Apple Bread

Apples just might be the best fruit of my life. I know they're stereotypically a Fall fruit, but who am I to judge? There are a million different kinds and they're crisp and juicy and beautiful and they smell divine. Plus, they're always in the store and they always look good. So I always have tons on hand.

Really, it's not that I can't eat a 5lb bag of apples on my own, it's just that I occasionally need something a little more dessert-like. This apple bread is so moist and fragrant and packed with fresh fruit. And since it feels like Fall outside right now, despite the fact that it's actually April, I feel perfectly justified in making a loaf or two of warm sweet bread. Enjoy!

Apple Bread [click to print]
Makes one loaf

• 1 large granny smith apple
• 1 c. sugar
• 1/3 c. unsalted butter, softened
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 c. water
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1-2/3 c. flour
• 2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. baking powder

1) Preheat oven to 350 F. Line loaf pan with parchment paper or coat generously with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.

2) Use cheese grater to shred apple, with or without skin. You should have about 1 cup.

3) Combine sugar, butter and eggs in mixing bowl and mix well. Beat in shredded apple, water and vanilla. Whisk together flour, cinnamon, soda, salt and powder; add to apple mixture, stirring until just combined.

4) Pour batter into prepared pan and bake 50-60 minutes or until the top is browned and springs back when lightly touched. Allow to cool in pan about 5 minutes, then remove to wire rack to cool completely.

5) To serve, spoon 1 to 2 teaspoons of caramel sauce into depression in center of warm mini bundts (or drizzle over top of cupcakes) and enjoy!

Source: Adapted from Aunt Betty

Apple Gingerberry Deep Dish Pie

Happy National Pi Day! This holiday totally takes me back to my high school days of endlessly difficult math and physics homework. But let's remember the good times of pi. Like using those confusing equations to build the coolest, longest, loopiest and functioning (model) roller coaster ever!

As I gently kneaded the dough for this deep dish pie, I caught the scent of that intoxicating butter-flour combo and almost melted away. Heavenly. And the colors! I love that the apples just absorb the vibrant blueberry juice...it's gorgeous!

And don't think I'm ignoring the flavors here. The ginger gives a delicate depth and heat to the pie while the flaky crust balances out the sweetness of the fruit filling. You're gonna need to run to the store now. 


Apple Gingerberry Pie [click to print]
Makes one 8-1/2" deep dish pie


For the Pie Crust: 

2-1/2 c. flour

1 T. sugar

1 tsp. salt

2 sticks (8 oz.) butter, cold

1/2 c. water, ice cold

For the Delicious Filling: 

4 c. tart apples (about 5 med.), cored, peeled and sliced in 1/4" thick pieces
1 c. water
1/2 c. sugar
2 T. lemon zest (about 1 med.)
1 tsp. ginger paste (OR grated fresh ginger)
1/4 tsp. salt
2 c. blueberries, divided


For the Crumble Topping: 
1/4 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. flour
1/4 c. chopped crystallized ginger
1/4 tsp. salt
4 T. unsalted butter, cold and cut into pieces


Start by making the pie dough. Whisk flour, sugar and salt in large mixing bowl. Cut butter into 1/2 inch pieces and add to flour mixture. Using pastry blender, cut in butter until butter pieces are about the size of peas. It doesn't have to be perfectly even at this point. Drizzle water over mixture. Use a rubber spatula to gather the dough together until the mixture starts clumping. Gently knead dough together with your fingertips; when it forms a lumpy ball, it's done. Be careful not to overwork, the heat from your hands can make the butter melt and that's what makes the crust so flaky and good! 

Flatten dough to 1/2" disk; seal in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. The colder the dough, the better, though, so leave it for 2 or more hours if you can. 

Combine apples, water, sugar, zest, ginger and salt in medium saucepan. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add 1 cup blueberries and simmer for 10 more minutes. Turn off heat and allow to cool. Drain fruit and save juice. Pour juice in small saucepan and simmer until reduced to 1/3 to 1/2 cup; allow to cool. 

Now for the crumble topping. In food processor, combine sugar, flour, ginger and salt. Process to combine. Add butter and pulse until mixture is combined but still crumbly. Set aside. 

Coat 8-1/2" springform pan with nonstick cooking spray or line with parchment paper. Remove dough from refrigerator and roll out to about 1/4" thick. Press into bottom of springform pan and about 2" up the sides. You'll have a little left over pie dough, but don't throw it away! Check back in a couple days for a tasty idea to use up those scraps!

Pour fruit mixture into pan. Spread remaining blueberries across top of fruit. Sprinkle crumble topping across top of pie, gently press edges of crust down with fingertips to meet top of pie and stick the whole thing in the oven. I like to bake pies with a baking sheet on the rack below in case it decides to drip, then you don't have to scrub nasty baked on stuff off the bottom of your oven. Ew. 

Bake at 350 F for 50-55 minutes. Allow to cool and remove from springform. Drizzle reduced juice across top of pie and enjoy!

Source: Pie crust from Smitten Kitchen; Pie adapted from What Katie Ate; Crumble topping adapted from TableFare

Apple Sharlotka...it's a cake

Right about now, my waistline is showing significant signs of recovery from the treat-laden winter holidays and I'm ready to recommit to eating better. But I still need something a little sweet and completely delicious!

I already know you're not gonna believe me. This beautiful thing has zero butter in it. Not a single tablespoon! You're practically eating a straight up piece of fruit. (Ignore that drowning of powdered sugar.) Bring on dessert!
Apple Sharlotka [click to print]
Makes one 9" cake


5 c. tart apples (about 6 large), peeled and chopped 1/4" thick chunks
3 large eggs
1 c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 c. flour
1 T. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
Powdered sugar, to garnish

Preheat oven to 350 F. Line bottom of springform pan with parchment paper and coat entire pan with nonstick cooking spray. Pile apple chunks in pan and set aside. In large bowl, beat eggs and sugar until mixture thickens and forms ribbons on the surface of the eggs. Add vanilla. Stir in flour, cinnamon and salt until just combined. Batter will be thick. Pour batter over apples and use a spoon or spatula to spread over exposed apples and work into applely crevices. The top of the batter should be about level with the top of the apples.

Bake at 350 F for 55 to 60 minutes. Cool in pan on wire rack about 10 minutes. Remove springform ring and carefully flip cake onto another wire rack. Remove parchment paper and flip back onto a serving platter. Dust with powdered sugar to serve.

Source: Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Sweet Sixteen: Cinnamon

This week's photo round up is all about that fragrant cinnamon spice!

Row 1: Auntie Anne's Pretzels, Apple Cinnamon Coffee Cake, Apple Cinnamon Donuts, Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Cookies

Row 2: Apple Spice Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting, Scrumptious Baked Cinnamon Breakfast Bites, Blueberry Cinnamon Cakes, Brown Butter Ginger Cookies

Row 3: Caramel Apple Coffee Cake, Chocolate Cinnamon Date Truffles (sugar free!), Cinnamon Bark Cookies, Cinnamon Blondies

Row 4: Cinnamon Creme Brulee, Cinnamon Roll Cookies, Cinnamon White Chocolate Fudge, Pumpkin Spice Pull Apart Bread

Baked Apples

During the fall, I become obsessed with everything apple, as you may have noticed. So when I saw some beautiful baked apples on Cherry Tea Cakes, I just knew I had to try them!

Baked Apples   [click to print]
Makes 4 baked apples

For the crust: 
1-1/4 c. flour
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 stick (8 oz.) butter, unsalted and cold
1/4 c. water, ice cold

For the appley part: 
4 apples (I used honeycrisp)
1/2 c. brown sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. cloves

Whisk together flour, sugar and salt in large bowl. Cube butter in 1/2" pieces and add to flour mixture. Using a pastry cutter, work butter into flour mixture until it forms crumbles about the size of peas. Slowly drizzle water over butter mixture. Use a rubber spatula to gather dough, working around the edges. When dough begins to clump together, use fingers to gently knead together a few times until it forms one mound. Place dough on plastic wrap and flatten to about 1/2". Wrap tightly and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.

Core apples; if you don't have a corer, stab your vegetable peeler in a circle around the core and then push it out. Peel apples. Slice horizontally into 1/4" slabs. In a small bowl, whisk together sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. Remove pie crust dough from refrigerator and separate into four balls. Roll each ball out between two pieces of plastic wrap to about 1/8" thickness. Chill about 10 minutes.

Sprinkle about 1/2 tsp. sugar mixture in center of dough. Set your first apple slice (bottom piece) on sugar and cover with 1/2 to 1 tsp. sugar mixture. Layer next slice on top and sprinkle with 1/2 to 1 tsp. sugar mixture; continue alternating apple slices and sugar mixture until your apple is reassembled on the dough. Sprinkle about 1/2 tsp. sugar on top of apple. Stuff center of apple with about 2 tsp. sugar mixture. Gently pull edges of dough to wrap entire apple. Trim off any excess dough.

Bake at 375 for 45-60 minutes.

Source: Adapted from Cherry Tea Cakes

Cheddar Apple Crostata

Okay, fine. This is the last apple recipe you'll get from me for the season. Probably. It's just that I love apples and they are the perfect blend of sweetness and fruit and crunch and freshness! Apples are the embodiment of Fall.

Cheddar Apple Crostata   [click to print]
For the Crust: Use your favorite pie crust recipe, or buy some, but just for the record, I think I'm in love with Smitten Kitchen's All Butter Pie Crust. It's really fast and easy to make and make a really good flaky crust. You'll need one disc of dough for this recipe.

Roll dough out between two pieces of plastic wrap to form a 13-14" circle, about 1/8" thick. Gently press 1/2 to 3/4c. shredded cheddar cheese around outer 1-1/2 to 2" of dough. Return to refrigerator to chill while you prepare filling.

For the Filling: 
2 tart apples, such as Granny Smith
2 sweet apples, such as Honeycrisp
1/2 c. sugar
2 T. flour
2 T. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 c. coarse cinnamon sugar (4 T. cinnamon, 1/2 tsp. cinnamon)
1/4 c. apricot preserves, warmed

Peel and slice apples to 1/4-1/2" thick wedges. Combine apples, sugar, flour, lemon juice and cinnamon in bowl. Stir until apples are evenly coated. Spread apple mixture over dough (and try to keep the juicy party of the filling about 1/4" from cheese to make the next step easier). Fold cheesy edges in to form a crust. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Bake at 375 for about 25 minutes or until apples are tender and crust is golden brown. Allow to cool about 20 minutes; lightly brush apples with apricot preserves.

Source: Adapted from Martha Stewart

Sixteen Sweets: Caramel

Row 1: Apple Cider Caramels [Dolce by Dana], Apple Pie Caramel Apples [A Bit of Bees Knees], Banana Chocolate Chip Cake [The Baker Chick], Caramel Apple Cupcakes [Hot Polka Dot]

Row 2: Caramel Apple Cupcakes [Indulge], Caramel Apple Rolls [Fantastical Sharing of Recipes], Caramel and Chocolate Oatmeal Bars [The Black Peppercorn], Caramel Corn [Dabbling in the Delicious]

Row 3: Caramel Maple Pumpkin Pie Smoothie [Love Veggies & Yoga], Caramel Stuffed Pumpkin Spice Cookies [Love Big, Bake Often], Inside Out Caramel Apples [Domestic Fits], Monkey Bread [A Sage Amalgam]

Row 4: Chocolate and Salted Caramel Mug Cake [Babble], Caramel Apple Bundt Cake [Week of Menus], Caramel Apple Cake [From My Sweet Heart], Cinnamon Caramel Apples [Mind Over Batter]

Grape and Apple Pie for Two

Wait! Don't get wierded out by the grapes! I thought it was kind of strange, too, when I heard of grape pie, but this is actually good! Black grapes tint the pie filling a beautiful shade of purple and give tart apples a unique and subtle sweetness. Plus, there's more than a full serving of fruit per pie! It's pretty much healthy.

These mini pies are baked in two small ramekins and are just the perfect size to cuddle up with on a chilly fall morning! If there are a lot of cuddlers in your home, you may want to double or triple the filling recipe below to make more to share.

Grape and Apple Pie for Two   [click to print]
For the pie crust, I'm in love with Smitten Kitchen's All Butter Pie Crust. I thought that was the worst part of making a pie until I tried this recipe. Turns out homemade pie crust really is easy! But anyway, if you do use that recipe, you'll have a lot of extra dough. My recommendation is to scrunch up those scraps and turn them into Caramel Apple Pie Bites. Or if you're wishing for something a little different, try a Cranberry Pear Crostata or a bunch of Pie Crust Fries (recipes coming later this week, so get excited!)

For the Filling:
2-1/4 c. tart apples (such as Pink Lady or Gala), peeled and thinly sliced
2/3 c. seedless black grapes, halved
1/3 c. sugar

Combine ingredients in saucepan and heat over med-low heat until fruit is translucent, about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep sugars from burning. Divide mixture into ramekins and set aside.

For the Crust:
Roll dough to about 1/8 inch thick. Cut circles about 1/2 inch wider than ramekins (so if your ramekins are 3" wide, cut dough 3-1/2" wide). Pierce the top of each dough circle a few times with a knife; these holes will allow steam to escape while they bake. Place dough circle on top of filled ramekin and gently press dough down over edges of ramekins to seal. Sprinkle with coarse sugar crystals if desired and bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until crust is golden brown.

Source: Adapted from Bon Appetit

Caramel Apple Pie Bites

These little bites look so fancy but they're really easy to make. Trust me. Just don't leave them on your kitchen table if you plan to take them anywhere besides your stomach. Each bite fits nicely in your mouth and it's quick to grab and go!

[Hint: Don't start the caramel sauce until the mini pies are out of the oven and on the cooling rack, otherwise, it won't be soft enough to dip the pies without damaging those flaky crusts!]

Caramel Apple Pie Bites   [click to print]

For the pie crust: 

2-1/2 c. flour

1 T. sugar

1 tsp. salt

2 sticks (8 oz.) butter, cold

1/2 c. water, ice cold

Whisk flour, sugar and salt together in large mixing bowl. Cut butter into 1/2 inch pieces and add to flour mixture. Using pastry blender, cut in butter until butter pieces are about the size of peas. It doesn't have to be perfectly even at this point. Drizzle water over mixture. Use a rubber spatula to gather the dough together until the mixture starts clumping together. Gently knead dough together with your fingertips; when it forms a lumpy ball, it's done. Be careful not to overwork, the heat from your hands can make the butter melt and that's what makes the crust so flaky and good! 

Divide dough and flatten to 1/2" disk; seal in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. The colder the dough, the better, though, so leave it for 2 or more hours if you can. 

Source: Recipe files of Smitten Kitchen

For the filling: 

1 c. apple butter (check out this recipe!)

2 medium apples

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 T. brown sugar

2 T. whole milk

Chop apples into 1/4 inch pieces and add to large saucepan. Add apple butter, cinnamon, sugar and milk. Stir to combine. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 25 min. or until apple pieces become soft. Remove from heat and allow to cool. 

Source: Recipe files of Sugar Rush!

For the caramel dip and walnut coating: 

8 oz. caramels (about 30 pieces)

2 tsp. apple cider

2 c. walnuts, chopped and toasted. 

Heat caramels and cider in small saucepan on med-low heat until melted. Pour into deep bowl and set aside.   Chop walnuts into small pieces and spread on wax paper. 

To assemble: 

Roll out the pie crust dough between two pieces of plastic wrap until it's no more than 1/8 inch thick. Cut 2-1/2 inch circles of dough using a floured cookie cutter, or, one of my personal favorites, the end of a plastic cup. Lightly coat mini muffin pan with nonstick spray. Set dough circles over muffin openings and gently press into muffin cup using the end of a floured spice jar.

Fill each crust with  T. apple butter. Gently scrunch overhanging dough to edges of cup. Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes or until crust is light golden in color. Allow mini pies to cool to room temperature.

Dip half of pie in warm caramel dip, tap off any excess caramel. Roll edges in chopped, toasted walnuts on wax paper. Place on cooling rack over piece of wax paper and allow caramel to harden. If your caramel hardens too much to easily dip pies, just microwave at 15 second intervals, stirring well between each nuke, until soft and pourable.

Crock Pot Apple Butter

I love the smell of Fall. Warm jackets, crunchy leaves, crisp air, fresh, cold apples. When I was little, my family and I picked bags and bags of apples at a friend's orchard back home in Pennsylvania. I sat on the kitchen floor while my parents worked on making and canning everything appley and proceeded to take a bite out of each and every apple I could get my hands on. 

Last week when I was at the grocery store, the apples were all just staring me down. Gala, Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, McIntosh, Pink Lady, everthing! Now I have about 8000 different apple recipe ideas floating through my head, so here's the first: Apple Butter. I know, I know, it sounds like a long, tedious process, but it really isn't! This recipe will make your entire home smell like the holidays and it only takes a few minutes to throw together and a few hours in a crockpot!

Crock Pot Apple Butter   [click to print]

6 apples

2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1/4 tsp. cloves

1/2 tsp. allspice
1/4 tsp. salt

3/4 c. light brown sugar

1 c. apple cider

1 lemon peel

Peel apples and chop into pieces about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick; add to crockpot. Add spices, salt, sugar, cider and lemon peel. Stir to combine. Cook on high for 1 to 1-1/2 hours, or until apples are bubbly. Reduce heat to low and cook for 6 to 8 hours, stirring 2 or 3 times throughout. Turn off heat and allow to cool about 1 hour. Remove lemon peel and pour mixture into food processor or blender; puree until smooth. 

Source: Adapted from Baked Bree