The cold weather is finally upon us. I’m a fan, but I definitely still need things to warm me up! Collegiettes, prepare yourselves; I am going to provide you with the key to surviving the fall and winter- a fall baking guide! Here you can find a range of healthy to not so healthy baked goods that will warm you from the inside out!
1. Baked Apples
I figured we start with something nice and simple and somewhat healthy…
Ingredients
2lbs apples (either Cortland or Gala for best results), cored and chopped
2 tsp cinnamon
Juice of 1 lemon
1/3 cup brown sugar
Instructions
1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Toss the chopped apples with the cinnamon, lemon juice and brown sugar and place in a baking or casserole dish.
2. Cook apples, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes until soft and juicy. Served best with ice cream J.
2. Apple Pie Dip & Pita Chips
This one’s great for having people over! It’s easy to make and incredibly addicting.
Ingredients
2 cups peeled, cored, and diced apple
2 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp brown sugar
¼ tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cornstarch dissolved in 1 tsp water
Instructions
1. You can either cook this on the stove-top or the microwave.
2. Combine all the dip ingredients in a small pan/ microwaveable bowl except the cornstarch-water mixture.
3. Heat for a few minutes until it’s boiling and has extracted juice from the apple.
4. Add cornstarch-water mixture to the “sauce”.
5. Put back in the microwave/stove top until boiling and the sauce has thickened.
6. Set aside, you can serve this warm or chilled- it doesn’t matter, either way it is awesome!
7. Buy some Stacie’s Cinnamon Pita Chips (or you can make your own) and then dip and be amazed.
3. Pumpkin Cupcakes with Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting
Cupcakes are best baked with friends. This recipe will test your baking skills, but the result is incredible and totally worth it!
Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup canned pumpkin purée (8 ounces), not pie filling
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 (8oz) pkg cream cheese
1 lb powdered sugar (more or less)
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions For Cupcakes
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Line a muffin tin with 12 cupcake liners.
3. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg.
4. In a larger bowl, whisk together the eggs, pumpkin purée, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vegetable oil.
5. Add the flour mixture and stir until combined.
6. Divide the batter among the prepared tins and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
7. Set aside to cool completely.
Instructions For Icing
1. Combine softened cream cheese, with softened butter, whip together until smooth.
2. Add powdered sugar gradually, while beating.
3. Add vanilla and then pumpkin pie spice.
4. Adjust the sweetness of frosting you your taste, add more powdered sugar if needed.
5. Spread the frosting on cupcakes (when they are cooled), be generous.
6. Enjoy!
4. Pumpkin Cheesecake
This is definitely not a low-card food but it will make your taste buds go wild!
Ingredients For Crust
1 and 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 stick melted salted butter
Ingredients For Filling
3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
1 (15-ounce) can pureed pumpkin
3 eggs plus 1 egg yolk
1/4 cup sour cream
1 and 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions For Crust
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
2. In medium bowl, combine crumbs, sugar and cinnamon.
3. Add melted butter.
4. Press down flat into a 9-inch pan (preferably spring-form pan).
5. Set aside.
Instructions For Filling
1. In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth.
2. Add pumpkin puree, eggs, egg yolk, sour cream, sugar and the spices.
3. Add the flour and vanilla.
4. Beat everything together until well combined.
5. Pour into crust.
6. Spread out evenly and place in oven for 1 hour.
7. Remove from the oven and let sit for 15 minutes.
8. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours.
9. Add some whip cream to the top and you are ready to go!
5. MOST GORGEOUS APPLE PIE OF YOUR LIFE
This pie will impress your friends, your mother, heck, this pie will even impress an artist! (The image is from the pie I made with my mom!)
Ingredients For Filling
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus more for sprinkling
Freshly ground nutmeg, to taste
7 medium apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
1 lemon, zested and juiced
Ingredients For Pie Crust
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
3 tablespoons granulated white sugar
1/4 cup vegetable shortening, cold
12 tablespoons butter, cold and cubed
1/4 cup to 1/2 cup ice water
Instructions For Filling
1. Mix together the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a small bowl.
2. In another bowl, sprinkle apples with the juice of 1 lemon and toss.
3. Stir in the sugar mixture to evenly coat the apples.
4. Set aside for now.
Instructions For Crust
1. In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, salt and sugar.
2. Add the shortening and break it up with your hands as you start to coat it all up with the flour.
3. Add the cold butter cubes and work it into the flour with your hands or a pastry cutter.
4. Work it quickly, so the butter doesn’t get too soft, until the mixture is crumbly, like very coarse cornmeal.
5. Add the ice water, a little at a time, until the mixture comes together forming what looks like dough.
6. Bring the dough together into a ball (when it comes together stop working it otherwise the dough will get over-worked and tough).
7. Wrap the dough in plastic and chill in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
8. On a floured surface roll out the dough.
9. Take a leaf shaped cookie cutter and start making the leaves (you can make them as you place them on the pie so that you know how many you need).
10. Pour apple filling into a pie tin/pan.
11. Place leaves (starting from the outside in) on top of the filling until the filling is completely covered.
12. Sprinkle sugar over the top of the leaves (you can use egg wash first to make it shiny if you would like).
13. Bake the pie for around 45 minutes (crust should be golden brown).
14. Let rest 20 minutes.
15. Instagram that baby and then dig in!
Recipes and Photos courtesy of: foodnetwork.com, thepeachkitchen.com, rachelunderwood.blogspot.com,
Edited by Danyelle McInnis