Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars with Streusel Topping-(ht)

Base:

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon cinnamon

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

Cream Cheese Layer:

2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Apples:

3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and finely chopped

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Streusel Topping:

1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup quick cooking oats

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

1 cup caramel sauce (homemade recipe below)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a small bowl, stir together chopped apples, two tablespoons sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Set aside. In a medium bowl, combine all the streusel topping ingredients and mix until crumbly. Set aside. In a medium bowl, combine flour and brown sugar. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or two forks until mixture is crumbly but combined. Press evenly into a 9X13-inch baking pan lined with aluminum foil. Bake for 10 minutes or until lightly browned. While the crust is baking, in a large bowl, beat cream cheese with 1/2 cup sugar until smooth. Then add eggs, one at a time and then the vanilla. Mix well. Pour over the warm crust. Spoon the apple mixture evenly over the cheesecake layer. Sprinkle the streusel topping over the apples. Bake for 30 minutes until the filling is set. Cool the bars to room temperature. Drizzle with the caramel topping (or plate individual slices and drizzle with topping one by one).

Caramel Sauce:

4 tablespoons butter

1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

½ cups half-and-half or cream

Pinch of salt

1 tablespoon vanilla

Mix butter, brown sugar, half-and-half or cream, and salt in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook while whisking gently for 5 to 7 minutes, until thickened slightly. Add the vanilla and cook another minute to thicken further. Turn off the heat and pour the sauce into a jar. Refrigerate until cold. If the caramel sauce has cooled in the fridge long enough to harden, warm slightly before drizzling on bars.

Recipe From mel's kitchen cafe

Mandarin Orange Cake- (ht)

1 - 18.25 oz butter recipe cake mix

1/2 - cup vegetable oil

1 - can (15 oz ) mandarin oranges, undrained & separated

3 - eggs

Add the cake mix, oil, eggs and mandarin oranges to a large mixing bowl. Put a few of the mandarin oranges aside for garnish. (about 6-8 segments). Mix together the cake ingredients using an electric mixer. Pour into two greased and floured round cake pans.

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes until golden brown and the cake springs back. Remove from oven and let cool in pans 10 minutes. Remove from pans and cool completely on a baking rack. Frost when cakes are completely cooled.

Frosting

1 - can (8 oz) crushed pineapple, undrained

1- 3.4 oz box vanilla or french vanilla instant pudding mix

13 - ounces cool whip (thawed) whipped topping

Prepare the frosting by adding the dry pudding mix and un drained pineapple together and mix with a spoon. Fold in cool whip until well blended. Frost both layers and sides of cake. Garnish with remaining mandarin orange segments. Keep refrigerated before serving.

Recipe From Mommy's Kitchen

Bananas Foster Bread Pudding- (ht)

6 c. stale bread or croissant cubes
4 medium bananas, divided
4 eggs
3 egg yolks
1 1/2 c. milk
1 1/2 c. heavy cream
1 c. brown sugar, divided
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp. rum flavoring (optional)
1 tsp. cinnamon, divided
2 Tbsp. butter, divided

Preheat oven to 400. Line a rimmed baking sheet with heavy-duty foil. In a small mixing bowl, combine 3 sliced bananas (about 2 c.) with 1 Tbsp. melted butter. Combine 1/4 c. brown sugar and 1/4 tsp. cinnamon and then add them to the bananas and butter. Gently toss to combine and spread on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes or until the bananas are fragrant and tender and the sugar is starting to bubble and caramelize. Remove from oven and reduce heat to 350.

While the bananas are caramelizing, use an electric hand mixer to combine the milk, whipping cream, egg yolks, eggs, vanilla, salt, remaining brown sugar, rum flavoring (if using), and remaining cinnamon. Spray a 9×13″ dish with non-stick cooking spray and spread 1/2 of the bread cubes over the bottom of the pan. Evenly spread the caramelized bananas and brown sugar mixture and then slice one more banana over the caramelized bananas. Spread the remaining bread cubes over the bananas. Whisk the egg mixture one last time and pour evenly over the bread cubes. Allow to stand for 10-15 minutes (longer if possible), poking the bread down into the mixture so it can soak in the milk and eggs. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until puffed and golden (but not brown) and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Serve with Crème Anglaise (with 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon added), Buttermilk Syrup, or vanilla ice cream.

Recipe From Our Best Bites

Banoffee Pie- (ht)

Crust
9 ounces graham crackers
1 stick butter, melted

Toffee sauce
1/2 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter

Filling
1 1/4 cups heavy cream
5 small bananas (about 1 1/2 pounds total)
Preparation

To make the crust:
Line the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper.
Blend the graham crackers in a food processor until they are finely ground.
Pour the melted butter over the crumbs and process to blend well. The crumbs should stick together when pressed.
Press the crumb mixture over the bottom and 1½ inches up the sides of the springform pan. Refrigerate.

To make the toffee sauce:
Place a medium-heavy saucepan over medium heat.
Combine the sugar and 3 tablespoons of water in a medium-heavy saucepan.
Stir over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat and boil without stirring until the color is deep amber, occasionally swirling the pan and brushing down the sides with a pastry brush dipped into water, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the condensed milk and butter. Continue stirring for 5 minutes or until the sauce thickens slightly.
Remove the toffee sauce from the heat and spread 1 cup of the sauce over the prepared crust and refrigerate for about 1 hour or until the caramel is semi-firm.
Keep the remaining caramel sauce at room temperature.

To fill the pie:
Using an electric mixer, beat the cream in a large bowl until thick and very soft billowy peaks form.
Very thinly slice 3 of the bananas into discs. Fold the sliced bananas into the softly whipped cream and spoon into the prepared pie crust.
Slice the remaining bananas and arrange them decoratively over the pie.
Rewarm the remaining toffee sauce gently over low heat.
Drizzle some of the sauce decoratively over the pie. If the sauce has thickened too much to drizzle, stir a few tablespoons of milk into the sauce to create a thinner consistency.
Cut the pie into wedges and transfer to plates.
Drizzle each pie wedge with more sauce and serve.

Recipe from Curtis Stone

Apple Dumplings- (ht)

2 sticks butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 tubes crescent rolls
2 granny smith apples
12 ounces of Mountain Dew
Cinnamon
Vanilla ice cream

Directions: Peel and slice your apples. Wrap each slice in a crescent dough triangle and place in sprayed (greased) pan. In a bowl, melt your butter and stir in sugar and vanilla. Pour over top of the wrapped apples....or spread on top with a spoon. Pour the Mt. Dew all around and sprinkle with Cinnamon. Place in 350 degree oven for 30 to 40 minutes. Serve hot with ice cream!

Recipe From Or So She Says

Gingerbread Pudding Cake Recipe- (ht)

1/4 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg white
1 teaspoon Spice Islands®, All Natural, No Corn Syrup Added, Pure Vanilla Extract
1/2 cup molasses
1 cup water
1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup chopped pecans

TOPPING:
6 tablespoons brown sugar
3/4 cup hot water
2/3 cup butter, melted
Directions
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in egg white and vanilla. Combine molasses and water. Combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, salt, allspice and nutmeg; gradually add to creamed mixture alternately with molasses mixture, beating well after each addition. Fold in pecans.
Pour into a greased 3-qt. slow cooker. Sprinkle with brown sugar. Combine hot water and butter; pour over batter (do not stir).
Cover and cook on high for 2 to 2-1/2 hours or until a toothpick inserted near the center of cake comes out clean. Turn off heat. Let stand for 15 minutes. Serve warm. Yield: 6-8 servings.

Recipe From Taste of Home

Sour Cream Apple Pie- (ht)

1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch single crust pie
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 egg
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups apples, peeled and sliced
2/3 cup all purpose flour
2/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon
4 tablespoons butter

Stir together 2 tablespoons flour, salt, 3/4 cup sugar and nutmeg in bowl. Combine egg, sour cream and vanilla in another bowl; mix well. Add egg mixture to dry ingredients; mix well. Stir in apples and spoon mixture into unbaked or par-baked pie shell (depending on preference).

Bake in a preheated 400 degree F (205 degrees C) oven 15 minutes.

Reduce temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and bake 30 minutes more. Remove pie from oven. Increase temperature to 400 degree F (205 degrees C).

Combine 2/3 cup sugar, 2/3 cup flour and 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon in bowl. Cut in 4 tablespoons butter until crumbly, using a pastry blender.
Sprinkle crumb topping over pie. Return to oven and bake 10 minutes more. Cool on rack.

Recipe From Taste and Tell

Apple-Cider Pie

Ingredients
Crust:
2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1/3 cup ice water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup chilled stick margarine or butter, cut into small pieces
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
Filling:
2 cups apple cider
1/3 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/4 teaspoons pumpkin-pie spice
7 Braeburn apples, peeled and quartered (about 3 pounds)
Cooking spray
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon sugar
Preparation
To prepare crust, lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine 1/3 cup flour and ice water, stirring with a whisk until well-blended. Combine 1 2/3 cups flour and salt in a bowl; cut in margarine and shortening with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add ice water mixture; toss with a fork until moist. Divide dough in half. Gently press each half of mixture into a 4-inch circle on heavy-duty plastic wrap, and cover with additional plastic wrap. Roll one half of dough, still covered, into a 12-inch circle, and chill. Roll other half of dough, still covered, into an 11-inch circle; chill.

To prepare filling, bring cider to a boil in a large, heavy saucepan over high heat. Cook until reduced to 1/2 cup (about 20 minutes). Cool completely.

Preheat oven to 450°.

Combine cooled cider, 1/3 cup sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, vanilla, and pie spice in a large bowl. Cut each apple quarter crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Stir apple slices into cider mixture.

Remove 1 sheet of plastic wrap from the 12-inch circle; fit dough into a 9-inch pie plate coated with cooking spray, allowing dough to extend over edge of plate. Remove top sheet of plastic wrap. Spoon apple mixture into crust, and brush edges of crust lightly with water. Remove 1 sheet of plastic wrap from the 11-inch circle, and place on top of apple mixture. Remove top sheet of plastic wrap. Press edges of dough together; fold edges under, and flute. Cut 6 (1-inch) slits into top of pastry using a sharp knife. Combine egg and 1 tablespoon water. Brush top and edges of pie with egg mixture, and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar. Place pie on a baking sheet, and bake at 450° for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350° (do not remove pie from oven), and bake an additional 45 minutes or until golden. Cool on a wire rack.

Review: I was kind of dissapointed with this recipe. It smeeled good while I was making it, it looked and smelled awesome when it was done baking. But then when I finally tried it, it was really tart and not as good as I ahd hoped it would be. Next time I would put some salt in the crust and I would use a bunch more sugar in the filling and maybe even cut back on the lemon juice.

Recipe from My Recipes

Apple Cider Spice Doughnuts- (ht)

1 c. apple cider, preferably fresh apple cider or something high-quality like Simply Apple
1 c. sugar
3 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/4 c. butter-flavored shortening
2 eggs
1/2 c. buttermilk
1 quart canola or peanut oil (for frying)

Spiced Sugar

Shake or whisk to combine:
3/4 c. white sugar
1 Tbsp. + 1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

In a medium saucepan over high heat, bring the apple cider to a boil. Continue to cook over high heat for about 7-10 minutes or until it's reduced to 1/4 c. Remove from heat and allow to cool (you can transfer it to a heat-safe cup and place in the refrigerator or freezer to make things move a little more quickly. Also, if you're in a pinch, you can use 1/4 c. of undiluted apple juice concentrate).

While the cider is reducing, combine shortening and sugar in a large bowl and mix with an electric mixer on high for 2-3 minutes or until it's light and fluffy (if you're using a KitchenAid mixer, use the paddle beater). Add eggs one at a time, beating completely after each addition. Add reduced cider and buttermilk and beat until combined.

In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice. Add flour mixture to the liquid mixture and beat until just blended. The dough will be very soft--it will be about the consistency of chocolate chip cookie dough (minus the chocolate chips, of course! :) )
Carefully lay a sheet of plastic wrap on top of a baking sheet. Transfer dough to the plastic wrap. Lightly flour a rolling pin and roll dough out to about 1/2" thick. Top with another layer of plastic wrap and transfer the pan to the freezer for about 20 minutes or the refrigerator for 1 hour. While dough is chilling, you can prepare the spiced sugar topping.


When the dough has chilled, remove from the freezer/refrigerator. Using a round cookie cutter, cut circles out of the dough. Using a smaller cookie cutter cut the centers out of the circles and reserve the "holes" for little bite-sized pieces of apple-spiced goodness! Place cut dough pieces on a lightly floured baking sheet. When all the dough has been cut out, place the pan back in the refrigerator while you prepare the oil for frying.

In a large, deep saucepan or Dutch oven, heat 1 quart of oil over medium heat. If you don't have a candy thermometer, go buy one--they're not just handy for this recipe, but they are also a) fabulously cheap and b) ALWAYS useful. Anyway, using a candy thermometer, heat oil to 325 degrees. While oil is heating, line a plate or baking sheet with paper towels.
When the oil is hot, carefully place a few pieces of dough into the hot oil (don't crowd the pan, but you can probably get away with cooking 3-4 at a time, at least). The dough will sink down and then rise to the surface. Check the bottom side; if it's golden brown, flip the doughnut. If it's still a little pale, give it another 30 seconds or so and then check it again. After you've flipped the doughnut, the other side will cook significantly faster, so keep an eye on them. All in all, they should take about 90 seconds-2 minutes to cook completely.

Remove doughnuts from hot oil with a heat-proof slotted spoon and transfer to paper towels, followed by a baking rack (if you need the paper towel space for more doughnuts

Repeat frying process with remaining dough and then with the holes--the doughnut holes will cook EXTREMELY quickly, so be careful not to burn them.


Place spiced sugar mix in a large Ziploc bag and then shake a few doughnuts at a time in the mixture.

Makes about 24-36 doughnuts (plus as many doughnut holes), depending on how big you cut the doughnuts and how many times you roll out the scraps.

Freckled Strawberry Lemonade Bars- (ht)

1 c. flour
½ c. butter, softened
¼ c. powdered sugar
Dash of salt
3 eggs
1 oz. cream cheese
2 T. flour
1 ½ c. sugar
¼ c. fresh-squeezed lemon juice
1/2 c. strawberries
2 T. sugar
1 t. cornstarch

In a large bowl, combine 2 c. of flour, butter , powdered sugar, and salt until well mixed. Press into the bottom of a 9x9 inch baking pan. Bake in an oven preheated to 350 degrees for 15 minutes. In a large bowl, combine eggs, cream cheese, 2 T. flour, 1 ½ c. of sugar, and lemon juice. Pour over cooked crust. In a blender, puree strawberries, 2 T. sugar, and cornstarch. Spoon here and there over the lemon mixture. Return to oven and bake for an additional 20-25 minutes, until lemon mixture is fully cooked and firmly set. Cool completely before cutting into squares (or triangles). Dust with powdered sugar before serving

Recipe from Cheeky Kitchen

Peaches and Cream Cheesecake- (ht)

1/4 c. flour
3 T. butter
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking powder
3 oz pkg, vanilla pudding (not instant)
1 egg
1/2 c. milk
1 lg. can peaches (sliced, drained, reserve 3 T. juice)
8 oz. cream cheese
3 T. peach juice
1/2 c. sugar


Combine flour, butter, salt, baking powder, pudding, egg and milk and beat for 2 minutes. Pour into greased and floured 10-inch pie pan. Place peaches over batter. Beat cream cheese, peach juice and sugar for 2 minutes (until no lumps). Spoon to within 1 inch of ege on top of peaches. Combine 1 tablespoon sugar and 1/2 tsp cinnamon. Sprinkle over top. Bake 30-35 minutes at 350 degrees. Serves 6 to 8.

Recipe from Sweet Treats and More

Tassie Cups with Whipped Lemon Curd

3 ounces of cream cheese (a cube is 8 ounces, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

Start off by preheating the oven to 350 degrees F.
Using a food processor, combine the softened cream cheese, softened butter, flour and salt. Pulse and grind until the mixture forms into a ball. Then get a strip of plastic wrap and place it on the counter. Place the dough onto the center of the plastic wrap and wrap tightly into a ball. Place in refrigerator for 1 hour

Once chilled divide dough into 24 little round half dollar size balls. Using a mini-cupcake pan place each ball in a cup (slightly greased). Pressing from the center out, press dough up the sides of the cup until the dough is evenly pressed up the cup. Then place them into the oven for 10-15 minutes until they are barely brown on the edges (mine took about 10 minutes).

Let the tassie cups cool completely, then remove them carefully from the pan and place on a cooling rack.

For the whipped curd take a half pint of heavy whipping cream and using a stand mixer, mix until the whip cream is pretty thick. Take out about a 1 1/2 cup whipping cream and set aside. Then using already made and cooled lemon curd, mix 2 cups whipping cream and 1 cup lemon curd. Be careful that as you combine the two that you fold the curd into the whipping cream and not mix it. You want to keep the air in the mixture and stirring it will do the opposite.

Next take the 1 1/2 cups whipping cream and add a little drop of vanilla and a about 2 tablespoons powdered sugar to the mixture and stir.

Once the tassie cups are completely cooled, spoon in about a little over a tablespoon of whipped lemon curd into the cups (or fill until they are leveled with the tops of the cups). Then place a dabble of whip cream on top and for garnish and color, add a slice of strawberry.

Review: These were really good but took kind of a long time to make so I don't think I would make them just for an every day snack but they look really pretty and would be an impressive thing to bring to a potluck or something. The only thing I did differently is that I added a half of a cup of sugar to the tassie cup dough so it was kind of like a shortbread with cream cheese. They turned out really great and when I took some to the neighbors they thought I was a gourmet pastry chef. Maybe that's what I'll be when I grow up.

Recipe from Rozlynn's Homemade Goodness

Lemon Curd

1 cup fresh lemon juice (about 6-8 large lemons)

2 tablespoons fresh lemon zest

1 cup sugar

6 large eggs

1.5 sticks butter (12 tablespoons) cold, unsalted butter cut into bits

Zest lemons and set aside. Halve lemons and juice. Whisk together juice, zest, sugar and eggs in a 2-quart heavy saucepan. Cook over medium low heat for about one minute. Then slowly add bits of chilled butter, whisking frequently, until curd is thick enough to hold marks of a whisk and the first bubble appears on the surface (about 5-6 minutes).

Press curd through a large sieve into a shallow casserole dish (a 9×13 Pyrex works well). Cover the surface with plastic wrap to keep a film from forming on the surface of the curd. Chill overnight or for 8 hours before serving. Enjoy!

Recipe from Cafe Zupas

Review: This was a lot easier to make than I thought it was going to be, I did change a few things though. First off I decided to use just the egg yolks instead of the whole egg. I did this because I wanted it to be a little more custardy and I think it worked. because of this I only used 1/2 a cup of lemon juice, 1 Tablespoon of zest and one stick of butter. I kept the sugar the same though. It turned out great and was much cheaper to make than to buy!

Gingerbread Cupcakes- (ht)

1 box spice cake mix
3 eggs
1/3 cup molasses
1/3 cup oil
1/2 cup milk

Mix together cake mix, eggs, molasses, oil and milk.
Pour into paper liners and fill 3/4 full. (I did 18 cupcakes)
Bake at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes until the cake springs back when lightly touched.
Cool completely before frosting

Recipe from Real Mom Kitchen

Oreo Dessert Pie- (ht)

1 package Oreos, crushed
1 cube butter, melted
1 large cool whip
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese
1 Cup powdered sugar
1 large box chocolate instant pudding
2 2/3 cup milk

Put 2/3 of the crushed Oreos in the bottom of a 9X13 pan. Pour melted butter over the top and press to make a crust. Mix cream cheese, powdered sugar and 1/2 of the cool whip and spread on crust. Make pudding with 2 2/3 cup of milk, instead of following the box directions. Spread on top of cream cheese mixture. Top with remaining cool whip . Sprinkle on the remaining crushed Oreos. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Recipe from Clouse Cousins Cookin'

Gingerbread White Chocolate Blondies

2 ¾ cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 ¼ teaspoons baking soda
1 ¼ teaspoons salt
1 ¼ teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
1 ¼ cups (2 ½ sticks) butter, room temperature
1 ¼ cups packed light brown sugar
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 large eggs plus 1 egg yolk
1 ¼ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup unsulfured molasses
1 ¾ cups white chocolate chips
Nonstick cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare a 13×9 baking dish with cooking spray and set aside (I lined my pan with aluminum foil and then sprayed the aluminum foil with cooking spray).

Whisk together flour, soda, salt, and spices in a bowl.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or with a hand mixer), beat butter and sugars on medium-high speed until creamy and pale, about 3 minutes. Add eggs and yolk one at a time, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add vanilla and molasses and mix on medium speed until combined.

Add flour mixture on low speed until combined. Stir in white chocolate.

Spread batter evenly into prepared pan and bake until golden around edges and toothpick comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Let cool completely in pan; cut into 24 squares. Blondies can be stored in airtight containers at room temperature up to 1 week.

Review: This was definitely a fun fallish twist on traditional brownies and they made my house small awesome while they were baking! I thought they were really tasty and my husband and kids didn't complain about having to eat them either. :)

Recipe from My Kitchen Cafe