Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars

I'd forgotten how good it feels to make a recipe for no good reason but to enjoy it and relax. I had all the ingredients for this one so instead of going out and spending money (my original plan was to browse at the new Trader Joe's in Shoreview) I stayed home to make this many-step recipe and then a nice dinner.

 

 

These bars started with a cookie crust that needed to bake for 15 minutes. While that baked I whipped up the streusel topping, the apple mixture, and then the cream cheese filling. All of these layers went on top of the warm cookie crust and then baked for another 30 minutes.

 

And then I made the caramel sauce, which was a trial. The first sauce attempt was too pale. The second sauce attempt burned. The third was a charm. It is muy gooey and almost candy-like. I had to re-melt it a bit to spoon it on top of the finished bars.

It's just plain cruel torture to let something cool completely. And then I finally decided that I should refrigerate the bars because of the cheesecake layer. So just a little while ago I cut into the bars. Yum. My dear husband said it tastes like apple pie but better because of the caramel and the cookie bottom.

So my taste tester gives this a thumbs up. I'm glad because we have a lot of bars to eat up! Or share :)

Click here for the stolen recipe for Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars.

 

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Boiled Apple Cider and Baked Cider Donuts

DROOL.

I guess the donut doesn't really matter to me because its covered in cinnamon sugar... but this donut was GOOD. I had made boiled cider a few days before and finally I got around to doing something with it. Boiled cider is basically apple cider reduced down to a syrup. It took a few hours and my house smelled wonderful. It was no problem whatsoever to make!

I guess the boiled cider syrup is also good on pancakes. I really need to find more uses for this stuff. It is delicious.

This is a basic baked donut recipe but for the addition of the boiled cider. I probably could have added a bit more for flavor, but the donut was nice and delicious. Even James had one! Or two. Or three?

I finally discovered how to make the donuts look PERFECT. Turn them upside down! The bottom side is perfectly formed by the donut pan, so then the presentation is nice. I mean, if that sort of thing matters to you. These donuts were inhaled pretty quickly so it didn't matter much besides for this picture!

Baked donuts are the way to go! You don't even miss the fried/sugary ones!

Click here for the stolen recipe for Boiled Cider.

Click here for the stolen recipe for Baked Cider Donuts.

 

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Skillet Apple Crisp

I made this deliciousness for Thanksgiving. I was happy to bring leftovers home and enjoy it more and more. My sister sent me this recipe, from Cook's Illustrated. I had to follow the revised instructions since I didn't bake the apple crisp in the cast iron skillet as directed.

I did cook the apples on the stovetop and then transfer the mixture to a 9x13 pan, finishing it off in the oven. I had also never used Golden Delicious apples. I found them to hold their slice well. A great apple crisp apple! Those CI cooks know what they're doing.

I don't think I'm a pecan (or any kind of nut) fan until I love them in a recipe like this. The pecans really, really made the dessert. The topping is out of this world good. It's so good that we've baked apples since this recipe and made small amounts of the topping to bake along with it. SO GOOD.

 

My sister sent me the recipe, via email, but I found a cooking blog with the recipe.

Click here for the stolen recipe for Skillet Apple Crisp.

 

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FAIL?

Well, Jim is eating his but maybe he's just being polite?

I made these "apple pies". I followed a recipe for the caramel apple pies and then just sauteed apples with butter, sugar, and cinnamon for James' pie. I call them pies but they're not really. Well, they have pie crust but only on top. I made little star and moon cutouts on the tops, so I knew that the star was James'. I guess I didn't figure that the caramel would ooze up and out of the ramekins.





Well, the crusts were fine. I think I'd make that recipe again. The caramel filling? Well, I didn't have Southern Comfort so I substituted another liqueur, Jim's ginger stuff. It seemed very thick and rich, but I thought it would bake up thick and rich too like a pecan pie filling. Well, no. It ended up kind of gloopy, for lack of a better word. The consistency of a raw egg white, you know, when you let it drip from the egg shell. It just hangs there, not really breaking off but just hanging on. Gloopy.

I didn't care for it.

Click here for the recipe for Spiced Caramel Apple Pie.
Click here for the recipe for Martha's Perfect Pie Crust (Pate Brisee). (I would make this part again. I am imagining using this for pot pies, minus a bit of the sugar.)

Apple Cranberry Bran Muffins

We have an abundance of apples thanks to our Saturday visit to the apple orchard. This muffin recipe only used ONE apple but I wanted to try it. I used wheat bran, which is a new-to-me ingredient. I found wheat bran in the bulk section of the grocery store, where you can fill a little baggie with however much you need. I only needed 1 1/2 cups so I thought this was a good way to buy it.

These muffins are healthy! And pretty good for being so healthy :) I just love any cranberry apple combination so I was sold at the recipe title. AND these came from a reliable, wonderful blog.

Each muffin is 2 weight watcher points.

Click here for the stolen recipe for Apple Cranberry Bran Muffins.

Apple Crumble Bars

Oh man, I forgot about these. Mental note: in the fall, go to the apple orchard and make these immediately! I rememember these tasted like little apple pie dreams. The bottom crust was delicate and crumbly. Mmmmmm. I know I can make these anytime but they really do scream fall and I need to concentrate on seasonal fruits and flavors right now- like strawberries!

Click here for the stolen recipe for Apple Crumble Bars.

Fall Harvest Bread

I'm looking through my older pictures and finding foods that I just NEED to blog about. I made this Fall Harvest Bread so many times this last fall. It is wonderful. It freezes well and my husband just loved it. I loved it too, with all of its pumpkin, cranberry, and apple goodness. Some of my favorite things in the world!


It was because of this bread that I over-bought fresh cranberries for my freezer. I think I still have a few bags left, but I never got around to making more of this bread. I think I need to make some!

Click here for the stolen recipe for Fall Harvest Bread.

Apple Butter

My son was very excited to go apple picking and hit the pumpkin patches in the fall. I also LOVE fall. It's my favorite time of year. It's usually my favorite eating time too- pumpkins, apples, Thanksgiving, etc. We had plenty of apples because of the apple orchard visits and I had heard of making apple butter and I had dreams of making it and spreading it on toast and bagels, and maybe finding some other creative use for it.

Well, I made it. It was good. And I still have some of it in the freezer!! I need to use it up. I'm sure it's not good for much longer.


Click here for the stolen recipe for Apple Butter.

Apple Cranberry Cake-Pie

Oh man. This is one of my favorites. Now why haven't I made this one multiple, multiple times?? I need priorities in my life, people! Okay, well the recipe is really a pie crust, filling, but in a cake pan. No fussy crust making or fluting. It was all very easy and it was just wonderful tasting with a little ice cream on top. Oh yum.

Click here for the stolen recipe for Apple Cranberry Cake-Pie.