Sunday, October 28, 2018

Easy Apple Dumplings

Easy Apple Dumplings

A fall weekend. A bag of apples. A mission.
To find a new and delicious apple dessert.
We started Saturday morning with 3 different ideas.
 Well, one turned out horrible,
  one we still aren't giving up on yet,
 and one turned out great.
This one! 
A couple of us that were here on Saturday
 might have had 2 or 3 of these. Not really naming names.
(Dakota and Jim)
Nice and warm straight from the oven 
with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Yum! We can still smell it.


Super simple to make. 
The only hard part is peeling the apples.
 And making yourself stop eating them.



Keep stirring until it turns "caramel like"


Pour over the dumplings.


Then pour the Sprite AROUND not on the dumplings.


30 minutes later.



Easy Apple Dumplings
2 small apples, peeled & cored
2 tubes of Pillsbury Crescent Rolls
1 cup butter
2/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1 cup Sprite soda

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray.
Cut each apple into 8 equal wedges.
Separate the crescent dough into 16 triangles.
Put an apple wedge at the small end and roll up. 
Pinch all around to seal.
Put in the prepared dish
Melt the butter in a microwave safe bowl .
Add the sugars and cinnamon.
Stir and stir and stir until well combined.
Pour over the dumplings.
Pour the Sprite in the dish around the dumplings NOT on top of them.
Bake about 30 minutes. 
The dumplings will be golden brown and the apples tender.
Remove and let sit for about 10 minutes.
They are very good served with ice cream or alone.
Enjoy!












Sunday, October 21, 2018

Mini Texas Sheet Cake

Mini Texas Sheet Cake

You know that feeling you get 
when you are craving something sweet and chocolatey  
like...Texas Sheet Cake....
and nothing else will do. 
I was having that craving
 but only one or two other members of our family like it. 
If you’re familiar with Texas Sheet Cake you know it’s a good size cake.
 Probably why it's named after the state of Texas.
So I thought how about we take our recipe and cut it in half. 
Using a quarter size sheet pan,
which is about 9.1”x 12.5” x 1.1” I cut our favorite recipe in half.
You know it’s a favorite recipe when the cookbook’s pages 
 are splattered in chocolate 
so you KNOW which page to turn to. 
It turned out great and was just the right size.

Now when I get a craving for something sweet and chocolate
 I don't have to give half of it away to the neighbors.
I don't think they were complaining though.

Mini Texas Sheet Cake
Print
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup butter
2 Tbsp cocoa
1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional)
1 Tbsp cocoa
1/4 cup butter
3 Tbsp milk

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Cake
Bring the 1/2 cup butter, 2 Tbsp cocoa, and 1/2 cup water to a boil and let cool.

Mix together the first six ingredients.

Add the butter, cocoa, and water mixture when cooled.

Mix well and pour into a greased quarter size sheet pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes.

Icing
Bring 1 Tbsp cocoa, 1/4 cup butter, and 3 Tbsp milk to a boil.
Mix with the powdered sugar, vanilla, and nuts (if desired).
Beat well.
Pour over cake as soon as it comes out of the oven. 
We have been know to double the icing recipe for a thick chocolate icing. 

Enjoy!


Saturday, October 6, 2018

S'more Whoopie Pies

S'more Whoopie Pies

Where there's a fire,
there's a marshmallow roasting.
But what about when there is no fire?
Well, sometimes we roast marshmallows
over charcoal after grilling dinner
or over the burner of the stove
(but only when we are really desperate).
And sometimes we make these:
s'more whoopie pies!

 Whoopie pies are really just like
cupcake sandwiches.
You can take any kind of cake,
add any type of soft filling,
and voila--whoopie pie.
You may remember our classic


 For these, you'll need graham flour,
which is kinda hard to find.
We tried to substitute buckwheat flour
and it was okay in a pinch.
(Notice some of the cakes in the pics have a darker color?
That's the buckwheat flour.)
But if you really want to evoke that classic s'more flavor,
find the graham flour. It's worth it.
We  order ours on Amazon.


The cake tastes like a cake version of a graham cracker.
The ganache is, well, ganache...so yum!
And the filling is like the center of a
 gooey, melty, roasted marshmallow.


Pro-tips (well, semi-pro anyway): 
1. Use a piping bag to get the fluffy, delicious filling on to your cakes.
2. Make sure you let the ganache cool completely
and firm up enough to spread on the "lid" or you'll get this mess.


Some of us prefer semi-sweet chocolate for the ganache,
and some prefer milk chocolate.

These are great cold from the refrigerator,
but the marshmallow filling is best room temperature!


 S'more Whoopie Pies

Cake:
1 1/2 cups graham flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons butter, room temperature
4 tablespoons vegetable shortening
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375°
and line baking sheet with parchment.

Combine flours, baking powder, and salt.
In a separate bowl, beat together
butter, shortening, and brown sugar.
Add the eggs and buttermilk, beating until combined.

In a measuring cup, combine the milk, baking soda, and vinegar.
Pour the milk mixture and flour mixture into the batter
and beat on low speed until just combined.
Add the vanilla then beat 2 minutes on medium speed.

Using a cookie scoop, drop about 1 tablespoon of batter onto
parchment-lined baking sheet.
Repeat, spacing them out about two inches apart.

Bake about 8-10 minutes, or until the cakes turn light golden brown.
Remove from the oven and let the cakes cool on the sheet
for at least 5 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.

Marshmallow Filling:
1 1/2 cups marshmallow creme
1 1/4 cups shortening
 1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Milk, as needed

Beat together marshmallow creme and shortening
for about 3 minutes until smooth and fluffy.
With the mixer on low, add the powdered sugar and vanilla,
beating until combined.
Increase speed to medium and beat 3 more minutes until fluffy.
If it is too stiff or thick, add a little drizzle of milk.

Chocolate Ganache:
8 ounces semisweet or milk chocolate chips
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Place chocolate in a heatproof bowl or large measuring cup.

Heat cream in a heavy saucepan over medium heat
just until it bubbles. (Or, if you want to be lazy like us,
microwave it until it is very hot!)

Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and let sit about 10 minutes.
Stir until smooth then let cool on the counter or in the fridge.


Enjoy!


Original recipe found in Whoopie Pies by Sarah Billingsley and Amy Treadwell.

Easy Apple Dumplings

Easy Apple Dumplings A fall weekend. A bag of apples. A mission. To find a new and delicious apple dessert. We started Saturday m...