Miniature Apple Crisp Pies

Baking is starting to be something I live for on the weekends. Snowy or cold days in general just really motivate me to put on some sweats and get out the standing mixer. Okay, who am I kidding, I don't really need motivation for sweats because they're kind of my at-home staple :/ But anyway! One of my friends made an apple pie and she put it on Facebook this past week (thanks, Rebecca!) and I thought, "Well now I want to make an apple pie!" My husband informed me he actually prefers apple 'crisp' to a crust covered pie so I started looking up recipes with that in mind. At the store he found mini pot pie tins, six came in a package, and they were the perfect size for the personal pies I had in mind! 

I found several recipes and the one that I went with most consistently was one from Pillsbury. There's was a 9-inch Cinnamon Raise Apple Crisp. I didn't want raisins and I actually added some brown sugar to the filling, which theirs doesn't call for. (Look at me, getting creative! HA!) Even though there's is for a standard pie, the filling worked out perfectly for four miniature pie tins. I should have doubled their topping ingredients so I am going to write it for that (x2). Mine just didn't end up being as filled to the brim as I had hoped, but they were still SO good. And then lastly, I looked up a homemade caramel recipe and the Pioneer Woman has SUCH an easy one to follow; that too turned out delicious.

I used store bought frozen roll-out crust that I let thaw in the fridge before using. And then I outlined the pie tins with a knife and cut them accordingly.

The ingredients for the pie filling is this:
1/3 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
4 cups thinly sliced peeled apples (I used four Granny Smith)
1 tablespoon light brown sugar
*I was able to almost perfectly divide the filling into four miniature pies with no filling left over*

Pre-heat the oven to 350°
In a large bowl, stir together the sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and brown sugar. Stir in, tossing it all to coat the apples well and then fill the pies. 

For the topping:
1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1/4 cup chopped pecans (or nut of your choice or omit entirely if you just don't like them)

In medium bowl, mix the topping ingredients except the pecans with pastry blender or fork until crumbly; stir in pecans and sprinkle generously over filling.

Bake on cookie sheet 20 minutes. Place sheet of foil over pie to prevent excessive browning. Bake 20 to 30 minutes longer or until filling is bubbly and topping is golden brown. Cool at least 30 minutes before serving.

These not only smelled irresistible while they were baking, they are among my favorite pie creation thus far. As soon as they came out and I was letting them cool, I decided a warm caramel topping would be the perfect final touch.

Caramel Sauce Ingredients:
1 cup Brown Sugar
1/2 stick Butter (4 Tablespoons)
1/2 cup Half-and-half Or Cream (cream Will Make It Thicker)
1 Tablespoon Vanilla
 Pinch Of Salt

Instructions:
Mix all of the ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium-low to medium heat. Cook while whisking gently for 5 to 7 minutes, until thicker. Turn off heat. Serve warm or refrigerate until cold. If sauce is thin, just continue cooking for a few more minutes. (Mine took around 12 minutes total).

Now it's time to just DIG IN! My husband walked in the kitchen as soon as I was wrapping up. I literally poured the sauce over the mini pie and handed him a fork. He can vouch for it's pure wonderful taste and I am so excited we have a few of these to eat for dessert this week.

Through Their Eyes

As teachers, getting told we have a Snow Day is equally as exciting for us as it was when we were kids. So getting THREE this past week was well, like a little bit of Heaven to our hearts. We like our jobs just fine and I really do love teaching- but there is nothing like the time at home spent with our entire family. My husband and I are partial to our teaching careers and the fact that we have the same schedule, we have long breaks, we share the same kind of student work load having the same Master degrees and well, we get snow days together too! When our kids are in school (don't even go there) I imagine that perhaps I will appreciate them even more.

This past week, my tired Mom blinders came off as I watched as my kids witness for the first time this year, a real snow. Wednesday morning, our three-year old Pierson was awake by 6:30a.m. and his reasoning was, "I want to see the snow!" I tried to get him to sleep a little longer but finally I realized, he has so much anticipation, genuine heart-felt excitement over the fact that our ground may be covered in even a dusting of snow. I gave him the green light to run downstairs and I swear it was like Christmas morning all over again. He screamed with delight! He oohed and aahhed and carried a step-stool to our kitchen window. He cracked up laughing when I let our cat outside, only to have him sprint immediately back in. When his little sister woke up, he couldn't get the words out fast enough that she would see snow covering our streets. Together they were so ecstatic, so sweet. Their little faces at the living room window, watching as our streets became more and more covered. I began to realize through their two and three year old eyes, this was the first time. They've seen snow before, heck Reese cried her eyes out when we bundled up and attempted to play in one of our 'big' snowfalls last year, but they don't really remember that. To them this was so new, so magical and it reminded me to slow down, that I too should breathe it all in. Pierson went sledding with his Daddy and Reese and I took a nice long walk. I watched as she trudged through the snow, I'm sure it felt miles high to her still growing legs. She stopped and just stood often, looking at the ground around her, watching our dogs roll and eat the snowy goodness. I saw her smile and she caught my eye; "Thank you, Jesus," I started. "...for snow," she sighed.

The most magical day was when the snow began at eight o'clock in the morning and it didn't STOP all day and most of the night long. It came down so big and fast. We decided to go to the quaint little bakery down the street with Asa's sister and her family and the roads were already a slushy, snowy mess. When we got there, the kids stood on the sidewalk outside the shop and just kept squealing with delight every time snow landed on their jackets. "Pierson, LOOK! A snowflake!" Reese exclaimed. "Reesie Cup, LOOK! There's some on your HAT!" Not only was my Michigan heart exploding with happiness over the beauty that surrounded me, but my Mama heart was too. Through their eyes, the streets looked like Narnia. They had entered another world and they were so happy to have each other in it. 

Most of our days were spent indoors, building houses with Legos and for me, baking. We of course watched Frozen, a lot, and it was necessary that we attempt our very own Olaf too. I told Asa there is something about this time of year, the snow and the cold, the warm food and lots of cuddling; that makes me fall in love with him even more. We were married in December and a huge blizzard actually happened on our wedding day. For me, the snow reminds me of the sweet love that we have and I spent my snow days not only falling more in love with my children, but with him. He is the man behind all of us, behind this. He gets on the floor with the kids, is the first to turn on dance music when we need to move and he was the one who made Olaf happen. The rest of these images are their attempt at making this season's first snowman and every ounce of it is pretty dang adorable. Reese licking the snow, Pierson making snowballs to eat like "ice cream" as he called it. Our dogs in complete Heaven (more so Elsa, I swear she lives to roll and lie down in snow) and me laughing and cheering them all on. I am so thankful for these last 5 days. The time off makes re-entering the real world so hard, but really and truly, I love watching life through our children's eyes!

A Valentines Treat: Oreo© Cheesecake Cookies

My Pinterest SWEETS board is quickly filling up with an abundance of cookie + pie recipes and when I saw this one, I thought, 'What a cute idea for Valentines Day!' The original recipe is from Blogger 'Baker by Nature.' It may be one of the easiest cookie recipes I've ever followed and with only five ingredients, how could it not be?! Another Blogger, 'Nest of Posies' took it one step farther and added some red food coloring to hers, making the cookies festive and pink. With a total of six ingredients, you'll be able to whip these cute cookies up in no time!

Ingredients:
4 ounces cream cheese, softened at room temperature
8 tablespoons salted butter, at room temperature [I used unsalted because that's what we buy]
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
A few drops of red food coloring
10 Oreo cookies, broken into pieces
 

Directions:
In the body of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides as needed.

Add the sugar and beat well.
Add in flour, a small bit at a time, beating in on low speed, just until incorporated. 
Add in a couple drops of red food coloring.
Fold in Oreos until evenly distributed.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for at least 45 minutes, and up to 2 hours. [With two toddlers and life, my batch ended up being in the fridge for probably 2.5 hours...]

30 minutes prior to baking, preheat oven to 350 degrees (F).

Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Using a cookie scoop, scoop out 2 tablespoon sized balls of dough, roll them into rounds, and place them on the cookie sheet. Lightly press down on each cookie.

Place pan in the oven to bake for 10-11 minutes, or until *just golden at the edges. They will be SUPER soft when they come up and that's what you want!

Cool on the baking sheet for about 10 minutes, then very carefully transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.

My kiddos wanted'pink milk' to drink with the cookies. They are so soft and seriously taste like little drops of Oreo© Cheesecake in your mouth. I'm not sure how dipping a cookie in milk is an innate response, but apparently it is; Reese was cracking me up! I hope you enjoy these cookies as much as me and my family did! Happy Baking :D

Worn: Oversized Fringe Knit Poncho

Finally! Winter in Kentucky! As a Michigan girl, I live for snowy days, a cozy house and frigid temps outside. We have had two snow days in a row, so this afternoon, after baking some Oreo-Cheesecake Cookies (don't worry, they're coming to the blog too!) I wanted to try out my new over-sized fringe knit poncho from Pink Blush. 

This black patterned poncho is soft, warm and colorful, all of which I feel are winter must haves! With it's V-neckline and fringe trim, I think it is super fashionable for lots of occasions. You do not want to miss this fabulous poncho so hurry now, because it is currently on sale on Pink Blush's website!

Happy Wintering, Everyone! I hope you stay warm, (fashionable) and cozy wherever you are!

Photos by Looking Glass Photography.