candy bar caramel apples

happy to report these are amazing. so amazing, that i may have eaten a whole apple by myself in one day.

making your own caramel is surprisingly simple. Use a candy thermometer taking the guess out of determining the appropriate consistency. i used chopsticks instead of popsicle sticks, but either will do. 

my candy bars included twix, snickers, reese's peanut butter cups and butterfingers. just run a knife through them and put them in separate bowls.

candy bar caramel apples

6 large granny smith apples

2 c light brown sugar

2/3 c dark karo syrup

1/4 c butter

1 tsp sea salt

chopsticks

candy bars of your choice, chopped

1. stick chopsticks through the apple core and push down a few inches. prep a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. combine brown sugar, karo syrup, butter and salt in a sauce pan. bring to a low boil at medium- high heat stirring vigorously. simmer for 10-12 minutes or until your thermometer reads 215°. at this point the sugar will be melted and the caramel will be formed. 

3. pour caramel in a deep bowl. dip apples in caramel and hold upside down slowly turning the apple sideways allowing the caramel to adhere and harden. (a good 30 seconds). Dip in one of the candy bar bowls pressing candy bar pieces onto the lower third of the apple. 

4. repeat with all apples. store in the fridge, but be sure to take out an hour before eating so your candy isn't too hard.

strawberry lemonade popsicles

i have no idea how i came across this blog but it's pretty fantastic. www.bargainshoppermom.com. she does frequent product promotion and recently featured the zipzicle- a bpa- free, zip-sealed popsicle mold. blew. my. mind. better yet, they're cheap! 

i've tricked my kid into thinking anything frozen in the shape of a popsicle is a treat- even if it's a greek yogurt tube or in this case, pureed fruit. so happy treat-tricking the last few days of summer!

strawberry lemonade popsicles

2 c strawberries, hulled

1 tsp lemon zest

1 1/2 c lemonade

8 zipzicle bags

1. puree strawberries and lemon zest in a food processor or blender.

2. combine strawberry puree with lemonade and pour into zipzicle bags using a funnel or kitchen baster.

3. place in an upright container and freeze.

the butterscotch cookie

you will never eat a better cookie than this. i promise.
they are a little sensitive- but worth it.

butterscotch cookies

6 tbl margarine, softened
1 1/2 c brown sugar
2 tbl water
1, 11 oz package butterscotch chips
3 c flour
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
white confectionary coating (also known as white almond bark or candy coating, found in a block form near nuts or in baking aisle)

1. in a saucepan combine margarine, brown sugar and water. heat until melted. pour into a mixing bowl and let stand for 10 minutes.
2. in another bowl combine dry ingredients: flour, baking soda and salt. set aside.
3. beat eggs into butterscotch mixture. add flour mixture and continue mixing until blend. chill dough for 1 hour.
4. for each cookie roll 1 rounded tbl of dough into a ball. place on a cookie sheet. (the dough is sometimes a little hard to work with but remember the end result is delicious.) continue with all dough.
5. bake at 350 degrees for10-12 minutes or until golden brown.
6. heat confectionary coating in a glass bowl in the microwave for 1 minute or until "spreadable".
7. frost each cookie and let sit until set.

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apple crisp

my little family went apple picking a couple weekends ago. it's not possible to explain how amazing it is to watch your baby eat an apple for the first time. it's sounds so absolutely ridiculous, but it is by far one of the best memories i have of her thus far. simple pleasures in life i guess.

well... i had to do something with those apples. use your favorite kind- or do what i did, and use a variety

apple crisp
6 medium sized apples
1 c quick oats
3/4 c flour
1 c + 2 tbl brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 c softened butter cut in 1" chunks

1. peel, core and slice apples. toss slices with 2 tbl brown sugar and pour into a 9 x 9 glass pan.
2. combine oats, flour, brown sugar and salt in a bowl.
3. cut in butter pieces using the back of a fork until pieces are no larger than a pea.
4. pour oatmeal mixture on top of apples and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

my mom's caramel brownies

ugh. these are pretty much heaven. i ate the whole pan in literally two days with very minimal help from friends and family. totally worth the extra 3 lbs i believe i gained this weekend.

caramel brownies

14 oz kraft caramels (in candy aisle at grocery store)
5 oz evaporated milk (2/3 c)
1 c semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 package german chocolate cake mix
3/4 c melted butter

1. melt caramels and 1/3 c evaporated milk in a double boiler. (basically a glass bowl on top of a pot of boiling water, allowing caramels to melt, but not burn)
2. combine cake mix, melted butter and 1/3 c evaporated milk. pat 1/2 of the dough into a greased 13 x 9 pan. bake at 350 degrees for 6 minutes.
3. sprinkle chocolate chips over dough. drizzle caramel on top of the chips.
4. pat rest of dough in pieces on top of the caramel.
5. bake for 18-20 minutes.
6. eat at least half of the pan.

grilled peaches

this is simply delicious.

grilled peaches

4 peaches, cut in halves with pit removed
3 tbl butter
1/4 brown sugar
1/4 c dark rum
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
pinch salt

1. combine butter, sugar, rum, cinnamon and salt in a saucepan. bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes.
2. brush rum sauce over the top of the peaches and grill open side down for 6 minutes or until grill marks appear.
3. flip face up, brush more of the rum sauce onto the peaches and grill for 6 minutes or until they are squishy but not too squishy.
4. pour remaining sauce over the top and serve with frozen vanilla yogurt.

adapted from steve raichlen

strawberry wontons

you read correctly. i baked. well, kind of. this recipe comes from my dear friend tricia. tricia was always the one i looked up to. she's that kinda gal that does everything pretty much perfect- or at least it appears that way. she recently took up cake baking. now i'm not talking about normal out-of-a-box cake baking, i'm talking about making it from scratch from start to finish, inclusive of multiple tiers and fondant decorations. as i've pointed out earlier, i don't do that. this is as extreme as it gets in the baking world.

strawberry wontons

24 wonton wrappers

2/3 c brown sugar

4 tsp cinnamon

6 tbs melted butter

12 oz cream cheese, softened

4 tsp orange juice concentrate (or you can use Cointreau)

4 tbl honey

12 strawberries

1. mix the brown sugar and cinnamon together.

2. place the wonton wrappers in a mini muffin pan.

3. put ½ tsp of butter on each wonton and add 1 tsp of the brown sugar/cinnamon mix on top. bake for 8 minutes at 350°.

4. mix the cream cheese, orange juice, and honey together and drop 1 tsp. onto warm, baked wonton. add ½ of a strawberry to each.