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, ...
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.
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, ...
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 ...
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.
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!
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.
Cut rounds from prepared pie crust and then place a dollop of apple filling in
the middle of some of the rounds ...
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.
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.
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:
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.
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:
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).
Transfer half of the rounds to a baking sheet and brush the edges
with a tiny bit of water (this helps seal the rounds).
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.
Prepare an egg wash by lightly beating together the egg and 1/4
teaspoon of water.
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.)
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:
Bake at 350℉ for about 15 to 20 minutes, until crust is golden
brown. Remove to a wire rack to cool.
These are delicious warm or cold, and freeze very well.
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.