Lesson #43: Grape-Apple Pie

I took a quick survey of people I know and nobody heard of a grape-apple pie before. Almost everybody eats apple pie, but I got some confused looks when I suggested adding grapes to the apples. I saw a recipe in the current issue of Bon Appetit magazine, so I was sufficiently intrigued to try this recipe.

Let me start off by saying that this pie requires some love (that's my code word for hands on time!). There are quite a few steps, but I think they are completely worth it. You first have to make a double pie crust, chill it in the fridge, cook the filling, chill the filling, pre-bake the bottom pie crust, add the filling, and bake the pie. If you have a free afternoon and don't mind baking, this recipe would be perfect to try.

The pie is WONDERFUL! It's sweeter than a traditional apple pie and turns a fun purple/pink color. The extra step of pre-baking the bottom pie crust is worth the effort - the next day the pie wasn't soggy at all. I took the pie to my parent's house and a few people had a piece for breakfast the next day! :)

LESSON LEARNED: Pre-bake the bottom pie crust - it's worth the extra time!

Recipe for Grape-Apple Pie

Lesson #42: Caramel Corn

I was super excited to try this new caramel corn recipe! I've been testing all the new recipes I want to make for Thanksgiving and this caramel corn is likely to make an appearance as a pre-Thanksgiving feast snack :)

The only part of the recipe that I was a little concerned about was popping the actual popcorn. Silly, right? Well, in our household, Justin is the master popcorn popper. We cook our popcorn using oil in a large pot over the stove (no microwave popcorn in our house!). He has perfected his method over the years and his popcorn turns out perfectly. I, on the other hand, always burn the popcorn. I wanted to make this recipe while he was at work, so I had to pop my own popcorn. Surprisingly, it didn't turn out too burnt - I only had to throw away a few handfuls of popcorn!

After making the popcorn, the rest of the recipe was easy. You make a quick caramel sauce (no candy thermometer needed!) and bake the popcorn at a low heat in the oven. The result is an AMAZINGLY crunchy, sweet popcorn. It was so good that I had to give most of it away so I didn't eat it all!

LESSON LEARNED: Making popcorn on the stove takes some finesse and practice!

Recipe for Caramel Corn

Lesson #41: Sweet & Salty Truffles

Here's my second attempt at making truffles (here's a link to my last post on truffle making)! I thought I would go with a sweet and salty combination. It's FABULOUS and satisfied my sweet & salty craving!

I think my truffle making skills have slightly improved. For my birthday, my mom bought me some dipping tools that made the chocolate dipping process go a little easier. At least I didn't have big globs of chocolate on the outside coating :)

However, in the spirit of always improving, I noticed that the truffles were not too round. They looked kinda bumpy and misshapen (or optimistically, they look very homemade). Sometimes I don't have enough patience to roll the chocolate ganache into perfect round ball (plus it's gets really sticky and melts if you handle it too much!). I bought a candy mold which you pour chocolate into to create perfect rounds, so that's what I'm going to try next.

No matter how they look, these truffles are YUMMY! Semi-sweet chocolate is paired with crushed pretzels to create a sweet & salty ganache. The outside layer is semi-sweet chocolate, but would be equally as good with milk chocolate.The finished truffles are sprinkled with a touch of course sugar and salt which provide a bit of crunch.

LESSON LEARNED: My truffle making has improved, but I could still use more work to fine-tune my technique.

Recipe for Sweet & Salty Truffles

Lesson #40: Peanut Butter Cup Rice Krispies Treats

We have an ongoing discussion in my house about how to improve Rice Krispies Treats. They are so DELICIOUS, and for a while, were one of my go-to desserts. This recipe is a hybrid of two ideas: Justin wanted me to stir in extra mini marshmallows and I wanted to use up our extra Halloween candy.

First, I followed the standard recipe by melting marshmallows and butter together in a pan. I mixed in the cereal and then added the extra mini marshmallows. I then melted some peanut butter, mixed in chopped peanut butter cups, and layered it on top of the cereal treats. For an extra layer of chocolate-y goodness, I melted milk chocolate kisses and layered this on top of the peanut butter. After they cooled, I cut them into squares to share with my afternoon class!

Seriously, these cereal treats ROCK! This picture makes me want to have another one right now :)

LESSON LEARNED: Leftover Halloween candy can be turned into a delicious dessert!

Recipe for Peanut Butter Cup Rice Krispies Treats

Lesson #38: Crunchy Chocolate Snickerdoodle Cookies

If you are in the mood for a crunchy cookie, this will satisfy your craving! I saw this recipe in Food & Wine Magazine this month and immediately put it on my list of recipes for the week.

The cookies are too overwhelmingly chocolate-y and are rolled in a cinnamon/sugar mixture before baking. As the cookies bake, they puff up and form cracks around the edges. They look picture PERFECT! Another GREAT thing about these cookies is that the dough is stiff enough that it doesn't need to be refrigerated before baking. You could mix up these cookies and eat them within half an hour!

LESSON LEARNED: These cookies are fast and easy to make!

Recipe for Crunchy Chocolate Snickerdoodle Cookies

Lesson #37: Chocolate-Filled Sweet Potato Cupcakes

Last weekend while we were in Atlanta, my mother-in-law Laurie gave me this recipe. We both agreed it sounded good and different than typical cupcakes, so I was excited to try it!

There are two special things about these cupcakes: mashed sweet potatoes are incorporated into the batter, and part way through baking, a chocolate kiss is placed in the partially baked cupcake. The cupcakes are simple to put together and are DELICIOUS!

The cupcakes have a wonderful sweet and starchy flavor from the sweet potatoes. Pumpkin pie spice is also added to the batter which gives them a warm & spicy flavor. The chocolate frosting combines both milk and bittersweet chocolate - which perfectly compliments the chocolate kiss in the center of the cupcake. These are a PERFECT addition to your favorite fall desserts!

LESSON LEARNED: Placing a chocolate kiss partway through the baking time, prevents the chocolate from sinking to the bottom of the cupcake.

Recipe for Chocolate-Filled Sweet Potato Cupcakes

Lesson #36: Pumpkin Roll Cake

Have you ever walked by the roll cakes in the grocery store and wondered if you could make one? I have, so I decided to try! This post documents my first attempt. The cake wasn't as pretty as it could be, but it tasted FANTASTIC! Taste trumps presentation (for me at least) any day. Here's what I learned so far:

1) Making the cake was easy. The cake is very light in texture (it contains no butter!) because of whipped eggs whites which are folded into the batter.

2) When you flip the cake after you bake it, place a kitchen towel on a sheet pan, lay the towel & pan on top of the cake, and then flip it. You sprinkle powdered sugar on the hot cake before you flip, so I tried to flip it without an extra pan and powdered sugar went everywhere!

3) Be patient! The cake has to cool completely before you try to unroll the cake (you first roll the cake while it's warm). If you don't wait until the cake is cool, it will crack. That's what happened to me :(

Even though the cake was messy looking, this was an AWESOME cake! The cake was light, fluffy, and delightfully pumpkin-y. The cream filling is slightly sweet, has a hint of rum flavor, and contains toffee pieces which provide a bit of crunch.

LESSON LEARNED: Rolled cakes are a little tricky!

Recipe for Pumpkin Roll Cake