So I've been staring at this recipe for 30 minutes now and I can't think of anything to write to convince you that you should try this... except that it's warm, cinnamon-y apple pie, amazing caramel sauce, and a crumble topping.  Seriously.  Need I say more?  Enjoy!


Caramel Apple Pie
Use this recipe for quick and amazing Homemade Caramel Sauce, and take this pie to the next level!

• 1 9-inch pie crust
• Apples (4 Granny Smith, 2 Pink Lady, Gala, or other apple of choice)
• 1/3 c dark brown sugar
• 1/3 c white sugar
• 2 Tbsp flour
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 3/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp cloves
• Lemon juice
• 1/4 cup caramel sauce

Topping

• 1/3 cup flour
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp cinnamon
• 3/4 cup old fashioned oats
• 1/3 cup finely chopped pecans
• 1/3 cup melted butter

• 1/2 cup caramel sauce, divided

It's September and Fall is in the air!  We've even had a few days that cooled off enough to feel fall-like here in CA!  (Ok, so I'm pretty sure there were only two of them, but they totally count!)

Day 1: Fail-proof No Bake Cookies
Day 2: Chocolate Pretzel Cookies
Day 3: Mini Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Whipped Maple Cream Cheese Filling
Day 4: Snickerdoodles
Day 5: Gingerbread Cookies
Day 6: Alfajores or Dulce de Leche sandwich cookies
Day 7: Almond Biscotti with Lemon

Ok.  So this is probably one of the easiest recipes I'll ever post.  Add to that the fact that they're essentially little flaky bites of goodness, this is definitely a winner.

Growing up, this was one of the best parts of making pies - when mom would use the leftover scraps of dough to make these delightful little cookies.  They're the perfect treat to share while you're waiting for your pie to cool down to a relatively safe eating temperature.  These cookies are so easy though, that you don't have to wait until the next time you bake a pie to make them.

Pie Crust Cookies

• prepared pie crust (use your favorite recipe, or try mine)
• cinnamon sugar

Preheat oven to 350.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.  Roll out pie crust dough on a lightly floured surface to abut 1/4 inch thick.  Use cookie cutters to cut the dough into different shapes.

Transfer to the prepared baking sheet and sprinkle liberally with cinnamon sugar.  Bake about 10 minutes, until lightly golden.  Let cool on the baking sheet.  Enjoy!

November's here and it's time to start thinking about Thanksgiving.  Are you hosting Thanksgiving dinner this year?  We typically get together with my husband's family and have a big potluck dinner.  This year though, is the first year that we have our own place AND we're not travelling for the holidays and I kind of want to host our own dinner with friends.  It's ok to do two, right?  :)

When it comes to planning a dinner party (especially something on the scale of Thanksgiving dinner), I find that writing out all the little details early on makes things run smoothly and keeps me from getting stressed out.  It also gives me time to notice anything I may have missed, so I'm not frantically rushing to the store at the last possible second.


The first step is getting the invitations out.  It doesn't matter how perfectly executed your dinner party is, if no one shows up!  I found this darling idea a while ago at sheknows.com and filed it away for the perfect opportunity, and I think this is it!  They look almost good enough to eat.  How fun would it be to get a piece of "pumpkin pie" in the mail?  These would also be fun to send to family that's far away - let them know you're thinking of them during the holidays.  (They have another fun idea for a slice of cake that would make a fun birthday card or party invitation as well)

I haven't tried it yet, but the tutorial looks straightforward and pretty simple.  It does take some time since there is a lot of drying involved though, so I'll have to get started soon if I'm going to get them out in time.

A few things to remember: these are like postcards - there's very little room on the back to write, and it's out and available for anyone to read.  Use discretion with what you write and don't put too much personal information out there.  You don't want some random person from the post office showing up to your Thanksgiving dinner!  :)  Mine will read something like: "Bring your ap'pie'tite and join us for Thanksgiving dinner  - the Nielsens."  Tell me if you decide to make this, and how it turns out!  I'd love to know how it goes.  And feel free to use my cheesy one-liner.  :)

Baked apple desserts are some of my favorite things.  I love how the apple and cinnamon smell permeates the house during baking.  In fact, during my freshman year of college I'm pretty sure I lived on apple pie.  I made one at least once a week! ...and I may have eaten it for breakfast...often.  It's basically the same as oatmeal with applesauce and cinnamon right?  :)

I recently ended up with way too many apples in my fridge and needed to use them quickly.  I was in the mood for both apple pie and apple crisp, but I didn't have quite enough apples for both.  So I decided to make a few changes and combined the two!  I cut way back on the spices, ditched the lattice top and used the topping for my apple crisp.  I love the way it turned out!

Easy Apple Crumble Pie

• 1 9-inch pie crust
• Apples (4 Granny Smith, 2 Pink Lady, Gala, or other apple of choice)
• 1/3 c dark brown sugar
• 1/3 c white sugar
• 2 Tbsp flour
• 1 Tbsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp cloves
• Lemon juice

Topping

• 1/3 c flour
• 1/2 c dark brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 Tbsp cinnamon
• 1 c old fashioned oats
• 1/3 c melted butter

Peel and slice the apples very thin - about 1/4 inch.  Soak in a bowl of cold water and lemon juice while you prep the rest of the ingredients (keeps the apples crisp and keeps them from turning brown).

In a large bowl, combine the sugars, flour, and spices.  Mix well and mash out any lumps caused by the brown sugar.  Drain the apples and add to the sugar mixture.  Toss well to coat.

Preheat oven to 425.  Roll out pie crust and place into the pie pan.  Fill crust with apples and any juice left over in the bowl.

For the topping, combine the flour, brown sugar, salt, and cinnamon.  Again, mash out any lumps from the brown sugar.  Stir in the oats.  Melt the butter and stir in until everything is combined.  Set aside.

Bake at 425 until the crust begins to brown - about 15 minutes.  Take the pie out of the oven (yes, I know that seems like a weird step, but just trust me on this one) and sprinkle topping over the apples.  Make sure any open spaces are covered - you may not use all of the topping, but any leftovers are great on ice-cream!

Reduce the heat to 350 and continue baking for 30-45 minutes, until the apples are soft enough for your liking. Tent with aluminum foil if the crust or topping is getting too dark.

Let cool at least 1 hr.  The filling needs to set up so it doesn't turn into apple soup when you cut into it.  Three or four hours is ideal, but I understand... sometimes it's hard to wait that long.  :)

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cups Crisco
• Ice water

At this point I like to put it into the freezer for about 10 minutes.  It's very important to keep the dough cold!  **Note - if you want to make a big batch for later, make it up to this point and then store it in a freezer bag in the freezer until you need it.**



Apple Pie

• Dough for 2 Pie Crusts
• 3 lbs apples (Granny Smith are a must, but I like to use a mix of green and red apples)
• Lemon juice

• 1/2 cup Brown sugar
• 1/2 cup White sugar
• 3 Tablespoons Flour
• 2 Tablespoons + 2 teaspoons Cinnamon, divided
• 2 teaspoons Nutmeg
• 2 Tablespoons salted Butter, cut into chunks
• Milk or Heavy Cream for brushing
• Sugar for sprinkling (I like to use coarse sugar crystals for extra sparkle)

Peel, core, and slice apples.  Place cut apples in a large bowl of water and lemon juice to keep them from turning brown.

In a separate bowl, mix sugars, flour, 2 Tablespoons of cinnamon, and nutmeg.  Mash out any lumps.

Drain liquid from apples and pour sugar mixture over top.  Mix until all apples are well coated.  Set aside.

Preheat oven to 425.  Roll out two circles of pie dough for top and bottom crust, to about 1/4 inch thickness.  Roll one crust around the rolling pin or loosely fold in half and then in half again and gently lay into pie pan.

Fill crust with apple mixture, dropping pieces of butter on top and throughout.  Sprinkle lightly with remaining cinnamon.
Cut slits in top crust and place on top of pie or cut into strips and make a lattice top.

Pinch edges between thumb and fingers to seal.  Cut off excess dough.

Brush top crust with milk or heavy cream and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake for about 20 minutes, until crust is golden brown.  Cover with foil (to keep edges from burning) and continue to cook until apples test done, about 30 minutes.  Let pie cool 30 minutes to 1 hour before serving. 


*When baking the pie, it's always helpful to place a cookie sheet on the rack below the pie to catch any drips (and apple pie can be juicy).  It's a lot easier to clean them off the pan than it is the oven!

While it looks elegant and as though you spent all day baking, a lattice top is super easy to make.  Follow these step-by-step instructions and illustrations and it'll be a breeze!  
Fold back strips 2 and 4 and lay a strip crosswise over the others.   Lay strips 2 and 4 back down.  Next fold back 1, 3, and 5.  Lay another strip across crosswise.  Fold 1, 3, and 5 back down.