Since today's Friday (yay!), I thought I would give you something to spice up your weekend. I wish I was going to be eating these this weekend, but Saturday morning I'm doing a color run. I realize I should be looking forward to this and excited about it, but I'm kind of not. I'm not too excited about getting dirty. Pathetic, right? Oh well. It's close to my house, and I'm sure it will be more fun than I'm expecting. After that, it's home to work on some baking recipes. I'm definitely looking forward to that!

Anyway, this is another muffin recipe from a great cookbook I got for my birthday. And this recipe is another win. It's a muffin with a great crumb that is studded with apple chunks. There's wonderful cinnamon flavor, and it has a brown sugar/cinnamon crunch on top. The brown sugar gets a little caramelized while it bakes, which is pretty unique. I would not skip the brown sugar on top because they don't have much sugar in them otherwise. While I don't want to eat a cupcake disguised as a muffin for breakfast, it does need to be a little sweet. This is that muffin. I hope they make your mornings warm and cozy!
 
Apple Cinnamon Muffin Recipe
Makes 6-7 muffins
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For the muffins:
1 egg
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 Granny Smith apple peeled, cored, and chopped

For the topping:
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Line your muffin tin with paper cups.

In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, sugar, milk, and melted/cooled butter. Add in the baking powder, cinnamon, and salt and stir to combine. Stir in the flour until just incorporated. Fold in the chopped apples. Spoon the mixture into the paper cups. Note: It's a pretty thick batter. I filled the cups almost full and put about 1/4 cup of the batter in the cups.

To make the topping, mix together the brown sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle it on top of the batter.

Bake the muffins for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 5 minutes and then remove from the pan to cool.

Source: Best-Ever Book of Cupcakes & Muffins

So while I'm not excited about fall temperatures and shorter days, I am excited for fall baking. It's one of my favorite times of the year to be in the kitchen. And last weekend was no exception. I got to make one of my favorite cupcakes: caramel apple cupcakes.

These have an apple spice cake, caramel buttercream, and caramel drizzled on top. I happen to think they're beautiful and tasty. The cake recipe below is for high altitude. If you don't live at high altitude, I recommend you use a spice cake recipe or your favorite vanilla cake recipe and then doctor it up. You also can use a boxed spice or vanilla cake mix. If you use vanilla cake, be sure to add the apples and spices. If you're using a spice cake, add in the apples. The caramel buttercream is perfect for all altitudes, as is the caramel drizzle. Also note that the recipe below is for 12 cupcakes. If you use a recipe or a box mix that makes 24 cupcakes, double the apples/spices that you add. It sounds kinda complicated, but I promise it's not. I usually make the cupcakes one day and make the frosting and decorate the next day to split it up a bit. These are well worth the effort and the time spent in your kitchen!  

Caramel Apple Cupcakes Recipe
Makes 12 cupcakes
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Note: This cake recipe is for high altitude. If you're at regular altitude, use your favorite vanilla cake recipe and add in the apples and spices or your favorite spice cake recipe and add in the apples. If the recipe or box mix makes 24 cupcakes, double the apple/spice amounts indicated below.

For the cupcakes (highaltitude):
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon allspice
3/4 cup milk
1 1/2 cup cake flour
1/2 green apple, peeled and diced

For the frosting (any altitude):
1/2 cup butter
8 ounces brown sugar (about 1 cup + 2 tablespoons packed)
1/4 cup milk
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 tablespoon light corn syrup
2 cups powdered sugar

For the caramel sauce (any altitude):
Caramel sauce for ice cream or
5 caramel candies
1-2 tablespoons cream

To make the cupcakes, preheat your oven to 375 degrees and line a muffin pan with 12 liners.

In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs until incorporated. Mix in the baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice. In two additions, add in the flour alternating with the milk. Mix until just incorporated and then fold in the diced apples.

Fill the cupcake liners with about 1/4 cup of batter or about 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 15 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool.

While the cupcakes are baking and cooling, make the frosting. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add in the brown sugar and bring to a boil while stirring. Stir in the milk, baking soda, and corn syrup and bring to a boil again. Remove from heat and cool completely (about an hour). Transfer to a mixing bowl, add the powdered sugar, and mix on medium speed until it's creamy and smooth.

Transfer the frosting to a piping bag and pipe onto the cupcakes. Drizzle on the premade caramel sauce or make your own by microwaving the caramel candies with cream until melted and smooth.

Frosting recipe from Big Book of Cupcakes

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Oh boy. So this apple cake is pretty awesome, but what really takes the...er...cake is the sauce. But first, we'll talk about the cake. It's a simple cake made with shredded apples and pecans. It's moist and flavorful with a lot of cinnamon and a little almond extract. It's fall in a cake, and it's really easy to make. No mixer required.  

But the sauce...oh the sauce. It's browned butter, which if you've never had, is amazing. It's nutty and awesome. In addition to the browned butter are vanilla and rum extracts. It's a warm, friendly, comforting sauce. I wouldn't mind curling up with a book and this sauce. I realize that sounds super weird, but it's that good. Paired together, it's the perfect easy fall cake. And, since the sauce uses rum extract instead of rum, it's a cake you can serve to everyone.

I halved the recipe and ended up with thinner slices, but it was perfect. If you're serving more people, I would make the full recipe so you have a taller cake.

Apple Cake with Browned Butter Rum Sauce Recipe
Makes a 9x9 pan
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For the cake:
4 cups shredded apples
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped pecans

For the sauce:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup water
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon rum extract

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

To make the cake, in a large bowl combine the shredded apples and the sugar. (I shredded mine using a cheese grater, but you also could chop them finely.) Let sit for 5-10 minutes. In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, canola oil, and almond extract. Add to the apple mixture and stir to combine. Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Pour into the apple mixture and stir until combined. Add in the pecans and stir.

Spray a 9x9 pan with cooking spray. Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

To make the sauce, in a medium saucepan melt the butter. Stir and watch as it gets foamy and then starts to turn brown. When it turns into a dark honey color and smells nutty, quickly stir in the sugar, flour, and salt. Gradually add the water. Bring to a boil and cook and stir for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add in the extracts. Serve warm.  

Source: Taste of Home Fall Baking Cookbook

Even though I'm not excited about summer being over, I am excited about fall baking. Cinnamon is one of my favorite spices, and I love pumpkin and apples. So to start off the fall baking season, I decided to make something simple and classic...with a fall twist. I love rice krispies treats, so I decided to take the concept and spin it around a bit. I used apple cinnamon cheerios instead of rice krispies and added some more apples and cinnamon to beef up the flavors. I also did something new to the apples...I shredded them with my cheese grater and then squeezed the juice out of them. I wanted to apple flavor without all the moisture. Success. When I was cooking the treats, the hubs said it smelled like apple jacks. It tempted him so much that he had a treat after dinner...pretty unusual for him! These are such a great and quick dessert or snack to celebrate the start of fall...or mourn the end of summer if you're like me.

Apple Cinnamon Treats Recipe
Makes one 9x9 pan
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1 apple, peeled and cored
1 (10 ounce) bag of marshmallows
1/2 cup butter
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
8 cups Apple Cinnamon Cheerios

Spray a 9x9 pan with cooking spray.

Shred your peeled and cored apple using the large holes on a cheese grater. Gather up your shredded apple and squeeze the juice out of it.

In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine the shredded apples, marshmallows, butter, and cinnamon. Stir until the marshmallows have completely melted. Add in the cereal in batches until incorporated. Spoon into the greased pan and use wet hands to push the cereal into place. Let cool completely before cutting into squares.

I had every intention of posting this recipe on Sunday, but I just couldn't gather the wherewithal to do it after participating in my second triathlon. I was so tired yesterday, and today I'm so incredibly sore. I'm waddling around at work today. Yikes!

Therefore, this week's Project Pastry Queen post is late, but it's still good. We're down to the final four weeks, and I'm excited about these last recipes. This tart was picked by Emily of A Gilt Nutmeg. I have to say that it's not my personal favorite, but the hubs liked it, which was surprising. I took it to work today and had some rave reviews from coworkers. I was expecting a little more of a cheesecake-like filling, and it's more firm than that. It does has great flavor with the cream cheese, mascarpone, peaches, and cinnamon, and it's really pretty. Plus it's not super sweet (which could explain why I didn't like it as much and my husband liked it a lot). I made a few changes to the original recipe:
1. I used a different tart crust recipe (which wasn't that great so I'm not going to share it) because I have an eleven-inch tart pan.
2. Instead of using 5-6 peaches cut in half and scored, I used three peaches cut into slices. 
3. I left the peels on the peaches because I'm lazy.
 
Otherwise I made the recipe exactly as is. If I make it again, I would play around with the filling to make it a little less dense. Maybe one less egg or substitute it out for an actual cheesecake? Now that would be over the top! I realize I haven't exactly sold this recipe, but let me stress that other people absolutely loved it. Be sure to check out Emily's page for the full recipe and the Project Pastry Queen website for everyone's take on it. Next week I'm dishing up some peach kolache (on time)...and let me tell you, it's pretty tasty! Peach season is here friends!    

First of all, for those of you who follow me on a reader, I just realized that my pictures are getting stretched and distorted on there. Sorry. I'm working on fixing it. I didn't realize that getting my awesome DSLR and using Photoshop would cause that....hang in there while I figure out how to fix it, and thanks for continuing to read!

Back to the good stuff. Last November I took a bread class, and we learned how to make a sweet dough and then used it to make this bread, doughnuts, and fruit swirl rolls. This, by far, was my favorite as I am a cinnamon fiend. Not only is this very easy to make, it's a beautiful loaf of bread, outside and in. I'm really not sure why it's called a Russian braid, but let's just go with it. The bread is similar to a cinnamon roll, but you use cream instead of butter. Also, the cinnamon sugar is very potent--there's much more cinnamon in the mix than for regular cinnamon rolls. A great alternative to this is subbing out the cinnamon for cocoa powder, and then you have a chocolate braid. I haven't tried this because I can't seem to move beyond the cinnamon, but I'm sure it's excellent. The next time you want a sweet treat, you definitely should try this!

While it looks like it must take a lot of time and be hard to make, it's really not. The extra steps are rolling it out, spreading the toppings on it, rolling it up, cutting it, twisting it, and cramming it into pans to rise. I think it takes the same amount of time as cinnamon rolls, and it's definitely something unique looking. Your guests will be impressed. I guarantee it.   

Russian Braid Recipe
Makes 2 loaves
Print this recipe

For the bread:
1 cup warm milk
5 ounces sugar (1/2 cup)
1 1/2 tablespoon yeast
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
21 ounces all purpose flour (4 1/4 cups)

For the filling:
1/4 cup cinnamon
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

To make the dough, in a large mixing bowl, mix together the yeast, sugar, and warm milk (about 100 degrees). Let sit for 5-10 minutes until foamy. Add butter, eggs, and salt and combine with the paddle attachment. Add in flour and mix until a soft dough forms. Switch to dough hook and knead until dough is soft and supple. This dough will be wet and sticky, but you'll want to avoid adding a lot more flour. Transfer to a greased bowl, cover, and let it rise until doubled (about 1 hour). If you have time, punch the dough down and place in the fridge for at least an hour. If you don't have the time, don't worry. Keep reading. 

Combine the cinnamon and sugar together. Line two 9-inch bread pans with parchment paper.

Divide the dough into two pieces, and roll each piece into a 12x17 inch rectangle. Brush with the cream, and sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the cream. Roll each rectangle from the 12 inch side into a log. If you dough is chilled, cut each log in half lengthwise (see picture below). If your dough was not chilled, place the log in the freezer for 10-20 minutes until slightly firm (this will make it much easier to cut and work with), and then you can cut it in half lengthwise.  

Take the two pieces and loosely twist together, leaving the cut side up. Place the twists in the parchment-lined bread pans, cut side up. You'll have to squish it in there a bit. Let the loaves proof until doubled, about 30-60 minutes. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 35-40 minutes until browned. Let cool before serving.

Source: Cook Street

Here's some (hopefully) helpful pictures:
Cut the logs in half lengthwise.

Loosely twist the pieces together, leaving the cut side up, and pinch the ends together.  

Then cram the twist into the parchment-lined bread pan.

Let proof (rise) for about 30-60 minutes or until almost doubled, bake, and you'll have some very pretty and tasty loaves.

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This week's Project Pastry Queen was chosen by Emily of A Gilt Nutmeg. It's actually supposed to be mini cinnamon apple loaves with a Calvados glaze, but like usual I adapted it. I don't have mini loaf pans, and I didn't want to buy disposable ones. However, I think this would be awesome for holiday gifts and am going to keep this one in mind. I put this cake into my bundt pan and made one big cake instead.

This is a really good apple cake recipe. It's very flavorful and (sorry for those of you who hate this word) moist. The original recipe calls for pecans to be mixed into the batter. Instead, I placed them at the bottom of the bundt pan, sprinkled a few tablespoons of brown sugar on top of them, and then poured the batter on top. I love doing this because you get a candied nut on the top of your cake. If you don't like nuts in your cake, just omit them. Also, I didn't have any calvados (apple brandy) for the glaze, so I subbed it with 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon. It was a very good glaze!  

I adapted this for high altitude, so if you want the regular recipe check out A Gilt Nutmeg. Be sure to check out the Project Pastry Queen website to see everyone's take on this week's recipe.

Cinnamon Apple Cake Recipe (High Altitude)
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1 cup pecans
3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/4 cups canola oil
1 3/4 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
Scant 1/2 teaspoon baking soda (just a little less)
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups cored, peeled, and diced apples (about 3 apples)

Glaze:
1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1 tablespoon Calvados (apple brandy, optional)
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Spray a bundt pan with Baker's Joy.

Chop your nuts and sprinkle them on the bottom of your bundt pan. Sprinkle the brown sugar over them. In a large bowl, combine the oil, sugar, eggs, and vanilla and mix until combined. Add the cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt and stir until incorporated. Add in the flour and once it is all combined, fold in the apples. 

Pour the batter over the nuts/sugar in the pan and place in your preheated oven. Bake for 60-70 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool for about 20 minutes before flipping the cake out of the pan.

To make the glaze, in a saucepan, melt the butter and add the brown sugar, corn syrup, Calvados, and cinnamon. Simmer the mixture over medium-low heat until it thickens slightly, about 2 minutes. Spoon it over the cake.

Source: The Pastry Queen

If you love your momma, you should make her this for Mother's Day. If you love yourself, you should make this for Mother's Day. Or a Tuesday. Or the Superbowl. Wait, what?

This is some good stuff. I know, I know, I say that about pretty much all the recipes I post, but I'm not going to post something I don't love. Then you wouldn't trust me, and we don't want that, do we? My momma loves this coffee cake, and I think all of the people who have tried it have loved it. It certainly doesn't last long.

We don't normally do a brunch for Mother's Day because sleep is pretty important to us, but if we did, I would make this. Instead, I made it last weekend so you can make it for your moms. Pass the love along!

I have made this coffee cake numerous times and have loved it every time. I have made the full recipe, halved it for a 9x9 pan, and made it into muffins. It works well in all forms. I have always used frozen blueberries and they work just as well as fresh berries. This batter is thick and smooth, easy to make, and is a great base for other coffee cakes. Strawberries, rhubarb, raspberries, or apples would all be a great substitution for the blueberries. This is kind of like making a giant blueberry muffin with a cinnamon sugar topping. What's not to like?

Blueberry Streusel Coffee Cake Recipe
Makes a 9x13 pan
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1/2 cup butter, softened
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups milk
3 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

Streusel Topping:
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup cold butter

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time until incorporated. Add vanilla, baking powder, and salt, and mix until combined. Add the flour to the mixture in two portions, alternating with the milk. Mix well after each addition. Fold in the blueberries (if you're using frozen, don't thaw them first). Pour batter into a greased 9x13 pan.

To make the streusel, mix together the sugar and cinnamon and cut in the butter until it resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle this on top of the batter in the pan.

Bake for 35-40 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean (don't worry if it comes out blue though). Cool in the pan before serving.

Source: Taste of Home

It's rare that I see a new recipe and make it the same day, but I had to try this as soon as I could get into the kitchen. This recipe came through my email in the morning, and when I saw it, I knew. Sure enough, I made it that night, and it lived up to every expectation I had. If you love snickerdoodles, cinnamon, or soft and chewy cookies, you will be in love with these bars. I know that I say that everything is good, but these really truly are. I could have eaten the whole pan and still wanted to bake and eat another batch.

I think I had three bars the night I made them, three the next day, and then I had to get them out of the house. I could not stop eating them. Everyone who tried them also had at least two each. They are that good. I would say that the bars would still be excellent without the icing, so if you know you have zero self control, you might want to skip the icing. I don't think it adds that much to the bars. I know one tablespoon of cinnamon seems like a lot, but I wouldn't skimp. It's perfect as is. These are an amazing weekend treat if you're having a get together or if you want to practice your self control...or lack thereof. Have I convinced you? Get to the kitchen and start baking! PS, these are really easy to make, too!

Snickerdoodle Bars
Print this recipe
Makes a 9x13 pan
2 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla

For the Cinnamon Filling
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon

For the Icing (optional)
1 cup powdered sugar
1-2 tablespoons milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray the bottom of a 9x13 pan with cooking spray.

In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. Using an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugars. Beat in eggs one at a time until combined and add vanilla. Slowly add in dry ingredients and mix until incorporated.

Spoon half of the mixture in the pan and spread evenly. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the dough. Drop teaspoon size amounts of remaining dough on top of the cinnamon sugar. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely, about 1 hour.

To make the icing, stir the ingredients together until combined. Drizzle on top of the bars.

Source: Betty Crocker

Have you ever had a butter braid? I'm pretty sure you only can get them through school fundraisers, and they are good! They have a lot of different filling options, but my favorite is the cinnamon one. The problem is that I can only order them once a year (or less if I don't know anyone who has kids selling them), and then you have to store them in the freezer, which is prime real estate in my house. I don't think I've had one for a couple of years, and since I love making things homemade, I decided to try making them myself.

I searched and searched for a recipe for the thick, gooey cinnamon filling. I learned it's sometimes called bakers cinnamon filling, but I could not find a recipe. You can buy a mix from King Arthur's Flour, but that kind of goes against the making it homemade thing. Plus, I didn't want to wait for it in the mail. Therefore, I started experimenting. The first time I made these, I melted the butter, added the other ingredients, and patted it into the pastry. And then when I baked it, the filling ran out, it was really grainy, thin, and just not very good. I mean, it still was edible, but not something I wanted to share. So, back to the drawing board. Did I mention that I made two pastries with that filling, which I didn't want to throw away? Off for a run. The next time, I cooked the filling and this one was on the money. It's thick and gooey, and it stayed in the braid. Definite success.

I like to make my own puff pastry, but I figured most of you would be buying the sheets, so I went that route. Plus, let's be real--I was lazy. I bought the Pillsbury sheets in the freezer section. They come two to a box, and they're folded in thirds, which makes it very easy when you're spreading the filling and cutting the strips. I made this all in the morning, and it took about 30 minutes plus baking. I think you could assemble it at night, cover it with plastic wrap, and leave in the fridge overnight. Then in the morning, take it out while you preheat your oven, brush it with the egg wash, and then bake. If you do that, let me know how it turns out.
 
Here's some pictures to explain the cutting/folding process. It's already folded in thirds, so unfold it, and cut 1/2 inch strips diagonally on the sides. Also cut little slits in the fold creases at the top.

Pour your filling onto the middle section and fold the top and bottom over the filling.

With your first full strip, start folding over the middle, alternating between left and right. Fold tightly and be sure there are gaps. Gaps=places where the awesome filling can escape. Bad news.  

When you're finished folding, it should look like this:

Next you'll want to trim the wings off and seal (pinch) the edges. Try to press together any pastry pieces, especially at the top and bottom. Then it's ready for the egg wash and the oven.  

Cinnamon Butter Braid
Makes 2 braids
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1 package puff pastry sheets, thawed
3 tablespoons milk
For the filling:
1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar, packed
2-3 tablespoons cream
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 egg + 1 tablespoon water (egg wash)

For the icing:
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk
Dash cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a saucepan over medium high heat, melt the butter. Add in the brown sugar and whisk, bringing it up to a boil. Let it boil for about one minute, remove from heat, and whisk in the cream. Add the baking soda and cinnamon and whisk until combined.

Spread out your puff pastry sheets on parchment-paper-lined sheet trays. Brush with a few tablespoons of milk (this is supposed to help act as a glue to keep the filling in). On the outside sections, cut diagonal strips that are about 1/2 inch wide. Cut small slits on the creases at the top and bottom of the pastry. Spread half of the filling in the center of each pastry sheet, leaving room on the ends. Fold the top and bottom of the pastry over the filling, and start folding the strips over the filling, alternating between the left and right side. Make sure there are no gaps. Cut the wings off the corners and pinch to seal. Press any seams together to minimize filling leakage. 

Mix together egg and water and brush onto the top of the puff pastry. You could use the rest of the wash for scrambled eggs. Place the sheet tray in the oven, and bake for about 20 minutes until the top is browned.  

To make the icing, stir together the powdered sugar, milk, and cinnamon until smooth. Drizzle over baked pastry and serve.

A She Makes and Bakes original