cinnamon apple crisp

Chocolate trumps every dessert in our household.  So I know that this apple crisp recipe is a winner because every time that I make it (which is pretty frequently because it’s super easy & delicious!), I hear “ooh”, “awe” and “awesome”!  

Granny smith apples get topped with a brown sugar crumb topping… it’s scrumptious and extra tasty served warm with vanilla ice cream.

6 cups peeled apples, thinly sliced*
3/4 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup oats
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 Tablespoon cinnamon

1.) Preheat oven to 350°.
2.) Place apples in a lightly buttered 8x8 glass baking dish.
3.) Combine brown sugar, oats, flour, butter and cinnamon; blend together with fingers until crumbly. Evenly top apples with oat mixture.
4.) Bake for 35 minutes.

* we use granny smith apples, but any apple will do :) 

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Another yummy & fun recipe to make is our apple chips!  click here for the recipe!

mini pumpkin whoopie pies

Oh me, oh my, we love these whoopie pies!  These little autumn cake bites are delicious and the tastiest way to indulge with pumpkin.  This gem of a recipe comes from Martha (thanks Martha!).  We did not modify the recipe at all (it’s perfect) except to make them much smaller (about a heaping teaspoon of batter baked for 8 minutes) and to cut the recipe in half (it makes a lot of whoopie pies)  The original recipe is below.   Whoopee!

For the Pumpkin Whoopie Cookies

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon ground ginger

1 tablespoon ground cloves

2 cups firmly packed dark-brown sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

3 cups pumpkin puree, chilled

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the Cream Cheese Filling

3 cups confectioners' sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1. Make the cookies: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or a nonstick baking mat; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves; set aside. In another large bowl, whisk together brown sugar and oil until well combined. Add pumpkin puree and whisk until combined. Add eggs and vanilla and whisk until well combined. Sprinkle flour mixture over pumpkin mixture and whisk until fully incorporated.
3. Using a small ice cream scoop with a release mechanism, drop heaping tablespoons of dough onto prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart. Transfer to oven and bake until cookies are just starting to crack on top and a toothpick inserted into the center of each cookie comes out clean, about 15 minutes. Let cool completely on pan.
4. Make the filling: Sift confectioner' sugar into a medium bowl; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter until smooth. Add cream cheese and beat until well combined. Add confectioners' sugar and vanilla, beat just until smooth. (Filling can be made up to a day in advance. Cover and refrigerate; let stand at room temperature to soften before using.)
5. Assemble the whoopie pies: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Transfer filling to a disposable pastry bag and snip the end. When cookies have cooled completely, pipe a large dollop of filling on the flat side of half of the cookies. Sandwich with remaining cookies, pressing down slightly so that the filling spreads to the edge of the cookies. Transfer to prepared baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate cookies at least 30 minutes before serving and up to 3 days.

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photo & recipe courtesy of MarthaStewart.com