Caramel Apple Streusel Pie

.  How has Thanksgiving already come and gone?  I haven't even had a split second to catch up with everyone to see how their food-filled day went.  And now it's almost Christmas...

But let's recap.  My Thanksgiving was spent out in Naperville, Illinois, where my aunt and her family live.  My parents [in Minnesota] and my brother [currently in Missouri for Army training] also made the trek to the Chicago suburb.  We're all over the place, huh?  But fortunately we were all able to be under one roof for one of my favorite holidays, if even for a short while.

But my Thanksgiving was off to a great start the moment I got to my aunt's house.

Right before our early dinner, my aunt asked me to grab the wine.  Unbeknownst to me, I snagged a bag in the fridge and brought it out to the table.  The next couple of seconds were a bit of a blur but I remember my mom asking me what kind it was.  I casually shrugged and started reading the label.

'Jess.'  'Bridesmaid.'  'Melissa.'

Those are basically the only three words I remember reading.  But as the utter confusion passed, I started piecing it all together.  My best friend, and Maid of Honor, was asking me to be in her wedding!

Mel is a huge wine connoisseur, so her 'invitation' was so completely her.  Absolutely perfect and I couldn't be any more honored to stand by my beautiful best friend on the biggest day of her life.

See?  A great start to my Thanksgiving.

Comically, the rest of the holiday went by rather quickly.  We apparently got right down to business and the first round of 'Thanksgiving' was over in all of about 35 minutes.  If that.  But I guess that only alludes to the delicous-ness of the our meal: we were all heads down, forks to mouths.  And then once we were done, we got back to catching up with everyone.

The aftermath of Thanksgiving.

And of course, there was dessert.  Made by me.  Unfortunately dessert is the only contribution I will ever have to any dinner party.  But I think everyone agreed, this recipe didn't let me down.

From the crunchy toffee crumble to the luscious caramelized-apple filling overflowing in a homemade crust, what's not to love?  And the fact that we only had a modest sliver left by the end of the night signifies there wasn't much we didn't love about it.  Plus my papa requested this pie for Christmas.  Musta been good then, huh?!

Well I hope everyone's enjoying the holidays, they always seem to fly by faster each year.  Like I said, it's been busy our way, too, and hopefully I can get caught up sharing everything.  But in the mean time...enjoy this pie!

Happy baking!  .

Adapted from Handle the Heat

Ingredients:

Crust:

1-1/4 c. all purpose flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. sugar

1/2 c. cold unsalted butter, cut into small chunks

2 tbsp. cold sour cream

2 to 3 tbsp. cold water

Caramel Apple Filling:

6 large apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced

1 tbsp. lemon juice

1/2 c. packed light brown sugar

1/2 c. sugar

1/4 c. all purpose flour

1 tsp. cornstarch

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 c. heavy whipping cream

4 tbsp. butter

Toffee Streusel Topping:

1/4 c. all purpose flour

2 tbsp. sugar

1 tbsp. cold butter, cut into chunks

Scant 1/3 c. toffee bits

Directions:

1. For the crust, in the bowl of a food processor, pulse the flour, salt, and sugar until combined.  Add butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal, with larger chunks of butter remaining.  Add sour cream and pulse to combine.  Drizzle two tablespoons of ice water over mixture and pulse until it just comes together without being wet, sticky, or crumbly (if dough doesn’t hold together when pinched between your fingers, add another tablespoon of water and pulse).
2. Place the dough onto a large sheet of plastic wrap and shape into a disk.  Chill in refrigerator until firm, at least 1 hour or up to 3 days.  
3. Let the dough sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before rolling out on a lightly floured work surface (keep turning dough after every roll to ensure it doesn’t stick to the counter and is of even thickness).  Roll out into a 1/8-inch thick 13-inch circle. Gently place the dough over a 9-inch pie pan and press into the tin.  Trim the dough, leaving a 1-inch overhang.  Crimp or decorate edges and pierce the bottom of the crust all over with a fork.  Freeze for 30 minutes, or until very firm.
4. Heat oven to 375°F.  Remove the pie shell from the freezer and place a double sheet of foil over the shell, pressing the foil gently across the bottom and up the sides of the pie.  Place two cups pie weights or dry beans over the parchment.  Bake 20 minutes or until crust is dry and light in color.  Carefully remove the parchment and weights and continue baking for another 12 minutes, or until just turning golden.
5. Meanwhile, for the filling, combine apples, lemon juice, light brown sugar, sugar, flour, cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, vanilla extract, and heavy whipping cream in a large bowl. Melt butter in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the apple mixture and cook 8 minutes or until the apples begin to soften.  Pour the apple mixture into the pie crust.
6. For the topping, in a medium bowl, combine flour and sugar.  Cut butter into the flour with a fork to form coarse crumbs.  Stir in the toffee bits and sprinkle over apple mixture.  Wrap the edges of the pie crust with a crust shield or foil.  Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until crust is golden brown.  Let cool before serving.

Yield: 8 servings

  

Secret Recipe Club: Salted Caramel Butter Bars

.  I can not even believe that this is my last SRC post for 2013.  Where the heck did the year go?! How is Thanksgiving less than two weeks away and Christmas is right on it's heels?  Whew, someone please slow time down.

But luckily my last 2013 SRC assignment, Making Memories with Your Kids, is chalk full of mouthwatering recipes to choose from, both savory and sweet.  So the only problem I had this month was choosing which one recipe to feature in this post.  Things like Cinnamon Crumb Coffee Cake, Apple Fritter Bread, and Peanut Butter Snickers Cheesecake Brownie Pie were a-callin' my name.  But I can vouch that each and every person who came within striking distance of these bars didn't have an ounce of complaint.

But really, what's there to say?  With a combination of gooey, sticky salted caramel and buttery, [buttery,] crispy, shortbread/sugar cookie layers, you can't go wrong. 

I realize it all sounds quite simple but more often than not, keeping it simple gets you the most absolute best treats.  And these Salted Caramel Shortbread Bars did not disappoint.  Not. One. Bit.

I can't rave enough about the buttery goodness of the shortbread crust and crumble topping.  Seriously, delish.  And the layer of sweet, gooey caramel in between makes it all come together.  And like I said before, the addition of the sea salt adds a lovely touch making this a unique baked goodie.  No one can resist the sweet and salty combo!  Plus, these babies scream Christmas/holiday cookie bar, so I couldn't have whipped these up at a better time!

Anywho, this sure was a fabulous way to end my 2013 SRC run.  So thank you, Erin, for an inspiring, easy recipe that I couldn't wait to share!  

Happy baking, everyone!  .

My Notes:

• The original recipe calls for 1 tablespoon of sea salt.  I stopped with half because I personally don't like too much salt, so I went the cautious route.  If you want more of a salty kick, stick to the full tablespoon.

Adapted from Making Memories with Your Kids

Ingredients:

Shortbread Crust/Topping:

2 c. butter, at room temperature

1 c. sugar

1-1/2 c. powdered sugar

2 tbsp. vanilla extract

4 c. all purpose flour

Salted Caramel Filling:

1 (14 oz.) bag caramels, unwrapped

1/3 c heavy whipping cream

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tbsp. sea salt

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 325°F.  Grease a 13x9-inch pan with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.
2. For the crust, in a large bowl beat together butter and sugar on medium speed until creamy.  Add powdered sugar and vanilla extract and on low speed beat until smooth.  Slowly add flour and beat until combined.
3. Spread half of the dough into the bottom of the prepared pan and pat down with fingers to make an even layer.
4. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until lightly browned.  Set aside to cool while making the filling.
5. For the filling, place caramels into a medium saucepan with heavy whipping cream and vanilla extract over medium heat.  Stir mixture until smooth and caramels are completely melted.  Pour caramel over the cooled crust.  Sprinkle with sea salt.  Crumble the remaining dough over the caramel.  
6. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until filling is bubbly and top layer is golden brown.  Let bars cool completely before cutting to 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

Bajillionaire Bars

.  Yeah, I did it. 

I most definitely just made up the name of these bars.  But lemme 'splain.

Any of you ever heard of Millionaire Bars?  Well they're quite simple...kind of.  Millionaire Bars are a treat consisting of a shortbread crust, caramel filling, and chocolate topping.  And if you've never had this combination [ahem, Twix Bars], then you are 1) missing out and 2) don't even realize how addicting those three things together can be.  Trust.

But when I stumbled upon the recipe for Billionaire Bars, there was no turning back.  Actually, this recipe was called Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Billionaire Bars but because that title is a touch long, I made up my own name.  And because I felt that 'billionaire' didn't even begin to describe how rich and decadent these bars turned out to be.  Trust again.

So what is it that knocks these bars up a few notches?  Well, cookie dough, of course!  And one thick layer of it.  So let's recap...

Buttery, crunchy shortbread crust.  Creamy caramel filling.  A thick layer of soft chocolate chip cookie dough.  And last but not least, a shiny, smooth topping of chocolate.

It's hard for me to even describe these lil' suckers without my mouth watering.  Every monstrous bite you take fills your mouth with bajillionaire goodness.  Seriously, these bars may actually make you feel richer, they're that delicious.  Or possibly a little fatter....just kiddinggggg.

So what do these bars have to do with what's going on in my life currently?  Well, I figured I better follow up my engagement post with a monumental dessert, seeing as that is quite the life changing event.  And these Bajillionaire Bars, along with the Brownie Fantasy Bars, are nothing less than mind-blowing memorable.  Must I say 'trust' one more time?

So to celebrate my engagement [okay, totally kidding], get your buns in the kitchen and get bakin'!  .

My Notes:

• I doubled this recipe so I'd have enough to make a 13x9-inch pan, but if you don't have a crowd to serve, simply cut the ingredients in half, use an 8x8-inch pan, and bake for 18 to 22 minutes.  

Adapted from Brown Eyed Baker

Ingredients:

Shortbread:

2/3 c. unsalted butter, at room temperature

2/3 c. sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. salt

2 c. all purpose flour

Caramel Filling:

14 oz. soft caramels, unwrapped

4 tbsp. heavy whipping cream

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough:

1 c. unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 c. packed light brown sugar

1/2 c. sugar

4 tbsp. heavy whipping cream

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1-1/2 c. all purpose flour

Pinch of salt

1 c. mini semisweet chocolate chips

Chocolate Glaze:

8 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped

2 tbsp. unsalted butter

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F.  Spray 13x9-inch baking pan with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.
2. For shortbread, in a medium bowl, beat together butter and sugar with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes).  Add vanilla extract and salt and beat until combined.  Add flour and mix until incorporated (mixture may be crumbly).  Firmly press mixture into bottom of prepared pan.  Using a fork, poke holes in the crust.  Bake 22 minutes or until edges are lightly golden.  Set pan on wire rack while making the filling.
3. For caramel filling, place caramels and heavy whipping cream into medium saucepan over medium heat.  Stir until completely melted.  Pour hot caramel mixture over shortbread and spread into an even layer.  Refrigerate 30 minutes to 1 hour or until set.
4. For chocolate chip cookie dough, combine butter, light brown sugar, and sugar in a large bowl and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy (about 3 minutes).  Add heavy whipping cream and vanilla extract and mix well.  Add flour and salt and mix on low speed until incorporated.  Stir in mini chocolate chips.  Spread cookie dough over the caramel layer.  Refrigerate pan while making topping.
5. For chocolate glaze, in a small microwavable bowl, combine chocolate and butter and melt until smooth.  Spread glaze over cookie dough and chill 30 minutes or until set, before cutting and serving.

Yield: 2 dozen bars

Snickery Squares

.  Eeek!  Super Bowl weekend has finally arrived and uh, I have quite a bit to get done!  Why do things always seem to creep up on me like this?

At the request of a couple of our friends [cough, Hollyann/Brandon, cough], Robbie and I will be hosting a small, small Super Bowl get-together this Sunday, filled with lotsa food and [hopefully] one dang good football game.  We had some people over last year as well and apparently they had an okay time, because they wanted to do it again.  Honestly, I think Robbie and I are quite boring but I'm glad our friends don't think so :)

But now that I think about it, maybe it has nothing to do with Robbie and I?  Maybe it has to do with the fact that Hollyann and I [try to] pull out all of the stops for our friendly gatherings, conjuring up a spread for two weeks 24/7 of delicious foods that we don't normally get and making sure we tell each and every one of our potential guests what we'll be having.  Ha, talk about bribing our way into friendships.

We decided that we're going all out Mexi-themed this year.  Yes, Mexi.  Hollyann was all about it because she has some great homemade recipes from her mom that she's eager to share and I would never turn down an opporunity to gorge munch on anything related to Mexican cuisine.  I've been told by my parents more than once in my life that I'm a Mexican at heart.  So here's our spread:

Nacho Bar

Homemade Tamales

Homemade Refried Beans

Homemade Guacamole

Pina Colada Dip

Sopapilla Cheesecake Bars

Pie [TBD, any suggestions?!]

Oh yeah, did I mention we're having a max of seven people over?  Looks like we're going to have some leftovers.  But can you blame us, Hollyann and I rarely have the opportunity to plan 'events' like this, so like I said, we go all out.  We love doing it and we just want to make sure the boys don't go hungry.  Yeah, that's our excuse.  The boys.

But anywho, I realize many of you haven't been obsessing over a Super Bowl spread the last few weeks, so I thought this would be a great opportunity to share an All-American goodie for one of America's greatest past times: Snickey Squares!

I made these little candy bar-esque goodie for Robbie to take into work last Saturday.  Uh huh, Saturday.  I think I mentioned this before, but Robbie is officially in 'busy' season and Saturday's are not off limits for work.  So ever since he started his job, I brought it upon myself to start a little tradition to make something for him to bring into the office every weekend.  Just a little sugary snack to brighten up those accountants' days.

Now I must warn you, these are not straight up Snickers Bars as they do not contain any nougat (boo hoo).  Rather, the shortbread crust is topped with a filling of gooey dulce de leche and candied peanuts, and finished with a generous layer of chocolate and more candied peanuts.  I think a more accurate title would be 'The Cousin of Snickers' Squares.

So for those of you still lacking a sweet in your Super Bowl Sunday meal, why not take a chance with these babies?  I mean, whoever went wrong with a Snickers? 

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend, Robbie and I have much to do in preparation for the big game, so I'll see you all next week!  .

My Notes:

• I personally thought these are the absolute best straight out of the refrigerator.  Otherwise when they're room temperature, they had a tendency to kind of fall apart.

Adapted from Baking: From My Home to Yours

Ingredients:
Crust:
1 c. all purpose flour
3/4 c. sugar
2 tbsp. powdered sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten

Filling:
1/3 c. sugar
3 tbsp. water
1 c. salted peanuts
1 can dulce de leche

Topping:
7 oz. semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
4 tbsp. unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F.  Spray 8-inch square pan with non-stick cooking spray.  Set aside.
2. For crust, put the flour, sugar, powdered sugar, and salt into food processor and pulse a few times to combine.  Add cold butter pieces and pulse until mixture looks like coarse meal.  Pour the yolk over the mixture and pulse until dough forms clumps and curds (stop before the dough comes together in a ball).
3. Turn out the dough to the prepared pan and gently press evenly across the bottom.  Prick the dough all over with a fork.  Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until the crust takes on just a little color around the edges.  Transfer pan to rack and cool to room temperature before filling.
4. For filling, set aside a parchment-lined baking sheet.  Put the sugar and water in a saucepan and cook over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves.  Keeping the heat fairly high, continue to cook, without stirring, until it just starts to color.  Toss in the peanuts and immediately start stirring to coat the peanuts.  The sugar-covered peanuts will turn white and keep stirring until the sugar turns back to caramel.  Remove the pan from the heat and turn out the peanuts onto the prepared baking sheet and spread in a even layer.  Cool peanuts to room temperature.
5. When cool, separate the peanuts into smaller pieces.  Divide the peanuts in half and finely chop one half of the peanuts for the topping.  Spread the dulce de leche over the crust and sprinkle with whole candied peanuts.  Gently press the peanuts into the filling.
6. For topping, melt together the chocolate and butter in microwave.  Pour the chocolate over the filling, smoothing evenly with a spatula.  Sprinkle over finely chopped candied peanuts. Refrigerate the pan for 20 minutes to let topping set before cutting.

Yield: 16 bars

Tried & True Tuesday: Banana Streusel Bread

.  I don't have much to report as of this lovely Tuesday.  My life has been rather unexciting as of late [not that it's really ever exciting, I guess?!].  Apparently I need to pick up a hobby or something...

So we're going to hop right into this Tried & True post.  Sound good?  Good.

I've actually made this Banana Streusel Bread a couple of times.  Gasp!  As you probably know, I don't make many things twice, so if I do, it must be good.  But not only is this unique bread outrageously delicious, filled with banana goodness and chunks of creamy caramel, this loaf is quite pretty.  To go along with the scrumptious bananas and rich caramel [yes, I'm repeating this twice so you don't miss out on these facts!], the bread is topped with crunchy pecans, adding a deep nutty flavor and rounding out the elements oh-so-wonderfully.

This bread, as all quick breads are, is simple and easy, perfect for a busy week night adventure in the kitchen or as a wonderful weekend treat.  Either way, it's a win  .

From JoyofBaking.com

Ingredients:

2 c. all purpose flour

1/2 c. light brown sugar

1-1/4 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1 c. pecans, coarsely chopped

1 (5.5 oz.) package chewy caramels, coarsely chopped

2 ripe large bananas, mashed

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 c. unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1/3 c. flavored yogurt (plain, coffee, vanilla, or caramel flavored)

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F and place rack in center of oven.  Butter or spray with non-stick vegetable spray bottom and sides of 9x5-inch loaf pan.  Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, 2/3 cup pecans, and half of chopped caramels.  Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, combine bananas, eggs, butter, yogurt, and vanilla extract.  Lightly fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients just until combined and batter is thick and chunky (do not over mix).  Spread batter evenly into prepared pan and sprinkle with remaining 1/3 cup pecans and chopped caramels.
4. Bake 50 to 60 minutes or until bread is golden and toothpick inserted in center of bread comes out clean.  Place on wire rack to cool before removing bread from pan.

Yield: 1 loaf

Chocolate Moose Munch

.  Wow, what a whirlwind of a week.  Oh and look at that, it's over!

Not much has been going on around here, this week has been quite busy at the office so that's kept me fairly occupied.   I'm not complaining though, whatever gets us to the weekend faster, right?!

Aside from work, my mind has been consumed with the festivities December is bringing my way.  Let's see, we have [numerous] birthdays, a potential softball reunion, family coming to town, Christmas, and of course, New Years.  Whew, do I have some shopping and planning to do!

One thing I'm struggling with is present ideas.  Gah, it seems to get harder every year.  But I'll admit that I absolutely adore shopping for gifts for people.  Yes, it gets a tad stressful running from corner to corner of the city, but nothing beats finding the perfect gift [even though I always tend to second guess myself after the purchase!].  But isn't it a great feeling to give something to someone they wouldn't normally buy for themselves?  Well, at least I think so.  By the way, does anyone have any fun, creative ideas for presents this year?

Anywho, I know most of you are fully partaking in the hustle and bustle the holiday season brings, which doesn't leave time for many other things.  Am I right or am I right?  I find myself methodically planning every move I make in order to maximize efficiency.  Crazy?  Yes.  So what could be better than a fantastic, easy snack that takes little to no effort?  But will delight both the kiddies and adults alike?  Well, nothing!  And I have the solution here for you today.

I came across the recipe for Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Moose Munch over at Something Swanky.  Mmm let me tell you, I'm a sucker for Moose Munch.  And so is Robbie.  So this was a recipe I was going to try out as soon as the time presented itself.  And we were not disappointed.  Now, the add-ins I used when I made the Moose Munch kind of transformed the dish, so that's why I'm calling it Chocolate Moose Munch.  Take a glance at my pics and you'll see why.  But what you get is a rich bowl of confectionary goodies.  Popcorn, caramel, chocolate, pretzel bits, and any type of candy your sweet little heart desires.  Crunchy, sweet, and salty.  Decadence.  Pure decadence.  Enjoy!  .

My Notes:

• I didn't intend for the chocolate to completely cover all of the popcorn, but that's what I ended up with.  I didn't quite think things through, I was too excited to stuff my face ☺ If you'd rather have a more traditional Moose Munch, I would suggest letting the popcorn cool a little, so the chocolate chips/canides don't completely melt.  Or melting the chocolate chips and then drizzling the chocolate over the popcorn and letting it set.  I think that would be really pretty!
• The fun thing about this recipe is that you have complete freedom in deciding what add-ins you use.  I decided on chocolate chips, pretzels, and Robbie's favorite, Reese's Pieces.  But you basically have as many choices as there are candy boxes.  And we all know there's no shortage of variety there.  And just think of the lovely holiday candies you could incorporate!!  Oo, I just got excited.
• I will warn that the melted chocolate got a little messy in the pan and once cooled, some pieces stuck to the bottom of the pan.  But, ha, it's oh-so-worth-it!

Adapted from Something Swanky

Ingredients:

6 tbsp. butter

3 tbsp. corn syrup

3/4 c. brown sugar

1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1 large bag popped popcorn

1-3/4 c. milk chocolate chips

1-3/4 c. white chocolate chips

2 c. mini pretzels, crushed

1 bag Reese's Pieces

Directions:

1.  Heat oven to 300°F.  Pour popcorn into 13x9-inch pan.  Combine butter, corn syrup and brown sugar over medium heat.  Cook and stir until mixture boils.  Continue boiling at a steady rate for 4 minutes without stirring.

2.  Remove from heat and stir in baking soda and vanilla extract.

3.  Pour caramel over popcorn and stir to coat.  Bake 10 to 15 minutes (10 minutes for a chewy snack and 15 minutes for a crunchy treat).

4.  While hot, add toppings and stir to melt milk and white chocolate chips and completely coat the popcorn.  Let cool and set (I put my pan in the freezer to speed up the process).

Yield: Hmm, A LOT!

The Improv Cooking Challenge: Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls

. Take a seat and stay awhile.  You'll want to read about this little treat.  But let me first fill you in on why I [thankfully] even decided to attempt these heavenly rolls.

As a loyal follower of Sheryl's blog, Lady Behind the Curtain, I was invited to join her first ever Improv Cooking Challenge (ICC).  YES!  THANK YOU!  I absolutely love things like this, if you can't tell.  But here's how it works...

Every month, Sheryl decides on two ingredients that the members must use in any type of recipe they like, baking or cooking.  I guess there are really no other rules except that, ha!  And then, on the assigned day [chosen by Sheryl], the members post their creations.  The purpose of the entire 'challenge' is to create your own recipe or find other recipes utilizing the specified ingredients.  Also, you get to meet tons of fellow bloggers and that's always a plus!  All in all, it's a fun and exciting challenge and I'm SO very honored to be a part of it.

A couple of weeks ago, I had the entire weekend all to myself [Robbie was out of town], and I wanted to take this opportunity to make something extra special for this challenge.  Something that I wouldn't normally have the time for during the week or when our weekends are busy spent doing who knows what.  Right away, bread was on my mind.  I LOVE making yeast breads but because of the time it takes to rise, etc., I don't do them very often.  Well, not as often as I'd like.  Anywho, I'd had the recipe for Caramel Apple Cinnamon Rolls from Annie's Eats for quite some time and just knew this was it.  Her pictures alone of gooey, flakey cinnamon rolls were all of the convincing it took [which obviously wasn't very hard!].  How I decided to make it my own, however, comes from my recipe for Soft Caramel Sauce from Heirloom Baking with the Brass Sisters, which I've used in other various recipes [not yet posted...].  Man, I'm going to give Annie and the Brass Sisters a pat on the back for this one.

These rolls are a real treat, to say the least.  The dough was flakey and soft, flavored with cinnamon and a hint of nutmeg.  The filling consists of a mixture of cinnamon sugar and caramelized apples [YUM!] and the whole treat is generously doused with the homemade Soft Caramel Sauce [addicting!].  After slathering putting the caramel sauce on the rolls, I started to think that the sauce may be a bit sweet for this concoction.  But, I was dreadfully wrong and it paired perfectly with the tender dough and tart apples.  I especially loved how the smooth sauce seeped into the crevices of the rolls and melded with the apple flavors. MmmMmM!  Seriously, near [if not] perfection.  I'm just sayin'...

My only warning is that these do take a little time [i.e., two rising sessions] but otherwise they are quite simple.  And don't fret about the rises, it leaves you time to do whatever you want [of which, I was cleaning the house!].  And the result is well worth the extra effort, belieeeeeeeve me.

Gotta say, this month's ICC ingredients were divine and I had a great time!  Thanks, Sheryl! .

My Notes:

• I still haven't quite figured out how to make that perfect dough roll [or log, whatever you want to call it].  I always end up with end pieces that don't have much filling [it's always packed in the middle] and they're always WAY smaller than the rest.  If anyone has suggestions, I'd love to hear them!
• The one snafoo I ran into happened when I was cooking the apples.  I think I stirred them a little too much and ended up with a few apple slices but mostly more of an applesauce mixture [see pictures below].  Honestly, I liked it this way because I'm not a huge apple chunk fan but I wanted to note this since my apples didn't turn out the way they are supposed to.
• The only time I recommend not straying away from the kitchen is while you're making the soft caramel sauce.  This is an element that needs to be watched closely because the caramelization happens quickly.  So pay attention!
• Make the soft caramel sauce after you're done making the dough and it's rising for 2 hours.  The sauce thickens as it sits, therefore, when you're ready to use it, the sauce won't drip off the rolls quite as much [it will still happen, but it won't be AS much].  I was more than a little impatient and 1) didn't let the sauce sit long enough and 2) applied the warm sauce to warm rolls and so there was a little more sauce-drippage than I would have liked.  Whoops.

Ingredients:

Dough:

6-1/2 tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

Pinch of ground nutmeg

5-1/2 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 large egg, slightly beaten

1 tsp. lemon zest

3-1/2 c. bread flour

2 tsp. rapid rise yeast

1 c. plus 2 to 4 tbsp. whole milk or buttermilk, at room temperature

Apple Filling:

1-1/2 tbsp. unsalted butter

3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/4-inch slices

1/4 c. sugar

1/2 tsp. cornstarch

1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

Pinch of ground nutmeg

Pinch of salt

1 tsp. vanilla extract

3 tbsp. plus 1 tsp. sugar

3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon

Soft Caramel Sauce:
1 c. sugar
1/4 c. water
1 tbsp. light corn syrup
1 c. heavy whipping cream
1/8 tsp. salt

Directions:

1.  In bowl of electric mixer, cream together sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and butter on medium speed until smooth.

2.  Mix in egg and lemon zest until incorporated.

3.  Mix in flour, yeast and milk until dough forms.  Switch to the dough hook and knead on low speed until dough is silky and supple, tacky but not sticky (about 8 minutes).  You may need to add in additional flour or milk to achieve the desired texture.  Lightly oil large bowl and place dough in bowl, turning once to cover with oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size (about 2 hours).

4.  For caramel sauce, combine sugar, water and light corn syrup in heavy saucepan over high heat.  Bring to boil, stirring with wooden spoon.  

5.  Reduce heat to medium high.  Do not stir.  Continue boiling until mixture turns golden brown (not dark brown, about 6 minutes).  Remove pan from heat.  Swirl sauce gently in pan twice.

6.  Add butter and stir slowly until melted.  Add in heavy whipping cream and stir again (if caramel seizes, place pan on medium heat and stir with wooden spoon until smooth, about 1 minute).  Add salt.  Pour caramel sauce into bowl and cool to room temperature.  Set aside until ready for use.

7.  For filling, melt butter in skillet over medium-high heat.  Add apple slices, 1/4 cup sugar, cornstarch, 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.  Mix until apples are evenly coated.  

8.  Cook about 18 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat and add vanilla extract.  Set aside to cool.  

9.  Once dough has risen, spray work surface with cooking oil.  Roll dough into 12x14-inch rectangle (or 9x18-inch rectangle for smaller rolls).

10.  Sprinkle dough with cinnamon sugar mixture.  Evenly distribute caramelized apples over dough.

11.  Starting with wide edge, roll dough into log.  Slice the log into the desired number of rolls.  Transfer rolls to parchment-lined baking sheet, about 1/2 to 1-inch apart.  Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise until rolls grow into each other (about 75 to 90 minutes).  

12.  Heat oven to 350°F.  Bake 20 to 30 minutes or until golden brown.  Let cool on pan 10 minutes before transferring to wire rack to cool completely.  Place parchment paper from baking sheet under wire rack to catch excess caramel sauce when glazing rolls.

13.  Using a large spoon, glaze rolls with soft caramel sauce.  There will be caramel drippings from the rolls, but spoon the excess from the parchment paper and replace on rolls.

Yield: 1 dozen rolls

Check out all of the other ICC participants through the blog hop below, happy clicking!