A Very Bloggy Christmas Filed under ( bars, chocolate, Cookies, dessert, holiday food, mint, peanut butter )

Initially I didn't plan to do this, I was just going to start fresh for the new year. But I just don't feel right about letting these wonderful treats go without giving credit and thanks to the bloggers who posted them.

I basically found all of my baking and treat ideas from the blogosphere this year, and while I didn't get to make near as many things as I would have liked, what I did make turned out ah-mazing! Here are some of the reasons my pants no longer fit :)




I absolutely could not go an entire Christmas season without making my all time favorite Christmas cookie, the Peanut Butter Blossom! So quick and easy, and when I say easy, I mean easy to stuff about ten down my throat at once! I know this recipe isn't much of a secret, but I always visit my aunts cookie blog, Sugarbliss for the recipe every year. Thanks Rebecca!




I found this sweet Holiday Chex Mix on Cooking with Cristine. Look at those adorable homemade Santa hats! So simply made by dipping bugles into red or cherry chocolate, and then into white for the trim. This was a pretty and delicious treat to pass out to friends. Thanks Cristine!




When I found these Creme-de-Menthe bars on Joanne's blog, Eats Well with Others, my oven was still broken and I could barely stand to wait to make this. Rich chocolatey brownies, with a creamy, minty, butter cream center, and a shell-like chocolate finish to this brownies from heaven, made for a very happy Teresa. No one else in my family is big into the mint-chocolate combo (crazies!) so I ate half the pan, and the other half is in the freezer just biding their time until I decide to cheat on my New Year's diet. Oh Joanne, how I love these bars!





And last, but certainly not least, Peppermint Thumbprint Cookie Cups from Barbara Bakes. Okay, so I did cheat a bit by just adding kisses instead of "thumbprinting" them, but I guarantee that either way you make them, you'll love them! Thanks so much Barbara!

And thanks to Blogland for providing us with SO many Christmas goodies, stories and heartfelt wishes. Even if I didn't make your treats, rest assured I imagined their smells and tastes and enjoyed a bit of the season with you! Enjoy the rest of your break and Happy New Year!

Creme De Menthe Brownies Filed under ( dessert, food tip, holiday food, party food )

Okay, it's no surprise at this point that I am a huge fan of the mint chocolate, especially at Christmas time. So, last year, while dedicating my life to the Food Network channel, Paula Deen blessed my life with mint brownies from heaven! These brownies are AMAZING and so rich. I just add entire Andes mints into the brownies, rather then the chips, mostly because mint chips are hard to come by here in Philly. Also, if you want a serious mint brownie, add mint extract into the frosting rather then vanilla. And for those of you that aren't mint fans (I got your back Jordan!), just add regular chocolate chips and you will have some killer fudgy brownies.


Thanks Paula Deen!!

Ingredients
1 cups (2 sticks) butter, softened
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
11/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 (10-ounce) package Creme de Menthe baking chips (recommended: Andes)
Shaved Creme de Menthe thins (recommended: Andes)
Chocolate frosting

Frosting:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
1/3 cup cocoa
2 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons milk


Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 13 by 9 by 2-inch pan.

Using an electric mixer, combine butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl; beat at medium speed until creamy. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla, mixing well.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, cocoa, and baking powder. Gradually stir into butter mixture. Fold in mint chips. Spoon into greased pan. Bake for 35 minutes.

While brownies are baking, prepare frosting. Combine butter, cocoa, confectioners' sugar, vanilla and milk in a large mixing bowl; beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until dry ingredients are moistened. Beat at high speed until spreading consistency.

Remove pan from the oven and allow brownies to cool in pan on wire rack. Spread with chocolate frosting. Top with shaved mint thins.



*Baking Tip: If you plan to plate your bars, but hate that awkward process of cutting them and then digging them out of your pan, bake them in parchment paper. Then, once they are cooled and frosted, just lift them out of the pan, peel away the paper (it sticks to nothing), and you will be able to cut and plate them very cleanly and easily.

Mint and Chocolate Capped Brownie Bites Filed under ( cake, chocolate, Cookies, dessert, mint )

As I've mentioned, I really love this time of year. I love going to the mall and looking at how cute they've decorated it. I love the sparkling street lights. And I LOVE LOVE LOVE that you can buy all the mint chocolate you want! My favorites are the Hershey's mint kisses, with the candy cane ones coming in at a close second. They only come out at Christmas time, which I kind of like because it keeps them a real treat. Do any of you have your special treat that you only eat during the holidays?

Anyway, I found this recipe on the bag and I had to make them. After all, the only thing better than a mint chocolate truffle, is a mint chocolate truffle attached to a brownie. The fun thing about these is that you could really make them with any of the different flavors of kisses out there, cherry, coconut, almond, caramel, etc. They were fun to make and really tasty, the only thing I would do different next time is to just forget the little cupcake papers. They stuck to the brownie bites and just got in the way of eating them, otherwise, they're wonderful!

Mint Capped Brownie Bites

Ingredients

48 Kisses, flavor of your choice
2/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
powdered sugar

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 F. Line 48 small muffin cups with paper or foil mini muffin cups. Remove wrappers from chocolate.

2. Beat butter, sugar, water and vanilla in a large bowl on medium speed of mixer until well blended. Add eggs; beat well.

3. Stir together flour, coca, salt, and baking soda. Gradually add to sugar mixture, beating on low speed just until blended. If necessary, refrigerate dough until firm enough to handle. Shape dough into 1-inch balls; place in prepared muffin cups.

4. Bake 11-13 minutes, or until cookie surface is set. Cookies will appear soft and moist. Do not overbake. Cook about 5 minutes on wire rack. Press chocolate piece into center of each cookie bite. Cool completely and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Monster Cookies Filed under ( chocolate, Cookies, dessert, oatmeal, peanut butter )

My oven is broken, and it won't be fixed for a week. I. AM. DYING. Not only does it hamper my ability to cook regular meals for my family, but it's also broken during the biggest baking season of the year! If you listen very carefully, you'll hear my waistline sigh in relief. However it's being completely drowned out by my heart, soul and stomach, who are screaming in bitter protest. I'm not a huge baker, but this time of year I live for it. Lord, give me the strength to last the week.

Dramatics aside, I have to share with you one of my favorite cookies. The first time I tried these I was at my cousin's house. She keeps the dough, frozen in ready made blobs, ready to throw in the oven, how genius is that! I ate one fresh out of the oven, closed my eyes and sighed that it was the best cookie I had ever eaten. That hasn't changed, which is why it's a surprise to me that it's taken this long to make them again. This was actually a product of having way too many leftover M&M's from Halloween. These cookies seriously have everything in them, peanut butter, oatmeal, chocolate, raisins, no wonder they're my favorite!

Sigh, I'd like to post this recipe in honor of my broken oven, I can't wait to be reunited!

Monster C0okies
Paula Deen

Ingredients

3 eggs
1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 (12-ounce) jar creamy peanut butter
1 stick butter, softened
1/2 cup multi-colored chocolate candies
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/4 cup raisins, optional
2 teaspoons baking soda
4 1/2 cups quick-cooking oatmeal (not instant)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or nonstick baking mats.

In a very large mixing bowl, combine the eggs and sugars. Mix well. Add the salt, vanilla, peanut butter, and butter. Mix well. Stir in the chocolate candies, chocolate chips, raisins, if using, baking soda, and oatmeal. Drop by tablespoons 2 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheets.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Do not overbake. Let stand for about 3 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool. When cool, store in large resealable plastic bags.

Black Forest Trifle Filed under ( chocolate, dessert )

Every year it's become a bit of a tradition that I make some sort of black forest variation for Glenn's birthday. Last year it was a tart, and this year it was a trifle. I really like trifles, and make them all the time. They're easy, impressive and there are endless ways to make them. They're also completely fool-proof, who has ever heard of a screwed up trifle (except for on Friends, no beef or onions in this!).

What really kicked this up for me was the glaze I used. It soaks right into the cake and moistens everything up with a mouthwatering chocolatey sweetness. Mmmmm, it's the type of thing you wake up wanting to eat for breakfast!

Black Forest Trifle

Ingredients

Devils Food Cake, prepared
can of cherry pie filling
whipped cream
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup milk
5 tablespoons butter
6 oz or 1 cup choc chips

Directions

Cube cake into small pieces. In a small sauce pan, combine sugar, milk and margarine. Bring to a boil. Boil 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, stir chocolate chips until smooth. In a trifle bowl, layer 1/3 of cake in bottom of pan. Pour 1/3 of the glaze on top of cake, and 1/3 of the cherries. Repeat layers and garnish top with whipped cream. Best if served next to some vanilla ice cream!

Black Forest Tart, and my first award! Filed under ( dessert, holiday food )

I'm kind of excited about this, and I have to thank Priscilla, from Priscilla Bakes for this cute award! I strongly recommend her blog for any of you baking fans, she's got some great recipes, and beautiful pictures to go with them, so fun!

So, I'd like to pass this on to Rebecca's Sugarbliss etc blog, which is an awesome blog with very fun and creative ideas for you fellow bakers.

I'd also like to pass this one to Melanie, at My Kitchen Cafe (link on side). I check her blog regularly for fun and family friendly recipes, and I love it!

Okay, now for the food! I LOVE Christmas time because it means Christmas FOOD! There is nothing better then spending a cold afternoon in the kitchen baking goods while the rich aroma fills your home. Mmmm, magic!

This was my first holiday endeavor, which I made for my husband's birthday. He is a fan of anything chocolate, especially when it includes cherries. And I don't know what it is about tarts, but I really love them. They are a bit denser and more concentrated in flavor then a pie, and in a way they remind me of a big cookie! This was a lot of fun to make, and as you can see, it doesn't come out too hard on the eyes either!

If you haven't bought a tart pan yet, be sure to get one with a removable bottom, it will make your life so much easier! Also, if you ever have a pastry that requires this kind of topping that you drizzle, a little trick I discovered is to get a disposable pastry bag, which are really cheap at the craft store, or just a plastic bag, fill it with your topping, snip off the very tip and pipe it on. This way it comes out looking a lot more uniform and you don't run the risk of clumps.

Also, this tart will be the very best if served the day you make it.

Ingredients

1 -1/4 cups chocolate wafer crumbs

1/4 cups sugar

1/4 cups butter melted

filling:

1/2 cup butter

6 squares (1 ounce each) semi-sweet chocolate, chopped

3 eggs

2/3 cups sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp salt

2/3 cups all purpose flour

topping:

1 can (21 ounces) cherry pie filling

2 squares (1 ounce each) semi sweet chocolate, chopped

1 TB heavy whipping cream

Directions

1. In a small bowl, combine wafer crumbs and sugar; stir in butter. Press onto the bottom and up the sides of a lightly greased 11-inch fluted tart pan with removable bottom. Place pan on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes, or until lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack.

2. In a microwave-safe bowl, melt butter and chocolate; stir until smooth. Cool for 10 minutes. In a large bowl, beat the eggs, sugar, vanilla and salt until thickened, about 4 minutes. Blend in chocolate mixture. Add flour, mix well.

3. Pour into crust; spread evenly. Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack.

4. Spread pie filling over the top. In a small microwave-safe bowl, combine chocolate and cream. Microwave on high for 20-30 seconds or until chocolate is melted; stir until smooth. Cool for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drizzle over tart. Chill until set.

12 servings

Spiced Pumpkin Pie Rice Pudding Filed under ( dessert, holiday food, pumpkin )

I have to thank Picky Palate (link in side bar), for this wonderful recipe. This was another one of those experiences where I happened to have a ridiculous amount of brown rice in my fridge, as well as about a cup of pumpkin, I have weird leftovers. Anyway, I was so excited to find this recipe because it looks like the epitome of a comforting fall treat, as well as a great way to spare my leftovers from going to waste, one of my biggest pet peeves! I was a little apprehensive to use brown rice in a rice pudding, but it actually plumped up great and did the job. Of course, that isn't to say that the jasmine rice wouldn't be so much creamier and delicious! If you are a fan of rice pudding, you must try this recipe.

Spiced Pumpkin Pie Rice Pudding

Ingredients

3 Cups cooked jasmine rice
2 ½ Cups 2% milk
¾ Cup prepared pumpkin puree, such as Libby’s
½ Cup granulated sugar
¼ Cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
3 inch cinnamon stick (I didn't have and it turned out fine)
1 fresh vanilla bean (I just added a tsp vanilla extract)

Directions
1. Place cooked rice, milk, pumpkin, sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt and cinnamon stick into a medium dutch oven or heavy bottom pan over medium low heat. Stir to combine. Split vanilla bean in half length wise and scrape out the seeds with the back of the knife. Add seeds and split bean into rice mixture; stir to combine. Let rice simmer for 15-20 minutes or until thick and creamy. Before serving discard vanilla bean halves and cinnamon stick. Sprinkle tops of each bowl with brown sugar if desired.
6 servings

Peanut Butter Chocolate Dessert Filed under ( chocolate, Cookies, cream cheese, dessert, peanut butter )

Do yourselves a favor and don't make this dessert. I wouldn't even continue reading this post if you don't want to get sucked in to making this dessert. You see, this particular dessert is pure evil. Honestly, I don't even remember making it, it was just there, in front of me, forcing me to take one bite after the other! Even when my belly was screaming to stop, I couldn't stop myself from taking just one more bite! It calls to you at inconvenient times, like at two in the morning, when you can't sleep, or while you're on the treadmill, or singing hymns at church. You'll crave it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. And when it's finally gone, and you think you're free of it, it will continue to haunt you, begging you to make it again. And you'll lay awake at night thinking about how much you miss it's rich layers of it's crumbly oreo crust, creamy peanut butter center, chopped peanut butter cups, fluffy chocolate spread and crushed oreo topping.

Luckily I've managed to escape it's evil spell, that's right, I've learned my lesson. I'm never making this dessert aga.....

Peanut Butter Chocolate Dessert
By Taste of Home, Best of Holiday Recipes 2008

Ingredients

20 oreos, divided
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 8 oz package cream cheese
1/2 cup peanut butter
1-1/2 cups cups confectioners sugar, divided
1 16 oz carton whipped topping, thawed, divided
15 mini peanut butter cups, chopped
1 cup cold milk
1 3.9 oz instant chocolate fudge pudding mix

Directions

1. Crush 16 cookies (I used my food processor), toss with the butter. Press onto the bottom of ungreased 9-inch square dish.

2. In a large mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, peanut butter and 1 cup confectioners sugar until smooth. Fold in half of the whipped topping. Spread over crust. Sprinkle with peanut butter cups.

3. In another mixing bowl, beat the milk, pudding mix, and remaining confectioners' sugar on low speed for 2 minutes. Fold in remaining whipped topping. Spread over peanut butter cups. Crush remaining cookies; sprinkle over top. Cover and chill for at least three hours before serving.

Pumpkin Roll Filed under ( cake, cream cheese, dessert, jelly roll, pumpkin )

Well, since the consensus from last post is that nobody is getting sick of pumpkin, then I'm not going to feel too bad about posting two very similar things in a row! I actually did make this because I had SO much cream cheese frosting left over from the cake, that I desperately needed something to do with it. I had never made a pumpkin roll before, and in all honesty, they totally intimidated me with all the steps. I was so worried that I was going to put in all the work and then end up with a total disaster on my hands (it's happened once, or twice before!)

But, really it ended up being a pretty easy, I think following the directions well and not getting impatient is the key. If I was as thoughtful as many of you out there, I would have pictures of the whole process for you, but my brain isn't quite that forward thinking yet, I'll get there! My cake did crack just a bit on the top, but after it was sliced, it wasn't even noticeable. Once again, the thing that makes this roll so dang good is that cream cheese frosting, it's the perfect compliment to the pumpkin!

Pumpkin Roll
By Allrecipes.com

Ingredients

3 eggs
1 cup white sugar
2/3 cup canned pumpkin
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
confectioners' sugar for dusting

1 cup confectioners' sugar
3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons butter, softened
8 ounces cream cheese

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a 15x10x1 inch baking pan and line with parchment paper. Grease and flour the paper.

2. In a large bowl, beat eggs on high for five minutes. Gradually add white sugar and pumpkin. Add flour, cinnamon, and baking soda. Spread batter evenly in pan. Sprinkle walnuts evenly on top.

3. Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 15 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched. Immediately turn out onto a linen towel dusted with confectioners sugar. Peel off paper and roll cake up in the towel, starting with the short end. Cool.

4. To Make Filling: Mix confectioners sugar, vanilla, butter or margarine, and cream cheese together till smooth.

5. Carefully unroll the cake. Spread filling over cake to within 1 inch of edges. Roll up again. Cover and chill until serving. Dust with additional confectioners' sugar, if desired.

Pumpkin Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting Filed under ( cake, cream cheese, dessert, pumpkin )

Have we gotten sick of pumpkin yet? I hope not, because I sure haven't! The thing I love about pumpkin is how versatile it is. I've seen it in just about everything, including chili! It's fantastic, and good for you.

I liked this cake for it's "semi-homemade" quality. A boxed spice cake, and a few other ingredients, and you're made in the shade. It's a very soft, velvety cake which is the perfect canvas for that sinfully rich cream cheese frosting. Eat up!

Pumpkin Spice Cake
By Taste of Home Baking Book

Ingredients

1 package spice cake mix
3 eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 package instant vanilla pudding (3.4 oz)
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped pecans (I used almonds, but I think pecans would be better)
Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe follows)

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine the dry cake mix, eggs, pumpkin, water, oil, pudding mix and cinnamon. Beat on medium speed for 5 minutes. Stir in pecans.

2. Pour into a greased and floured 10-inch fluted tube pan. Bake at 350 for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of cake comes out clean. Cook for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely. Frost cake or serve with whipped cream. Store in the refrigerator.

Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

6 oz cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
5-6 cups powdered sugar

Directions

In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, butter, vanilla and salt until smooth. Gradually beat in confectioners sugar. Store in fridge.

Cherry Almond Chews Filed under ( Cookies, dessert )

Aren't they pretty? They are such delicious cookies, with a great festive look. If you are at all a fan of coconut, or anything flavored with almond extract (one of my favorite extracts), you will love these cookies.

1 cup shortening

1 cup sugar

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 eggs

3/4 tsp almond extract

2-1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2-1/2 cups flaked coconut

3/4 cups almonds or pecans, chopped (optional, mine were just fine without them)

1 jar maraschino cherries, drained and halved

1. In a large mixing bowl, cream shortening and sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in extract. Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt; gradually add to the creamed mixture. Stir in coconut and nuts.

2. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 in. apart onto lightly greased baking sheets. Place a cherry half in the center of each. Bake at 350 for 12-14 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool.

Apple Dumplings Filed under ( dessert, fruit, puff pastry )

This is us about halfway into our large box of apples! I'd never had or tried apple dumplings before, so it was fun searching recipes to see all the different ways to try them. I chose this particular recipe because it called for puff pastry, which in my mind is the flakiest, most delicious pastry known to man. We loved these dumplings, they're easy to make, everyone gets their own and they're delicious. Serve these with a side of ice cream and drizzle with caramel!

Apple Dumplings
By Allrecipes

Ingredients

1 (17.5 ounce) package frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 cup white sugar
3/8 cup dry bread crumbs
3 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1 pinch ground nutmeg 1 egg, beaten
4 Granny Smith apples - peeled, cored and halved
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons milk

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Lightly grease a baking sheet.

2. Roll out each sheet of pastry to measure 12x12 inches. Cut into quarters, to make 8 - 6 inch squares.

3. In a small bowl, combine sugar, bread crumbs, cinnamon and nutmeg. Brush a pastry square with beaten egg. Place 1 tablespoon bread crumb mixture in center. Place one apple half, core side down, over bread crumbs. Top with another tablespoon of mixture. Pull up four corners of pastry and pinch sides together to seal seams completely. Repeat with remaining apples.

4. Brush each dumpling with beaten egg. Place in preheated oven for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and continue baking 25 minutes more, until lightly browned. Let cool completely at room temperature.

5. To make icing, combine confectioners' sugar and vanilla and enough milk to make a drizzling consistency. Drizzle over cooled dumplings. Serve the same day.

I also have to apologize to Barbara at Barbara Bakes for taking so long to post this award. Isn't it pretty! If you haven't checked Barbara out, definitely do, I always look forward to seeing what she's up to in the kitchen!

Part of the award is talking about why you love food blogging. When I first started the food blog I really had no idea where it was going to go, or if I was really even going to do it for very long, but it's really turned into a wonderful hobby. It pushes me to cook things that I never normally would, and I feel like it has made me a better cook and baker in a lot of ways, although I still have a long way to go! But the best part is easily all the great people I've met and the other blogs I get to read. Honestly, with all your amazing food blogs out there, I don't need to buy cookbooks anymore! So I'm just going to hand out this award to all of you for all of your wonderful blogs. Thanks for all you do and keep cooking!

Dutch Apple Pie Filed under ( dessert, fruit, pie )

My husband and I make a good pair, but we're horrible for each other when it comes to refraining from treats and losing weight! I love my pizza, hamburgers, and greasy savory dishes, but HE loves his cake, brownies and cookies. So, if I'm not baking something in the kitchen, he is! So when my man decided he wanted an apple pie, by golly, he went in the kitchen and started making one. Don't get me wrong, I love that he knows his way around the kitchen, I just wish one of us was a bit more into salads!

This is just another recipe out of what seems like the hundreds we did with the box of apples we got at the orchard. That box of apples might not seem like a lot...but my gosh did it take forever to use them up! I liked this recipe because it's not your standard apple pie. I think what really got me was that the filling has sour cream in it, which makes it creamy and slightly tangy. My favorite part was the crumbly topping, it finishes off the pie really well. However, both my husband and I agree that a little bit of warm caramel on the top would make it even more perfect, next to a side of ice cream of course!

Dutch Apple Pie
By Taste of Home, Baking Book

Ingredients

3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons flour
pinch of salt
1 egg beaten
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup (8 oz) sour cream
2 cups chopped peeled tart apples
1 unbaked pastry shell
STREUSEL TOPPING:
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons cold butter

Directions

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the sugar, flour and salt. Stir in the egg, vanilla and sour cream until smooth. Add apples; mix well. Pour into pastry shell. Bake at 375 for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 325; bake for 30 minutes.

2. For topping, combine flour and sugar in a small bowl. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle over pie; bake 20 minutes longer or until filling is bubbly and topping is browned. Cool on a wire rack. Serve warm or chilled. Store in the refrigerator.

Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Cookies with Homemade Cinnamon Chips Filed under ( applesauce, cinnamon, Cookies, dessert, oatmeal )

A few weekends ago our family had the funnest day going apple picking at an orchard nearby. We rode a haywagon, tasted some delicious apple fritters and danced to the music playing on the nearby stage. It really doesn't get better then that, does it? But since then I have been doing everything I can to use up our entire box of apples so they don't go to waste.

I saw this recipe on Maria's blog at Two Peas and Their Pod. I am such a fan of Maria's food, I'm always so excited to try her recipes. The only downside to these cookies was that I could not find cinnamon chips, ANYWHERE! I was just about to admit defeat until my genius friend Alissa gave me the idea of making my own. All is takes is melting white chocolate bark or candy chips with a whole bunch of cinnamon and piping them in the shape of chips. The only think I would do different is add more cinnamon for some stronger tasting chips, but otherwise they were so fun, and just delicious in the cookies!



Homemade Cinnamon Chips

Ingredients

1 bag of Wilton White Chocolate Melts (or almond bark)
Ground cinnamon, to your taste (I used 3-4 tablespoons)

Directions

Melt White Chocolate. Add cinnamon to desired taste and mix thoroughly. Fill piping bag, or ziplock bag with snipped tip. On wax paper, pipe small chips using a circular motion. Allow at least a half hour to dry and cool. Store in a cool, dry place.

I don't think I'll ever declare a favorite cookie, but these definitely go in my top ten, they're like an apple pie in cookie form, and they make your house smell like heaven!

Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Cookies
By Maria at Two Peas and Their Pod

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
Pinch of fresh nutmeg
Pinch of all spice
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
4 T unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup applesauce
1 apple, diced (I used Granny Smith)
1 1/4 cup oats-not quick cooking
3/4 cup cinnamon chips

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with a Silpat or parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, nutmeg, all spice, and cinnamon. Whisk until combined.

3. In the bowl of a mixer combine the butter and sugars until smooth. Add in the egg and vanilla. Mix until combined.

4. With the mixer on low, add in the applesauce and diced apple. Mix until well combined.

5. On low, slowly add in the flour mixture. Don't over mix. Mix just until the flour mixture disappears.

6. Stir in the oats and cinnamon chips. Drop rounded tablespoons of the cookie dough onto the cookie sheet. Place the cookies 2 inches apart.

7. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheet for a couple of minutes. When set, transfer them to a cooling rack.

Pumpkin Pie Tartlets Filed under ( dessert )

Baked in a mini muffin pan

Baked in tartlet pans, which I found at Bed, Bath and Beyond for o.59 cents each. Aren't they pretty!

I LOVE these mini tarts, and I'm sure you've noticed. The coolest thing about them is that there are countless things you can do with them, and they are a great way to entertain. They are small, can be eaten with fingers and they aren't messy.





You can really turn just about any pie into a tartlet, you just have to moderate the cooking time a little, which isn't hard, just keep an eye on it. Since it's fall, I wanted to see how mini pumpkin pies would turn out. I found a very basic pie recipe, bought a pie crust and whipped cream, and they turned out pretty good. They do take some time, but they're kind of fun, and not hard at all.

When choosing your pie recipe, you will have to decide how many you want to make, because with just one pumpkin pie recipe, I was able to fill four pie crusts worth of tartlets! So if you are only feeding a small crowd, you may want to half the recipe, or save the filling for another time in the near future. I am going to put the entire recipe on here, since my math is awful and I know I would end up giving wrong measurements, so just keep that in mind!

4 refrigerated pie crusts (most boxes have to crusts in them)
1 15 ounce can pumpkin
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
2 slightly beaten eggs
3/4 cup half and half, light cream, or milk

Spray mini muffin pan, or tartlet pan. Unroll pie crust and using rolling pin, roll out until pie crust is almost twice the size. Using the rim of a glass, or biscuit cutter, cut out circle big enough to fit muffin cup. Lay pie crust circle in flour side down and shape to fit pan.

For filling, in a medium bowl combine pumpkin, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Add eggs; beat lightly with a fork just until combined. Gradually add half-and-half; stir until combined.

Using a ladle, or a cup with a spout, pour filling into muffin cups, fill 2/3 of the cup. Bake at 375 for 25 to 35 minutes, or until crust is brown, and a toothpick comes clean from the filling.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies Filed under ( chocolate, Cookies, dessert, pumpkin )

I know that pumpkin chocolate chip cookies are pretty common, especially this time of year, but I wanted to share this recipe anyway. Rather then being a dense cookie, these are such soft, melt-in-your mouth fall treats. I've already made them a few times, and I need to stop because I can't stop sneaking them!

I'm so glad it's Friday! I'm particularly exhausted today, so I am very much looking forward to a nice, quiet weekend. Between that and the cool weather, snuggling with a warm blanket and a good movie sounds perfect! I hope you all have a wonderful, and relaxing weekend!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Found in Allrecipes.com

Ingredients

1 cup shortening
2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 pinch ground nutmeg
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the shortening and white sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time. Stir in the vanilla and pumpkin until well blended. Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg; stir into the pumpkin mixture. Mix in the chocolate chips. Stir in the walnuts if desired. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto the prepared cookie sheets.
3. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, until edges begin to brown. Allow to cool for a few minutes on the baking sheets before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

Chocolate Scotcheroos Filed under ( bars, chocolate, Cookies, dessert, peanut butter )

A few weeks ago I had to make treats for a large group of children. I found these Scotcheroos on allrecipes.com, and got really excited, because my mom used to make these for us all the time for an after school snack. They just about as quick and easy to make as regular rice crispy treats, but have all the extra flavors of peanut butter, chocolate and butterscotch. They also have a magic power that will force you to eat five or six in one sitting, don't blame yourself, it's not your fault.

If you're looking for an easy, quick treat, give these a try. They're a hit with kids and adults!

Chocolate Scotcheroos
Found in allrecipes.com

Ingredients

1 cup Light Corn Syrup
1 cup sugar
1 cup creamy peanut butter 6 cups crispy rice cereal
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips

Directions

1. Cook corn syrup and sugar together in a large pan over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Bring mixture to a boil. Remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter; mix well. Add cereal; stir until evenly coated.

2. Pour into greased 13x9-inch pan and pat into place.

3. Melt chocolate and butterscotch chips together in saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly. Spread over cereal.

4. Cool at least 45 minutes, or until firm. Cut into bars.

Oreo Truffles Filed under ( cakeballs, chocolate, Cookies, dessert )

A huge shout out to Melody at Cheat Day Cafe for posting these morsels from heaven! If you haven't visited her blog yet, you're missing out. Her recipes and personality have me going back regularly!

What is it about these little bite sized treats do I love so much? I needed a treat to take to a baby shower, and since I've made cakeballs ad nauseum, I figured it was time for something different, so I made these, lol!

These Oreo truffles are simply divine, especially if you are a chocolate lover. And I love using the chocolate candy melts, rather then chocolate chips, because they made a very crisp coating that goes so well with the Oreo. Mmmmmm, next time I make these, I'm freezing half so that I can enjoy them for weeks to come!

Oreo Truffles
From Melody at Cheat Day Cafe

Ingredients

1 16 oz package of Oreos (not double stuff)
1 8 oz package of cream cheese
Dark Chocolate melts (I used Wilton, and they can be found at most craft stores)
White Chocolate melts, optional for garnish

Directions

1. Blend Oreos in a food processor until finely crushed.

2. Mix cream cheese in mixing bowl until creamy. Add Oreo crumbs, and blend until completely combined.

3. Roll into 1 inch balls, or smaller, place on a cookie sheet and freeze for at least twenty minutes to harden.

4. Melt dark chocolate. Dip each truffle into chocolate (I just used a spoon to coat the truffle, and then pulled it out, tapping excess chocolate on the side of the bowl). Place on wax paper to dry.

5. For garnish, melt white chocolate in a plastic ziplock bag. Snip tip of bag and drizzle over top of truffle. Once dried, store in refrigerator.

Fruit Pizza Filed under ( berries, Cookies, dessert )

This was another treat we got at my mom's house. She has been making these as long as I can remember, and as far as I know, no one makes them as pretty and as delicious as she does. Her cookie base is more then just a sugar cookie, it is a chewy, but crispy, oatmeal cookie, that could easily stand alone on it's own. The "sauce" for the pizza is so sweet and creamy, a perfect blank palate for any fruit that is in season. I took this over the summer time, so obviously berries were an appropriate choice. Right now, peaches and pears would be wonderful, or even apples, cut up in chunks and sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar.

You can arrange the fruit on the pizza and then serve, or you could leave it empty with just the sauce and allow people to pile on the fruit of their choice. Either way, this pizza will be an absolute hit!

Fruit Pizza
Recipe provided by my amazing mom!

Ingredients

COOKIE:
3/4 c soft margarine
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c brown sugar
1 egg
1 t vanilla
1 2/3 c flour
1 t soda
1 1/3 c quick oats
dash salt
SAUCE:
1 small pkg instant vanilla pudding
2 c milk
8 oz softened cream cheese
Stir in
1 c Cool Whip
1 c powdered sugar

Directions

COOKIE:
Beat margarine. Beat in sugars, egg & vanilla. Beat well. Sift flour, salt & soda and add to creamed mixture. Mix well. Stir in oats. Chill 1-2 hours or overnight. Roll (pat) evenly onto hot pizza stone. Bake 350 for about 15 minutes. Loosen from pizza stone and cool.

"SAUCE:"
Mix and beat well:
Spread over cooled crust and top with a variety of colorful fruits! I macerate all the fruit I top the pizza with. I think pizza is best after sitting for awhile, allowing topping to integrate with cookie crust.

Oatmeal Sandwich Cremes Filed under ( dessert )

One thing that I really love about food is that there is food for every season. Fall and winter are especially fun because you really get to work your way into the wonderful comfort foods that warm our body and soul. So when looking for something to make for my daughter's preschool, I wanted to make something that would be appropriate for fall weather, but fun for kids as well.

Oatmeal Raisin cookies are so wonderful for the fall. They are earthy, dense and comforting with the rich flavor of cinnamon and brown sugar. And of course, you add filling and you have a kid pleaser on your hands. I will warn to you adults though, the cookies are very sweet by themselves, so if you are making them for yourselves, you may be completely satisfied subtracting the filling! Happy Fall!

3/4 cups shortening
1 cup sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup water
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups self rising flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3 cups quick cooking oats
3/4 cups raisins

FILLING
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup shortening
3-3/4 cups confectioners sugar
2 TBS milk
1 tsp vanilla extract

1. In a large mixing bowl, cream shortening and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, water and vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda and cinnamon; gradually add to the creamed mixture. Stir in oats and raisins.
2. Drop by tablespoons 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Flatten with a greased glass. Bake at 325 for 13-14 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool.
3. Combine filling ingredients in a large bowl; beat until smooth. Spread on the bottom of half of the cooled cookies; top with the remaining cookie.