featured in the holiday feast issue from the Flathead Beacon—especially because my contribution, Crumble-Top Deep-Dish Apple Pie, made the front cover of the print edition. If you can’t pick up a copy locally, you can find the story online.

If you read to the end of the story, you’ll find the other reason I’m so excited to share this piece: Starting next month, I will be joining the Flathead Beacon as a food columnist. I’ll share more about that project—and some changes coming to this blog—when the first column goes live.
Learn to make Crumble-Top Deep-Dish Apple Pie