Caramel Apple Pie

This recipe is based off of my older version, but with some modifications (because who sticks to the same exact recipe for 6 years, anyhow?).  I like to use tart apples, so this time, I used a combination of Mutsu apples and Nittany apples (because We Are...!). Granny Smith are fabulous, too.

Caramel Apple Pie

Ingredients

• 2  9-inch pie crusts
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
• 1 egg white
• 2 tbsp cold water
• pinch of white sugar
• 6 large apples - peeled, cored and sliced

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. 
2. Melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in flour to form a paste. 
3. Add 1/4 cup water, brown and white sugars, and vanilla and bring to a boil. Reduce temperature immediately and let simmer, stirring occasionally.
   *The longer this simmers, the better it is!* It makes a delicious caramel sauce!
4. Place the bottom crust in your pan; fill with apples, mounded slightly. 
5. Sprinkle lemon juice over the apples, then the cinnamon.
6. Gently pour the caramel sauce over the apples. Cover with top crust, seal, and cut vents.
7. Whisk the cold water and egg white together; brush over the top crust evenly. Sprinkle some white sugar on top.
   Helpful Tip: Place pie directly on a cookie sheet or with a drip pan at the bottom of the oven to catch spills. This one tends to bubble out!
8. Bake 15 minutes in the preheated oven, then reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F. Continue baking for 35 to 45 minutes, or until apples are soft.
9. Allow to cool for 30-60 minutes before serving.

Chocolate Chip Banana Nut Bread

I'm notorious for buying bananas and letting them sit too long.  I've never been a fan of regular banana bread, so I usually ended up throwing the ripened bananas out.  Then I had an idea: Add chocolate! And so my chocolate chip banana nut bread was born.

Recipe modified from Chocolate Chip Banana Bread II on AllRecipes.com.

Photo from AllRecipes.com

Snickers Ice Cream Cake

Here is a delicious frozen concoction I came up with for the husband's latest birthday!  Feel free to use your favorite ice cream toppings and mix-ins.

Cinnamon Toast Crunch! (a.k.a. cinnamon-nut bread with chocolate chips and cinnamon-honey butter)

I got the itch to play with our bread machine yesterday, but I didn't want just any ol' bread; I wanted something sweet.  So I modified the cinnamon raisin bread recipe that came with my machine (the Breadman Pro TR875) to include walnuts and chocolate chips instead.

Cinnamon-Nut Bread with Chocolate Chips
(Makes one 2-lb loaf)

Ingredients

• 1-1/4 cups warm water
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 tbsp milk
• 3 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 4 cups flour
• 2/3 cup chopped walnuts
• 2-1/4 tsp active dry yeast (1 packet)
• 2/3 cup chocolate chips (add at first beep)*
• You can use raisins or Craisins instead

Directions

1. Add ingredients in the order above or the order suggested by your bread machine.
2. Select "Sweet Bread" cycle (allows you to add sweet mix-ins after the initial mixing/kneading to prevent burning).

Cinnamon-Honey Butter
from All Recipes

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup confectioners sugar
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 tsp cinnamon

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and beat until fluffy. Refrigerate or serve immediately.

Cinnamon-Sugar Pecans

I made these the night before Thanksgiving and they're super easy!  They're a great blend of salty + sweet.  They also keep well, so they can be made ahead of time or given as gifts. Recipe from AllRecipes.com.



Ingredients

• 1 egg white
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 pound pecan halves
• 1 cup white sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. 
2. In a mixing bowl, whip together the egg white and water until frothy.
   
   
3. In a separate bowl, mix together sugar, salt, and cinnamon.
4. Add pecans to egg whites, stir to coat evenly.
   
5. Remove pecans and toss them in the sugar mixture until coated.
   
   
6. Spread the nuts out on the greased baking sheet.
   
   
7. Bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.
   
   

Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

Kind of like Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. Slightly crunchier (due to the graham cracker crumbs). Very easy!

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 2 cups confectioners sugar
• 1-1/2 cups peanut butter
• 1-1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 4 tbsp peanut butter

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, mix together the butter, graham cracker crumbs, confectioners sugar, and 1-1/2 cups peanut butter until well blended. 
2. Press evenly into the bottom of an ungreased 9x13" pan.
   
   
3. In the microwave, melt the chocolate chips with the remaining 4 tbsp peanut butter, stirring occasionally until smooth (I did this in 45-second intervals, stirring between).
   
   
4. Spread over the prepared crust.
   
   
   
5. Refrigerate for at least one hour before cutting into squares.

Party Pretzels

I really had no idea what to call these because I've only ever heard them called "those pretzel-chocolate-M&M thingies". So I'm calling them Party Pretzels. I've made them for Halloween using orange and brown M&Ms and I've seen them at baby showers (baby blue and light pink M&Ms), bridal showers (in the wedding colors), and football parties (in team colors). Such a versatile little snack!

On top of that, they're incredibly simple....and the perfect blend of sweet and salty.

Party Pretzels



Ingredients

• Mini pretzels (rounds, windowpanes, buttersnaps, etc)
• Chocolate disks (I used Wilton Candy Melts, which you can get in various colors/flavors - I stocked up on milk chocolate, dark chocolate, peanut butter, strawberry, and vanilla)
• M&Ms - colors of your choice (I used the Valentine's mix for this batch, but pulled out the red since I was going with a pink and white theme).

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees F
2. Separate the M&Ms by color (if you're going with a color theme); do this beforehand so that you're not rushing to pull out the color you need later (the chocolate might harden quickly).
   
   
3. Line baking sheet with wax paper
4. Spread out pretzels on sheet, removing any broken pieces
5. Center a chocolate disk on each pretzel
   
   
6. Heat in oven for 4-7 minutes (until the chocolate is soft enough to push an M&M into it, but not so soft that it melts all over the place)
7. Remove baking sheet from oven and press an M&M into each piece (I put the "m" side down; if you have specially printed M&Ms, put the words facing up)
   
   
   
8. Put in refrigerator for a few hours, until chocolate is solid. Store in airtight container or Ziplock in a cool place (I keep mine in the fridge).

Triple Chocolate Ice Cream (KA Stand Mixer)

Another fun Christmas gift I got was the KitchenAid stand mixer ice cream attachment. I'm a total ice cream addict, so it didn't take me long to try this new gadget out!

Triple Chocolate Ice Cream
(recipe courtesy of KitchenAid ice cream maker manual. I adjusted the fat content to suit my taste...original recipe calls for heavy whipping cream instead of light cream, and half-and-half instead of fat-free milk. I also halved the original recipe here)

Ingredients

• 1 cup light cream, divided (1/4 cup and 3/4 cup)
  
• 1 (1 ounce) semi-sweet chocolate baking square, cut into chunks (I used 1 ounce semi-sweet chocolate chips)
  
• 1 (1 ounce) unsweetened chocolate square, cut into chunks (I used 1 ounce Ghirardelli milk chocolate chips)
  
• 1 cup fat-free milk
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/6 cup cocoa powder
• 4 egg yolks
  
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• pinch salt
• 3 ounces chopped milk chocolate (I used more Ghirardelli milk chocolate chips)
  
  

Directions

1. Freeze Kitchenaid Ice Cream freezer bowl for at least 15 hours before starting this recipe.
2. In small saucepan, place 1/4 cup whipping cream, semisweet and unsweetened chocolate chips.
   
3. Heat over medium-low heat until chocolate melts, stirring frequently.
   
4. Remove from heat; set aside.
5. In medium saucepan over medium heat, heat milk until very hot but not boiling, stirring often. Remove from heat; set aside.
6. In small bowl, combine sugar and cocoa powder; set aside.
   
   
7. Place egg yolks in Kitchenaid mixer bowl and beat with wire whisk attachment.
   
8. Gradually add sugar mixture into beaten eggs and continue to mix about 30 seconds or until well blended and slightly thickened.
   
9. Very gradually add melted chocolate mixture and the heated milk; allow to mix until well blended.
   
10. Pour this mixture into a medium saucepan; stirring constantly, cook over medium heat until small bubbles form around edge and mixture is steamy. Do not boil.
    
11. Transfer mixture into a large bowl (NOT the KA ice cream freezer bowl); stir in remaining 3/4 cup light cream, vanilla, and salt.
    
12. Cover and chill thoroughly, at least 8 hours (I chilled mine in the freezer for 2 hours).
13. Wait until mixture is completely cooled; remove from fridge/freezer and then remove ice cream freezer bowl from freezer. Follow manufacturer's instructions for assembling freezer bowl to the stand mixer.
    **The goal is to allow the freezer bowl to sit out for as short a time as possible, as it begins to thaw immediately.**
    
14. Put the mixture into your ice cream maker and set to setting "2"; allow to churn for about 20 minutes. Mixture will grow in volume as it is churned.
    
15. During the last 1-2 minutes, add in the milk chocolate chunks (or any other mix-ins).
    
16. Immediately transfer ice cream into serving dishes or freeze in airtight container.
    NOTE: KA ice cream maker tends to make "soft serve" consistency:
    
17. The KA manual says to put ice cream in an airtight container and allow to sit in the freezer for a couple more hours for firm consistency.
    
    

Julia's Triple Chocolate Cheesecake

I'd never been in love with cheesecake (I only like cream cheese in moderation - I won't even put it on my bagels!), until one fateful trip to the Cheesecake Factory at the Inner Harbor in Baltimore when I was a teenager. I was with my family and before heading back to the hotel for the evening, we stopped in and grabbed some cheesecake to go. It was like an ice cream shop with a zillion different flavors - all of which sounded absolutely fabulous (well, everything except "plain cheesecake"). I ordered something chocolaty with Heath Bar topping.......and I was instantly in love.

Until then, I hadn't known that cheesecake wasn't "instant" (*cough cough* JELL-O brand No Bake), mixed up in 5 minutes and refrigerated. I obviously had a lot to learn.

A few years ago, my sister-in-law was having a birthday dinner and I asked what I could bring. She requested "something chocolaty" so I decided to attempt one of these crazy cheesecake things. And boy did it go over well!!! Since then, I've perfected the top layer (which was originally a too-thick ganache that we practically needed a blow torch to get through!), and so here is what I came up with:

Julia's Triple Chocolate Cheesecake

Ingredients
For Crust:

• 1-1/2 cups chocolate cookie crumbs (you can get Oreo crumbs in the baking aisle)
  
• 2 tbsp white sugar
• 1/4 cup butter, melted (I use Nature's Promise or Harris Teeter brand organic butter)

For Filling:

• 1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips NOTE: I like to use Godiva or Ghiardelli chocolate - it really makes a difference.
  
• 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• 3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened (I use Organic Valley brand)
  
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9-inch springform pan.
2. To Make Crust: In a small bowl, mix together chocolate cookie crumbs, sugar, and melted butter. Press onto the bottom and 1-1/2 inch up the sides of the prepared springform pan.
   
3. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Allow to cool. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees.
4. To Make Filling: In a small saucepan, heat cream and chocolate chips, stirring constantly, until chips are melted. Remove from heat.
   
5. In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and 1 cup of sugar until smooth (I'm loving the Kitchen Aid stand mixer!).
   
6. Add cocoa and beat well. Add eggs and beat on low until just blended. Stir in vanilla and reserved chocolate mixture until blended.
   
7. Pour over crust.
   
   
8. Bake at 325 degrees for 45-50 minutes or until center is almost set (but still a little jiggly). Unfortunately I can't always avoid getting cheesecake cracks :( My only "perfect" one was the first one!
   
   

Ganache topping

Ingredients

• 1 cup chocolate of choice (I use dark, >60% cocoa. Again, get the good stuff)
  
• 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 tablespoon butter
• Decorative topping of choice (I used swirled chocolate chips this time; I've used chocolate shavings and strawberries in the past)

Directions

1. In a small saucepan, heat whipping cream until just before boiling.
2. Stir constantly and be careful not to boil over.
3. Pour chocolate chips in the hot cream and stir with a spoon until smooth.
4. Spread over baked cheesecake and refrigerate overnight (or until ganache has hardened).
   BEFORE
   DURING
   
   AFTER
   
   

TIP: If using a decorative topping that needs to be pressed into the ganache (like the chocolate chips I used here), let ganache chill in fridge for an hour or two, until it starts to get firm. Then pull it out to decorate and return to fridge for remainder of chilling time.

I made this cheesecake in Feb 09 and topped it with chocolate sprinkles. I applied the ganache differently this time...first I chilled the cake w/out any topping. The next day I prepared the ganache and poured it over the cake *after* removing the springform pan sides. I allowed the ganache to drizzle down the sides and let it chill in the freezer for about 2 hours (then added the sprinkles and let it chill another hour or so in the freezer to get the ganache nice and firm).

I Made Christmas Cookies!

I actually got into the baking spirit this season :)

And how could I resist? I have all these new kitchen gadgets -- my Kitchen Aid stand mixer and Wilton Cookie Pro II definitely got a workout!


Peanut Butter Spritz Cookies
(I can't resist peanut butter cookies, and I love using the cookie press. Put the two together....)

Ingredients

• 1 cup shortening
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 2 eggs
• 1-1/2 tablespoons vanilla
• 1/2 tablespoon water
  
• 2-1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Beat the shortening with the sugars and the peanut butter until well mixed. Beat in the eggs, water, and the vanilla.
3. Gradually beat in the flour, baking soda and salt. Form cookies on an ungreased baking sheet with a cookie press (yay for Christmas-themed shapes!) or roll into balls and smash flat with a floured fork or fingers.
   
4. Bake for 12 minutes or more until done, usually when the puffed up cookie has lowered down to level. Before then it is more chewy.

I made a lot of press cookies (and experimented with colored sprinkles) and when I only had a little bit of dough left, I made regular cookies ---->
















I also made a chocolate version. You can never go wrong with cocoa!

Cocoa Spritz Cookies
(adapted from the Wilton website)

Ingredients

• 1-1/4 cups butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2-1/2 cups flour
• 2/3 cup cocoa
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
   
2. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars at medium high speed until light and fluffy.
   
3. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla.
   
4. Sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Add flour mixture gradually and beat well.
   
5. Spoon dough into cookie press. Press cookies onto ungreased cookie sheets. Add sprinkles at this point, if you want to.
   
6. Bake at 10-12 minutes. Remove from sheet and cool.

And last, but NOT least, the delectable classic:

Chocolate Chip Cookies
This recipe is great for everyone - chewy middles and crispy edges!

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons hot water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Cream together the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Dissolve baking soda in hot water. Add to batter along with salt. Stir in flour and chocolate chips. Drop by large spoonfuls onto ungreased pans.
3. Bake for about 10-12 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges are nicely browned.

Mmmmmmmm........