Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cake Cookies

.  It has been quite some time since I've published posts within days of each other.  The Fall/holiday baking season must be getting to me.  It's too hard to resist.

But first things first.  I did have a Musselman's Giveaway a week or so back and it's about time I announced the winner of the Apple Butter, decorative bread carriers, and a Fall Musselman's recipe card!

And the lucky winner is... Drum roll pleaseeeee....

WHITNEY!!

Congralations girlie, and now all you must do is wait for your Musselman package to arrive!  Thanks again to the readers who participated, I absolutely love these giveaways and it's such a joy to share them with you all.  Until next round!

But hold on, don't leave.  Because we're about to get into these cookies.  Ones that I couldn't wait to post.  Because a combination of soft, fluffy pumpkin cake cookies studded with mini chocolate chips, and topped with a classic buttery glaze, is just too dang good not to share.  I can't keep all of these addicting goodies to myself.

But what I was truly excited about is the source of this recipe.  I nabbed the original Old Fashioned Soft Pumpkin Cookies from Ms. Jamie over at Life as {Emma's} Mom.  But Jamie isn't just some random blogger who I happened to stumble upon.  Nope, we actually went to the same high school in good ol' Woodbury [but she's a couple of years younger than I am].  And although our paths never crossed too often, the bloggosphere [and social media] has seemingly brought us together.

As her blog name may indicate, Jamie is a loving mother to her beautiful daughter, Emma.  And even though I don't know her precious mini me personally, it has been a joy to watch Emma grow up via [Instagram] pictures and videos.  And now that Jamie has her blog, I've also been incorporated into another passion of hers: cooking.

I can't tell you how many times I've come across the mouthwatering pictures of the dinners and treats Jamie makes for her daughter and fiance.  First, it makes me wish I lived closer so I could randomly stop by.  And two, I'm hoping Robbie never wisens up and realizes what he's missing out on.  I may need some cooking lessons...

But the moment I glanced at these pumpkin cookies, they were 'pinned' and moved to first on the list for my next baking day.  And the second these babies were out of the oven [and glazed as fast as humanely possible], all of my beliefs about Jamie's cooking/baking were confirmed.  I'm hooked.

These cakey cookies are absolute heaven.  So soft and pumpkin flavorful that you'll be coming back for way too many.  If there even is such a thing.  A perfect fix for those Fall-spices cravings we all get!

Happy baking!  .

My Notes:

• Jamie's original recipe didn't include mini chocolate chips.  So if you're not feeling those, leave them out.  Trust me, you'll still get a delectable cooke you won't be able to get enough of.
• This may test your patience, but be sure to let the cookies cool completely before glazing.  Otherwise the glaze will drip right off!
• For festive purposes, Jamie also added some food coloring to her glaze to get that orange pumpkin feel.  I'm boring and left the coloring out, but have fun with it!

Adapted from Life As {Emma's} Mom

Ingredients:

Soft Pumpkin Cookies:

2-1/2 c. all purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp. salt

1-1/2 c. sugar

1/2 c. butter, softened

1 large egg

1 c. pumpkin puree

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1-1/4 c. mini semisweet chocolate chips

Classic Glaze:

2 c. powdered sugar

3 tbsp. milk

1 tbsp butter, melted

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F.  Grease 2 baking sheets with non-stick cooking spray; set aside.
2.  Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt, in a medium bowl.  
3. In a large bowl, beat together butter and sugar until combined (about 1 to 2 minutes).  Beat in egg, pumpkin puree, and vanilla extract. until thoroughly combined.  Gradually add in flour mixture just before thoroughly combined.  Gently fold in mini chocolate chips.
4. Drop batter by rounded tablespoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets.  Bake 15 to 18 minutes or until edges are firm.  Remove from oven to wire rack to cool completely.
5. For glaze, in a medium bowl, beat together powdered sugar, milk, butter, and vanilla extract until smooth.  Glaze cooled cookies as desired.

Yield: 30 cookies

{Chicago} Deep Dish Pizza

.  Okay, it was only fitting that I whip this recipe out at some point during my tenure in Chicago.  I'm sure you all know by now how much I love this city [I swear I'm never leaving], so how could I resist trying out a recipe the city itself is known for?  Well...I couldn't.

As you surely know, Robbie and I love our pizza.  And we are very critical when it comes to determining what's good and what's not so good.  Unfortunately, he and I differ on whether thick crust or thin crust is better.  I, of course, go for the thick crust.  Who doesn't love the chewy bready-ness of a thick, deep dish pizza?

Ha, well Robbie.  He goes for the thin, crispy sort.  But he and I compromise over our pizza outings and try all different sorts.  We don't discriminate when it comes to pizza.

And when the [rare] occasion rolls around that I decide to make a homemade pizza from scratch, Robbie really has no say.  He gets what I make.  Sorry, love.

So Deep Dish it was.

But the wondrous thing of all?  This time we couldn't have been more on the same page.

This pizza is the real deal.

And by that I mean Robbie went so far to say that "we won't ever order Giordano's again."

Okay, okay.  Probably a little extreme.  But you gotta love his conviction.  And I won't complain when I hear a compliment from my fiance, who is easily my harshest baking critic.  In a loving way, that is.  So I'll take it!

But seriously...I can't even think of one simple tweak I would make to this recipe.  It's pure perfection.  Except maybe for the fact that it only makes two pizzas rather than four.  However, that's probably for my own good.

So let's jump into the details.  Why is this pizza a true rival to some of the Chicago greats?

First.  The flakey, buttery [yet not greasy!] crust.  No doubt in my mind the best homemade crust I have ever made.  Ever.  Now, the crusts I've made before [take a gander at the Ham and Veggie Pizza or Margherita Pizza] were awesome: thick, chewy, and slightly crisp.  But not one of them was like this recipe.

I equate this crust to a bread version of the best pie crust you've ever eaten.  You know those ones that seem to have layers?  The ones you can basically peel away while eating?  Yes.  That is this.  But bready.  And it isn't hard to achieve.  In fact, it'll probably happen by accident simply due to the way the crust will gently fall in on itself on the sides of the pan.  Hard to explain but just take my word for it.

And the beauty of the rest of this [pizza] pie is that YOU customize the filling.  Throw in any meats, veggies, or any odds and ends you can think of.  The possibilities are endless!  And if you end up not liking it, you really only have yourself to blame, right?  But listen up...

One tip: DO NOT skip the tomato mixture!

I kid you not.  This tomato concoction makes all of the difference and you do not want to miss out on it's tastiness.  Ba-lieve me.

But other than that, you're free to do as you please.  And because, according to a trusted source, Halloween is the night with the highest number of pizza deliveries of the year, I'm offering you an option to avoid the waiting game.  And you will not regret your decision.  So, HAPPY HALLOWEEN and off you go!  .

My Notes:

• DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT be afraid of the fact that you're making a homemade crust.  This dough is absolutely the easiest dough I've ever worked with and extremely forgiving.  I was anything but gentle when rolling out this dough and you would have never known.
• You can probably tell, but I ran out of daylight while making this pizza.  It gets so dark so early!  So take a look at the original recipe post because the pictures are absolutely beautiful and totally do this pizza justice.

Adapted from Handle the Heat

Ingredients:

Crust:

4 c. all purpose flour

3 tbsp. cornmeal

1-3/4 tsp. salt

2-3/4 tsp. (1 package) instant yeast

2 tbsp. olive oil

4 tbsp. butter, melted

2 tbsp. vegetable oil

1 c. plus 2 tbsp. warm water

Toppings:

1 (28 oz.) can diced tomatoes, drained

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tbsp. sugar

1-1/2 tsp. dried Italian herbs

1 c. grated Parmesan cheese

1 lb. mozzarella cheese, sliced

1 lb. of choice meat (e.g., chicken, sausage, pepperoni)

Directions:

1. For the crust, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the dough hook, combine the flour, cornmeal, salt, yeast, olive oil, butter, vegetable oil, and water.  Knead on medium-low speed until dough becomes smooth and soft (about 7 minutes; dough can also be kneaded by hand).  Place the dough in a lightly oiled bowl, cover, and let rise until puffy (about 1 hour).
2. Lightly grease one 14-inch deep dish pizza pan or two 9-inch pie pans (I recommend using springform pans) and pour in 2 to 3 tablespoons of olive oil to cover the bottom and sides; set aside.
3. Once the dough is risen, use your hands to stretch out into a circle slightly larger than the pan(s).  Lay the dough into the pan(s) and stretch towards the edges until the dough begins to pull back.  Cover and let rest 15 minutes.  Heat oven to 425F.
4. Stretch the dough again so it reaches up the sides and let rest again for 10 to 15 minutes.  Bake crust 10 minutes or until set and barely beginning to brown.
5. Meanwhile, for the filling, combine tomatoes, garlic, sugar, and Italian herbs in a medium bowl.  Lay 1/2 of the mozzarella across the crust.  Add 1/2 of the meat and top with 1/2 of the tomato mixture.  Repeat to create a second layer (however, if you're using two pans, use 1/4 of the ingredients for each layer.  So in total you will use half of the ingredients for one pizza and half for the second pizza).  Sprinkle the tops with Parmesan cheese to cover.
6. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until filling is bubbly and topping is golden brown.  Allow the pizza to cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Yield: 1 (14-inch) or 2 (9-inch) pizza(s)

Secret Recipe Club: Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding with Rum Cinnamon Sauce

.  Fall, in my mind, means comfort food.  Warm, comfort food.  From soups to pies to all of those highly anticipated holiday meals.

And bread pudding.

Bread pudding is easily my most favorite indulgent treat.  There's absolutely nothing healthy about it [what baked good is...] but uggGggGggGggggh, it is SO good.  I can't resist it.  I get it from my mama.

So for this months' SRC, there was zero question about what I would choose to make from Kate's Kitchen, my October assignment.

Kate's lovely blog is full of savory cooking recipes and you know they must be de-lish because her hubby is actually a sous chef.  As well as her appointed taste tester.  So while I eat pre-made salads from the grocery store, I can't even imagine the decadent, wondrous meals going down in Kate's house.  Lucky gal!

But as I perused Kate's blog, I came across her Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding with Rum Cinnamon Sauce....hmm, no brainer.

And this recipe did not disappoint.

Bread puddings are one of those goodies that require the least amount effort but produce crowd pleasing favorites that no one can ever get enough of.  And during the hectic holiday times, who doesn't love a dish that you quickly prepare the night before, let set while you sleep, and pop into the oven in the morning for a hearty, filling breakfast?

This custard-laden bread dish consists of your classic bread pudding ingredients but Kate's subtle variations create a dish on a level of it's own.  For example, allowing the butter to seep into each piece of bread, the studding of chocolate chips throughout the dish, and the drizzle of butter and brown sugar across the top before baking.  I guess that cinnamon rum sauce [that simply screams holidays!] seeping into every crevice doesn't hurt either.

But to really get what I'm saying here, you're just going to have to bake up a batch of this yourself.  It took me oh, all of about 6.25 minutes to whip together and you just let the oven do the rest.  I'm already envisioning this dish at our breakfast table for the coming holidays.  It's that worthy.

I highly recommend you make try this recipe out before the holidays though, just to make sure you really like it.  It typically takes about half of a panful of taste testing bites to truly get a feel for it though.  I guess you'll just have to sacrifice for this one though ☺

So THANK YOU, Kate, for such a quality recipe that will remain in my repertoire for a long time coming.  I'm so excited to have been assigned your blog and can't wait to see what you whip up next.  Until next month, SRCers!  .

My Notes:

• Feel free to use whatever type of bread you have on hand, but I always recommend quality breads such as challah, brioche, etc.  And if you're feeling really adventurous, try out the best homemade challah recipe I've come across [and I'm not just saying that because it's my recipe, I promise!].  
• This particular recipe doesn't require overnight setting, but it doesn't mean it can't!  The longer a bread pudding sits, the better it will taste.  Trust!
• If you're looking for a more adult version of the rum cinnamon sauce, substitute in 1/4 cup of rum for the rum extract and water.

Adapted From Kate's Kitchen

Ingredients:

Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding:

1 lb. bread loaf, cut into 1-inch cubes

1/2 c. unsalted butter, melted

1 scant c. semisweet chocolate chips

2-1/2 c. half & half

1 c. sugar

6 large eggs

4 large egg yolks

2 tbsp. vanilla extract

1/8 tsp. salt

2 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted

2 tbsp. packed light brown sugar

Rum Cinnamon Sauce:

1 c. unsalted butter, melted

1 c. dark brown sugar

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tbsp. rum extract

3 tbsp. water

1 tbsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Spray a 13x9-inch baking pan with cooking spray.  In a large bowl, toss together bread and melted butter to coat bread pieces evenly.  Add chocolate chips and mix well.  Spread bread mixture evenly in prepared pan.
2. In the same bowl, whisk together half & half, eggs, egg yolks, vanilla extract, and salt.  Pour the custard over the bread mixture.  Press bread down to make sure each piece is coated with the custard.  Let stand for 30 minutes to soak, pressing bread down every 10 minutes.  
3. Heat oven to 350°F.  Drizzle the remaining melted butter and brown sugar over top of bread pudding.  Bake 1 hour or until puffed and golden.  
4. For the sauce, in a small bowl whisk together melted butter and brown sugar until sugar is dissolved.  Add cinnamon, rum extract, water, and vanilla extract, and mix until combined.  Serve over bread pudding.

Yield: 2 dozen servings

Raised Yeasted Waffles

.  Okay.  I've literally been trying to compose this post all of this last weekend and for the life of me...I can't.

I think it's what they call a 'writer's block'?  Albeit, I'm not a real writer.  But you get what I mean. My mind just seems to be a bit clouded at the moment so you'll have to work with me.

So rather than string together some cheesy link to the reason I'm sharing the best-ever waffles since Egg-o's, I'll just get right into the recipe.

My homemade waffle obsession all started with my purchase of the most wondrous contraption: the William Sonoma All-Clad Belgian Waffle Maker.  And no, this is not an ad.  I just love this thing so dang much that I want you all to know about it!  It's a bit of a splurge but most definitely an investment piece, one that you'll be using for the rest of your life to make waffley goodies for your loved ones.

Unfortunately, since I've never owned a waffle maker before this beaut, I didn't have many waffle recipes lying around the house [or of course, pinned].  But lucky for everyone at the breakfast table, the Williams Sonoma package also included an array of their very own waffle recipes.  And true to myself, I had to try out the yeasted waffles because well, what the haay are yeasted waffles?!

My first question [after that one] was what is the difference between yeasted waffles and plain ol' regular waffles?  And the only comparison I can think of [that writers block is really getting to me] is the difference between cake donuts and fried/yeast donuts.

So you see, cake donuts are typically much more dense in texture.  We'll compare those to a regular waffle batter.  On the flip side, raised/yeasted donuts [or doughnuts...toe-mato, ta-motto] tend to be much more lighty and fluffy.  Think...Krispy Kreme.


Now, I am by no means comparing this yeasted waffle recipe to Krispy Kreme [that would be mighty amazing though].  The point I'm trying to get across is that these yeasted waffles are lighter, fluffier, and tastier than your regular ol' batter.

And for those of you with rushed, chaotic mornings or needing last minute breakfast/brunch ideas for incoming visitors, this recipe is for you!  Here's why: the batter rests overnight, so you can easily whip together the ingredients the night before you need the waffles, wake up in the morning, and all you must do is put the batter in the pan.  Easy peasy, winner winner!

And one last rave about these waffles?  You can pair them with anything and everything you please!  Try fresh fruit, whipped cream, syrup, cinnamon and sugar, or if you really want to go all out you can drizzle on some chocolate or caramel sauce.  Nummyyyy!

So now that we are officially in the heart of Fall, what better way to start a morning than with a warm, comforting meal of waffles?  I can't think of anything better.

Happy baking [or waffle making]!  .

My Notes:

• IMPORTANT TIP!  In order to keep your waffles as fresh as possible (i.e., not getting soggy), heat your oven to 200°F and place a baking sheet in the oven.  Once the waffles are done, place them on the pan and let sit in the oven until ready to serve.  This will keep your waffles crisp and warm.  Great tip, huh?!

From Williams Sonoma

Ingredients:

1 package (2-1/2 tsp.) active dry yeast

1 tsp. sugar

1/4 c. warm water

1 c. milk

2 tbsp. unsalted butter

1 c. all purpose flour

2tbsp. firmly packed light brown sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1 egg

1/4 tsp. baking soda

Fresh fruit, whipped cream, syrup, etc. (optional, for toppings)

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast and sugar in warm water and let stand until foamy (about 5 minutes). 
2. In a saucepan over low heat, combine milk and butter and heat to lukewarm.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar, and salt.  
4. Stir in milk mixture to yeast mixture.  Add the dry ingredients and stir until blended.  Cover the bowl and refrigerate overnight.  
5. When ready to use the next morning/day, heat waffle maker according to directions.  Stir the egg and baking soda into the chilled batter until combined.  
6. Use batter with waffle maker according to directions.  Serve immediately.

Yield: 1 dozen waffles

Musselman's GIVEAWAY & Autumn Apple Butter Dip

.  Hello, my lovelies!

It's been a while but the giveaways are back!  I don't know about you all, but I absolutely love these.  And not just because I get free baking stuff sent to me [it doesn't hurt]...but because I get to test of some quality products and let you in on the real deal.  And then, one of you lucky ladies/fellas get some free stuff, too!  It's a win-win for everyone.

You may remember that I've done an Apple Butter giveaway before but Musselman's is always coming up with creative ideas for their products.  So what do we got this time 'round...

Well in honor of my most absolute favorite season, Musselman's went completely Fall and sent me a package of: Apple Butter, four completely Fall recipes with a twist [including Spiced Apple Cake with Orange Glaze, Overnight Oatmeal, and Party Swedish Meatballs], and four decorative mini loaf containers for gifts.

Now even though the above three recipes all sound scrumptious [uh hello, swedish meatballs are perfect for football game days!] but I just couldn't pass up the Autumn Apple Butter Dip because 1) two ingredients?  C'mon.  And 2) who doesn't love snackin' on dips while watching a gamut of Sunday football games?  Hands raised high.  I know.

So the dip it was.  A couple of 'cups', a few swirls, and into the serving platter this very Fall-esque, hint-of-pumpkin dip went.  Served with a platter of Gingersnaps and we've got ourselves a lovely snack.

So what do YOU have to do to get in on this apple butter action?  Well, easy.

Musselman's recently revamped their Apple Butter e-Recipe Book that you must check out!  And when you do, simply leave a comment below on this post telling me which of the de-lish Apple Butter recipes from Musselman's e-Recipe Book that you'd like to try [or already have].  Then, whomever is the lucky winner, will receive the same giveaway package I received, complete with a large jar of Apple Butter to make your favorite recipe!  Again, win-win all around here, folks.

So get browsing and leave a lovely comment.  You have until October 26, 2013, to enter so there's no time to waste.

Happy baking!

P.S. head on over to the Musselman's website to view the Autumn Apple Butter Dip recipe featured here, it's worth the click!  .

Life. It'll Get Ya.

.  Yep, it will.  Right when things are going along as planned, life throws it's little twists and turns your way.  But that always seems to happen, huh?  Right when you least expect it...

Think about that one for a little while.

And while you do, you can read about what's been going on in my life as of late.  Nothing too exciting, actually, but just things I'd like to recap.  Because this is my blog, so I can ☺

Let's see...we're going to have to go back a couple of weeks to Labor Day weekend.  Okay, more like a month but who's counting?

For the long weekend, I ventured on up to Minnesota to visit with my fam that I don't get to see enough.  We didn't really have any plans but to do some shopping, relax, catch up with each other, and of course, hit up the best place on Earth: the State Fair.  

I'm fairly certain I've mentioned my childhood memories of the state fair before.  For whatever reason [I think my dad may plan it this way] we've always lived in states that have huuuuuuuuge State Fairs [i.e., Washington State and Minnesota], so they've always been a big event for me.  While I was in college, I wasn't ever able to get back home for the Great Minnesota Get-Together because of softball, but since graduation I've taken full advantage of my freedom.    

So what is it that you do at the fair all day, you ask?  Well...you eat.  And eat.  And you don't give a darn about the amount of calories you're eating.  Not sure if you've heard, but calories don't exist at fairs.  It's great.

Anywho, the absolute best thing we ate had to be the Deep Fried Mashed Potato Balls.  Okay, sounds heart-stopping but ugh, they were good.  It was the one item we all went gaga over and definitely could have had a second round of those suckers.  It was basically a fried ball of the most rich, buttery mashed potatoes possible with little chunks of bacon and ham.  And I'm not even a bacon fan, so these must have been as good as I'm saying!

I could recap all of the other items we indulged in [e.g., deep fried pickles, foot long hot dog, elephant ear] but you'd probably get a little grossed out.  And I don't want to do that to ya...

But all in all, my parents and I had an absolutely wonderful time filled with laughter and full tummies.  I seriously can't get enough of those two sometimes.  Can't wait for next year!!

Two weekends later, I flew back to Omaha to co-host Hollyann's bridal shower.  I had planned her bridal shower long before I ever had an inkling I'd be moving to Chicago, but thankfully her good friend, Angela, offered to host the shower at her house since I no longer had a place in town.  

The tropical- themed shower turned out wonderfully [and I hope her friends and relatives had a lovely time], but I'll be honest: the preparation part was a little hectic.  I flew in late Friday night and managed to whip up a couple of dips and the cake part of the Hummingbird Cupcakes [Hollyann's favorite].  Then early Saturday morning I made the rounds to Costco to get the rest of the food, Party City for decorations, plates, silverware, and glasses, and then traveled back to Angela's to drop everything off before I headed back home to finish the cupcakes, chop some fruit for the Ham and Pineapple Sliders, and get myself semi-presentable [which didn't quite happen].

Fortunately, Angela did a beautiful job of setting up most everything before I made it back to her house and just in time for the guests to begin arriving.  By that time, everything seemed to settle down a bit and I think everyone enjoyed themselves.  We had some wonderful food, a fun bridal shower game, and of course presents galore for the bride.  It was an absolute whirlwind of a weekend but worth every minor stress to see Hollyann positively glowing and really in her element with all of her closest relatives and friends.  

Just this last week, Hollyann and her fiance, Brandon, were in Curacao where they had a private wedding ceremony and spent the next week 10 days in wedded bliss on the stunning shores of the Caribbean island.  Jealous much?!

Most recently, two weekends ago to be exact, I had the pleasure of getting together with my absolute favorite people in this world: my family.  My aunt and her family live in Naperville, IL, which is about 40-some odd minutes outside of Chicago.  My younger cousin, Larissa, had her homecoming dance this last weekend I was invited out to help her get ready.  Granted, I did absolutely nothing but watch my [not so young anymore] cousin get ready and curled a few strands of her hair in the back of her head that she couldn't quite reach.  But other than that, I was useless.  However, it was such a joy just being a part of her special day.

Unfortunately, I haven't been a part of Riss' life as much as I would like simply because of distance.  So now that I'm a stone's throw away, I fully intend of visiting her and her family more often.  Gotta take advantage of this while I can.  Sorry Aunt Sandy if I invite myself over for dinner  ten too many times ☺

But damn...did I feel old!  My aunt and I took Riss to her pictures before the dance, which included a huge group of high school seniors and a few kids Riss' age, and it hit me like a ton of bricks how far removed I am from high school.  Not in a bad way...but I basically felt like wrinkles is the next thing I have to look forward to.

And the dresses?  Were they for real?!  Fancy schmancy!  Blinged out to the nines.  I remember being like that for Prom!  But then again, our homecoming consisted of tie-dye, football, and a hoppin' dance after we lost.  So I guess that's not much comparison.

But Riss looked ever so beautiful and had a darling date to accompany her.  From what I gathered, she had a wonderful time and I felt so blessed to be able to take one hundred too many pictures of her.  Thanks, Chi-town!

Okay, that's enough for one post.  This last weekend marked the beginning of a jam packed month, so you can bet I'll be posting more life updates.  Yay for you guys!  Just kidding.

I hope you all have a lovely Monday though.  Happy Fall!  .

Secret Recipe Club: Apple Peanut Butter Bars

.  Okay...so you might be thinking that's a different combination?

I mean, people eat apples and peanut butter before workouts though, right?  But I'll give it to ya, you don't usually find these two ingredients together in a baked goodie.  Or at least I've never stumbled across it...

So thank the good Lord for my September SRC assignment, 365 Days of Baking and More by Lynne, for introducing me to one of the most nostalgic [takes me back to school days], addicting bars I've had in quite some time.

But first, let's talk 365.  Because I was absolutely giddy the second I saw which blog I was assigned this month.  And I'm sure you can guess why?

Out of all of my SRC assignments thus far, I have yet to have one that is also strictly a baking blog.  Can you ba-lieve that?!  Yes, I've absolutely adored each and every assignment I've had because les' be honest, I've gotten some damn good recipes [e.g., Grasshopper Bars, Christmas Cake Truffles, Danish Puff, and more].

But this time, I didn't have to do an inkling of researching to hunt down any baking recipes.  Because they were all. right. there.  And this time around, I had an extra hard time narrowing down my options because there were just so many treats!  Who can resist Pumpkin Biscuits with Cinnamon Honey Butter, Banana Bread French Toast, Chocolate Caramel Macchiato Cake Balls, and Salted Caramel Thumbprints.

And to make matters slightly 'worse', this blog does have some enticing cooking recipes that also got me thinking.  Albeit I have no cooking skills, don't Basil Baked Salmon, Baked Ravioli with Bechamel Sauce, and Apple Cheese Chicken sound deee-lish?  Yes, yes they do.

But for whatever reason [I'm thinking it was the apple/peanut butter combo], I couldn't pass up the Apple Peanut Butter Bars.  Oh yeah, and possibly Lynne's husbands' reaction when he took a chomp out of these bars: "Oh my God, what the hell are these?!  These are unbelievable...!"

And that is a direct quote.  Check the bottom of Lynne's post ☺

And without even knowing him, I already like Lynne's hubby because he was spot on with this recipe.

The best way [that I can think of] to describe these bars is to compare them to the most chewy peanut butter cookies you've ever had.  And in some spots where the tart apple pieces reside, you get an almost fudge-like texture.  No joke.  And to top it off, a creamy, uber peanut buttery glaze is drenched across the top.  I'll be honest, I couldn't get enough of that glaze.  And if you have kiddos, these bars will be right up their alley.  Throw them in their lunch boxes for school and you've have one happy child.  Or keep them at home for your own personal snack.  Either or.

Thanks again, Lynne, for a recipe I completely devoured thoroughly enjoyed and shared with everyone.  Happy baking, everyone!  .

My Notes:

• Lynne's recipe was adapted from the original by substituting the peanut butter glaze with a pecan topping and also layering the apples rather than incorporating them in pieces.  I was being lazy and decided to just stir the apple pieces in and I also didn't have any pecans on hand, so I went with the peanut butter glaze.  Either way, you'll love 'em.

Adapted from 365 Days of Baking and More

Ingredients:

Apple Peanut Butter Bars:

1/2 c. unsalted butter

2 c. light brown sugar

1/2 c. creamy peanut butter

2 large eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

2-1/2 c. all purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 c. Granny Smith apples, peeled and diced to bite-sized pieces

Peanut Butter Glaze:

1-1/2 c. powdered sugar

1/4 c. milk

1/4 c. creamy peanut butter

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F.  Grease a 13x9-inch baking pan with cooking spray; set aside.
2. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and brown sugar, stirring constantly until smooth.  Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter until creamy.  Set aside to cool.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  
4. Add eggs, one at a time, to the peanut butter mixture, mixing well after each addition.  Add vanilla extract and stir to combine.  Pour the mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until batter is smooth.  Fold in apple pieces.
5. Transfer batter to prepared pan and spread evenly.  Bake 30 minutes or until edges are slightly browned.  Remove pan from oven and set aside to cool.
6. For peanut butter glaze, combine powdered sugar, milk, peanut butter, and vanilla extract in a medium bowl and whisk until smooth.  Drizzle or evenly spread the glaze across the top of the bars.  Cut and serve.

Yield: 2 dozen bars

Apple Spice Layer Cake with Caramel Mascarpone Frosting

.  Well that title sure is a mouthful!

But a mouthful of this cake and you won't really care how long the title is.  All you'll be thinking is that it's one good cake.  One Fabulous.  Dense.  Rich.  Fall-ey.  Cake.

But let's rewiiiind a bit.  Because you're probably wondering why I would spend a good chunk of a beautiful Sunday indoors slaving away over this cake.  Well...I guess you do crazy things for those special people in your life.

Okay, cheesy.  Barf.

But for reals.  Robbie's birthday was August 18th [hey, a late post is better than none at all!] and he requested an apple cake for the big 2-7.  So while he and his brother, Danny [who flew in for the night on his way to his new home in NYC], went to a Cub's game, I spent the afternoon with the pups baking one of the best quality cakes I've ever made.  Ever.

Now I realize I say this quite a bit, but I'm always amazed at the superb quality of recipes I find on the world wide web.  And granted there might be a botch or two in between, but it seems that the recipes just keep getting better.  And better.  And better.

Props to you, bloggers.

So let me explain this decadent treat.

The cake itself is dense, as I said earlier.  Filled with bits of tart apple and spiced to perfection with cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and ginger.  Not quite sure you could fit one more spice in there actually.  Now that's what I call Fall.

Moving on to the frosting.  The Caramel Mascarpone Frosting, that is.  It's quite lovely.  The classic frosting is mixed with a homemade [easy peasy] caramel sauce that really brings the cake to an entirely new level.  And to top it off, toasted pecans line the outside.  Along with a slathering of that homemade caramel sauce.  I mean, if you think about it, this cake is really like a huge, fat, gourmet caramel apple.  Yeah, basically.  But not.

Yes, Robbie got to eat his homemade birthday cake while watching a football game AFTER coming home from the baseball game.  Spoiled...

You get the idea.

Regardless, I absolutely adore this cake.  And fortunately for you, I whipped up this post just time for Fall baking season and the food frenzy we call the 'holidays' [okay, I realize they're still a couple of months away but it's just never too early!].  It's truly a show-off-my-baking-skills goodie and who doesn't want to impress the relatives?!  That's what I thought.

Anywho, hope you're all having a wonderful weekend wherever you are.  Happy baking!  .

My Notes:

• As you'll see below in the ingredients list, the recipe calls for two batches of the caramel sauce.  But PLEASE NOTE, you must double the caramel sauce ingredients here to get two batches if you want to use the caramel in the frosting as well as on top of the cake.  Please and thank you.
• Make sure to let the caramel sauce completely cool before adding into the frosting.  I think I added it a bit too early [shocked that my patience got the best of me...?] and my frosting ended up a touch runny.

Adapted from Joanne Eats Well With Others

Ingredients:

Salted Butter Caramel Sauce:

1 c. sugar

6 tbsp. butter

1/2 c. heavy whipping cream

Spiced Apple Cake:

1-1/2 c. unsalted butter, at room temperature

3 c. sugar

2 tbsp. molasses

6 eggs

3 c. cake flour

1-1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

2 tbsp. ground cinnamon

2 tsp. ground allspice

1 tsp. ground nutmeg

1 tsp. ground ginger

1 c. sour cream

3 Granny Smith apples, peeled and shredded

1 tbsp. vanilla extract

Mascarpone Frosting:

2 batches of the Salted Butter Caramel Sauce

1-1/2 c. butter, at room temperature

2 tbsp. heavy whipping cream

1 tsp. vanilla extract

3 c. powdered sugar

1 c. mascarpone

2 c. chopped pecans, toasted

Directions:

1. For the caramel sauce, melt the sugar over medium to high heat in a large pot, whisking to make sure the sugar heats evenly and is a dark copper color.
2. Add butter, whisking continuously.  When the butter has melted and incorporated, turn off the stove and pour in the heavy whipping cream.  The mixture will foam and rise but continue to whisk until the sauce is smooth.
3. Pour the sauce into a glass bowl and set aside to cool until ready to use.
4. For the cake, heat oven to 350°F.  Grease two or three 9-inch cake pans depending on your preference and/or the size of the cake pans [if they're deep, you can most likely just use two].  Line each pan with parchment paper.
5. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar together until light and fluffy [about three minutes].  Beat in molasses, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.  Add eggs, one at a time, thoroughly incorporating each egg.
6. In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and ginger.  Add sour cream and flour mixture alternately to the butter mixture, starting and ending with the flour.  Drain the shredded apples a bit and stir into the batter along with the vanilla extract.
7. Split the batter evenly among the cake pans.  If using two cake pans, put on the same rack in the oven.  Bake 35 to 40 minutes if using three pans or 50 to 55 minutes if using two, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
8. Remove from the oven and let cool 10 minutes before unmolding to a wire rack to cool completely.
9. For the icing, cream the butter on medium-high speed until fluffy [about three minutes].  Add the powdered sugar over low speed until combined.  Then add heavy whipping cream and vanilla extract.  Increase speed to medium-high and beat until fluffy [about three minutes].  Add mascarpone and beat over low speed just until incorporated.  Take one batch of caramel and stir into frosting, using large strokes to create swirls.  
10. To assemble, place one cake layer on a serving plate and spread icing over the top.  Top with the second cake and repeat.  Cover the cake with an even layer of frosting.  Pat the toasted pecans onto the sides of the cake.  Melt your second batch of caramel to just room temperature.  Pour the second batch of caramel over the top and, using a spoon, spread it almost to the sides of the cake.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Yield: 16 servings