Salted Caramel Apple Hand Pies

Turns out much/most of my life involves trying to fulfill the whims of my offspring. It is made even more urgent when Michael joins in. James said he wanted apple pies. Someone suggested salted caramel (me? Michael? Who is to say.) Hand pies/pastries were suggested. Then James proceeded to bring it up forever until I finally made it happen. And that is the tale of how I was peer pressured into spending one of my evenings after the kids went to sleep making salted caramel apple hand pies.

(Note: in the course of my writing this Michael saw the pictures and said, "Oh man those were so good! We need them again. Look at Rose's sweet face. She's never had these. Don't you think that face deserve them?" So you see what I'm working with.) 

Anyway-this recipe is actually super simple (more so if you buy pre-made puff pastry and salted caramel sauce but where's the fun in that?) and reallllly tasty. Buttery, flaky pastry with a sweet and salty (and gooey) caramel apple filling. You can use whatever apples you like for the filling and can even make the pastries ahead of time (just make sure to refrigerate them until you're ready to bake--the colder the pastry dough the better the end result!) Yummy yum yum! 

Chocolate Peanut Butter Tart

Let's go back in time. Let's go back to a very very long time ago when I first discovered food blogs were a thing thanks to a Facebook ad for Annie's Eats (now called Everyday Annie). I started hoarding recipes to try one day. As I added more blogs to read, that list grew. Even more so when I started blogging myself. Then, in 2012 (picture this: I was still in NY, not yet engaged, Obama was in the middle of his presidency. What a time), I laid eyes on this delightful gem on that same Annie's site: a chocolate peanut butter tart. Clearly so rich and delicious I had to save it. 

But then it took me like 7 years to actually make it. Isn't that sad? 

Fear not! This story has a happy ending because I did make it and it WAS so good! And, honestly, look how pretty that pb swirl is. I can't believe I was able to make it look that good (tasty food is my forte, pretty food: less so. We frequently joke I should be on Nailed It. I think I could legit win because at least my food would be edible lol). 

Let's break down each tasty layer: chocolate crust, peanut butter, chocolate ganache, more peanut butter swirled on top. Clearly, a winner.

Flourless Peanut Butter S'mores Cookies {Gluten-free, Dairy free}

Ohhh heyyyyyy.

It's been a minute, huh?

Turns out...parenthood is hard you guys. It's like all consuming and add in trying to keep up with various life things (we got a minivan! James broke Michael's computer! There's a global pandemic!), generally feeding our whole family, somewhat keeping the house clean, trying to spend any time on self care or my relationship with Michael, and the little bit of work I do (seriously NO clue how everyone who works full time does it) aaaand...something had to give. Unfortunately that something was this blog. 

But-as I said, there's a global pandemic going on. Which means that Michael is able to work from home (which we are extremely lucky to have that option and I hate that more people aren't in that position). Which has really helped with dividing up house responsibilities and brainstorming ways to be more efficient. Also I'm no longer working outside of the house either. So we decided to give me a few extra hours a week to just go away from the kiddos, let Michael take over, and I can do whatever work sorts of things I need to do. And that includes finding some time to blog again! So hip hip hooray I have some recipes for you! 

Way back before Rose was born when James was still more toddler than little boy (*sob*) the two of us decided to bake cookies together. And I had seen these cookies on Instagram that looked super ooey gooey delicious but were a little healthier (maple syrup instead of sugar, gluten-free, dairy free, able to use my homemade peanut butter that I always have lying around...) AND they looked really quick and easy to make (necessary when dealing with a toddler). So we made them together (the little cutie loved the part where we flattened the dough balls) and then ate them together and oooooh they were PERFECT. So chewy. So flavorful. So decadent and delicious, you'd honestly never guess they were anything but pure sinful (not that I believe in food having any morality, all food is good food! And this is my mommy soapbox for today.) 

And James pointed to them and said "I made that." So really the accomplishment almost superseded the tastiness. 

Make 'em. Eat 'em. Do a happy dance that I posted a recipe for you and that of course it's cookies.

Soft Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies

I love being a mom. Seriously, it's the best. The ONLY thing that I don't love is the fact that I don't have nearly as much time to bake.

It's super sad. I love baking! It's fun! And the results are sooo yummy.

Which is why it's an extra special treat when I actually am able to do it. Especially cookies. They're a fave around here in case you didn't know.

This recipe is one of my all time (if not my absolute all time) favorite peanut butter cookie recipes. They're soft, they're chewy, they're peanut butter, and there's chocolate. I love love love them. Michael love love loved them. Heck even my family love love loved them when I brought some to my grandma's pool. 

(And someday when I let James find out what a real cookie tastes like, he'll love love love these too. And so will you.)

{Lower Sugar} Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

These chocolate chip cookies are SO SO GOOD.

Like super delicious. Even though they're lower in sugar. But I swear you don't notice. Michael still raved about them and he's always quick to tell you when your healthier treats don't stack up to the regular ones lol.

In all fairness, though, Michael has lofty opinions of my cookies. He says even my worst cookies are better than almost anyone else's best ones. He's a keeper, that boy.

As is this recipe. I loved them. I miss them. I want them.

I'd feel slightly less bad giving these to James. Someday. Not now lol.

Seriously-these cookies are perfectly chewy, have just the right amount of chocolate chips, and they taste AMAZING. I used coconut sugar and it adds this amazing depth of flavor and softness to the cookies, you really don't feel like you're missing anything! Because you're not! Yay!

Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Chip Chocolate Cookies

Fun fact: 3 years ago today I married my favorite (aside from James) guy. 3 years of marriage and almost 9 years together (and half a year of parenthood) one of my favorite things about us is what a good team we make. We complement each other and go together like...well...chocolate and peanut butter!

And he appreciates a good cookie. Definite keeper.

There's honestly nothing not to love about these cookies-they're super soft and chewy and FULL of chocolate and peanut buttery goodness-both in the cookies themselves and in the gooey peanut butter and chocolate chips! I'm a major proponent of eating warm cookies (to the point that I'll oftentimes not bother if they're not warm) BUT these ones are still super tasty at room temp. (don't get me wrong...I still liked them warm. But I didn't turn my nose up at the cooled ones either :P). 

They're delish, ok? It's just true. 

{Gluten-free} Salted Chocolate Chip Pecan Blondies

YAY! I BAKED A SWEET AGAIN! I'm so happy I could cry.

AND AND AND Michael finalllyyyyy really loved a healthier dessert I made (usually he's like "it's fine but it'd be better if it was normal" blah blah). So we've got double the reason to celebrate!

The blondies are AMAZING because they're INSANELY gooey and rich and soft and chewy but then there's also the crunchy toasted pecans on top and melty dark chocolate and-obviously-sea salt on top to make everything even tastier. And yeah they just so happen to be like gluten free, dairy free, and paleo. Which is like WHAAA? You'd seriously never guess there's anything healthified about them. You can trust the Michael seal of approval!

You know part of what makes blondies sosososo yummy?? 3 words: toasted.pecan.butter. YEAH. It's what's holding together a lot of this recipe and allowing it to be its dairy free and gluten free self, but it's also what makes it taste so rich and decadent and gooey and....perfect. Just...perfect. You're gonna love these. I mean it. MAKE THEM!

Butterfinger Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies

If you like super rich desserts, then great news! I've got a super dense and fudgy brownie with peanut butter swirled in to the top and then lots of crunchy crushed Butterfingers on top of that. They're awesome-people love them. Michael enjoyed them with ice cream too (apparently it added a refreshing element to the richness :P).

May I suggest these as a potential option for your holiday baking? They're super tasty and are sure to be a huge hit with any non-peanut allergy crowd. They're also kind of ridiculously easy to throw together, so really none of us have any excuse to not be eating one of these ASAP. 

NO EXCUSE!

30 Favorite Holiday Desserts

The holiday season is essentially here! And that means lots of super fun baking and delicious treats. 

Now, I've already shared with you some of my favorite cookies for the holidays as well as a bunch of holiday gift guides, but this is 30 of my favorite dessert recipes (not just cookies) for all the celebrations at this time of year!

These are tried and true total favorites, I love them and I know you will too!

(Top to bottom, left to right)

The Baked Brownie
This is the absolute perfectly decadent and delicious brownie.

Mint Cocoa Brownies
A super simple and easy brownie base that you can jazz up with any mix-ins you like, but crushed mint candies are perfect for Christmas!

{Easy} Salted Praline Pecan Clusters
Easy candy for the holidays is a must!

Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Pecan Truffles
These are delicious and actually fairly healthy!

Butter Cracker Toffee Easy, Nut-free}
Another easy treat that is a total crowd pleaser, and is great for gifting!

Dark Chocolate Salted Caramel Cups
Instead of PB cups, surprise people with salted caramel cups :)

Dark Chocolate Truffles
A total classic that, again, you can customize in how you decide to cover the truffles (roll them in coconut, nuts, sprinkles, dip them in chocolate, whatever you'd like!)

Salted Browned Butter Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles
These are super sophisticated and extra delicious so they're a showstopper.

Chocolate Covered Potato Chips with Salted Caramel Drizzle
I know it's unexpected, but once you've tried them they make so much sense!

"Snickers" Peanut Butter Caramel Corn
Bags of tasty popcorn are another perfect gift! Or a big bowl is amazing for servings at parties.

Sweet & Salty Kitchen Sink Cookies{Panera Copycat}
This is one of my family's favorites of my cookies and they're fun because you can totally use whatever mix-ins you like or have on hand to customize the recipe. Crushed candies, peanut butter chips, whatever suits your fancy!

Pecan Pie Cookies
Pecan pie is a classic dessert during this season and making it in cookie form is even better!

Bakery Style Chocolate Chip Cookies 
This happens to be my favorite CCC recipe-it has browned butter and is so gooey and perfect.

Flourless Dark Chocolate Cookies 
These cookies are SO fudgy and chocolatey and are perfect for anyone who needs gluten-free and dairy free options. Plus the powdered sugar on them looks like snow sooo...festive!>

Pecan Laceys 
They're just super different from your typical cookie but so so yummy, and they're a great addition to a holiday cookie tray!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cookies 
This is my absolute favorite chocolate + peanut butter cookie recipe!

Brown Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies 
And this is my favorite oatmeal chocolate chip cookie.

Peanut Butter & Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies 
A fun twist on the traditional thumbprint cookies these have safe-to-eat chocolate peanut butter cookie dough in the middle.

Brown Butter Cinnamon Coconut Cookies 
For the non-chocolate lovers! Plus, the cinnamon tastes very Christmas-y.

Brown Butter Chocolate Stuffed Toffee Chip Cookies 
Another family favorite! These are super amazing as is but you can also sort of play around with what you stuff in them and such also.

{No Spread, No Chill} Vanilla Cutout Cookies 
THE BEST SUGAR COOKIE/CUTOUT COOKIE RECIPE! Seriously...it's all you need.

Salted Caramel Creme Brulee 
Regular creme brulee is so dull compared to the rich decadence of this salted caramel version.

Homemade Mocha Pudding 
Mini chocolate puddings (with a hint of coffee flavor) are a super classy holiday treat.

Mini Raspberry Swirl Cheesecakes 
These little cheesecakes are so pretty and would be a hit with anyone you'd serve them to.

Chocolate Decadence {Flourless Chocolate Torte} 
One of the most delicious things I've ever made-it will seriously impress anyone who tries it.

Molten Chocolate Lava Cake 
And who doesn't love lava cake???

Chocolate Raspberry Ganache Pie 
This is a surprisingly easy one considering how darned fancy it looks!

{No Bake} Chocolate Hazelnut Tart 
Again, deceptively easy but freaking gorgeous!

Salted Caramel Pecan Pie 
Why have normal pecan pie when you can have SALTED CARAMEL pecan pie??!

Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie Pie
Aaaand one of the most delicious pies ever.

Healthier NY Times Chocolate Chip Cookies

It's a good day when you have a big, indulgent-as-heck, gooey, and flavorful chocolate chip cookie that's sorta healthified (look...it's not healthy. It's not spinach. It is a cookie. Just a slightly less bad for you cookie). You feel like you can have it all! And you get to have a treat that makes you feel happy and not at all guilty. Everyone is happy! (Except my stupid hubby who insisted "I can tell they're healthy" and grumbled about just wanting normal cookies. He is spoiled and I disagree with him and don't think these taste healthy at all. And who are you gonna trust, me or the guy who brought you a recipe for drinking spaghetti-o's straight from the can??)

Moving along...

What makes these ccc's healthier than your average cookie? First of all, you use coconut oil instead of butter which makes them dairy free (aside from the chocolate chips, but you can use dairy free chips if you'd like) and everyone knows coconut oil is like miracle food or something, right? Then, you use white whole wheat flour. And finally, the amount of sugar is reduced from your average cookie recipe and we use only unrefined sugars. Just a few little swaps!

Now what makes these cookies delicious? They're inspired by the famous NY Times Chocolate Chip Cookies-which means they're big. And crisp around the edges but omigosh so gooey inside and chewy and full of flavor and chocolate chips and ahhhh I miss them and I want them right now!! Take it from someone with high cookie standards-these are LEGIT.

Whipped Nutella Cream Pie

Hey! Did you know you can make a yummy pie filling with just 2 ingredients? And that those ingredients are nutella and heavy cream? WELLL...now you know. And you know that it's creamy and silky and decadent.

And that it probably is delicious in any kind of pie crust, but I highly recommend a toasted tart crust. Because it's buttery and adds even more hazelnutty goodness. But you do whatever you like!

I love how crazy easy this is to make. And how decadent it is to eat. But be warned-you had better love nutella if you're going to eat this pie because it is FULLLL of nutella flavor. Which I adore. So I was a happy happy camper. 

{No Spread, No Chill} Vanilla Cutout Cookies

People have frequently asked me if I have a favorite sugar/cutout cookie recipe. Up until now, the answer was no. Michael and I aren't huge fans and during the holidays our moms have their recipes so there's be no one to even make them for. BUT-then I had my baby shower and decided it would be cute to make elephant cookies as favors (I happened to have an elephant cookie cutter) and decided it was time to try to find a recipe.

Allie of Baking a Moment had a recipe that appealed to me-a nice, simple, ingredient list (nothing crazy) for cookies that don't spread, have nice clean edges, and you don't need to chill the dough (heck, you don't even need to soften the butter!). It seemed simple and pretty much flawless, and I trust Allie so I felt confident that this recipe would work out well.

There are a lot of feelings associated with cutout cookie recipes-my and Michael's mom's both couldn't understand why I wouldn't want to use their recipes, and talked about how everyone in their families love theirs. And they're both fine but they weren't what I was looking for. I knew I needed to find my recipe.

And this is totally it!! The recipe was crazy simple and yielded perfectly clean edges, no spreading, and surprisingly sturdy cookies (people kept asking if the trunks broke a lot and they really didn't! These were solid cookies). They were also pretty straightforward and easy to make. And a total bonus? Remember how Michael and I are meh on this kind of cookie? We both actually thought these were tasty-they have a really nice balance of sugar and butter and vanilla flavors. I'm kind of in love and will 100% be using this recipe from now on for any cutout cookie needs I may have. This is one of those moments where you feel like a total grownup. Just in time for us becoming parents, I guess, lol. 

Butterfinger Oatmeal Cookies

I don't hate these pictures! It's a miracle!! I've been sort of ho hum on my food photography lately-as I'm sure you can probably tell. But I had a bit of inspiration with the styling for this one and the light decided to cooperate so I can show you these cookies in all their glory.

Chewy oatmeal cookies full of crunchy bites of Butterfinger=perfection!! I made these for Michael to bring to work one day for some sort of party or something that they were having. I will admit that I think my oats may have been stale and thusly I wasn't in love with the cookie I sampled before sending them off, which made me super worried. But Michael insisted they were tasty and all his coworkers raved about them soooo....I have no idea. I'm sure the recipe is still great--but just for safety, make sure your oats aren't expired...ha.

Seriously, these are an ideal cookie for bringing to parties or mailing in care packages since they're pretty sturdy and the nature of the oats and butterfinger bits means they're super delish at room temperature (as opposed to my own personal preference of cookies being warm and gooey, usually). Plus-almost everyone loves butterfingers. Can you say "crowd pleaser"??

Peanut Butter S'mores Skillet Brownie

So this was supposed to be a Peanut Butter S'mores Pizookie--which is a copycat from a place called BJ's Restaurant and Brewhouse. However...this didn't exactly end up being close enough for me to call it that--I made a slight mistake and did a skillet brownie instead of cookie. So-it's not the same. BUT it is YUMALICIOUS and perfectly deserving of its own title. So PB S'mores Skillet Brownie, here we are!

Essentially we have a super fudgy and dense and chocolatey brownie (with chocolate chips/chunks) baked in a skillet. THEN there's a layer of peanut butter. THEN we put some marshmallows on top and get 'em all toasty. And the result is gooey and rich and really just awesome.

Michael would've liked this better if it had just been the brownie and peanut butter without the toasted marshmallows...because I've married a weirdo. BUT-more for me!!! Even though this is a medium sized skillet brownie...and even though I'm pregnant (although honestly my appetite has gone down if anything so far)-I did not finish the whole thing in one sitting! I cut off little wedges to eat over the course of a few days. But if you eat it all at once I will do nothing but love and admire you.

I mean...it's messy. And gooey. As all the tastiest things are!

Flourless Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

Here it is--my first recipe that I've made and photographed for the blog since that darned first trimester fatigue/nausea hit me. And-of course-the lighting was not my friend. So...sorry about the pictures. Bear with me.

Now the important thing here is HOW GOSH DARN TASTY these are. They're are super duper peanut buttery, very very flavorful-and there's no flour or butter. Lots of winning. Full disclosure, though--forming the dough into balls was THE BIGGEST PAIN IN MY BUTT. They were so crumbly and it was rough. Now-this may be partly because I used PB & Co peanut butter which I thought wouldn't count as natural peanut butter but...maybe it did and affected the texture. I couldn't tell you. But but but seriously they're so yummy.

Michael was a giant fan of these cookies-they got sent in his lunches every day (I love that I'm already well versed in packing lunches before even having given birth) and they were perfect for my occasional peanut butter cravings (which I'm attributing to the fact that I haven't been eating a ton of meat since getting pregnant so I probably needed the protein.) Whatever reason you may have for wanting them, you won't be sorry you made these cookies. Even if you're cursing their existence when you're scooping and shaping them :P

Salted Caramel Pots de Crème

PSA-if, while making these and filling up the pan with the hot water bath, you accidentally get some water in one of your pots de creme, it will still come out pretty tasty, if just a bit thinner in texture. Glad I could do that bit of research for you. Totally intentionally, not at all accidentally.

Smooth, creamy, rich, decadent, PERFECTION. These pots de creme (which are essentially little custards/puddings) are so insanely full of salted caramel flavor (...even the one that had some water get into it before being baked...) and they're sort of kind of MIND BLOWING. And they actually aren't even hard to make. So there's no reason not to have them in your life.

I feel like this is a dessert to impress, it's the kind of thing you serve guests and sound fancy when you offer them their pot de crème and they ooh and ahh over the little single servings of custardy goodness with the pretty flecks of sea salt on top. It's going to make you the coolest person around, really. That's why I'm not cool, I just haven't thrown the right dinner party yet...ha.

But seriously...I loved digging into these while sitting on my couch in my pajamas, so they're appropriate for all occasions, really.

Sweet & Salty Kitchen Sink Cookies {Panera Copycat}

These are the best cookies I've made in awhile. Like...can't get enough of them. Which makes sense because they're modeled after another cookie I couldn't get out of my head: the kitchen sink cookies at Panera.

At one of our meetings with a bride, my boss and I had a couple kitchen sink cookies at Panera. And I knew I needed to recreate them. They were HUGE (like...bigger than these ones. For the first time in my life I struggled with making cookies big enough!) And had pretzels and little bits of caramel and chocolate chips and...of course...there was sea salt on top. So-pretty simple to recreate actually. I amped up the flavor an extra notch by using one of my favorite browned butter cookie bases, because--why wouldn't I?

I think my version might be even better. They're sturdy but chewy and full of so many fantastic textures-crunchy pretzels, gooey caramel, melty chocolate. They're so so good. Addictive to the max. They also freeze really well if you-like me-can't be trusted with an entire batch. I froze some and then just pulled out when I needed a special treat ;). 

They're also great for sharing with new friends to endear yourself to them-hence why I brought along some for my "girl-date" with my boss/friend, Val and our new friend, Evie. They both loved them. Of course!

Raspberry Pie

Michael loves pie. Like...on ultimate Pi day, a couple years ago, he was sincerely upset that I hadn't made him pie (oops). He particularly likes fruit pies...which is tricky because I don't really dig fruit pies. So I only make them for him on occasion. Thusly, it's a special event when I do.

Sometimes Michael sits around and questions why certain pies don't exist...and then I tell him they do exist. One time that was grape pie (although admittedly it sounds weird, it apparently exists). And then another time he questioned raspberry pie. Before looking it up, I knew that it wouldn't be difficult-it should be the same premise as blueberry or blackberry pie, and of course I was right and I found various recipes online. So I was a nice lady and made him some raspberry pie. And right before this year's Pi day, so he finally got his Pi day pie. 

It's actually fitting that I share this recipe today, because I'm spending the whole week with Michael while he's on spring break (and he took off from work today-Friday). I so rarely get to spend this much time with him, between work and school (and the fact that on the weekends I am usually working) so this is a special treat! Just like pie :D

Anyway, more about this actual pie. It's my first time making a lattice top crust-I thought it turned out pretty well! You do not have to do a lattice, you can kind of do whatever you'd like. The lattice is so evocative of a classic berry pie though, you know? And I used my favorite butter pie crust recipe which was flaky and delicious. The filling has a pleasant tartness and lots of pure raspberry flavor-I mean the ingredient list for the filling is beautifully short. It's essentially just raspberries, sugar, and cornstarch. I love that, it really let's the raspberries true flavor shine through. Michael was super super happy about this pie, and I bet you will too!

Whole Wheat Burger Buns

I'm going to start off by saying...mmm...these aren't the bestest burger buns. They're delicious bread and they'll work as buns but Michael will attest that they're not very...bun-like. If that makes sense? But he's picky. I know I'd love to eat a sammie on these, and I think you should consider them!

In the scheme of bread recipes, this is pretty standard-not terribly difficult, and not too much rise time. The whole thing should take less than 3 hours. And the rolls are lovely and have a nice balance of whole wheat flavor, without being overwhelming, and a perfect, chewy texture.

I mean...Michael said it was tasty bread. He just wants processed store-bought white buns. *sigh*

Send help.

I want to hear from the masses--what do you think? Would you want to serve your burgers on these buns? If you make them, tell me what you think!