Baked Caramel Apples

Can we see a theme developing here?

I had extra apples and caramels from these so I thought I'd make good use of the extra in some more caramel apple-themed treats!

These are super easy, somewhat messy, but oh so delicious!  The Cheesecake Factory used to have this apple dumpling-type dessert that I loved.  It was a warm apple wrapped in pastry and filled with caramel.  I haven't seen it there in forever (maybe they've discontinued it?  I don't know), so this is my take on it... sans pastry of course.

Ingredients:
Adapted from a Taste of Home recipe

4 Granny Smith Apples, cored
1/2 cup apple juice
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup unsalted butter
8 caramels
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
whipped cream

Preheat oven to 300 F.

Place apples in a square baking dish.  Pour apple juice over top of apples.  Divide brown sugar, butter, and caramels between each apple.  Sprinkle cinnamon on top of apples.

Bake for about 1 & 1/2 to 2 hours, or until apples are softened and caramel is melted.  (As you can see, my caramels could have gone for a little bit longer, but I was getting antsy!)

Top with fresh whipped cream (and snap your pictures fast, because it obviously melts quickly!).

While this isn't the pretties dessert ever, it's quite messy really.  It sure does have all of the flavors of fall that I really enjoy - and it's so simple to put together!  The waiting is the hardest part!


What's your favorite fall treat?

Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars

Hello Fall!  And hello Friday!

I just have to make it until the end of my shift tonight and I've got one sweet week of vacation.  It's another stay-cation, but there's loads of things planned next week!

First off, it'll be my first week of Culinary School, which I've already told you has me in an emotional rollercoaster - but it's for the best!  And then there's my big meeting with the executive chef at a local restaurant - another thing to make me a nervous nelly!  And then there's a haircut - a much needed haircut. 

Maybe in the midst of all of that I can get myself to do some wedding planning!  We'll see...

I made these last week for a co-worker's birthday.  She loved them and I hope you guys will too!

Ingredients:
Adapted from Zoom Yummy's Recipe

Crust:

1 cup flour
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, slightly chilled and cubed

Filling:

16 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar, plus 2 teaspoons
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and diced
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Topping:

1/2 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, slightly chilled and cubed
1 cup flour
about 10-15 caramels
1-2 tablespoons heavy cream

Preheat oven to 350F.

To make the crust, combine flour and brown sugar in a medium bowl.  Cut the butter into the mixture with your fingers or a fork until the mixture is crumbly.

Press the dough into a 9x13 inch pan in an even and flat layer.  Bake for about 10 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned.  Set aside.

Make the filling by beating cream cheese and 1/2 cup of sugar in a large bowl.  Add eggs, one at a time, until just incorporated.  Stir in vanilla until just combined.

In a small bowl, combine the apples with the cinnamon and 2 teaspoons of sugar.  Let sit for about 1-2 minutes, then gently fold into cream cheese mixture.

Pour the batter over top of the warm crust.

Make the topping by combining the oats, flour, and brown sugar.  Cut the butter into the mixture until it is chunky and crumbly.

Top the cream cheese mixture with an even layer of the topping.  There's a lot of it (which I love!) so don't be afraid to go crazy.

Bake for about 30 minutes, or until cream cheese mixture is set and topping is a nice golden brown.

Make your caramel topping by combing the caramels with heavy cream in a thick microwave-safe bowl.  Heat in 20-30 second increments, stirring really well after each time.  Be careful because it can go from nice and creamy to burnt in a matter of seconds.  I don't think I heated mine up for any more than 45-60 seconds.  Just keep stirring and the residual heat will melt the unmelted caramels!

Drizzle caramel topping over cheesecake.

I found that the bars were easier to cut after being refrigerated for a little bit, about an hour or so.  Cut into desired sized bars and be prepared to watch these disappear quickly!

All the flavor of a caramel apple in a nice convenient fall-inspired bar!

Happy weekend guys!

Caramel Brownies

My dinner guests didn't seem to mind either =)

So I ran a mile yesterday.  At 12:30 in the afternoon.  It was 85 F.  Needless to say, it was pretty brutal.  I managed to finish it in 9:39, so I guess that's not bad for starters, right?  It's a tad bit cooler today so maybe I won't feel like death afterwards.

I feel like such a baby complaining about 1 measly mile!  I know a lot of you run on a constant basis and are probably laughing at my pathetic complaints, so I'll try to keep them at a minimum =)

Anyway, this isn't the best picture ever, but frankly.   I couldn't not share this with you.  I should have been more patient and let the brownies firm up a bit more in the fridge (so that they would actually be photogenic - but nothing a scoop of vanilla ice cream can't fix), but instead, they were a big gloopy mess.  The tastiest pile of gloop I've ever eaten.  So yeah, make the brownies, let them set in the fridge (or not), and come and thank me. 

The recipe is from Mel's Kitchen Cafe (who's picture is WAY better than mine - go ahead, go check it out!)

The only thing I changed about it was that I didn't use pecans.  Instead, I topped my brownies with rainbow sprinkles, crushed walnuts, and a mixture of white & dark chocolate chips.  I was feeling a little gluttonous with the toppings. 

But anyway, have a great Wednesday guys!  And don't forget, tomorrow is the CSA round-up so if you feel like joining in, e-mail me at mtlabor85@yahoo.com!  Thanks again for stopping by =)

Samoa Cupcakes

Happy Monday guys!  Today was my first day back to work after vacation, and I'll have to say it wasn't too bad.  But I could use another week of vacation - just sayin'.

How was everyone's weekend?  I volunteered for the MS Walk downtown on Saturday and then came home to take a nap - which led to practically sleeping Saturday away (we didn't wake up until 6!).  Then Sunday we went to a Bats game - the minor league baseball team in town - which was pretty fun too.  I mean, you can't beat hot dogs and baseball, right? 

Samoa Cupcakes won the poll on Friday, so I figured I'd get started (and not make you guys wait a week or two) and post that recipe since I had time this weekend!

I'd have to say that these are pretty awesome.  I used my new favorite chocolate cake recipe (seriously, I'm never making chocolate cake any other way) and made a couple adjustments to a caramel frosting recipe - and the end result is something truly amazing.

Ingredients:

Cupcake:
Adapted from Foodess's recipe

2 cups sugar
1 & 3/4 cups flour
3/4 cup cocoa
1 & 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 & 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon clear vanilla
1 cup hot coffee

Coconut-Caramel Frosting:
Adapted from Sweet Pea's Kitchen's Recipe


2 sticks (1 cup) of unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups dark brown sugar
1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoons clear vanilla
3 cups powdered sugar
1 cup sweetened shredded coconut, toasted
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

For the cupcakes, preheat oven to 350F.  Line 2 muffin tins with paper liners. 

In a large bowl, combine sugar, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  Add in eggs, buttermilk, melted butter, and vanilla.  Beat with a hand mixer for about 2-3 minutes, or until combined.  On low speed, slowly beat in hot coffee until just combined. (The mixture will be VERY aqueous, but don't fret).  Divide batter among paper liners, filling them halfway full (I ended up with roughly 34-36 cupcakes).

Bake cupcakes on the middle rack of oven for about 20-22 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.  Transfer cupcakes to wire cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.

To make the frosting, melt the butter in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat.  Stir in salt and brown sugar.  Allow mixture to boil, stirring constantly.  Cook over low heat for about 2-3 minutes until the brown sugar is completely dissolved.  Stir in milk and return mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. 

Remove pan from heat and stir in vanilla.  Cool mixture to lukewarm, about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Once mixture is cooled, stir in about 3/4 cup of the toasted coconut.  Add in powdered sugar and beat on medium speed until at desired consistency.  My frosting never got to a very thick state (maybe it was the 2% milk I used, instead of whole milk??), but I actually liked it this way - it was more of a glaze.

Spread glaze on cooled cupcakes.

Melt chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl in 30 second intervals.  Place chocolate in a piping bag with a fine tip (or you can put it in a plastic sandwich bag with the corner cut off - I like this method because there's no clean up!) and drizzle chocolate atop glaze.  Then garnish cupcakes with remaining toasted coconut.

And then try to resist eating all 36 cupcakes.  I had to take several to work this morning, but I think I've still got about 10-15 cupcakes around here.  I've got to hide them from myself - in the fridge.  Which, considering I open my fridge every hour or two, it doesn't seem to be the best of hiding spots.

Hehe, but seriously.  These. Are. Delicious.  Have a great Monday guys!

Honey-Caramel Ice Cream Sundaes

It's Friday!  Woop.  Woop!  The only bummer about Fridays, for the next 11 weeks, is that Andy has a class until 10pm.  Yup.  Meaning that my Friday nights will pretty much consist of me hanging out with the dogs at home.  I'm so exciting, aren't I?!

With the exception of this Friday night.  My friend Kendra and I just had dinner at Varanese (you know, my fave restaurant in all of Louisville).  Needless to say, I'm in a rather food-induced sort of coma.  It was so friggin' good. 

Yeah, I waited until the last minute to post the last poll winner, didn't I?  I promise, I try to post them earlier, but life gets in the way.  Busy busy, as can be.  But you'll forgive me, I'm sure.  After you see how awesome this ice cream is. =)  Oh... and don't forget to vote for the new poll down below!


Ingredients:
Adapted from The Perfect Scoop

1/2 cup honey (buy local! - if you can)
1 & 1/2 cups whole milk
1/4 cup sugar
pinch of salt
1 & 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream, plus 1 tablespoon
5 egg yolks
about 10 soft caramel candies
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
bananas, optional
sesame seed brittle, optional (recipe below)
chocolate syrup, optional


Sesame Seed Brittle
Adapted from The Perfect Scoop

1/2 cup mixture of black and white sesame seeds
3 tablespoon honey

In a small saucepan, heat the honey until warm.  Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.

In a large saucepan, heat the milk, sugar, and salt until warm and sugar is dissolved.

Pour the heavy cream into a large bowl and place a metal strainer over top.  Pour the honey into the cream and stir until combined.

In a medium bowl, whisk egg yolks until combined.  Slowly pour the warm milk mixture into the egg yolk bowl, whisking constantly.  Then transfer egg yolk mixture back to sauce pan over medium heat.  Stir constantly with a heatproof spatula until mixture thickens and coats spatula.

Pour the custard into the strainer over the heavy cream and stir until mixed together.  Place bowl in an ice bath to cool.  Once at room temperature, cover mixture with plastic wrap and allow to sit in refrigerator overnight.

The next day, melt the caramel candies with 1 tablespoon of heavy cream in a microwave safe bowl.  (30 second intervals until caramel is smooth should do it).  Let cool to room temperature.

Take custard mixture out of the fridge and prepare in ice cream maker according to manufacturer's directions, about 30 minutes or so.  About a minute or two before it is done, drizzle cooled caramel into machine to create a "swirl".

To prepare sesame brittle, heat 3 tablespoons of honey in a sauce pan until warm.  Add sesame seeds and fold in until coated with honey.

Preheat oven to 350 F and line a rimmed baking sheet with foil.

Spread honey-sesame mixture over foil in an even layer.  Bake for about 15-20 minutes, or until golden.  Watch it carefully because it can burn rather quickly.  Let cool until hardened.  Then break up into pieces.

In a medium skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of butter.  Slice banana into 1/2 inch slices.  Add bananas to skillet and fry until warmed and slightly browned/carmelized.  Remove from skillet and allow to cool slightly.

To assemble sundaes, place 3 scoops of ice cream in a bowl.  Top with semi-warm bananas (in my opinion, there is nothing better than warm bananas and ice cream!) and sesame seed brittle.  Drizzle chocolate sauce on top, if desired.  Try not to eat the whole thing.  I dare you.

This was awesome.  Damn awesome, if I do say so myself.  I loved the ice cream.  The honey and caramel were two different dimensions of sweetness that paired so well together.  Try it out.  I know you'll love it!

Enjoy your weekend guys!

What should I make this weekend???

Homemade Samoas

How was everyone's weekend? 

I made it through my 5k!  I'm still alive and kickin'!  I gave myself 36 minutes to do the 5k (about 12 minute miles - I was pretty lax on myself), and I finished in 33:51!  Not bad for only going on one practice run in a month and a half. 

It was actually an exhilarating race.  Over 10,000 participants and I finished 5610 out of them!  So heck, I had to just give myself a pat on the back.  And I guess I have something to work towards for next year! 

And another awesome surprise, when I got home on Friday night from work, I came home to a big package from Foodbuzz sitting on my desk.  Puzzled, I had to quickly open it up.  And to my astonishment was a Flip Video Camera and a variety of Newman's Own Salad Dressings and Tomato Sauces.  So thanks to Foodbuzz and Newman's Own, I get to make a 5 minute video on a recipe using one or more of the products that takes 30 minutes or less.  So watch out for it soon, because it'll be the first video on the blog!  And I'm sure not the last!

Anyway, what won the poll last Friday?  Well it was a 3 way tie!  I couldn't just pick one over the other, so I decided to do all 3 over the course of the next 2 weeks.  I'm not going to reveal all of the winners at once, that way it's a little bit of surprise!  So obviously, the first revealed winner was in the "Girl Scout Cookie" category, and being that Samoas are my absolute favorite Girl Scout cookie, I had to give them a shot!


Ingredients:
Adapted from The Sweet Life's Recipe

Shortbread Cookie:

1/2 cup sugar
1 & 1/2 sticks unsalted butter
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon clear vanilla
2 cups flour
large pinch of salt

Topping:

3 cup sweetened shredded coconut, lightly toasted
12 oz. chewy caramels
large pinch of salt
3 tablespoons whole milk
8 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F.

Line a 9 x 13 pan with aluminum foil.

For shortbread, in a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in egg and vanilla extract.

Slowly add in flour and salt until mixture is combined.  The dough will be really sticky.

Using hands, press dough into an even layer in pan.  Bake for 20 minutes or until the edges are lightly browned.  Carefully lift foil from pan and place on wire rack to cool.

While waiting for shortbread to cool, you can prepare the topping.  Unwrap caramel candies and place in microwave safe bowl along with milk and salt.  Heat in microwave for about 3-4 minutes, stopping to stir occasionally. Watch it carefully so that the caramel does not burn.  Allow caramel to slightly cool and then fold in toasted coconut.  Mix well.

Once shortbread is cooled, spread caramel and coconut mixture atop shortbread in an even layer.  Place in freezer to cool, about 10 minutes.  Once cooled, cut into evenly sized bars.

Place chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl and heat, in 30 second intervals, until chocolate is completely melted.  Dip the bottom of each bar in chocolate and place on wax paper lined baking sheet (a small enough sheet that can fit into the freezer/fridge)

I chose the "abstract" way of decorating the top of the bars, just use a fork and quickly drizzle over bars for a nice effect.  Alternatively, you can place the melted chocolate into a piping bag and decorate as you wish.

I dare you to have just one.  It's damn near impossible.  Wanna bet?  I'll win every time, I know it! =)

Andy absolutely loved these.  I asked him whether they were better than the actual Girl Scout cookie version, and he put it nicely - "You can't really compare them to the actual Samoa because they're different.  These are more like a cookie bar."  So then of course (I just had to ask), I replied to that by saying "Well what would you rather have?"  You bet your ass he said that he'd rather have these!  So go on... try them for yourself!  See you guys tomorrow! 

P.S. - details about my first giveaway get unveiled tomorrow too!

Pear-Caramel Ice Cream

It's 31 degrees outside and what am I posting about?  Yup.  Ice Cream. 

And ice cream is something I need right now.

Today was a Monday at work.  A typical Monday.  A typical stressful Monday.  Of course, we can't have a week where everyone who is scheduled actually comes to work, so no surprise that we had someone call in today.  And of course, there's the far too common person that decided that they can make their own schedule and come and go as they please.... but I digress.

Today was also the first day of the spring semester... and boy am I in for it.  My 2nd level Spanish class is ENTIRELY in Spanish.  Yeah, I practically flew through the first level, but no English?  No me gusta!

And I don't even want to think about my 400 level Biochemistry class that starts tomorrow. 

So seriously.  You'll understand why I need some ice cream.  Especially this ice cream.

Pear-Caramel won out the poll on the Friday before last's poll and I wasn't that surprised.  It was kind of the most normal of the choices and it was somewhat what I was wanting to do anyway!

And speaking of the poll... do you guys like that?  Should it be up longer?  Should it be put in a different place?  Do you not care at all?  Some feedback would be great!

Anyway, let's get even colder with some ice cream!

Ingredients:
From David Lebovitz's The Perfect Scoop

3 ripe pears (I used Bosc), peeled, cored, and cut into cubes
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
2 cups heavy whipping cream
pinch of salt
one quick squeeze of half of a lemon

In a large non-reactive saucepan, spread the sugar in an even layer.  Watch carefully and cook under medium high heat.  When the sugar begins to liquefy and darken, gently stir sugar with a heatproof spatula, helping the rest of the sugar melt.

As soon as the sugar is a deep amber color, stir in the pear cubes.  Some of the caramel will harden, but as the pears cook and they release moisture, stir the caramel and melt the hard pieces in the pear juice.  Cook the pears for about 10 minutes, or until they are cooked through.

Remove the saucepan from heat and stir in 1/2 cup of the cream, and then mix in the remaining cream.  Add salt and quickly squeeze in a little juice from half of a lemon.

Let mixture cool to room temperature.  Puree in a blender or food processor.  Press mixture through a mesh strainer to get a smooth liquid. 

Chill mixture thoroughly in refrigerator for at least 4-6 hours and then process in ice cream maker according to manufacturer's directions.

Seriously.  This is a major pick-me-up on any type of day.  Bad day.  Sad day.  Stressful day.  Happy Day.  Cold day.  Hot day.  No matter the day... this. ice. cream. is. good.

I love these little organic sandwich cookies that I get at the grocery and they were delicious when using them to dip the ice cream.  Who needs tortilla chips and salsa when I have ice cream and sandwich cookies?  Not this girl!

Hope you guys try this one out.  You won't be sorry!  Enjoy guys!