Maple-Fried Apples & Maple-Mustard Pork Tenderloin

October 24, 2012
Double maple-icious! ... Maple-Mustard Pork Tenderloin and Maple-Fried Apples go fabulously together.


Since moving to The South, I've learned that we fry everything down here.  The classic -- fried okra, fried green tomatoes, fried turkey.  The new-to-me-but-I-love-it -- fried squash, fried pickles.  And the okay-who-thought-of-that? -- fried Oreos.  Yes, one of the little local cafes I frequent serves fried Oreos as a dessert. {Oh, and it's totally fabulous! ... in case you were wondering.}

And all these fried things are typically deep-fried.  Ya know, in all kinds of smokin' hot oil that the food-of-choice is completely submerged in until it's a crunchy golden brown, oh-so-delicious-but-no-so-great-for-you bite.

So, when I encountered 'fried apples' on a menu one day, ...
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Gingerbread Vampire Cookies

October 20, 2012
Who says gingerbread cookies are just for Christmas?  These gingerbread men have donned vampire costumes for Halloween!  Whip up a batch of these adorable Gingerbread Vampire Cookies to bring some extra fun to your Halloween festivities.

 
Who says gingerbread men are just for Christmas?  Not these guys.  These gingerbread men cookies have put on their vampire costumes for Halloween!

I wish I could take credit for this clever idea ... but alas, I cannot. 

17

Vermont Maple No-Bake Cookies

October 17, 2012
Classic no-bake cookies get an extra special twist in these Vermont Maple No-Bake Cookies.  They're pure Vermont maple deliciousness!



I am a huge fan of maple syrup.  Pure Vermont maple syrup, to be exact.  As many of you already know, I grew up in Vermont.  Since moving to North Carolina (eighteen years ago after finishing college), I still have Vermont maple syrup shipped to me from my favorite Vermont sugar shack.  For me, there's just no substitute.

So when I had the opportunity to try Tonewood Maple's syrup, ...
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Nutella Waffles

October 11, 2012
Yummy Nutella waffles ... for breakfast, brunch, or dessert. How about a Nutella waffle sundae, anyone?



It's been a big couple of weeks here at The Kitchen is My Playground, with this little slice of blogland reaching two pretty cool milestones.  At least I think they're pretty cool!

So what are these cool milestones, you ask?  Well, please allow me to share ...
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Apple Pie Cookies {aka: 4-Bite Apple Pies}

October 7, 2012
Loaded with homemade apple pie filling, these Apple Pie Cookies are the perfect fall sweet treat.  They're like eating a mini little 4-bite apple pie!  Make a batch for tailgating, game day nibbling, after school snacking, or toss them in lunchboxes as an extra special treat. 

Apple Pie Cookies Image


One of my absolute favorite fall things to do is go apple picking.  While we don't do it every year, fall apple picking is a fairly regular activity for our family.

Now a-days, we head for a day trip to the North Carolina mountains to get our {almost} annual stash of fresh apples.  But as a kid?  Apple picking meant just a quick little pop through the woods from our house to the local apple orchard.

And admittedly on occasion, us kids would make a quick little sneak attack on one of the back apple trees to grab a snack ... running a mad dash back into the woods to enjoy it so we wouldn't get caught.  Thankfully, I never got caught ... but I do remember hearing the orchard farmer yell at my brother a time or two!

I filled the cookies with a chunky homemade apple pie filling and made them a size that's pretty much a hand-held, 4-bite mini apple pie.

Well, I decided these adorable little Apple Pie Cookies would be a fantastic way to enjoy some of our latest apple picking haul.  And I was right ... because these cookies are enjoyable, indeed.

I filled the cookies with a chunky homemade apple pie filling and made them a size that's pretty much a hand-held, 4-bite mini apple pie.

Keep in mind the crust-to-filling ratio on these mini pies is higher than for a traditional apple pie.  So, for all you crust lovers out there, here's an apple pie that's an added bonus for you!

Mini Apple Pies Image

Making these cookies is pretty much just like assembling an apple pie ... only smaller.

Start by making a chunky apple pie filling on the stove top.  Just gently simmer some chopped apples, spices, cornstarch, and a bit of water for about 10 minutes until thickened.

Making Homemade Apple Pie Filling Image

Cut rounds from prepared pie crust and then place a dollop of apple filling in the middle of some of the rounds ...

Apple Pie Cookies Homemade Apple Pie Filling Image

Top each filled round with another pie crust round.  Use a little water to get the dough rounds to adhere well to each other.

Then crimp the edges with the tines of a fork to seal the cookies.

How to Make Apple Pie Cookies Image

Once sealed, brush each pie cookie with egg wash, being sure to get some egg wash over the entire surface of the cookie ... even the crimped edges.

The egg wash is an important step for developing the pie-like look of these cookies.

Since these "mini pies" won't be in the oven for as long as a full-size pie, they don't develop a nicely browned crust without the egg wash.  Once baked, the egg wash gives the cookies a nice golden brown color.

Brushing Apple Pie Cookies with Egg Wash Image

Finally, cut small slits in the top crust of each cookie and bake them up.

The slits allow steam to escape from the inside of the cookies as they bake, just like slits do for a regular-sized pie.  They also add a little touch of decoration to the cookies, making them look extra cute.

Whip up a batch for tailgating, game day nibbling, after school snacking, or toss them in  the kids' lunchboxes as an extra special treat.

Bake them up, and in about 15 to 20 minutes you'll have warm hand-held 4-bite apple pies!

Loaded with a simple homemade apple pie filling, these tasty little cookies are the perfect fall sweet treat.  Whip up a batch for tailgating, game day nibbling, after school snacking, or toss them in  the kids' lunchboxes as an extra special treat.

I know I sure enjoyed these as a perfect fall treat for my lunchbox!

Check out these other tasty little-bite dessert recipes:
4-Bite Apple Pies Image
Thank you for stopping by The Kitchen is My Playground.  We'd love to have you back soon!


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Cookies & Bars
Yield: about 12-15 cookies

Apple Pie Cookies {aka: 4-Bite Apple Pies}

Loaded with homemade apple pie filling, these Apple Pie Cookies are the perfect fall sweet treat. They're like eating a mini little 4-bite apple pie! Make a batch for tailgating, game day nibbling, after school snacking, or toss them in lunchboxes as an extra special treat.
prep time: 40 Mcook time: 20 Mtotal time: 60 M

ingredients:

For the Filling:
For Assembly:
  • Pie crust for a two-crust pie, store-bought or use your favorite homemade recipe
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/4 tsp. water
  • sanding sugar or granulated sugar for sprinkling on top (optional)

instructions:

How to cook Apple Pie Cookies {aka: 4-Bite Apple Pies}

For the Filling:
  1. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. 
  2. Add chopped apples, water, sugar, brown sugar, cornstarch, ground cinnamon, salt, ground nutmeg, and ground cloves. Stir to combine.
  3. Gently simmer over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, or until apples are tender and "saucy" but still have some tender chunky pieces. Set aside to cool slightly.
For Assembly:
  1. Roll out the pie crust on a lightly floured surface until about 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. Use a 2 1/2 to 3-inch round cookie cutter or biscuit cutter to cut out as many rounds as possible from the dough (you'll need two rounds for each cookie).
  2. Transfer half of the rounds to a baking sheet and brush the edges with a tiny bit of water (this helps seal the rounds).
  3. Place about 2 measuring teaspoons of apple filling in the center of each round (do not over-fill). Top each with one of the remaining rounds. Press the edges to seal each pie cookie, and then use a fork to crimp the edges.
  4. Prepare an egg wash by lightly beating together the egg and 1/4 teaspoon of water.
  5. Brush each pie cookie with egg wash, being sure to get some egg wash over the entire surface of the cookie. (Since these mini pies won't be in the oven for as long as a full-size pie, they don't develop a nicely browned crust without the egg wash. The egg wash gives them a nice golden brown color.)
  6. Sprinkle the tops with a pinch of sanding sugar or granulated sugar, if using. Use a small knife to cut slits in the top of each pie cookie.
To Bake:
  1. Bake at 350℉ for about 15 to 20 minutes, until crust is golden brown. Remove to a wire rack to cool.
  2. These are delicious warm or cold, and freeze very well.
Created using The Recipes Generator

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Super Easy Tootsie Pop Ghosts

October 5, 2012
Can you tie a shoelace?  Then you can make these super easy Tootsie Pop ghosts!  Great as fun & simple Halloween treats, favors, and decorations.  And a great Halloween craft for the little ones.




To be honest ... I'm not a Halloween fan.  I think it may have something to do with the fact that I broke my nose on Halloween when I was five years old.  Falling down the stairs wearing my costume we'd made in Kindergarten class.  'Cause I couldn't see the steps over the top of the costume.  'Cause the costume was made out a big cardboard box. 

Yep, missed the top step. ...
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