Caramel Apple Pie Bars

It's fall! It's fall, it's fall, it's fall!! And okay, it's about 100 degrees here today, and we probably won't have fall like temperatures until late November, but I'm still celebrating with all the apples and all the pumpkins.

Last weekend we went to Apple Hill, which is a really cool area full of orchards and vineyards. And a ton of people in October. We went to a couple of the more out of the way places (much more our speed and much less crowded), and I stocked up on apples.

And stared at some delicious looking caramel apples--my problem with caramel apples is I can never eat an entire one and I normally manage to get it all over myself while eating it... So I skipped the caramel apple and decided to turn some of my apples into a dessert.

A caramel apple crumble pie bar dessert. An apple pie bar dessert with caramel? A caramel apple tart? With crumbles? Haha! This recipe is a mash up of apple pie, caramel apples, and a pie bar. And it's topped with a delicious crunchy crumble and drizzled with more caramel sauce--in other words, it's unholy deliciousness!

It is a couple of steps--but I think it's totally worth it in the end! I put the steps in the recipe in the order I did them and when the caramel apple crumble bars came out the oven I had to resist eating them right then and there! These bars would be perfect with vanilla ice cream, but they're also good all by themselves!

Caramel Apple Pie Bars Recipe
author: Happy Food Happy Home
makes 16-20 2x2 inch bar pieces

Crust
1 pie crust

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. 
2. Line a 9" x 13" rimmed baking sheet or casserole pan with parchment paper. 
3. On a floured surface, roll out the pie crust into a 9" x 13" rectangle. Carefully transfer the dough rectangle to the baking sheet. 
4. Prick the dough all over with a fork. 
5. Bake the dough for 10 minutes until the edges are firm, but the dough has not yet turned golden. 
6. Remove from the oven and set aside. 

Caramel Sauce
*makes more sauce than you'll need for the bars. It's really nothing to complain about ;)

1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons light corn syrup
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
pinch of kosher salt

1. In a medium sauce pan, add the sugar and corn syrup. 
2. Bring to a boil over high heat swirling occasionally until all the sugar has dissolved, about 5 minutes.  
3. Remove the sugar from the heat and carefully add the butter. The mixture will bubble! Be careful! Stir until the butter has melted. 
4. Still off the heat, add the heavy cream and vanilla. It will bubble again! Be careful!
5. Put the mixture back on the stove over medium high heat.  Stir the mixture until it all comes together.
6. Cook for 2-3 minutes more until it becomes a delicious caramel color! Remove from heat and pour into a heat proof glass jar. 
7. Set caramel sauce aside. 

Crumbles

3/4 cup of all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

3 tablespoons brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1. In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, salt, cinnamon, brown sugar, and baking powder. 
2. Drizzle with the melted butter and mix together to form small crumbles. 
3. Set aside. 

Apples

3-4 medium apples

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

squeeze of lemon juice (about 1/2 teaspoon)

1 teaspoon corn starch

1. Peel the apples. Quarter them and cut out the cores.  Evenly slice the apples to about 1/4 inch thickness. 
2. Toss the apple slices with the cinnamon, lemon juice, and corn starch. 

To Assemble and Bake

1 par-baked pie crust
apple slices
1/4-1/2 cup caramel sauce
crumbles
plus more caramel sauce for topping

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. 
2. On top of the pie crust (still on the parchment lined cookie sheet) lay the apples in rows, overlapping each piece 3/4 of the way.
3. Drizzle the apples with a light layer of caramel sauce. 
4. Evenly spread the crumbles over the top of the caramel drizzled apples.
5. Bake the bars at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes until the apples are soft and the tops of the crumbles are golden brown. 
6. Allow the caramel apple crumble bars to cool for about 30 minutes before drizzling with more caramel sauce and slicing. (I used a pizza cutter to slice between my rows of apples, then cut each row into four pieces.)

The bars will keep for about a week in an airtight container in the refrigerator, but it's best to eat them the day of so the crumble stays crunchy!

Enjoy your caramel apple pie bars with ice cream, apple cider, or just all by themselves. Pack some up and go on a picnic to an apple orchard near you! Yay fall! 

Quadruple Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

Sometimes when I get home from teaching, I need a cookie. Or 5..sometimes 5 cookies. And last week was one of the 5 cookies kind of weeks. Luckily, by the time I nibbled on the batter making these cookies, I only had two instead of five. A

Double chocolate chip cookies are some of my favorites, and I've been known to order them from anywhere. Subway anyone? And so I set out to recreate the soft chewy centers of my favorite double chocolate chip cookies.  But I also had to raise the bar a little a lot.

So for these cookies, I added three different kinds of chocolate chips--dark chocolate, semisweet chocolate, and white chocolate. The different chocolate chips add different flavors and textures through the cookies. And I added a hit of espresso powder to the batter to make the coco powder flavor really shine.

Vanilla, butter, salt, coco powder, and three kinds of chocolate chips make these quadruple chocolate chocolate chip cookies the perfect afternoon snack after a stressful day. Add a tall, cold glass of milk, and my day was suddenly looking up. It's amazing what quadruple chocolate chocolate chip cookies can do!

Quadruple Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

Author: Happy Food Happy Home

Yields approx. 20 cookies

1 ¼ sticks butter (10 tablespoons), softened 

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

½ teaspoon espresso powder

1 cup flour

¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons coco powder

¾ teaspoons baking soda

½ teaspoon kosher salt

¾ cup dark chocolate chips

½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

¾ cup white chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. Cream butter and sugar together in the bowl of a stand mixer. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
3. Add the egg. Mix until just combined. Scrape down sides.
4. Mix in vanilla and espresso powder. Scrape down sides.
5. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, coco powder, baking soda, and salt.
6. Add half of the dry ingredients to the stand mixer and mix until just combined. Scrape down sides.
7. Add remaining dry ingredients and all of the chocolate chips. Mix until combined.
8. Use a 1 ½ tablespoon cookie scoop to scoop cookies onto lined baking sheet.
9. Bake cookies for 9-10 minutes until the edges are set but the middles are still soft. The cookies should have a few cracks running across their tops. 
10. Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet, then transfer to a cooling rack.

adapted from The Pioneer Woman

Sometimes cookies can make everything better. And I love those times--your problems aren't too big when cookies can fix them. Cookies are my go-to 'had a bad day' food; do you have a comfort food you make during a bad day? If you don't I would highly recommend trying these quadruple chocolate chip cookies!

Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate Tart

Dustin loves chocolate. He doesn't like cake, pie is definitely not his favorite--he is straight chocolate all the way. Because of his no cake/no pie stance on desserts, occasionally I make him something that is all chocolate and just for him.

This Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate Tart definitely fits the bill.  It is the perfect dessert for a romantic Valentine's Day dinner at home!  It is rich and chocolaty with the perfect amount of vanilla and espresso powder to amp up the chocolate flavor without overpowering it at all.

We ate half a couple pieces of the tart, and then I took the rest to my grandma's birthday.  My cousin claimed I was magic because the tart is so good. I laughed, but really.  It's like a chocolate truffle coated with extra dark chocolate all wrapped up in crunchy buttery graham cracker crust.

And the chocolate tart simple to make!  It's really just 3 simple steps--no double broiler, no fancy techniques, and a seriously impressive and delicious result!

Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate Tart Recipe
author: Abby at Happy Food Happy Home
adapted from Epicurious
Serves 8-12

Crust

1 package chocolate graham crackers

3 tablespoons coconut oil

2 tablespoons butter

Pinch of salt

A 9 inch tart pan

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a food processor, pulse the graham crackers until crushed.
3. Add the salt and pulse until combined.
4. In a glass measuring cup, melt the butter and coconut oil together.
5. Pour half the melted butter/coconut oil mixture into the crumbs and pulse until combined. Scrape the bottom of the food processor.
6. Add the remaining butter/coconut oil and pulse into combined.
7. Pour the crust mixture into the tart pan. Press firmly into the bottom and up the sides of the tart pan
• To get firm edges, I press two of my fingers into the flutes all the way around the pan. It’s a little time consuming, but it works!
8. Bake the crust for 10 minutes until it is firm.
9. Remove from oven and set aside. Don’t turn off the oven. 

Filling

1 ¼ cup of heavy cream

9 ounces dark chocolate (60-65 percent), chopped

½ teaspoons espresso powder

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

¼ teaspoon salt

1. In a heat proof bowl, sprinkle the espresso powder over the chocolate pieces.
2. Bring the cream to a boil.
3. In a small bowl whisk together the eggs, vanilla, and salt.
4. Pour the cream over the chocolate.  Whisk until melted and combined.
5. Add the egg mixture and whisk until combined.
6. Pour into the baked crust.
7. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes until the edges are set but the middle still wiggles a bit.
8. Remove from oven and let cool for about 20 minutes until room temperature.
• You can also cool the tart in the freezer for about 10 minutes.

Glaze

2 tablespoons heavy cream

1 ¾ ounces chocolate, finely chopped

1 teaspoon light corn syrup

1 tablespoon warm water

1. Place the chocolate and the corn syrup in a heat proof bowl.
2. Bring cream to a boil.
3. Pour over the chocolate and corn syrup. Whisk together until combined.
4. Add the water and whisk until thoroughly combined. Try not to incorporate too many air bubbles into the chocolate.
5. Pour the glaze in the middle of the cooled tart. Rotate the tart in a circle to spread the glaze around. You can also use an offset spatula to spread the glaze.
6. Allow the tart to cool and set for approximately 1 hour.
7. Slice into thin pieces and serve!

The Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate Tart is a perfect decadent chocolate dessert. It would great to make for a special someone for a Valentine's Day dessert!

Spring Berry Brownie Sundaes

Summer camp has been kicking my butt.  We're three weeks in, and I still feel like I'm running everywhere in order to make sure everyone is having a great time.  Luckily that's mostly what I have to worry about-- everyone having fun.  Not a bad job to have.

When I get home in the afternoon I'm normally hungry and tired.  So I love having an afternoon snack.  It's a bit of an indulgence in the middle of my day--a little treat between lunch and dinner.  Most days I convince myself that some fruit or cheese would be a good snack.  But some days I just need somethings chocolate.

I love brownies, especially ones with a crispy top and a gooey middle.  They're just the perfect little chocolaty bite that I crave.  These brownies are delicious, and I dare I say easy.  Chocolate, a touch of espresso powder, and vanilla make a rich complex brownie that doesn't seem too far away from a traditional brownie.  Brownies don't really need to be messed with, do they?

And to make everything even more indulgent and delicious (who can so no to that?)  I topped the brownies with ice cream and my Spring Berry Syrup.  It's like the ultimate brownie sundae served in a jar! It's cute--dare I say twee--and the spring berry brownie sundae is the perfect ending to a hot day at camp.

Spring Berry Brownie Sundaes

author: Happy Food Happy Home

makes 8-10 brownie sundaes

Brownies

3 ounces  70 percent dark chocolate, coarsely chopped

1 stick unsalted butter

¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon espresso powder

½ teaspoon kosher salt (or ¼ teaspoon table salt)

2/3 cup all purpose flour

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Butter an 8x8 baking pan.
3. Set a large glass mixing bowl over a pot of boiling water. 
4. Add the chocolate and the butter to the bowl and stir until almost melted.
5. Remove the bowl from the heat and stir until the mixture is smooth.
6. Whisk in the sugar.
7. Whisk in the eggs one at a time.
8. Whisk in the vanilla and the espresso powder. 
9. Add the flour and salt and stir until just combined.
10. Pour the brownies into the prepared pan.
11. Bake the brownies for 25-35 minutes until the top is crisp, the edges are set, and the middle is slightly gooey. 
12. Allow brownies to cool for about 5 minutes before cutting and assembling the sundaes.

To Assemble Sundaes:

Spring Berry Syrup

Vanilla Ice Cream

Strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries for topping

1. I cut the brownies into about 1 inch squares to fit in the pint size mason jar. 
2. Start with 1 layer of brownies, then top with a spoonful of syrup.
3. Add more brownies, ice cream, and a big spoon of spring berry syrup on top. 
4. Top with berries if desired.
5. Devour promptly. 

Notes:  Brownies adapted from Smitten Kitchen

I love these spring berry brownie sundaes.  I might have eaten them for about a week in a row.  They would also be perfect for a cookout--everyone can make their own!  Do you have a favorite afternoon snack?  Is it practical or more indulgent?

How to Make Lattice Top Pie Crust

A lattice top pie looks very beautiful.  All the weaving, and the filling just poking through here and there. Normally it's golden brown and delicious looking.  But it can be a pain the butt.

The weaving is the trick--how do you get the pieces over and under each other without breaking?  The weaving itself might be tricky, but this step by step tutorial of how to make a lattice top pie shows that it's almost easy!  Just a little 'tricky'.

The trick to making a lattice top pie is not actually weaving the strips.  Taking the pie crust and placing and folding it in the weaving pattern makes everything simple, without every having to force one piece of pie crust under another one. 

First you need a delicious flaky pie crust.  Roll the pie crust into a large circle 2-3 inches bigger than your pie dish.  It's better to have strips too long than too short.

Cut the pieces into 1 inch strips.  I used a ruler and a straight edge to help my pieces be evenly sized. You can use a fluted cutter or a straight one. A sharp knife will work just as well. 

After all your pieces are cut take one of the longest pie crust strips and place it vertically (blue) down the middle of the pie.  Space your next vertical strip about 1 inch away.  Repeat with the remaining space on the pie; use shorter pieces as you get farther from the middle.

Now your going to fold your pie strips.  Starting with the middle strip, fold back every other strip across a little more than half the pie.  Place your first horizontal strip (red) across the middle of the pie, on top of the unfolded vertical strips.  

Unfold the vertical strips.  You have 'weaved' your first pie strip.

Fold the vertical pieces you did not fold before.  You should be folding back every other vertical strip over the first horizontal piece.

Place the next horizontal piece across the pie about 1 inch away from the first.  Place it on top of the unfolded vertical strips.  Unfold the vertical strips and repeat.  

Repeat with this half of the pie before turning it around and following the same steps with the other side.

Carefully trim the excess edges off of the strips, going around the pie.  Use a sharp knife to prevent pulling or tearing the pie dough.  Then gently press the edges to adhere, or you can crimp the edges.  Whatever you want!

You pie is ready to bake.  Just cook it to your recipe's specifications.  I love the look of a lattice top pie.  For the longest time I was terrified of trying because I thought it would be too hard.  With this simple method of making a lattice top pie you can totally do it for your next pie!

What's your favorite way to top a pie?  I'm super excited to try new ways soon!

Classic Peach Pie Recipe

This past weekend was my dad's birthday, my grandpa's birthday, and it was Mother's Day.  We had a busy weekend as I'm sure you can imagine!

On Saturday Mom and Dad came to our house for dinner.  We were celebrating Mother's Day and Dad's birthday.  Mom brought steaks, and Dad requested I make peach pie. I couldn't say no to such a delicious sounding request.

Dustin cooked the steaks with Mom's supervisions--it was the first time he's ever cooked steaks on our grill!  And I made twice baked potatoes and grilled asparagus.  And we all salivated over the peach pie that was sitting on the counter just waiting to be eaten.

The peach pie did not disappoint.  It was flavorful and peachy, with a perfect flaky crust from my favorite recipe.  With just a hit of cinnamon and vanilla the peach flavor really came through.  It is a classic peach pie, no updates, no crazy combinations, just peaches and a tiny bit of seasonings to make all the flavors pop.  Truthfully I'm already thinking of when I can make another peach pie.  Memorial Day Weekend anyone?

Classic Peach Pie
author: Happy Food Happy Home
filling adapted from Smitten Kitchen
makes 1 pie

3 1/2 pounds peaches (you'll need about 6 cups peeled and cut)

1 tablespoon lemon juice, (about ½ a lemon)

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup packed light brown sugar

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/8 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons corn starch

2 whole unbaked pie crusts
2 tablespoons cream
2-3 teaspoons turbinado sugar

1. Peel your peaches
1. make a small x on the bottom of the peaches.  Boil for 2 minutes and then place in an ice bath for 1 minute. The peaches should peel easily.
2. if your peaches are firm it might be easier to peel with a vegetable peel just like you'd peel an apple.*
2. Cut the peaches into 1/3 inch pieces.**
3. In a large mixing bowl combine the peaches, lemon juice, granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, salt, and corn starch. Set aside and prepare your crust.
4. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
5. Lay a ¼ inch thick round of dough in the bottom of your pie pan. *** Trim to fit the pie plate.
6. Pour your filling and all the accumulated juices into the pie crust. 
7. Top with the top crust or make a lattice crust.
1. To make a lattice crust cut strips into 1 inch pieces.  Gently weave the pieces into a lattice top.  (Check back Friday for an easy lattice tutorial!)
2. You can just put a full top on the pie. Make sure to vent the crust with 2 or 3 holes.
8. Gently brush the cream over the top crust.  Sprinkle the turbinado sugar over the crust.
9. Place the pie in the oven with a foil lined baking sheet underneath it to catch drips.
10. Bake for 20 minutes at 425 degrees.
11. After 20 minutes reduce the oven temperature to 375 and bake for 30-40 more minutes until the crust is lightly golden brown and the filling is bubbling all over.  If at any point the crust gets too brown on top tent the pie with foil for the rest of the baking time.
12. When pie is cooked remove from oven.  Let the pie sit for at least 3 hours to allow the filling to set completely.  If you cut the pie before it has set your filling will run everywhere.  But it will still taste delicious. 

Notes

*I boiled my firm peaches and the skin didn't come off. Frustrating, but we peeled them with a vegetable peeler, and that worked fine.  Thank you Dustin for helping!

**Or mangle them into lots of pieces while attempting to cut them and use those pieces.

***I didn't butter my pie pan because my pie crust uses so much butter that it wouldn't dream of sticking to a pie dish. 

This peach pie was great.  I'm still hoarding one piece that I'll probably have when I get home this afternoon.  Right before I head off to the grocery store to stock up on everything.  

Do you love pie? I can'tstopwon'tstop, but Dustin doesn't really like it.  I still have some cherries in the freezer from last year that are calling my name.  Cherry pie is my grandpa's favorite, and mine too.  What is your favorite kind of pie?

Four Hour Baguettes

I love baking bread.  The process of taking some really basic ingredients, and with a little mixing and time it turns into delicious crusty bread.  I was intimidated before I had made many loaves of bread;  what if the loaves don't rise, what if it turns out gross, what if I mess up?!  So many worries.

The more I've made bread the happier it makes me.  The steps are normally pretty similar--mix, knead, rise, form, rise, cook, eat.  The eating is the best part. And sure, some of my loaves fell like Pompeii, some of them didn't taste quite right, and I've killed the yeast in more than one.  I've just kept at it, mostly because the reward is so great--who can say no to fresh bread.

When Dustin was gone last week I might have eaten two complete loaves of this baguette.  For lunch and dinner. And breakfast. I would be ashamed if the bread wasn't so delicious and easy. Oh, who am I kidding, I wouldn't be ashamed. 

Onto these baguettes.  You really can have the baguettes done from start to finish in 4 hours!  And they are really really good--crusty outside, chewy inside, with a delicious flavor.  The recipe makes three baguette loaves--they are probably best on the day they're made, though I keep mine in a ziplock bag until they're gone.  I also froze two of the dough balls and made them later; that worked out perfectly! 

Quick Four Hour Baguettes

author: Happy Food Happy Home 

adapted from 4 Hour Baguettes at Food52

makes 3 loaves

1 ½ cups water, at 115 degrees F

1 teaspoon active dry yeast

3 ¼ cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons kosher salt

olive oil, to grease bowl

1 cup of ice cubes

1. Whisk together water and yeast in a large mixing bowl.  Let sit for 10 minutes.
2. Add flour to water and yeast, and mix with a fork until a shaggy dough forms.
3. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rest for about 20 minutes to hydrate the flour.
4. Add the salt and loosely fold together.
5. Transfer dough to a floured surface.  Knead the dough for approximately 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic.  The dough might be super sticky--just add flour a little bit at a time until the stickiness stops.
6. Form the dough into a ball and transfer to an oiled bowl.  Cover with plastic wrap and let the dough rise until doubled--about 45 minutes.
7. On a floured surface make an 8 by 6 inch rectangle.  Fold the long edges of the dough to the middle, then fold the short edges.  Place the dough back in the bowl, cover, and let rise until doubled--about 1 hour.*
8. Put a rimless baking sheet on the middle rack in an oven.  Place a cast iron pan on the bottom rack.
9. Form the baguette loaves.  Cut the dough into 3 even pieces.  Roll each piece into an even 14 inch long rope.  Twist the ropes to help them maintain their shape in the oven.
10. Place 1 loaf in the middle of a parchment lined baking sheet. Lift the parchment to create a ridge on either side of the middle loaf and place the other two loaves on either side. 
11. On either side of the loaves place a tightly rolled dish towel under the parchment paper. This will help the loaves rise up and not out.
12. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
13. Cover the loaves loosely with plastic wrap and let rise until the loaves have doubled--about 50 minutes.
14. Uncover the loaves, remove the towels, and flatten the parchment paper.
15. Use scissors to slash each baguette in 4 spots.  You could also use a super sharp knife or a bread lame.
16. Slide the parchment paper and the loaves onto the baking sheet in the oven.  Pull on the parchment paper as a guide.
17. Put the ice cubes into the skillet and quickly shut the oven.
18. Bake the baguettes until brown and crispy--about 18-20 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes before moving to a cooling rack.  Allow loaves to cool before cutting. 

*After this rise you can separate the dough into three pieces and freeze them in zip top bags.  To bake the bread, allow dough to thaw, then continue through the recipe.

 

Try these baguettes as a side for a delicious dinner, turn them into breakfast, or use them as sandwich bread.  The baguettes are simple to make and great to eat.  I have a feeling I'll be making baguettes from this recipe far into the future!

Do you love making bread or does it intimidate you?  Have you ever eaten two loaves of bread in 1 week? Please tell me I'm not the only one...  

Key Lime Cupcakes

My entire family loves key lime pie; when we went on a trip through the Florida Keys a few years ago we ordered key lime pie at every restaurant we stopped at.  And we made a few key lime pies as well.  That was a very delicious trip!

Because of our love of key lime pies I gave my brother a choice, would he like chocolate or key lime cupcakes for his birthday?  He chose key lime cupcakes, though he fought hard to get both.  Sorry Adam, only one set of cupcakes per birthday!  He turns 22 tomorrow; Happy Birthday Adam!

These key lime cupcakes are a trifecta of lime and deliciousness.  The cake is soft with a hint of vanilla and lime, the frosting is a delicious combination of cream cheese and tart lime, and the lime curd is bright lime and citrus hit right in the middle of the cupcakes.

Don't be afraid of the curd!  It's really as simple as whisking until everything thickens--it just sounds fancy and hard.  Curds are fun, delicious, and a great recipe to have in your back pocket.  Curds can top yogurt, desserts, ice cream, whatever your imagination comes up with! Try the lime curd--you can do it!

These key lime cupcakes are a great spring and summer treat.  The soft cake filled with the tangy bright lime curd and topped with a rich cream cheese frosting make a delicious cupcake.

Key Lime Cupcakes
author: Happy Food Happy Home  
adapted from Key Lime Pie Cupcakes from Annie's Eats
makes 24 cupcakes

Vanilla Lime Cupcakes

3 cups cake flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 cups sugar

zest of one lime (or 2-3 key limes)

4 large eggs

1 ¾ cup buttermilk

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 teaspoons lime juice

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Lime two cupcake tins with liners.
2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
3. In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer beat the butter.  Beat on medium speed for 3 minutes, until the butter is light and creamy in color.  Scrape down the sides.
4. Add the lime zest and beat until combined.
5. Add ½ cup of the sugar at a time (4 times total) beating for 1 minute before adding the next scoop.  Scrape down the sides each time.
6. Combine the buttermilk, vanilla, and lime juice in a liquid measuring cup.
7. Add 1/3 of the dry ingredients to the mixing bowl.  Mix on low until the flour just disappears.
8. Add ½ the wet ingredients to the bowl and mix briefly.
9. Repeat the 1/3 dry- ½ wet- 1/3 dry until all the ingredients are incorporated.  After the last flour disappears mix for 15 seconds more. 
10. Scoop batter into the liners 2/3 full.
11. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until an toothpick inserted comes out clean.  Allow to cool for 5 minutes, then remove to a cooking rack until completely cooled.

Lime Curd

3 large eggs

¾ cup of sugar

¼ cup freshly squeezed lime juice

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into small pieces

1. In a medium sauce pan whisk together the eggs and sugar until combined.
2. Whisk in the lime juice.
3. Place the saucepan over medium low heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture is warmed through.  Be careful to heat slowly to keep the eggs from curdling.
4. Whisk in the butter a piece at a time.  Wait until each piece is melted and incorporated before adding the next one.
5. Continue to cook until the mixture thickens.  It should coat the back of a spoon, and a spoon should leave a track through the curd when pulled through.
6. Once the curd has thickened remove it to an airtight container and refrigerate.  

Limey Cream Cheese Frosting

8 ounces cold cream cheese

6 tablespoons butter, at room temperature

zest of 1 lime

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 teaspoons lime juice

3 cups powdered sugar  + more if needed

1. Combine cream cheese, butter, and lime zest with a mixer.  Beat on medium high speed until smooth and creamy--about 2 minutes.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
2. Add the powdered sugar.  Beat on low until the sugar is incorporated.  Increase speed to medium high and beat for 2-3 minutes more.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
3. Add the lime juice and vanilla to the frosting.  Beat until well combined. If your frosting is a little thin you can add a dash more powdered sugar to thicken it.
4. Use your frosting for key lime cupcakes, sugar cookies, or anything else your heart desires! 

To Assemble the Cupcakes

1. In the cooled cupcakes use a paring knife to cut a cone shape out of the middle of the cupcake. Remove cones to the side, saving for later.
2. Use a teaspoon to scoop the lime curd into the holes in the cupcakes.
3. Remove the bottom of the cones, and put the tops back onto the cupcakes.  This step is optional, you can totally just frost over the curd without the tops.
4. Using an offset spatula apply the lime frosting to the cupcakes, using 2-3 tablespoons of frosting on each cupcake.
5. Serve and eat!

Make the cupcakes for Easter this weekend!  They're the perfect spring time treat.  And the key lime cupcakes are really really delicious!  

Do you have any fun Easter plans?  What are some Easter traditions your family keeps?

Whole Wheat English Muffins

I love English muffins by themselves; coated with butter, or jam, or (personal favorite!) apple butter!  I love the little crevices that the toppings can nest inside, the light and chewy texture, and how versatile English Muffins are!

I made these English muffins with the express purpose of making breakfast sandwiches.  McDonald's egg mcmuffins are a weakness of mine, and I often find myself wanting to stop on the way to work.  In order to resist the temptation I made English muffins.

I wanted to see if I could make English muffins; it was an interesting challenge because even though English muffins are not difficult to make, they do have a few steps.  And I'd never made them before!

I think the trickiest part of making the English muffins was making sure the bottoms didn't burn.  I might have blackened a few of them instead of browning--oops.  I watched the next batch more closely and no burned bottoms!

Whole Wheat English Muffins

Author: Happy Food Happy Home

makes 8-10 muffins

1 cup milk, heated to 100 degrees

1 ½ teaspoons yeast

1 ½ cups whole wheat flour

1 ½ cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons sugar

½ teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 egg

vegetable oil

cornmeal

1. Whisk together the warm milk and the yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.  Let sit and bloom for 5 minutes.
2. Whisk together the flours, sugar, and salt in a medium mixing bowl. 
3. Cube the butter into small cubes and add to the stand mixer bowl. 
4. Gently beat egg and add to the stand mixer bowl.
5. Add the dry ingredients in two batches and mix until just combined. 
6. Switch to the dough hook and mix for approximately 5 minutes until the dough pulls away from the bowl and is smooth and shiny.
1. Alternatively, use a wooden spoon to stir the milk and yeast, egg, butter, and dry ingredients until just combined.  Transfer dough to a floured surface and knead for about 10 minutes until dough is smooth and shiny.
7. Oil a medium mixing bowl.  Transfer the dough to the oiled bowl and cover with plastic wrap.  Let rise for 1 hour until the dough doubles in size.
8. Divide the dough into 8 pieces for large muffins, or 10 pieces for medium sized.  Oil your hands and shape each piece into a ball.  Flatten the balls until they are about ½ an inch thick. 
9. Place the rounds on a cornmeal dusted cookie sheet.  Dust the tops with more cornmeal.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 20 minutes. 
10. Heat a dry cast iron skillet over medium heat.  Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and place the cornmeal lined baking sheet in the oven.. 
11. Cook each dough ball for about 5 minutes per side.  The sides will brown quickly; let them sit for about 5 minutes, but watch that they don't burn.  If you turn them over too soon they can fall flat.
12. Once both sides of the muffins are browned transfer them to the baking sheet in the oven.  Let bake for about 5 minutes until the middles are cooked.  They will read 200 degrees on an instant read thermometer. 
1. Note:  If you have more muffins than will fit in your cast iron skillet you can cook them in batches.  Just be sure to transfer the muffins to the oven immediately  after browning-don't wait!
13. Remove the muffins to a cooling rack and let cool.  Use a fork to split the muffins, coat spread with in butter, and devour! 

English muffins are so yummy!  They were really fun to make; I totally enjoyed my kitchen adventure making English muffins.  And they were delicious to eat! 

Check out the finished breakfast sandwiches!