Caramel Apple Cookie Bites

I like to try interesting recipes, that's my motto. I also like bite size desserts.  I thought I'd give this recipe a try.  First, the cookies are super delicious, at least according to my brother. Second, I realized at the end of the baking and decorating  that I should have put ground nuts on the bottom. You will see why as we go along.

Recipe from Taste of Home magazine; Halloween issue 2005

FILLING:
1/3 cup chopped unpeeled apple
1/3 cup evaporated milk
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup chopped walnuts

DOUGH:
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups all-purpose flour

TOPPING:
1 package (14 ounces) caramels
2/3 cup evaporated milk
1 cup finely chopped walnuts

In a small saucepan, combine filling ingredients.  Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened; set aside to cool.  In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars.  Add egg, vanilla and salt; beat well.  Add flour; mix well.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls.  Flatten and place 1/4 teaspoon filling in center of each.  Fold dough over filling and reshape into balls.  Place 1-inc apart on greased baking sheets.  Bake at 350F for 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned.  Remove to wire racks to cool.

In a saucepan over low heat, cook caramels and evaporated milk, stirring occasionally, until caramels are melted.  Insert a toothpick into each cookie and dip into caramel topping until completely coated.  Dip bottoms of cookies into nuts.  Place on wire racks to set.  Yield about 3 dozen. 

I got a little over 2 dozen.  We ate a couple of the cookies before they were frosted so I only had to make half of the topping mixture.

 I used a spoon to cover the cookies with the caramel topping.

 When I was adding the nuts to the cookies I thought oh how cute to sprinkle the nuts on the top of the cookies and did not dip the bottom in the nuts.  That caused them to STICK to the serving plate.  I had to use a spoon to get them off the plate.  You could not really use the toothpick to up the cookies because they were just too sticky.

 I learned my lesson.  The cookies tasted awesome, just a little messy.

I shall make them again and dip the bottoms in nuts.

~Michelle

Apple Cider Slushy

Fall is such a wonderful time of the year. With it comes baked goods and warm donuts.  Apple cider and pumpkins.  And my birthday. So when I ran across this yummy treat I just had to share.

It's an Apple Cider Slushy!!!  I bought it from Mayer Brothers Cider Mill in West Seneca, NY.  If you like apple cider then turning it into a slushy is a brilliant idea.

~Michelle

Pumpkin Cake and Partylite

I made this recipe about 1 year ago and I didn't get a chance to photograph the cake.  It is that time of year when everyone is baking pumpkin and apple recipes, and I'm no different.  I decided to make the cake again for my partylite party. 

My friend sells partylite and if you are interested in placing an order check out her website.  It's important to support the women in your life and their businesses. Check it out. Partylite .

Anyway, back to the cake. It seems like I had to bake it for 65 minutes and put foil around the edges to prevent them from getting too dark.

The recipe is from Dying for Chocolate.

Recipe

1 3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1 1/4 cup sugar

3 large eggs

1 cup canned pure pumpkin

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3/4 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350F. Butter and flour 9x5x2 1/2" metal loaf pan

Sift first 5 ingredients into medium bowl.  Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until smooth.  Gradually beat in sugar, then beat in eggs 1 at a time.  Beat in pumpkin and vanilla.  Beat dry ingredients into pumpkin mixture alternately with milk.  Stir in chocolate chips and nuts.  Transfer batter to prepared pan.

Bake until tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 55-60 minutes.  Cool in pan on rack 15 minutes.  Turn cake out onto rack, cool completely.  (Can be made 2 days ahead.  Wrap in plastic; store at room temperature.)

So moist and delicious with chocolate and nuts in every bite.

~Michelle

First Craft/Yard Sale

In the previous post I stated that I was going to sign up for the largest yard sale.  I went back and forth with what to do and I decided to attend my first 'public' sale.  It really was with some reservation that I signed up for the World's Largest Yard Sale.  It was quite expensive and I figured that there would be so many other vendors/sellers there that it would be kind of slow.  And I was also wondering if it was going to attract the type of people that would be interested in purchasing jewelry or are they interested in buying things from junk piles and paying 25 cents.  

Well, there certainly was a steady stream of customers passing by the table, and definitely some interesting characters.  I was also worried that I wasn't going to even make my investment back.  I did not make the initial investment but I did come very close.  I met a lot of very nice people and sold some great pieces.

Here is a photo of the set up that I came up with.  I think that it looked pretty attractive.  Please don't mind me in the picture I didn't smile:) 

Here is a shot of the new banner that I had hanging in front of the table.  I really like it very much.

~Michelle

Delicious Apple Crisp with Local Apples

Baking in the fall is just amazing.  The warm house with the wonderful smells of cinnamon, fresh baked bread, cookies, pumpkin muffins and pumpkin pie.  When I baked this apple crisp is was a wonderfully cool (60degree) summer/fall evening.  They boys came in from outside and smelled the crisp baking in the oven and couldn't wait to try a bowl full.

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My neighbors went to a local farm and picked some apples last week. I have never picked apples. I have picked cherries before which seem easier than apples, at least lighter. So I turned the healthy snack of an apple in to a not so healthy treat of an apple crisp. I used my favorite go to cook book and didn't really follow the recipe. I added way more apples, because they cook down and I sliced them thin. I also added a good amount of cinnamon and didn't measure the lemon juice just drizzled some on the apples.

Apple Crisp
recipe from Pillsbury, The Complete Book of Baking

Fruit Mixture
6 cups sliced peeled apples
1 teaspoon cinnamon, if desired
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon lemon juice

Topping
1 cup rolled oats (I used quick oats because that's all that I had - if I didn't have them I would have bought rolled oats)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened

Heat oven to 375F. Place apples in ungreased 2-quart casserole or 8-inch square (1 1/2-quart) baking dish. Sprinkle with cinnamon, water and lemon juice. In large bowl, combine all topping ingredients; mix until crumbly. Sprinkle crumb mixture evenly over apples. Bake at 375F for 25 to 35 minutes or until fruit is tender and topping is golden brown.

We really enjoyed the apple crisp and I told my neighbor send over any fruit that she picks and I will turn it into a delicious dessert. :)

~Michelle

Back to School 2011

 The kids finished their first week of the 2011-2012 school year.  One started 5th grade and the other started 3rd.  I miss them when they go to school at least for a little while. Then I go to the gym and shopping and bake without interruption and sometimes to the movies with friends.  Oh and go for lunch and get the house cleaned.. and I think, school is a great place for them. ♥

I am signing up for the worlds largest yard sale to sell some jewelry.  I will get my set up and take a few pictures and post them. 

I am waiting for a table cloth.  I think that it is going to look amazing.  I have a black table cloth and hot pink fabric with tiny silver sparkle dots.  I am really happy with it so far.  Everything is almost in.. still waiting for clips to hang a sign.  Here it is all set up in my basement:) 

 I just hope that the yard sale is going to bring in some money.  Hubby just got laid off on Friday so I have to kick the jewelry sales in high gear for a while.  We will make it work.

God Bless ♥♥
~Michelle
 

Summer

It has been challenging over the summer to make new jewelry work full time and make the summer fun for the boys. Here are some of my new creations that are available at MyMichelleJewelry.etsy.com. They are all in limited supply. I particularly like the earrings in the first frame because a good friend of mine went with me to the bead show and helped me pick them out. She lives across the country and it was just hanging around and chatting while we shopped. I hope you like them too. (the pair on the right have sold)

Here is some of what we have been up to over the past couple of months. We were on our way home from Chautauqua lake and stopped at Lake Erie and collected some stones and tossed a few in the lake. We also made a trip to Toronto, Canada. We went to the top of the CN tower and took in a Blue Jays game.  We walked all over the city and we really felt like city folk. We loved the people walking all over the city with their ipods dangling from their ears.  I enjoyed it so much then I remembered that one day winter and snow would descend upon the city and make the walking very challenging and chilly.

We had been promising our little one that we would take him to the Toronto zoo for many years now and we finally did.  Our zoo in Buffalo certainly leaves a bit to be desired and the Toronto zoo was a trip worth taking.

I have been working on earrings lately and hope to have a little more time now that the little men are headed back to the classroom.

~Michelle