Bourbon Pecan Pie

It's that time of year when people begin asking "what are you making for Thanksgiving?" "What type of pie are you having?" Pumpkin? Sweet potato? Well my friend threw out pecan pie. Huh. Well, that's a new one for me. I've always stayed away from pecan pie because it's always been too sweet for me. Of course, when we takes trips to the southern United States it doesn't keep me from ordering it jus to see how it tastes.

I know many people consider this a Thanksgiving staple but it's never been that in our house. Which of course, brings us back to the holiday question... What pie is on your table? This Thanksgiving it will be pecan pie. I've struggled with this recipe. First, making sure it wasn't too sweet. Then making sure there was enough mixture to fill but not overflow a deep pie crust.

Funny enough it's kind of like a custard but because it's milk eggs and sugar mixed with pecans. Hmm, now I'm thinking maybe this dish isn't American at all. People don't say as American as Pecan Pie. Even though I could see people saying as southern as pecan pie.

 Anyway, I'm excited to share this recipe with you because I think for a dessert that is typically extremely sweet, this pie is perfectly balanced. Make the pie and have a slice. Or two or three. I know I did.

Bourbon Pecan Pie
Makes 6 -8 servings

Ingredients

1 deep pie crust
1 1/2 cups of brown sugar
4 1/2 tablespoons of melted butter
3/4 cup of corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon of salt
3 tablespoons of bourbon
1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla
5 eggs (lightly beaten)
2 cups of pecans

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat.

Add brown sugar and whisk (whisk, whisk, whisk do not stop) until smooth
Remove sugar mixture from heat and slowly whisk in bourbon (let the liquor cook off) corn syrup, vanilla and salt.

Lightly beat eggs in a medium bowl.

Slowly whisk in corn syrup mixture.

Place pecans in pie shell (I made two layers one of crushed pecans then a top of whole pecans).

Gently pour syrup mixture over pecans

Bake for  50 minutes to an hour.

Now that I've figured out how to get just the right balance, I'm definitely going to make this again. Hey, there's something to that what's on your table for the holidays. It got me to try something new. I hope this blog does the same for you.

Happy Holidays.

Coffee Creme Brûlée

Has there ever been a dish that you loved but you just didn't believe you could make it yourself? Creme brûlée was that dish for me. I feel like it is one of the ultimate decadent desserts. So for years I was hesitant to make it. Of course, once I finally had the gumption to do it, I tried to follow the recipe exactly. And what was the result you might ask? Even though I followed the recipe exactly, my brûlée did not look like the one in the picture. It just wouldn't set up. So, I put it back in the oven to cook a little longer. I don't know how many times I ended up putting it back in but it was more than once. When it was finally done, it was delicious. Minus the little timing mishap, it was all okay. I learned two important lessons that night,

1) the whole fantasy of timer on the oven going off exactly as everyone is done with their main course is just that, a fantasy for t.v. and movies. That doesn't happen in real life.
2) directions are meant as a guide. We live in different places with different altitudes and have different stoves/ovens etc. Which means sometimes you have to wing it.

Why was I so afraid? Probably because it is one of my husband's favorite desserts or it's one of those dishes served in fancy restaurants. Whatever the reasoning, I didn't want to mess it up (I hate failing). And of course, I didn't make it before this big dinner with our friends. So, I was embarrassed that people had to wait for dessert (actually now that I think about it... the whole dinner might have been late). But now that I've made it a couple of times I think I'm ready to take it up a notch. Coffee Creme Brûlée. This is the ultimate test because now I'm combining hubby's fav dessert with one of his favorite drinks. But I love mash-ups. Just the idea of creme brûlée, a classic French dessert, mixed with frenzy of coffee. The sustenance of most people's daily existence. So popular it's one of the beverages in the book The World In 6 Glasses, where Brian Hedweck lays out how coffee changed the world.

Millions of people think that they can not live without it. In a national coffee survey approximately 53.9% of people would give up their cell phone before giving up coffee(see coffee survey). Really? I don't believe it but maybe this combo of coffee and creme would make me give up mine. What do you think?

Coffee Creme Brûlée
Makes 6 servings

Ingredients
1 cup white sugar
3 tablespoons of sugar
6 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups of heavy cream
2 teaspoons instant coffee

Tools needed: 6 ramekins or oven safe bowls, baking pan, wire rack ( no torch needed)

*Note: I'm using ramekins that are 6 inches in diameter and a bit deeper. Most creme brûlée ramekins are wider and flatter. This will change the cooking time.

Directions:
In a medium pot over medium high heat, bring cream, coffee and vanilla until coffee dissolves. About 2 minutes.

Remove pot from heat and let it come to room temperature. Approximately 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

In a large pot over high heat boil 1 1/2 cups of water.

In a large bowl, whisk yolks with 1 cup of granulated sugar (the finer the better) until thick and a pale yellow.

If any foam has developed on the top of the heavy cream mixture skim it off.

Using a spatula, stir in cooled cream (try not to create bubbles or froth) until fully mixed. This helps to give you a nice smooth top to the custard mixture.

Evenly divide custard mixture into 6 ramekins.

Place ramekins in pan and gently pour hot water into baking pan - at least half way up the side of the ramekins.

Bake custard mixture until set on the outside and a little jiggly in the middle - about 45 minutes to 55 minutes.

Allow custard to cool down in water bath.

Once completely cooled, cover with plastic wrap and put in fridge. The mixture will continue to firm in the fridge.

Once ready to serve, preheat broiler.

Remove custard from fridge and blot away any moisture with a paper towel.

Evenly sprinkle 1/2 a tablespoon of sugar on the top of each custard and place in oven on broil.

After about 2 minutes sugar should begin to boil and turn a deep brown.This process can take up to 5 minutes if the rack is in the middle of the oven.

Remove from oven and place back on wire rack.

Wait for sugar to harden then serve.

Want to jazz it up a bit?

Serve with a little bit of whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

How do you like your creme brûlée? I'm thinking maybe chocolate next time!


P.S. If you are wondering what to do with all those egg whites, try this Belgian waffle recipe.

Chocolate Covered Apples

I needed something sweet this weekend but I thought the rain would keep us from my favorite place, the boardwalk. Of course, I didn't want the family to miss out on the experience. So I decided to create a little bit of the boardwalk at home. Let's be honest one of reasons for going to the boardwalk is the food. There are corn dogs and nachos and potato tornados. But  as I said I needed something sweet. And no wonder, a lot of the dishes I've made lately have been savory. So I figured the post this week should be some type of sweet street food. What to do, what to do? Candied apples also know as toffee apples. It's one of the first treats I wanted whenever I went to the boardwalk as a child. I remember the shop that sold it was all the way at the end of the boardwalk. I would run down that way tasting the salt in the air and craving the sweetness of a caramel or chocolate covered apple.

For most people in New Jersey and New York the summer ritual is to go to the shore/boardwalk. Whether it's Coney Island or Seaside, the end of summer hails as the last hurrah. The weather turned out better than expected, and we celebrated with a street food that's screams New Jersey. If no other dish does, this candy covered apple does since it originates with a candy maker from Newark, New Jersey. Of course, many other countries have a variation of this treat. From Australia to Brazil this sweet treat is the fav of carnivals and street celebrations. So, it's a great way to celebrate the end of summer. Enjoy

Chocolate Covered Apples

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients

6 Gala or Fuji apples
1 tablespoon of shortening
2 cups of semi sweet chocolate chips
6 popsicles sticks or lollipop sticks
4 ounces of almond slivers/ crushed oreos etc

Directions:

Twist of stems from the apples and push the lollipop/popsicle sticks down to the core.

Put apples in fridge while preparing the chocolate.

Slowly melt chocolate and shortening in a double boiler (glass bowl over pot of water) over hot water or microwave on high for 2 minutes. If microwaving stir halfway through.

Remove chocolate from heat and stir until completely melted and warm.

Dunk each apple into the chocolate. Let excess chocolate drip back into bowl.

Roll apples around in chocolate while turning it with the stick. Use a spoon if needed to cover the entire apple.

Roll apple in coating (of your choice). Make sure apple is covered completely.

Set on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper until chocolate has set.

Yippie... boardwalk food even though we are not at the boardwalk.

What would you cover your apples with?

Easy Fruit Tart

Since I was young, one of my favorite desserts has been the fruit tart. Across the street my from elementary school was a delicious "French" bakery and I lived to go and get sweet treats from there. In hindsight, that owner was pretty slick. Putting a bakery, filled with buttery, sweet, delicious  foods right next to a school.

Ever since then, I have been in love with fruit tarts. This sweet French pastry hits the spot when I'm wallowing in the midst of my own despair (I know dramatic right). But sweets make everything better right? At least temporarily. Whether it's the Spanish, French or Italian version of this type of dessert, it's everything you need. In the past, I wouldn't even think to make a dessert like this for fear it would be too difficult. But behold a simpler way to make this French classic.

With some adjustments to the filling, you can create a tart similar to this French dessert. Best part is that it's so simple you can make it with your friends and family since there's very little stove time. By substituting cream cheese for the classic milk and egg custard, anyone can help prepare this sweet treat. The kids, your girlfriends even people who can not cook, can still help. You can use my quick pie crust recipe or a frozen pie crust from the grocery store. Add whatever fruit you'd like and you too can enjoy this play on a French classic whenever you please.

Fruit Tart
Makes 2 Pies (8 servings per tart)

Ingredients

Pie Crust Recipe

Filling
2 - 8 ounce bars of cream cheese
1/2 cup of heavy cream
1 cup of sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups of strawberries
1 cup of blueberries
4 kiwis sliced

Glaze
1 1/2 cups of water
1 cup of sugar
1 teaspoon of lemon juice
1 teaspoon of lemon zest

Tools: Mixer, spatula, 2 pie plates (foil pie dish)

Directions:

Frozen pie crust:
Unthaw then use a fork to poke holes in the bottom of the pie crust. Bake according to directions.

Scratch Pie Crust:

Pre heat oven to 375 degrees F.

Roll out dough. Place pie plate upside down on dough making sure dough is rolled thin enough for two pie crusts.

The cut out of dough should be 4 to 5 inches larger than the pie plate.

Place dough in pie plate and gently press evenly into the bottom and sides.

Leave a half inch border then trim excess off the sides and crimp the sides.

Place a piece of parchment paper inside the pie crusts and place a handful or two of dried beans/lentils on top (this will help the crust stay firm once we  add the custard and glaze).

Bake at 375 degrees F on the middle rack for 15 minutes or until lightly brown.

Remove parchment and beans and allow crust to cool.

In a bowl combine, cream cheese, sugar, vanilla and heavy cream.

Using a mixer beat until smooth.

With a spatula, begin to scoop equal amounts of cream filling into cooled pie crusts.

Refrigerate until firm. About 30 minutes.

Place fruit over cream filling.

In a small saucepan add water, sugar, lemon and lemon zest. Bring to a boil over medium high heat.

Allow water/sugar mixture to reduce into a syrup like consistency. Approximately 15 to 20 minutes

(1 tablespoon of cornstarch can speed up the thickening process).

Allow glaze to cool. Once cooled, brush glaze on top of tart.

Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes before serving.

Enjoy with friends and family. I'm sure everyone will leave with a smile.

Cookie Bottom Cheesecake Squares

Happy 4th!! So it's technically not cheesecake season and this isn't your typical 4th of July dessert but I made one anyway. Though cheesecake is typically our fall sweet treat, I'd say cheesecake knows no season. You should be able to have comfort food when ever you crave it. So when my mom asked me for a cheesecake with an oreo cookie bottom for her birthday, I had to oblige. This recipe is simple. No fancy tools required. Just a hand mixer and something to smash some cookies. In addition to being simple, it's made with reduced fat ingredients so you don't have to feel bad eating it. Don't feel the need to follow in my footsteps though.  I only made it with reduced fat ingredients because I was asked. Of course,  if you do use low fat cream cheese and reduced fat oreos you might want to add  some additional oreos to the top of your cheesecake. Yes ... know you want to.

Cookie Bottom Cheesecake
Makes 12 Squares

Ingredients

16 - 20 oreo cookies
4 tablespoons of butter (melted)
3 (8 ounce) packages of cream cheese
1 cup of  sugar
1 tablespoon of vanilla
3 eggs

Tools: 8 x 8 pyrex dish, hand or stand mixer
Optional -food processor, parchment paper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Place parchment paper cut to the size of the dish in the bottom of the pyrex

Crush oreo cookies

Add butter to crushed oreo cookies. Mix well

Press oreo mixture into the bottom of the pyrex dish.

Make sure it is spread evenly.

Add cream cheese and sugar to a medium bowl/stand mixer and mix until smooth.

Blend in vanilla.

Add eggs, one at a time.

Mix just until incorporated (do not over mix)

Pour cream cheese batter over oreo crust

Bake for approximately 45 minutes until to edges are firm.

Turn oven off and allow cheesecake to sit in oven for an additional 15 to 30 min (this should help prevent cheesecake from cracking).

Chill in fridge until ready to serve.

Lemon Palmiers

It's sumer and I've had my eye on a delicious pastry, a palmier. It's a French pastry that can be adopted to be either sweet or savory. It's not the typical sweet comfort I look for, but in the summer you don't always want something super sweet. It was probably best since I decided to make them with my little and he really doesn't need anything sweet ever (energy for days).

One of the best parts of making this dessert (besides eating it) is making it with someone. For this one, everyone was in the kitchen which made it hectic but lots of fun. Of course, that's what summer is like in my house. Lots of fun and silliness.  Giggles and snorts always bring a smile to my face. I guess the nickname of "French  Hearts" is also very fitting.

This dish is made super easy by using pre-made puff pastry. I also decided to breakout the ninja to create some lemon zest from the peel. When zesting, remember you only want the yellow part of the lemon. It's fine if you don't have a zester. You can use a peeler, grater or pairing knife to take the skin off.

Ingredients:

Puff Pastry
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon lemon juice
4 tablespoons sugar


Directions:

Preheat oven 375 degrees

Mix zest, lemon juice and 2 table spoons of sugar together.

Sprinkle a flat surface with 1 tablespoon of sugar.

Place defrosted puff pastry on a flat surface.

Roll pastry into a square on top of sugar.

Brush/ Sprinkle zest and sugar mixture on to puff pastry dough.

Gently roll the sides of the square pastry dough toward the middle.

Try to make sure the sides meet exactly in the middle.

Slice about 1/2 inch thick and place cut side up on the baking sheet (parchment paper).

Sprinkle with remain gin sugar.

Bake for 6 minutes. Palmiers should be caramelized and lightly browned. Turn and bake for another 5 to 6 minutes.

Transfer to a baking rack to cool.

Hope you have fun making this with your friends and family. I know I can't wait to make a raspberry version of this sweet treat.

Flan

Sweet caramel, deliciousness. That's what I think of when I think of flan. I have no idea when I 1st had flan but what I do know is that I like it so much I'll eat anyone's flan. Yes, even the over processed stuff that comes in plastic cups in the supermarket. I'll admit it, it's one of my weaknesses. The nerd in me wondered, how is this a Latin American dish? Custard makes me think Europe. And what do you know flan is from Europe. Originally Rome, then eventually making its way to Spain (with some alterations). The european version is more of a savory dish where as the Latin American version is sweet and filled with local flavors like coffee. It's the Spanish version I like because this version is topped with caramel.

I love this dessert.  For me one of the most important aspects of it is its smooth texture. A good flan has a silky smooth texture and the caramel is sweet without making your teeth hurt. Of course, that is the hard part. Mixing just enough and not to much. My tip do not overheat the pan when making the caramel. I am not a very patient person and it took me a very long time to learn. Low and slow.

We've always had access to whether homemade or store bought and so I never really thought about making it myself. Of course, things change and I realized I needed to make it just for my own edification. I figured, if I can make creme brûlée, I can make flan. So let's do this

Flan


Makes 8 - 10 servings

Ingredients:

4 eggs
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 can evaporated milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons of water
salt

Tools:
large roasting pan
saucepan
6 ramekins or glass baking dish

Directions:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Pour 1 cup of sugar and water in a sauce pan over medium high heat. Don't walk away. Stir, stir, stir.

Once you've achieved a brown caramel, remove the pan from heat. Quickly pour the caramel into ramekins or

Tilt and swirl caramel so that all parts are covered

In a bowl whisk or blend together eggs.

Mix in sweet condensed and evaporate milk slowly. Add sugar, vanilla and a pinch of salt.

Strain through a sieve (helps to get rid of bubbles).

Place ramekins or large glass baking dish filled with 2 inches of water.

Pour milk and egg mixture in ramekins/dish on top of caramel.

Bake for 45 minutes in the water bath .

Gently check center of flan with knife. If it comes out clean it's done.

Remove from oven and let flan cool. Then place in refrigerator for 1 hour.

Run a knife or spatula around the edge of the flan to make it easier to remove.

Invert on to a plate, caramel sauce will flow over custard.

So much better than store bought!! Stick extra in the fridge covered with plastic, though it probably will be gone within 2 days.

Carrot Cake Short Cut

Lately I've been craving something sweet. It seems like whenever I get a moment, I'm diving into the chocolate leftover from the holidays or combing the circulars for gelato. Of course, neither of those wonderful sweets ever ended the thirst for my favorite sweet treat, carrot cake.

Ever sine I was little girl I've loved carrot cake. I'm not sure why. If you think about all of the different types of super sweet treats you've been given as a child, there are those that are far more sweet and even more indulgent than carrot cake. But I can remember falling into a nice big slice of carrot cake at the bakery around the corner from my elementary school. It wasn't too sweet and the spice combination is warming.
Maybe my affinity for carrot cake is rooted in really not being allowed to have sweets when I was young. It's the perfect balance between sweet and spicy and it was always a special treat when I did. That might also explain why I don't really like sweet desserts. But I digress, this recipe is just enough sweet and just enough spice to make your tongue tingle.

This carrot cake is a bit different than the one I usually make (carrots, raisins and walnuts) but I haven't been happy with my last couple of cakes so I'm starting with box mix and adding pineapple and coconut. You can do the same if you already have a mix at home. My girlfriend has a gluten free cake mix, so this is perfect for her to just add here and there to make carrot cake. I can't wait for her to make this recipe.

Carrot Cake Short Cut
12 servings

Ingredients
Cake Mix (If you are using a spice cake mix, make recipe with out spices)

1 1/2 to 2 cups of shredded carrot (remove as much water as possible)
1 cup crushed pineapple (remove juice)
1 cup shredded coconut flakes
1/2 cup of orange juice
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1/2 cup walnuts
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon ginger

Tools: Hand mixer, plastic spatula, whisk and Bundt Pan

Directions
Preheat oven 325 degrees.

Pat carrots with paper towel to remove excess water and place in a large bowl.

Remove excess juice from 1 cup of crushed pineapple.
(place crushed pineapple in a coffee filter and gently squeeze to remove excess juice)

Add pineapple to shredded carrots.

Add 1 cup of shredded coconut to carrots and coconut.

Add spices to cake mix. Blend well.

Mix oil and eggs.

Mix carrots, coconut and pineapple
(I combine everything separately as to not over mix the cake batter.

Add oil and egg to flour mix blending gently with hand mixer.

Increase mixer speed to medium and slowly add orange juice.
(The whole process should not take more than 1 1/2 minutes)

Using a plastic spatula, fold in carrot, pineapple, coconut mixture and walnuts.

Spray bundt pan with oil and dust gently with flour.

Bake bake for 35 to 45 minutes at 325 degrees (325 instead of 350 for a cake with a flatter bottom).

The cake is very moist, allow to cool for at least 10 to 15 minutes before removing it from the bundt pan.

Place cake in the refrigerator for a another 30 minutes.

This cake is covered in a cream cheese frosting. I used a pre-made frosting.

Warm frosting for 20 seconds in microwave.

Separate frosting into several small bowls (based on the number of colors you're adding.

Then add your favorite food coloring to each bowl.

Using the back of a spoon or a sandwich bag with the corner snipped, drizzle frosting over cake one color at a time.

Adding frosting was one of my favorite parts of making this dish. When you make it, let me know in the comment section what type of cake mix you used? Pineapple maybe?

Crêpes w/ Nutella Cannoli Filling

We recently got a crêpe place in the mall. I've loved crêpes ever since college. Of course, I was excited but it soon wore off. One long weekend the International Club planned a trip up to Quebec and I think I had a crêpe at every place that would sell it to me. I've eaten more crepes in Quebec in three days than I have in the United States over the course of a few decades.

There's just something about that sweet, buttery combination that makes me reminisce about good times and the love I have for Quebec. My little one also likes crepes. While I can't wait to take him to Quebec so he can have that experience for himself, I will be his official crêpier.

I first decided I was going to make this recipe when I saw Chef Anne Burrell make them on the show The Kitchen. It looked so easy I wasn't sure why I haven't been making them at home. Then I remembered the last time I tried. It turned out a hot mess, but I was much more confident this time around. So confident I decided to create my own special filling.

Cannoli filling is something else I've been meaning to make. Our friends brought a cannoli dip to the house once and I've been in love ever since. Actually many of our friends were in love that day especially since you can't get it everywhere. I made this filling with cream cheese and Mascarpone not ricotta because that's what we had in our house. Hey, a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do. I hope you like it.

Crêpes with Nutella Cannoli Filling
Makes 18 crêpes

Crêpe Ingredients

1 cup of flour
pinch of salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup of club soda
1/2 cup  of milk
3 tablespoons of butter
Additional butter for cooking crêpes

Nutella & "Cannoli Filling"
8 ounces of mascarpone
4 ounces of cream cheese
1 to 1 1/2 cup of powered sugar
1 cup of chocolate chips.
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla

Tools: mixing bowl, ladle, cast iron pan, whisk & hand mixer

Filling Directions
Place mascarpone and cream cheese in a bowl. Use an electric mixer to beat items together until combined.

Add 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla

Add powdered sugar 1/2 a cup at a time using electric mixer to blend ingredients together.

Lastly, fold chocolate chips in with a spatula.

Crêpe Directions
Place flour and salt in a mixing bowl.

Make a well in the center of the bowl.

Place eggs, milk, club soda and butter in the well in the center.

Whisk all ingredients together until combined.

If mixture seems thick (more like pancake batter than cake batter) whisk in a little more milk.

Allow the mixture to set for 30 minutes.

Place cast iron pan on medium heat.

Melt a small amount of butter in the pan (I actually just take a stick of butter and gently glide it over the bottom of the pan making sure all parts of the pan a coated).

Fill a ladle with crêpe mixture, and starting from the center pour the mixture in the center of the pan.

Gently tip the pan from side to side to roll the crêpe mixture around the pan.

When the edges of the crêpe begin to pull away and the bottom starts to brown (1 1/2   to 2 minutes) it's time to flip the crêpe.

Cook on the other side for an additional minute.

Place crêpe on a plate and make the next.

Separate crêpes with parchment paper. You can also keep them warm by heating the oven to 200 degrees and placing the plate of crêpes in the oven covered by a damp towel.

The best part of this whole process is eating it. Take a small spoonful of Nutella and spread across the crêpe. Then take a tablespoon of the cannoli filling and spread it across.

You can fill this crêpe with flambéed bananas or chocolate. You might even want to put a scope of ice cream on top. The world is your with this one.

Simple Apple Pie

I love to bake. But one thing I don't typically make is pie. I'm not exactly sure why but I don't but I don't. A couple of weeks ago I saw Martha Bakes and decided I was going to make a pie. Of course, weeks passed and the pie was never made. In general, I would rather make cheesecake or cookies or cupcakes or anything other than pie. Not exactly sure what my aversion is to making pie. It's probably just because I do not do it often. I do have a tendency to stick with what I do best. Though, I definitely love eating pie I just couldn't seem to bring myself to to make one. Until... my mom asked me for apple pie for Thanksgiving.

Now what was I to do? Did I want to make pie... no. But that was the only thing  mom asked me to do so I had to suck it up. And guess what? It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be (thank goodness for our food processor) and I think I might like it. I can see a pie being made again. Sooner rather than later. Guess I should thank Martha for the pie crust recipe. It's extremely flaky and I really liked that. Notice there's no sugar in the recipe so if you like your pie crust sweet you should add a teaspoon of sugar to this recipe.

This recipe is extremely simple since it was my first time making apple pie and it was for my momma  I didn't want to make it too complicated. Though some recipes call for ginger and other types of spices, I kept this close to what I know. Cinnamon and apples. Also, mom is a big fan of fresh and simple. So there's not a lot of sugar in this recipe. Also, the apples are still a little crisp once the pie is done. This pie is straight apple baby and it's beautiful.

Apple Pie

Makes 8 servings

Crust Ingredients

2 cups of flour

1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar

1 1/2 sticks of unsalted butter (cubed & cold)

3 tablespoons of vegetable shortening

1/4 cup of ice water

Pie Filling Ingredients

6 granny smith apples (cored & sliced)

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 cup of flour

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons lemon

EggWash - 1 egg mixed with water

Tools Needed:

food processor, 9 inch pie plate and rolling pin

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Place flour, sugar and salt in food processor. 

Add cubed butter and shortening to the processor.

Pulse/process for 5 to 10 seconds until mixture resembles a course meal.

Add the ice water a little bit at a time making sure not to let the ice cubes fall in.

The water will help the dough come together.

My dough came together in about 20 - 25 seconds.

Place dough in plastic wrap using plastic to shape dough into a flat disk.

Place dough in the fridge for at least an hour.

After an hour cut the dough in half. One half will be used for the bottom of your pie crust the other for the top.

Lightly flour your counter top and your rolling pin.

Roll dough away from you remembering to turn the dough.

Turn and lightly flour your dough continuously so it does not stick.

Use your pie plate to measure how large you should roll the dough.

Your circle should be slightly larger than your pie plate.

*Note: Folding your rolled dough over the rolling pin will make it easier to move it into the pie plate.

For the filling, toss your apples in lemon juice.

Combine cinnamon, sugar and flour.

Toss and coat apples with sugar mixture.

Fill pie crust with apple mixture.

Roll out remaining dough to fit pie or cut into strips.

If creating a lattice, cut at least 10 strips. 

Place 5 strips horizontal and 5 vertical. 

Gently pull back each strip of dough weaving the strip over and under.

Trim the edge of the pastry allowing a little bit of an overhang.

Beat egg and water (egg wash) and brush over the pastry.

Place foil around the edge of the pie so the crust will not burn. 

Bake for 20 minutes. Then remove the foil.

Bake pie for another 20 to 25 minutes until the crust begins to turn brown and the filling begins to bubble.

Allow pie to cool on  a wire rack.

See that wasn't so bad was it?? Told you.

updated July 11, 2016

Spiced Cupcakes w/Pumpkin Cheesecake Swirl

These cupcakes are on the blog because they were requested by Theresa. Often, I bake so many cupcakes I am not always interested in eating them. Sometimes, I am more interested in developing flavors or putting a surprise inside. Other times I'm trying to create a design or even work on the taste of a frosting. By the time I'm done, I'm so sick of cupcakes that I give them to the neighbors or send them to work with hubby or to school with mini me. Of course, that was not the case with these cupcakes.

I have to admit, I really like these cupcakes and others did too which is why even though I didn't make it from scratch, it's going on the blog. I'm not exactly sure what makes these different than the others. Maybe it's because I love pumpkin or maybe because I love cheesecake. Whatever it is these cupcakes were so delicious I think I've had one everyday this week.

What's even better is that this recipe is super easy. Thank goodness I saw the pumpkin cream cheese in the Supermarket. That's where this crazy adventure started. One hungry trip to the supermarket. This is why you should go to the supermarket hungry. I used a boxed cake mix and the store bought pumpkin cream cheese and added the necessary ingredients to create a cheesecake. Now, I gotta get back to the store and buy some more. If it's not in your store just replace the pumpkin cream cheese with regular cream cheese. Or ... make a regular yellow cupcake and use strawberry cream cheese.

The possibilities are endless.

Spiced Cupcakes w/Pumpkin Cheesecake Swirl
Makes 24 Cupcakes

Ingredients:
Spiced Cake Mix
8 ounces of pumpkin (or regular) cream cheese
1/2 cup of sugar
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice (not necessary if you are making regular cheesecake)
1 egg

Tools: cupcake tin, 24 cupcake liners & mixer

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line cupcake tin with liners

Make boxed cake mix according to directions and set aside.

Place cream cheese and sugar in a separate bowl with vanilla and pumpkin pie spice.

Mix cream cheese and other ingredients for 2 minutes on medium speed.

Add egg and mix until smooth.

Fill cupcake liners half way with cake mixture.

Add one tablespoon of cream cheese mixture to the cake mix.

Use a knife to gently swirl the cream mixture into the cake mix. Try drawing a figure 8 in the mixture.

Bake cupcakes for 25 to 30 minutes until the cheesecake has set.

Remove cupcakes from oven and allow to cool to room temperature.

Devour!!