Harvest Apple Pie

Here’s another pie! Can you ever have enough pie? I think not. This one is filled with apples, cranberries, raisins, walnuts, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Fall time all wrapped in a flaky pastry!

4 granny smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
zest of 1 orange
1½ cups fresh cranberries
1 cup raisins
1/2  cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup flour
3/4 cup brown sugar
1½ tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 Tbl butter, cut in chunks
Pie Pastry for double crust pie

Preheat oven to 400°. Line 9″ deep dish pie plate with half the pastry for bottom crust. In large bowl, stir together apples, orange zest, cranberries, raisins, and walnuts. Add flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Toss gently until all is well coated. Pour into prepared pie plate, dot with chunks of butter, roll out pastry for top crust, cover and crimp. Sprinkle liberally with sugar. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until apples are tender. Serve warm with vanilla or cinnamon ice cream!

One Year Ago: Pumpkin Cupcakes w/Chocolate Buttercream

Two Years Ago: Fresh Cranberry Cake w/Caramel Sauce

Three Years Ago: Favorite Stuffing for Thanksgiving

Chocolate Orange Cream Pie

A love of the flavor combination of chocolate and orange came from my Dad. Roger loves Orange Sticks, dark chocolate covered orange jelly sticks that come all in a row in a long thin box. Do you know what I’m talking about? I don’t think a Christmas or Birthday (actually for my Dad that is the same day) went by that he didn’t receive one of those boxes. Then comes along the wonderful creation of the Chocolate Orange, genius, brilliant! Well, maybe that’s going overboard, it is yummy. So today I give you my Chocolate Orange Cream Pie, not genius or brilliant…just pretty yummy. This is for you Dad, love ya! Yes, I will be bringing some over to you and Mom tomorrow! ;o)

9″ Deep Dish Chocolate Cookie Crumb Crust:
1½ cups cookie crumbs (chocolate wafers like Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers)
6 Tbl butter, melted

Preheat oven to 375°. Stir together chocolate cookie crumbs and butter. Press into pie plate, bottom and up sides. Bake for 8 minutes. Cool.

Orange Cream Pie Filling:
1 large orange, juice (1/3 cup) and fine zest
2 2/3 cups milk
4½ Tbl cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup sugar
4 egg yolks, beaten
2 Tbl butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 drop red food coloring

Combine orange juice, zest, milk, cornstarch, salt, and sugar in large saucepan. Heat to boiling over medium to medium high heat, whisking constantly.  Put egg yolks in small bowl, whisk into yolks a small amount of hot milk mixture to warm the yolks, and then slowly add them back to milk mixture.  Boil 1 minute whisking constantly until thick and smooth.  Remove from heat and stir in butter, vanilla, and red food coloring.  Beat several times while cooling.  Pour into baked pie shell when it has cooled to just warm.  Cover with wax or parchment paper, cool completely in refrigerator (at least 3 hours) until filling is cold and set.  Serve with drizzled chocolate and whipped cream.

One Year Ago: Nutella Brownie Bites

Two Years Ago: Strawberry Oatmeal Pecan Muffins

If you are interested in Demarle bakeware and kitchen tools such as Silpat & Perforated Baking Sheet please visit mydemarleathome.com/kristenparker or simply click on the Demarle at Home logo below.

Homemade Cranberry Sauce

It only takes 30 minutes and so worth it! Eat it with turkey, roast beef, or ham. Warm it and have it over brie, ice cream, or better yet a brownie sundae. Oh, use it on a sandwich. I am sure there are countless ways to use this sauce that is a little tart, a little sweet, and a lot yummy!

1¾ cups water
1/2 cup orange juice
2 cups sugar
1/4 cup corn starch
zest of 1/2 an orange
1 tsp cinnamon
2 (12 oz) bags fresh cranberries

In large pot, stir together water, orange juice, sugar, corn starch, orange zest, and cinnamon. Stir in cranberries, bring to boil and cook for 5 minutes. Turn down to low and simmer for 20 minutes until cranberries are tender and start to split. Use spoon or rubber spatula to press cranberries against side of pan to smash. Smash them all or leave some whole, it’s up to you and how you like it. Remove from heat, cool, put in airtight container, and refrigerate. Makes 6 cups of cranberry sauce.

One Year Ago: Happy Thanksgiving

Two Years Ago: Ginger Snap Walnut Pumpkin Pie

Orange Poppy Seed Bread

Perfect recipe to make and take to friends, but still have some for you!

3 cups flour
2¼ cups sugar
1½ tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 Tbl poppy seeds
1/4 cup orange juice
zest of 1 orange
3 eggs
1 cup oil
1¼ cups milk
1 tsp orange extract

Preheat oven to 350°. Spray 5 small loaf pans (or 2 large loaf pans) and sprinkle bottom with flour. In large bowl, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and poppy seeds. In medium bowl, stir together orange juice, orange zest, eggs, oil, milk, and orange extract. Pour into dry ingredients and mix just until combined. Pour batter evenly into loaf pans. Bake 30 minutes (60 minutes for large pans) or until pick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool in pans 10 minutes, then remove and cool on wire rack.

One Year Ago: Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Oat Bars

Two Years Ago: Double Frosted Peanut Butter Milk Chocolate Cookies

Fresh Cranberry Cake with Caramel Sauce

This cake has the perfect mixture of tart and sweet.  The cake is best if made the day before you plan on serving, the tartness of the cranberries mellows and then hit it with the sweet caramel sauce and whipped cream!

Cranberry Cake:
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp nutmeg
1 cup evaporated milk
zest of ½ an orange
2 cups fresh cranberries

Preheat oven to 350°.  With electric mixer, cream butter and sugar.  Add egg and mix well.  Stir together flour, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg.  Add dry ingredients alternately with milk, and mix well.  Stir in orange zest and cranberries.  Pour batter into sprayed 11″x7″ or 9″x9″ baking pan.  Bake 35-40 minutes or until pick inserted in center comes out clean.

Caramel Sauce:
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla
pinch salt

In saucepan, melt butter over low heat.  Add sugar, brown sugar, heavy cream, vanilla, and salt.  Bring to boil slowly, stirring constantly.  Continue cooking and stirring for 5 minutes until thickens.

One Year Ago Today:  Crispy Crunchy Peanut Butter Brownies

If you are interested in Demarle bakeware and kitchen tools please visit mydemarleathome.com/kristenparker or simply click on the Demarle at Home logo below.

Orange Hug Cookies

It’s Halloween, time for treats!

1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
2 Tbl orange juice
1 Tbl orange zest
2¾ cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
orange sprinkles
Hershey’s Hugs

Preheat oven to 375°.  In large bowl with electric mixer cream butter, sugar, and brown sugar.  Mix in egg, orange juice, and orange zest.  Stir together flour, baking soda, and salt.  Mix dry ingredients into creamed mixture just until combined.  Scoop into 1″-1½” diameter balls and roll in orange sprinkles and place on silpat lined or sprayed baking sheet.  Bake 8 minutes.  While cookies are baking, unwrap Hugs.  As cookies come from oven, place one Hug on each cookies.  Cool 2 minutes on baking sheet then move to cooling rack and cool completely.

One Year Ago Today:  Chocolate Malt Brownies 

If you are interested in Demarle bakeware and kitchen tools such as the Silpat & Perforated Baking Sheet please visit mydemarleathome.com/kristenparker or simply click on the Demarle at Home logo below.

Carrot Cake Chocolate Chip Cookies with Orange Glaze

Born from a need for more vegetables in my life, I don’t know, maybe.  But I have to say, this is a pretty excellent way to eat your carrots!  To glaze or not to glazed…good question, I glazed.

                       

Carrot Cake Chocolate Chip Cookies:
1 cup cooked, mashed carrots
2 Tbl orange juice
zest from 1 orange
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2½ cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup mini chocolate chips
1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 375°.  Put Silpat on baking sheet or spray baking sheet.  Process carrots in food processor with orange juice and orange zest to make 1 cup.  In large bowl with electric mixer, cream butter, sugar, and brown sugar.  Add egg, vanilla, and carrots, mix well.  Stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; add to creamed mixture, mix well.  Stir in mini chocolate chips and walnuts.  Drop by scoopfuls onto baking sheet and bake 8 minutes.  Do not over bake, you want the cookies moist and tender, not dry.  Let cool on baking sheet about 2 minutes then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.  Glaze with orange glaze.

Orange Glaze:
1¹⁄3 cups powdered sugar
3 Tbl orange juice

Whisk powdered sugar and orange juice together to make drizzle consistency.  Pour in plastic baggie, snip tiny cut off corner and drizzle glaze over cooled cookies.  Allow glaze to set-up.

One Year Ago:  Italian Meatballs

If you are interested in Demarle bakeware and kitchen tools such as the Silpat & Perforated Baking Sheet please visit mydemarleathome.com/kristenparker or simply click on the Demarle at Home logo below.

 

Orange Vanilla Yogurt Cake with Orange Glaze

This is a tasty little cake, like a sweet bread with frosting.  I first saw a picture on Pinterest and found the recipe in a couple places, so not quite sure who to give the credit.  The recipe calls for vanilla bean but I have this handy bottle of vanilla paste that has the beautiful speckles of vanilla bean in the syrupy goodness, so I used that instead.

                       

1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 cup sugar
3 tsp vanilla paste
1/2 cup oil
1²⁄3 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 (6 oz) vanilla yogurt
6 Tbl orange juice, divided

Spray two small loaf pans.  Preheat oven to 350°.  Using electric mixer, beat egg, egg yolk, and sugar.  Add vanilla paste, and oil, mix well.  In medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.   Add dry ingredients alternately with yogurt and 2 Tbl orange juice.

Pour into prepared pans and bake for 35-40 minutes.  Remove from oven.  Using toothpick poke holes into cakes.  Pour remaining 4 Tbl orange juice over hot loaves.   Let cool 10 minutes and remove from pans.  Place on wire rack to cool.  Glaze when cool.

Orange Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
orange juice
orange zest

Combine powdered sugar, orange zest, and enough orange juice for desired consistency for glaze (I made mine a little thicker).  Pour over cooled loaves.

If you are interested in Demarle bakeware & kitchen tools please visit mydemarleathome.com/kristenparker or simply click on the Demarle at Home logo below.

 

Orange Creamsicle Cookies

I just had to try this one, it sounded so good…and it is!  Incredible orange flavor from the orange zest.

2½ cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tbl orange juice
zest of 1 large orange
2 cups white chips

Preheat oven to 375°.

In a bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt, set aside.  In a large bowl, cream butter, sugar, and brown sugar.  Add egg, vanilla, and orange juice.  Add flour mixture, mix just until combined.  Stir in orange zest and chips.

Drop scoops of cookie dough onto ungreased cookie sheets.  Bake 8 – 10 minutes or until barely start to turn golden around edges. Do not over bake.  Cool a few minutes on cookie sheets, transfer to rack, cool completely.

If you are interested in Demarle bakeware and kitchen tools such as the Silpat & Perforated Baking Sheet please visit mydemarleathome.com/kristenparker or simply click on the Demarle at Home logo below.