Cinnamon Spice Caramel Apples

It is a tradition for my family to make caramel apples in the fall.  My oldest hungry puppy has been asking begging to make caramel apples for months.  However, I have had braces for about the last 2 years, and have been missing out on caramel apples.  So I told her that we would make caramel apples as soon as I got my braces off, whenever that happened to be.  So when I surprised her one day by coming home with no braces, you can imagine that the first thing out of her mouth was "Caramel Apples!!!!".  Thus, these little beauties were born. 

 I saw the recipe last year in Taste of Home, but was unable to make or partake (darn it!) .  I used the idea to come up with a more simplified version with a smaller batch.  I love these caramel apples.  They are probably my favorite ever.  The cinnamon sugar is so incredible with the white chocolate and caramel, and it is all perfect with a tart granny smith apple.  I had some caramel, white chocolate, and cinnamon sugar left over, so I dipped pretzel rods, using the same order and technique as the apples. Wow.  Amazing. 

Cinnamon Spice Caramel Apples

5 Granny Smith apples

5 popsicle sticks

1 pkg caramel bits 

2 Tablespoons water

1 pkg white chocolate chips

2 Tablespoons shortening

4 Tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

Thoroughly wash and dry the apples.  Push a popsicle stick into the top of each apple.  Line a plate with wax paper.  In a medium bowl, combine the caramel bits and water.  Microwave for 1 to 2 minutes, or until completely melted, stirring until smooth.  Dip each apple into the caramel until it is well coated.  Hold each dipped apple over the bowl of caramel and let the excess drip off.  Place on the wax paper.  Repeat with remaining apples, then place in the refrigerator until firm.  

While the apples are setting up, combine the white chocolate and shortening and melt carefully in the microwave, stirring frequently, until smooth.  In a small bowl combine the sugar and cinnamon.  Dip each apple into the white chocolate and let some of the excess drip off.  Immediately sprinkle the cinnamon sugar generously over the white chocolate.  Place the apple on the plate and repeat with the remaining apples.  Chill until the candy coating is completely firm.  Store in the refrigerator.  Makes 5 caramel apples.

Enjoy!  -Cardamommy

Zucchini Applesauce Bread

I have found myself with an abundance of zucchini. Like. More than I even know what to do with. So I decided to start off with the classic zucchini bread. Because I am calorie-conscious I decided to try it with applesauce rather than oil (1 C Applesauce = 105 Cal. 1 C Vegetable Oil = 1927. Yikes!).

While this bread was still pretty good, I have to admit that I wasn't absolutely 100% in love with it. It was sort of spongy and I'm not totally sure why. Maybe the applesauce? At any rate, I liked it much more after it had sat in the fridge overnight. The flavor was good and it had just the right balance of warm spices. This bread also had a nice, sweet, sticky, slightly crunchy crust and a dense (albeit spongy) inside. Using oil rather than applesauce may solve the texture issue.

Original recipe adapted from here.

3 1/4 C All-Purpose Flour

1 1/2 tsp Salt

1 tsp Ground Nutmeg

2 tsp Baking Soda

1 tsp Ground Cinnamon

3 C Sugar

1 C Unsweetened Applesauce

4 Eggs

1/3 C Water

2 C Grated Zucchini

1 T Lemon Juice

Preheat oven to 350. In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, nutmeg, baking soda, cinnamon, and sugar.

In a separate bowl combine oil, eggs, water, zucchini, and lemon juice. Mix wet ingredients into dry. Fold together.

Bake in 2 standard loaf pans, sprayed with nonstick spray, for 1 hour, or until a tester comes out clean.

Mahlzeit!

-Coriaunty

Pumpkin Spice Pudding Cookies

I got this recipe from my Sister in Law last year, and have been waiting for the opportune moment.  She made her cookies with vanilla pudding, but when I conveniently had two boxes of pumpkin spice jello sitting in my cabinet, I knew that the opportune moment had arrived, and I had to make a change or two.  I love how these cookies have a crisp exterior and are nice and tender inside.  The pumpkin spice pudding gives these cookies a nice fall flavor, and the mixture of semi sweet and white chocolate chips don't overpower the flavor of the cookie.

Pumpkin Spice Pudding Cookies

1 cup butter

1 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 pkgs (4 serving size) pumpkin spice instant pudding mix

3 cups flour

1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

1 cup white chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350F.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy.  Add the eggs and vanilla extract and beat until well blended.  Beat in the baking powder, salt, and pudding mix.  Add the flour and beat until no streaks of flour remain.  Stir in the semi sweet and white chocolate chips.  Drop by tablespoonfulls onto a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 10 to 12 minutes.

Enjoy!  -Cardamommy

White Cake with White Chocolate Cinnamon Spice Frosting and a Happy Birthday!

It is birthday time again, and my oldest hungry puppy is six years old!  I made her a butterfly cake for her birthday party with friends, but for her actual birthday at home, I wanted to do something a tiny bit easier.  


It has been quite a while since I made a white cake with white frosting, but I didn't want to do the plain old ordinary.  The cake recipe is the same one I used for the Almond Cake with Italian Buttercream.  My hungry puppy loves white chocolate, so I decided to make a white chocolate frosting.  The addition of a cinnamon sugar sprinkle over the top is quite nice with the white chocolate, although it does not come through the entire cake.  For a more pronounced cinnamon flavor, you can increase the amount of cinnamon in the cinnamon sugar, or add some cinnamon to the cake batter.  The white chocolate frosting was absolutely perfect.  Not too heavy, sweet, or overpowering.  And so simple!


White Cake White Chocolate Cinnamon Spice


Cake:
1 box white cake mix
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
3/4 salt
2 eggs
1 1/3 cups water
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup (8 ounces) sour cream
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract


Frosting:
1 stick butter
3 cups powdered sugar
6 ounces white chocolate, melted and cooled slightly
2 to 3 Tablespoons of milk
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 to 2 teaspoons cinnamon


Preheat oven to 325F.  Grease 2 9-inch round baking pans.

For the cake: In a large bowl, whisk together the cake mix, flour, sugar and salt.  Add the eggs, water, oil, sour cream, almond and vanilla extracts, and beat with a mixer on low speed for about 2 minutes, or until all of the ingredients are well incorporated.  Pour the batter into the prepared cake pans and smooth the top with the back of a spatula.  Put in the oven and bake for about 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cakes tests clean.  Remove from the oven and let cool in the pans for about 10 minutes.  Turn the cakes out onto a cooling rack and cool completely


For the frosting: In a medium size bowl, beat the butter until creamy.  Beat in one cup of powdered sugar, and beat until well combined.  Add the melted white chocolate and beat until completely incorporated.  Beat in the remaining powdered sugar.  Add the milk, one tablespoon at a time until the frosting is the desired consistency.  In a small bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon, set aside.


To assemble the cake,  place one cake layer upside down on a serving plate.  Spread some of the frosting on top of the cake layer, then place the second cake layer upside down on top of the first layer.  Use the remaining frosting to cover the top and sides of the cake, working quickly, as the frosting will firm up quickly and become difficult to spread.  Immediately sprinkle the top of the cake with the cinnamon sugar.  Makes 12 to 16 servings


Enjoy!  -Cardamommy

Home Made Cheese Crackers

What kid doesn't like cheese crackers?  And what Mom wouldn't want to serve them to her children in 6 ingredients or less?  And really not difficult!  These little crackers are packed full of cheesy flavor, and are perfect for snacking.  My hungry puppies can't get enough of them!  

Just a couple of notes: You can use any kind of cheese you want, but the stronger flavor cheese, the better the cheese flavor (I'm thinking of trying swiss, yum!).  The chipotle pepper gives the crackers a nice depth, but is not enough to make them spicy. You can adjust the "pinch" size to suit your taste.  Also, make sure that you roll these crackers super thin.  1/8 inch or less.  Yes, maybe less.  If the crackers are too thick, they will not crisp up and be crunchy, although they will still be fabulous. 

Home Made Cheese Crackers

1 cup all purpose flour

3/4 teaspoons salt

Pinch of chipotle chili pepper (if desired)

4 Tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

8 ounces grated sharp white cheddar cheese (or substitute your favorite cheese)

3 to 4 Tablespoons water

In a food processor, pulse the flour, salt, and pepper until combined.  Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Add the grated cheese and pulse until the  mixture again resembles coarse crumbs.

Add the water a tablespoon at a time, pulsing to combine.  You have added enough water when the dough forms a ball.  Remove the dough from the food processor bowl and wrap in plastic wrap.  Chill in the refrigerator for 20 minutes or up to 24 hours.

When you are ready to bake the crackers, preheat the oven to 350F.  Roll out the dough to 1/8 inch thickness (or slightly less).  Cut the rolled dough into squares and place on a parchment lined baking sheet.  You can place them close together as they will no spread. Bake the crackers for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the crackers are golden brown  Remove from the oven and let cool completely.  Store in an airtight container.

Enjoy!  -Cardamommy

Oreo Cream Pies

I need to start out by telling you that if you think you are getting a pie here, you are mistaken.  Do you remember those Oatmeal Cream Pie cookies that you can get individually wrapped in a box?  The cream filling sandwiched between two soft oatmeal cookies...Well, the texture of these cookies reminded me of those little snacks.  The texture only, mind you.  The flavor and substance of these cookies blast those little pies right out of the water!


These cookies start with the same cookie that I used in the White Chocolate Dipped Cocoa Cookies.  Using black cocoa powder gives these cookies an oreo-like flavor and dark brown/black color.  The Oreo filling buttercream is super creamy and soft, and is a perfect match for the dark chocolatey cookie.


Oreo Cream Pies


1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup light corn syrup
2 cups all purpose flour
6 Tablespoons cocoa powder (I used half cocoa powder and half black cocoa powder)
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4  teaspoon salt


Oreo Filling Buttercream:
6 Tablespoons butter, room temperature
Filling from 12 Double Stuff Oreos 
2 cups powdered sugar
2 Double Stuff Oreos
Milk to thin (if necessary)


For the cookies, beat the butter and sugar together in a medium bowl until light and fluffy.  Add the egg and corn syrup and beat until well blended.  In a smaller bowl, stir together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt.  Add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture and beat until blended.  Cover and refrigerate the dough for about 1 hour, or until firm.


Preheat the oven to 350F.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Scoop the dough and roll into approximately 1 inch balls.  Place about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet.  Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until cookies flatten.  Cool on the pan for about 1 minute, then transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

In a medium bowl, combine the butter and Oreo filling, and beat with a mixer on medium-high speed until completely incorporated.  Add the powdered sugar and beat until incorporated.  Beat in the Oreos until they are well crushed into the frosting, with no large chunks remaining.  If the frosting is too thick, beat in small amounts of milk until it reaches the desired consistency.

Spoon the desired amount of frosting on the bottom of one completely cooled cookie.  Top with another cookie and press lightly together.  

Enjoy!  -Cardamommy

Tropical Banana Bread

This is my last recipe in the banana bunch.  I have successfully used up the last of the tenderized bananas, and don't have 7 loaves of banana bread.  This makes me happy.  This banana bread is a little different.  It is definitely banana bread, but other flavors play a big role.  The addition of almond extract, lime zest, and crystalized ginger bump this banana bread out of the "plain old" category and into one a little more complex.  You can substitute orange zest for the lime, and golden raisins (I ran out, darn it!) for the dark raisins.


Tropical Banana Bread


1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup oil
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup honey
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon almond extract
1 Tablespoon grated lime peel
3 bananas, mashed
2 eggs
2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup shredded coconut
2 Tablespoons crystallized ginger, finely diced


Preheat the oven to 350F.  Grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.


In a large bowl, beat together the butter, oil, brown sugar, honey, vanilla extract, almond extract, and lime zest.  Add the mashed bananas and eggs, and beat until well combined.  In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg.  Add the dry ingredients to the banana mixture and beat on low speed until just combined, being careful not to overbeat.  Stir in the raisins, coconut, and ginger. 


Pour the batter into the prepared 9x5 inch loaf pan and bake in the preheated oven for about 60 to 70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Remove the bread from the oven and let cool in the pan for about 15 to 20 minutes.  Gently run a knife around the edge of the bread and carefully turn out onto a cooling rack to finish cooling.


Enjoy!  -Cardamommy