I'd love to see your filling recipes. The Apple Crisp I make is a little different: APPLE CRISP (serves 6-8) 1 cup graham cracker crumbs 1 TBL flour 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar 1/4 cup granulated sugar 1 TBL grated orange zest 1/2 tsp cinnamon (I use more) 1/2 tsp nutmeg Pinch of salt 1/2 cup butter, melted 4 large tart apples In a medium bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, flour, nuts, brown sugar & granulated sugar. Stir in the orange zest, cinnamon, nutmeg & salt, then blend in the butter. Lightly butter a 13x9" baking dish. peel, core & thinly slice the apples. Place the slices on the bottom of the dish & scatter the crumb mixture over the top. Bake in a preheated 350 oven for 45 minutes.~~The Maine Collection PEAR CRISP (serves 6) 6 ripe Bosc or Anjou pears, peeled, cored, sliced 1 TBL lemon juice 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1/4 tsp nutmeg 3/4 cup flour 1/2 cup butter, softened 1/2 cup quick-cooking oats 1/2 cup brown sugar Place pears in a greased 2 qt baking dish. Toss pears w/lemon juice, cinnamon & nutmeg. In a bowl, combine flour & butter until mixture resembles crumbs. Add oats & brown sugar. Stir well; sprinkle over pears. Bake in a preheated 375° oven 20-25 minutes or until browned & pears are tender. Serve w/ice cream or whipped cream.~~Food for Thought RASPBERRY ALMOND SQUARES 2/3 cup blanched whole almonds 1 cup butter, softened 1 cup granulated sugar 1/4 cup lightly packed light brown sugar 1 egg, separated 1 tsp vanilla 2 cups flour 3/4 tsp cinnamon 1/4 tsp salt 3/4 cup raspberry preserves Using a processor with a steel blade, process the almonds until finely chopped but not powdered. Or finely chop in ablender or by hand. Set aside. In a large bowl, cream the butter, granulated sugar & brown sugar. Beat in the egg yolk & vanilla. In a medium bowl, mix the flour, cinnamon & salt. Stir into the creamed mixture, blending well. Press the dough into a lightly buttered 14x11" jellyroll pan. Spread the preserves evenly over the top. Beat the egg white until frothy & brush over the preserves. Sprinkle w/the almonds & gently pres into the preserves. Place in the center of a preheated 350° oven & bake 30-35 minutes or until the edges are browned & the center is almost browned. Remove from the oven & immediately loosen the sides with a spatula. Let cool in the pan 40 minutes, then cut into squares.~~Our Town Cookbook APRICOT BARS 1 2/3 cups quick oats 1 2/3 cup flour1 scant tsp baking soda 1/4 tsp salt 1 cup packed light brown sugar 1 stick butter, melted 10 oz jar apricot preserves Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a 15x10x1" jellyroll pan. In a mixing bowl, combine the oats, flour, baking soda, salt & brown sugar. Add the butter & mix until crumbly. Pack 1/2 the mixture firmly into the prepared pan. Spread the preserves evenly over the mixture. Sprinkle remaining mixture evenly over the preserves & pat down gently. Bake 30 minutes or until lightly browned.~~Gator Country Cooks

Diane, yes, I remove the white pithy stuff. Actually, I peel the orange with a peeler and try to avoid getting it in there at all. I do add the juice to the final mix, as part of the measurement of fruit. Dang, I wish I could remember how much that made, I'm at work and the recipe is at home! Annie

Sounds like it's a problem w/ the muffin pan, not the recipe. If you use a non-stick pan, it most likely would come out cleanly. Alternatively, you might bake the cakes in little ramekins or custard cups and serve them unmolded. Additionally, I find letting cakes & muffins cool in their pans for @ least 10 minutes causes enough steam condensation to make it easier to turn them out. Sliding a thin blade around the edges first definitely helps.

Annie, I like this recipe from LindaC. Rhubarb Cake Ingredients: 1/2 c Butter 1 1/2 c Sugar, brown 1 Egg; beaten 1 ts Vanilla 1/8 ts Salt 1 c Buttermilk 2 c Flour 1 ts Baking soda 3 c Rhubarb; finely sliced 1/2 c Nuts; chopped 1/3 c Sugar, brown 1/3 c Sugar 1/2 ts Cinnamon Procedure: Slice the rhubarb into 1/4" slices. Cream the margarine and 1¼ cups brown sugar; add the egg, vanilla and salt; mix well. Add the buttermilk, flour and soda; mix well. Stir in the rhubarb. Pour the batter into a well-greased "x13" cake pan. Mix together 1/2 cup nuts, 1/3 cup brown sugar, 1/3 cup white sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon; distribute this mixture evenly over the unbaked cake batter. Bake for about 45 minutes in a 350 degree oven. ***This cake really is much better on the second day so try to plan ahead and resist the urge to cut into it. (Something I'm not very successful with!)