Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Cookies

Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Cookies

Sometimes you need to step away from the normal chocolate chip cookie recipe and try something new. Since it's fall and apples are in season, its a perfect time to make apple cookies.

These are soft and chewy cookies that are packed full of flavor. I made two variations of these cookies. One using rice flour and one using all purpose flour. Both turned out delicious, so if you are gluten free feel free to make the switch and just use rice flour.

These are also great to make if you run out of chocolate chips and still want something sweet. Not like that ever happens in my house though...

Ingredients:

1/2 C butter

1/2 C granulated sugar

1/2 C brown sugar

1 egg

2 tsp vanilla

1 C flour

1 1/4 C oats

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1 chopped apple

1 tsp lemon juice
1 cup raisins 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350

2. Toss the chopped apple with the lemon juice. 

3. In another bowl, cream together the butter and the sugars. 

4. Add in the egg and the vanilla extract. 

5. Add in the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. 

6. Once just combined, add in the chopped apple and oats. Next stir in the raisins. 

7. Spoon onto a lined baking sheet. Bake for 11-13 minutes. 

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Nutella Chocolate Pinwheel Cookies

Pinwheel Cookies

Nothing is better then a pretty cookie. These are a chocolate/vanilla soft sugar cookie. This is a recipe that you have to prepare ahead of time, because some freezing of the dough is required. 

It is a good cookie to make around the holidays or to impress someone. These are slice and bake cookies so you can make the dough up to three months in advance and bake as needed. 

This is what the uncooked dough looks like. We added a nutella layer in between the chocolate and the vanilla.

The cookies puff up a lot while baking. On the left is the unbaked dough, and on the right is the cookies after they come out of the oven. 

The cookies are really big and really soft. They are not incredibly sweet so if you are looking for a flavor more like store bought sugar cookies, simply add in some more sugar. 

Ingredients: 

3/4 C butter

1 C sugar

1 egg

2 tsp vanilla extract

2 tablespoons milk

2 C flour

3/4 tablespoon baking powder

1/3 C Nutella (optional)

4 tablespoons cocoa mixed with 2 tablespoons milk, 2 tablespoons melted butter, and 2 tablespoons sugar

Directions:

1. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter. Mix with 2 tablespoons of milk, 2 tablespoons of sugar, and 4 tablespoons of cocoa. Set aside

2. In a separate bowl, cream 1 C butter and 1 C sugar until light and fluffy. 

3. Add in the egg and vanilla extract. 

4. Add in the milk. Beat until smooth 

5. Add in the flour and baking powder. 

6. Take about 1/3 of this vanilla dough and add it to the reserved chocolate dough. Beat together until the entire dough is chocolate. This forms your chocolate dough. 

7. On a piece of wax paper, roll half of the vanilla dough out until it is about a 8x8 square. On a separate piece of wax paper do the same with half of the chocolate dough. 

8. Lay the chocolate dough square on top of the vanilla dough square. This can be easily done by flipping the chocolate dough onto the vanilla dough and then peeling off the wax paper. Spread the nutella on top of the chocolate layer. 

9. Starting from one end, tightly roll the dough into a log. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap or the wax paper. 

10. Roll the second half of the dough into a log using the same fashion. 

11. Refrigerate the dough for about 30 minutes. 

12. Remove the dough from the fridge and roll on counter to retain circular shape and prevent one side from flattening 

13. Place the dough in the freezer for about a hour. At this point you can cut and bake the dough as needed. 

14. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350. Take the log of dough and cut it into 1/4 inch thickness with a sharp knife. 

15. Place slices on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes.

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Apple Cake

Apple Cake 

The main ingredient in this cake is apples. That means its healthy. Right? While I was making my apple crumble pie, I had some left over apples so I decided to make a apple cake. While I love apple cake, my neighbor had never heard of it, so the left over apples were a perfect excuse to let her try it.

 This is a soft and sweet cake. The batter is very thick and the cake itself is very dense. The recipe has cinnamon and nutmeg in it, so it takes similar to a apple pie but without all of the mess of cutting a pie with a loose filling.

I added butterscotch chips to this batch of mini apple pies. It compliments the flavors surprisingly well.

However the first time I made this cake, I iced it rather then adding anything extra to the recipe itself.

The icing makes the cake very sweet and more dessert like. If you omit the icing the cake can easily be eaten as a breakfast alternative.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 C flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1 C granulated sugar

3/4 C oil (or butter)

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

3 diced apples

1 C butterscotch chips (optional)

Optional icing: 1/8 C milk 1 1/2 C powdered sugar 1/8 C butter 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Grease either 3 mini cake pans or 1 9-inch round cake pan. If you double this recipe it will fill a 9x13 pan perfectly. 

2. In a bowl mix together the oil, sugars, egg, and vanilla.  

3. Add in the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir until combined

4. Add in the chopped apples and butterscotch chips. 

5. Pour into the prepared pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until done. 

6. Once cool, pour on icing if desired. 

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Apple Crumble Pie

Apple Crumble Pie 

I wanted to make a apple pie, but I already had a pre-made graham cracker crust that I wanted to use. So I combined the two ideas. It has the filling of a apple pie and the topping of a apple crumble. My neighbors invited me over for dinner, since I'm known for always bringing them cookies when I am home, obviously I had to bring a dessert. They thought I had bought the pie and brought it over. I think that means it was a job well done. 

The filling is fairly simple to make with no pre-baking of the apples required. You mix the few ingredients together then pour it into a hot pre-baked pie shell. 

Next the crumble goes on top. After distributing the crumble, I added extra cinnamon to the top.

After a quick trip to the oven it will come our golden brown and smelling delicious. This pie stays together really well. It is easy to cut and holds its shape when you cut into it, unlike some apple pie recipes. We served it warm with a scoop of ice cream. 

Ingredients:

3 chopped apples

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/2 C granulated sugar

1/4 C brown sugar

3 tablespoons flour

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1 9 inch Graham cracker crust (prebaked)

Toppings: 

3/4 C flour

1/4 C granulated sugar

1/4 C brown sugar

1/4 C butter
1 tsp cinnamon 

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350. Bake graham cracker crust for 15 minutes. 

2. Combine the chopped apples, lemon juice, sugars, flour, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. This will form a sauce around the apples. 

3. Pour the apple mixture into the pie crust. 

4. Make the crumble. Take the 1/4 C butter and cut it into cubes. Add in the flour and the sugars. Stir the ingredients together (using your hands if necessary) until the mixture resembles crumbs that will stick together. 

5. Spoon the crumble over the apples until all of the apple mixture is covered. Next sprinkle the cinnamon on the crumble. 

6. Bake for 30 minutes or until the crumble is golden brown. 

7. Let cool, cut, and enjoy! 

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Cookies n' Cream Blossoms

Hershey's Cookies n' Cream Blossoms 

Theres something about blossom cookies. I don't know what it is, but I'm always compelled to make more. This time I ventured from the traditional peanut butter cookie base. These are a chocolate cookie topped with a cookies n' cream kiss. My new weakness.

I made these for Gina's friend who is currently in med school. I express shipped them, however they didn't survive the journey that well.

They're very sweet and chewy. The white chocolate in the kiss complements the chocolaty-ness of the cookie.

After I made this batch, I still had some left over cookies n' cream kisses as well as a whole bag of dark chocolate kisses. So obviously I had to make more cookies.

I made a batch of the normal peanut butter blossom cookies and topped them with assorted chocolate kisses. You can find the recipe for the peanut butter blossoms here. 

Ingredients:

1/2 C butter (softened)

1/2 C brown sugar

1/2 C white sugar 

1 tsp vanilla

1 egg

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt 

1/2 C cocoa powder

1 1/2 C flour 

1 bag Hershey's cookies n' cream kisses 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Unwrap the cookies and cream kisses and put them in the freezer

2. Cream together the butter and the sugars

3. Beat in the egg and then stir in the vanilla

4. Add in the baking powder, salt, cocoa powder, and flour. Once all added stir. Add in more flour if batter is to sticky to handle

5. Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes. 

6. Roll the dough out into 1inch balls. Roll the balls in a small bowl of granulated sugar then place 2 inches apart on a parchment lined baking sheet. 

7. Bake the cookies for 8 minutes. 

8. Once taken out of the oven, quickly push a cold kiss into the top of each cookie. Then don't disturb the cookies until the kisses are set. Other wise the kiss will turn into a puddle of chocolate. 

9. Refrigerate the cookies until the kisses are set. Then eat and enjoy! 

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Swirl Cookies

Peanut Butter Chocolate Swirl Cookies

When you can't choose between peanut butter and chocolate these are the cookies to bake. These are the cookie form of reeces. They are part peanut butter and part chocolate. The two flavors combine to form the perfect cookie. 

My used to be favorite doctor that worked at urgent care recently left. Gina and I made these for her as a going away treat. Her going away party was at a korean BBQ. Man was it delicious. 

Since two different types of doughs are being used, it is important to chill the doughs. Otherwise one side may bake a little faster and one side will end up a little flatter. 

Ingredients:

Chocolate dough

1/2 C butter

1/2 C granulated sugar

1/2 C brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 C flour 

1/2 C cocoa powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 tablespoon of milk

1 C peanut butter chips 

Peanut Butter dough

1/2 C butter

1/2 C brown sugar

1/2 C granulated sugar

1 egg

1/2 C peanut butter

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 C flour

1 C chocolate chips 

Directions: 

1. Make the peanut butter dough. Cream together the butter and the sugars. Then beat in the egg and vanilla. Next add in the peanut butter. Add in the baking soda, salt, and flour. Once all added then mix until just combined. 

2. Make the chocolate dough. Cream together the butter and the sugars. Next beat in the egg and vanilla. In a separate bowl sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, and cocoa powder. Slowly add this to the wet mixture. Next mix in the milk. Then the peanut butter chips. 

3. Chill both of the doughs for 2 hours. 

4. Preheat oven to 350

5. Take a tablespoon ball of each dough and smush them together. Roll these balls together into a larger ball. 

6. Bake the cookies for 10 minutes. Let cool on cookie sheet until set. 

Makes 2 dozens cookies.  

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Cranberry Bread

Cranberry Bread 

Its like thanksgiving in August. This bread is good anytime of the day. Since this recipe makes 4 small loafs I got to enjoy it for breakfast... until someone else ate it all when I wasn't looking. 

This is not a sweet bread. The cranberries add a tart flavor. Personally I think this bread tastes better the second or third day, after the flavors have had time to sit and blend together. 

Like many breakfasts breads, it is very filling. However it doesn't leave you with that too full feeling afterwards. It tastes good toasted or cold out of the refrigerator. 

My mother had no problem polishing off a mini loaf to herself in one sitting. 

Ingredients

4 Tablespoons Butter Melted
3/4 Cup of Nonfat Milk
1 Egg
2 Cups of Flour
1 Cup of Dark Brown Sugar
1 1/2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 Teaspoon Salt
10 Ounces of Cranberries

Directions:

1.Preheat over to 350.
2.Mix together butter, milk and egg.
3.Add in flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and soda.
4.Fold in cranberries. Pour into 4 greased mini loaf pans or one 9x5 bread pan.
5. Bake for 40 minutes
Fills 4 mini loaves or one 9x5 bread pan. 

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Pretzel Caramel Cookies.

Pretzel Caramel Cookies

I wanted to bake something salty and sweet. I made these for some of my friends along with the peanut butter banana cookies.

I used a mixture of cream cheese and butter in these cookies. This led to a ultra fluffy and soft cookies. Some say they almost taste healthy.

The pretzels will stay crunchy in the cookies for about two days, after that I'm not sure since none of the cookies made it till then.

Ingredients:

1/4 C butter

1/4 C cream cheese 

1/2 C granulated sugar

1/2 C brown sugar

1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract 

1 1/4 C flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 C chocolate chips

1/2 C pretzels 

1/2 C chopped caramels 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line a baking pan with parchment paper 

2. Cream together the butter and cream cheese

3. Beat in the sugars until mixture is light and fluffy 

4. Add in the egg and the vanilla 

5. Add in the flour, baking soda, and salt. Stir until combined. 

6. Fold in the chocolate chips, pretzels, and chopped caramels. 

7. Bake for 10-15minutes or until golden brown. Let cool on wire rack. 

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Strawberry Muffins

Strawberry Muffins 

Nothing is better for breakfast then muffins fresh out of the oven. Strawberries were on sale at the market so I bought a ton, later to find out I'm the only one in the house who likes strawberries. Gina made these muffins to help use up the strawberries. 

These are moist, soft, and fluffy muffins. Normally if you over mix the muffin mix the muffins turn out dense, but with this recipe feel free to mix to your hearts content.

Even after baking, the strawberries retain their moisture. Making each bite even better. 

This recipe makes about 14 muffins.

Ingredients:

1/4 Cup Oil
1 Egg
1/2 Cup Milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup white sugar
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups strawberries

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line a muffin pan.
2.Blend oil, egg and milk together.
3.Add in salt, baking powder, sugar and flour. Stir.
4. Fold in chopped strawberries. The batter may turn pink
5. Bake for 20-25 minutes. 

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Dr. Pepper Brownies

Dr. Pepper Brownies 

I've seen tons of recipes using soda. The majority of them used just a box of cake mix and a sprite. I wanted to try a recipe with soda, except I didn't have a can of sprite.. or cake mix. So Dr. Pepper brownies were born.

These brownies are moist and chocolatey with a hint of Cherry Dr. Pepper. They are almost cake like. The brownie itself is a lot less dense compared to my other brownie recipes.

To enhance the Dr. Pepper flavor, I made a glaze for the brownies. All it is, is Dr. Pepper and powdered sugar. I pricked the top layer of the cake when it was still hot. That way when I poured the warm glaze on, some of it was absorbed by the brownies.

The brownies taste best after you allow the glaze to cool and seep in. Similar to the same idea of a poke cake.

This recipe would also work out great with cupcakes. I will be making these again, but maybe experimenting with some different soda flavors. Cherry Coke cake anyone?

Ingredients:

1 C Diet Cherry Dr. Pepper

1/4 C butter

1 egg

1/4 C brown sugar

1/4 C granulated sugar

1/4 C cocoa powder

1 tsp cornstarch

1 1/2 C flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/8 tsp salt 

For the glaze: 1 C powdered sugar 1 tablespoon dr. pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line a 9x9 pan with tin foil. Then spray with a non-stick spray

2. Combine the butter, egg, and Dr. Pepper in a bowl. 

3. Add in the sugars. 

4. Add in the cocoa, cornstarch, baking soda, salt, and flour. Mix until combined

5. Pour the mixture into the greased pan and bake for 20-25 minutes or until done. 

6. Make the glaze while the brownies are cooking , combine the powdered sugar and the Dr. Pepper in a small bowl

7. When the Brownies it done prick the top with a knife multiple times (so the glaze will sink into the brownies) 

8. Pour the glaze over the brownies while the brownies are still warm. Let cool, then cut and enjoy! 

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