Fall is here again and I am ready to get back to the Orchard to pick apples for fall baking!  Here is our favorite apple pie recipe we would love to share with you!  Let us know what you think!

Preheat Oven to 400º F and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil to catch any drips!

Filling:
Whisk together:
¾ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. cinnamon
¼ tsp. nutmeg

Add dry ingredients once you have combined the following:
6 cups peeled and sliced tart apples
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. dry white wine (can substitute for lemon juice)

Set aside to macerate while preparing the crust.

 

 

Crust:
In a food processor combine and mix:
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
2 tbsp. granulated sugar
½ tsp salt
Add butter cut into 16 peices and pulse until pea size lumps are present
1 cup unsalted butter
Add water and pulse.
6 tablespoons water

Empty contents into a bowl or onto counter and form a ball, then divide into two parts (one for the crust and one for the top)

Roll out dough and line the bottom of the pan, then add the apple filling and place chunks of butter across the top.

2 tablespoons

Roll out 2nd half of dough and place over the pie filling, trim excess dough and form a border.  Cut slits in the top of the pie and place in the oven.

Bake 1 hour. – cover the edges of the crust with foil for ½ of the baking time

Caramel:
In a small pot melt together and bring to a boil:
¼ cup unsalted butter
½ cup packed brown sugar
generous pinch of salt
let simmer for 2 minutes, remove from heat and add:
2 tbsp. heavy cream
1 tsp. vanilla

Pour over baked apple pie and return to oven for 3 minutes until caramel is bubbling over the top of the pie.  Remove from the oven and let it cool overnight for best results.

Enjoy!

 

Because everything is better with sprinkles!

The recipe for this perfectly soft and chewy sugar cookie comes straight from the stellar food blog Annie’s Eats. They were right on with how I wanted them to be, so there was absolutely no need for tweaking. Except for one thing…SPRINKLES!!! At Bakeology one of our most popular cupcakes is the Unicorn. It is essentially a vanilla cake with vanilla frosting, the epitome of simple. Then we bring on the sprinkles – baked into the cake and scattered over the top. They make it special, almost magical. You feel like you are receiving the most special of treats. Maybe that’s why so many people refer to it as ‘birthday cake’.

So back to these cookies. My kids love how they taste, but they wanted to make them more ‘special’. So here come the sprinkles and rainbows! Now the cookies are perfect. Happiness in each bite.

Unicorn Sugar Cookies

adapted from Annie’s Eats

Ingredients

4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tbs. + 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

3/4 tsp. coarse salt

1 1/2 cups butter, softened

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

3 eggs

1 tbs. + 2 tsp. vanilla extract

4 tbsp. rainbow jimmies (These are the sprinkles that are long and thin rather than round little balls. They will bake up soft.)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl whisk together your flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large mixing bowl beat together your butter and sugar until fluffy. And the eggs one at a time mixing well after each one. Mix in your vanilla and then add your flour mixture. Mix until just combined.

Drop tablespoon-sized  cookies onto your pan, spacing them about 2-3 inches apart. Bake for about 10 minutes until they are just set. Cool completely and then frost.

Frosting Ingredients

5 cups powdered sugar

1/3 cup melted butter

1 tbsp. vanilla extract

approximately 8 tbsp. of milk

Rainbow non pareils (These are the little round ball shaped sprinkles. They look cuter than the jimmies when used for sprinkling.)

Mix your powdered sugar, butter, and vanilla together. Stir in your milk. If the frosting seems to stiff to spread on the cookies add a little more milk. Frost, sprinkle, enjoy! Store at room temperature in an airtight container.

 

 

I’m kind of a kitchen snob purist, so when I step into the kitchen I aim to make as much from scratch as possible. The only problem with this philosophy is that time isn’t always in my favor. We all need a shortcut every now and then! I hesitated for a long time to make these bars…they sounded so good, but wouldn’t they be even better if I made my own salted caramel? Trouble is caramel making is sloooow. And also, I wanted something that allowed the kids to join in – not good idea with candy making. However, little fingers can make quick work of all those caramel wrappers that have to be undone.

And when all is done, these are absolutely delicious! I think they would be perfect for a bake sale or to gift out. Don’t they look cute tied up in a little bag?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2 cups unsalted butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1½ cups powdered sugar

1 Tbsp  + 1 tsp. pure vanilla

4 cups ap flour

1 – 14 oz bag of caramels

⅓ cup heavy cream

1 Tbsp coarse sea salt

Preheat  your oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9×13 baking pan.

In a large mixing bowl cream together butter, sugar, and powdered sugar. Add 1 tbsp. vanilla, then mix in the flour and combine just until it forms a soft dough.

Press half of the dough in the bottom of a 9×13 dish. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and reduce your temperature to 325 degrees.

Meanwhile, unwrap the caramels and melt them in the microwave with the cream and salt. (Start with 1 minute, stir and heat more if necessary…watch carefully so it doesn’t get too hot and burn or boil over) Stir together until smooth and then stir in the remaining 1 tsp vanilla. Pour caramel filling over the hot crust.

Crumble the remaining dough over the top of the caramel. Bake for about 30 minutes, until filling is bubbly and the top is a beginning to turn golden brown.

Enjoy!

 

 

We find ourselves facing a bit of dilemma when Valentine’s Day rolls around…which of our cupcakes would best be that perfect little token of affection to be shared on a day devoted to love? Something chocolaty, something pink or red…something special!

We didn’t have to think too terribly long – Neapolitan it is! When we took on this classic flavor combination we made sure that the trio of flavors were all perfectly represented – bright strawberry cake, filled with rich dark chocolate ganache and frosted with decadent vanilla buttercream. And to top it off, a little cluster of dark chocolate and pink hearts. You feelin’ the love yet? Because just holding one of these sweet little cupcakes will be enough to bring on a smile!

Scrumptious little pastries you can hold in your hand. Yummy on their own, but the ganache makes them that much more special. It is February after all!

Queen of Heart’s Strawberry Tarts

Strawberry Filling:

• ½ cup strawberries, fresh or frozen
• 2 ½ tbs. granulated sugar
• 1 tsp. lemon juice

 

Combine all filling ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer. Mash with a potato masher and continue to simmer uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes until nice and thick. Stir often and watch carefully so it doesn’t burn! Chill completely.

Crust:

• 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tbs. granulated sugar
• ¼ tsp. salt
• 4 oz. cold butter
• ¼ cup cold water
• Milk and additional sugar

 

In a large bowl or food processor combine the flour, sugar, and salt. Add your butter and cut in with a pastry cutter or pulse in the food processor until pea-sized lumps remain. Add water and mix together until dough can hold its shape when pressed in your hand. You may have to add a bit more water if it seems too crumbly.

Roll out with flour between parchment paper until 1/8 inch thick. Once you have cut out your shapes ( I used 4-inch diameter heart cutters) transfer them to a sheet pan lined with parchment paper or a silpat. Place a 2 tbs. mound of the strawberry filling on one piece of the dough, and then top with another, using a fork to press the two pieces together.

Brush the tops with milk and poke several holes for steam release. Sprinkle with sugar and bake 375 degrees until lightly golden around the edges, about 10-15 minutes. Allow to cool completely before drizzling with ganache.

Ganache Drizzle:

• ¼ cup chocolate chips
• ¼ cream

 

Bring your cream to a boil either in the microwave or on the stove, remove from heat and stir in chocolate chips. Stir gently until all the chips are melted. Drizzle over cooled tarts.