Caramel Apple Cupcakes

I have a lot of questions about caramel. First of all how do you even say it? Is it Car-mel or do you pronounce it more like care-a-mel? The poor candy must suffer an identity crisis. Other questions include:

• Why is caramel associated with fall? 
• Why do I continue to eat bagfuls of it when I loathe that it gets stuck in my teeth? 
• WHY IS IT SO HARD TO MAKE?!?!?! 

The questions are endless. For such a tiny little square it causes quite an uproar in my little baking world. Yet every September I start thumbing through recipes to see what I can use it in this year. If I'm being honest I haven't quite mastered the art of making true caramel from scratch. But the individually wrapped candies work just as well...for now. One day I WILL figure it out.

I've loved eating caramel apples for as long as I can remember. I'd like to say I got my start eating them at the State Fair of Texas, but I honestly couldn't tell you when our love affair began. But even through the tumultuous braces years caramel and I stuck together. Maybe that's why I love this recipe by Rachel Ray so much. Plus it uses 2 whole apples, so that makes it healthy right?

It's a relatively basic recipe, but you have to be quick when melting the caramels. Using the heavy cream definitely helps. You don't want it to get hard and clumpy. But you also don't want it to be too runny. If It gets too runny add more caramels, if it gets too hard add a little bit more cream. Don't be afraid to mess with these recipes. Very rarely have I ever started a recipe and made it exactly like the person wrote it. We all have different tastes, and most recipes can be adjusted accordingly. (That doesn't mean add a cup of cinnamon because you like it) But a little extra or less here and there is just fine.

This is a great recipe and pretty easy to make if you need a kid friendly dessert this Thanksgiving. Or if you just want to show up and impress your family, in-laws, or friends. Hope you enjoy it!

Caramel Apple Cupcakes

1 1/4 cups flour

2 tsps baking powder

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon*

1/2 tsp salt

2 eggs

1/2 C. packed light brown sugar

1/2 C. sugar

1/2 C. vegetable oil

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 Apples peeled and shredded**

1 1/2 C. chewy caramel candies***

1 Tbsp. heavy cream

 *I used a full teaspoon!

**Shred the apples on a cheese grater (on the small holes) --->

***Don't forget to unwrap them!!

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350. Prepare your cupcake pan with liners or spray it with cooking spray (save yourself the trouble and use the liners)

Step 2: With a fork or whisk mix the first four ingredients together.

Step 3: In a separate bowl, mix the eggs and sugars together until smooth. Then add the vegetable oil and vanilla.

Step 4: Add the wet mixture into the flour and then fold the apples into your batter.

Step 5: Spoon the batter into the cups so they are about 3/4 of the way full. (That way you don't risk overflow in the oven. This also makes it easier to get them out and another batch in with little to no clean up between). They will need 20-30 minutes in the oven.

Step 6: Unwrap your candies and dump them into a small sauce pan over high heat. PAY ATTENTION TO THEM! DO NOT WALK AWAY! Once they have mostly melted turn down to medium low heat and add the heavy cream and stir until smooth.

Step 7: QUICKLY! Spoon the caramel over the cupcake. It's up to you how much to put on the cupcake, but just know the caramel will sit pretty thin on top of the cupcake unless you add more layers of caramel.

I personally think the thin layer is fine! It gives you the same effect as a caramel apple would and a thick layer of caramel would just detract from the cupcake anyway. Just work quickly because once it hardens you can't scoop it. IF it does harden, put it back on the stove on medium heat and add a tiny bit more cream to soften it up.

Another note: The original recipe calls for the caramels to be melted in the microwave. Personally I prefer melting any candy, chocolate or caramel, over the stove. I think it works better and sometimes in the microwave if you put it in too long it doesn't melt correctly. Its up to you but I advise the stove :)

Hope these turn out as good for you as they did for me! I'm a big fan :)

HAPPY TURKEY DAY! and safe travels :)

xoxo
Tanner

Beb's Banana Pudding

I never know how to feel on Hayden's birthday. Should I be sad? Should I celebrate? Should I ignore it? It's the second hardest day of the year for me. I want to be happy and celebrate it but it's hard to ignore the lingering and nagging grief and sadness, She should be the one celebrating not me. But in true Hayden fashion I'm sure she is at the beach somewhere getting a super dark tan and reading the flood of Facebook messages that are finally all about her ;).

I really embraced cooking after she died. It was an outlet, I didn't have to think. But most importantly the smells and the food itself were so comforting. Pasta's, cupcakes, popcorns...all that stuff that is so bad for you but warms your heart and reminds you of home all at the same time. I've often thought about writing a book about cooking through grief and how it helped me get by. As tragic as this situation has been and still is, the silver lining was that I found a love for cooking and sharing that with all of you.

Today I have really loved seeing everyone remembering, wearing purple or pieces of her clothing, eating her favorite foods. So it's only appropriate to share a recipe for one of her all time favorite foods...Banana Pudding.

 

First, you need a little back story on this gem of a snack. I guess it all goes back to Black Eyed Pea. We had one down the street and frequently ate there as a family. I don't think anyone ever ate their meals especially not the vegetables, but we certainly ate that banana pudding. It was a moment where all four of us could come together and appreciate something (that doesn't happen often). This period was follwed by a lull in banana pudding eating. Not to worry though, we more than made up for lost time when Hayden moved up to New York with me. I had discovered that Magnolia Bakery offered a $45 dollar tub...yes a large TUB of banana pudding. I made the mistake of telling Hayden about these heavenly tubs, and soon she was there on a regular basis. She would single handedly devour those tubs. She might have claimed to buy one for her whole apartment, but we all know she would just finish it alone in one sitting. Those expensive tubs brought her so much joy, and brought the rest of us years of laughs with her then and now.

The banana pudding recipe I'm going to share with you is by Paula Deen. Everyone can have their opinion about her, but the lady is a darn good cook. And her banana pudding is absolutely amazing. Lots of southern families have family recipes that have been passed down, but do yourself a favor and give this one a try. It might just become your new favorite and one of the best ways to remember Hayden.

Beb's Banana Pudding

2 bags Pepperidge Farm Chessmen cookies*
6 to 8 bananas, sliced
2 cups milk
1 box instant** French vanilla pudding (5 oz.)
1  package cream cheese (8 oz), softened
1 can sweetened condensed milk (14 oz.)
1  container Cool Whip thawed (12 oz)

*Make sure to get the seasonal ones for Christmas!

**Make sure you get instant! This is essential

Step 1: Use the cookies to line the bottom of a 13 by 9 inch casserole dish, Then make a second layer with the sliced bananas.

Step 2: Blend the milk and pudding mix with an electric mixer. In a separate bowl, mix the cream cheese and condensed milk together until smooth. (DON'T CHEAT! Make sure it's smooth). Gently add the cool whip into the cream cheese mixture and then add to the pudding mixture. Stir until completely blended.

Step 3: Pour the mixture over the cookies and bananas. Then top it off with a final layer of cookies.

 

Step 4: Refrigerate! You could eat it right away but I suggest refrigerating for 1-2 hours so it gets nice and cool. The way banana pudding should be eaten.

 

I hope you like this recipe as much as I do. It has become a staple in my recipe arsenal, and it is a quick and easy dish to bring to any get together or party you may have especially during this hectic holiday season. 

Happy Eating and lots of love to HH today. Happy Birthday Beb, we all love you very much

xoxo Tanner

Applesauce: an easy and moderately healthy fall must

I know I took a pretty long break from blogging, but that's what happens when graduation, moot court, bar studying, travels, and life gets in the way. Hopefully now that I have to be a grown up with a real work schedule I'll get to blog a lot more. People always ask for my recipes and i've made a thousand promises to post them but haven't. My apologies.

Taste. Anywho...As a childless adult the last thing I think of when it comes to snack time is applesauce. That's a mistake because as soon as i eat one little spoonful that child inside of me just comes skipping right out. IT IS SO GOOD!!! When and why do we ever stop eating applesauce? Why does it have to be left to the wee ones. Who made that rule because it is bogus. That being said I got this recipe from a mommy blog haha. (recipe is curtesy of mommymakesitbetter.com)

Smell. Homemade applesauce makes your house smell like fall. I didn't even want to turn off my crockpot because I didn't want to make the smell go away. And you still have a week and a half  before we start switching scents to fir trees, fire and snow! Take advantage of it!! But you also don't have to limit this recipe to the fall. It's good all year long :)

Ease. There is literally zero excuse for not trying this. A recipe doesn't get any easier than this. SO TRY IT. If you don't have a crockpot go buy one. Talk about convenience you can do literally anything in that thing. It's worth the whopping $30 you'll spend on one. You could even get one cheaper but I wanted a timer.

Oh and p.s...... it's only 1 a whopping 1 weight watcher point per serving!!

JUST TRY IT!! YOU'LL LOVE IT! :)

Cinnamon Applesauce

8 apples - any type but I like using honey crisp 

1 strip of lemon peel*

1 tsp. fresh lemon juice

2 3in. cinnamon sticks

5 tsp. light brown sugar 

*I skip this because it makes it too lemony and you can't get all the rind out sometimes and I hate the way that tastes.

Step 1: Peel, core and chop the apples. What I do is peel it (I attempt to do it in one string it doesn't happen often. You can use a veggie peeler) then I make a square around the core cutting off the sides and then I chop those large pieces.

Step 2: Toss them in the crock pot and add the rest of the ingredients

Step 3: Set your crock pot to low and cook for 6 hours. 

Step 4: Optional. blend your mixture if you want it super smooth or just use a whisk to stir and eat it chunky! I then put it in old jars like a pasta sauce jar or a salsa jar that's been thoroughly rinsed out.

AND YOU'RE DONE! Congrats on making the bestest, easiest recipe EVER! Don't be afraid to play with the proportions (adding things or taking things away to get the flavor YOU want) Let me know how it goes! 

xoxo Tanner