Apple Pie Scones

Dec 6, 2015

I had other things I planned on posting this weekend, but I just couldn’t keep this recipe from you for a minute longer.  This recipe needs shared IMMEDIATELY.

I spent almost a week home with the family for Thanksgiving, and it involved a fair amount of cooking and baking.  Sabbath morning my mom asked what I’d like to make to go along with our awesome chili-cheese omelettes.  I needed something simple and fairly quick, since we were all starving, and scones felt like the simplest option.

I was really tempted by a cinnamon scone recipe I’ve been eyeing for months, but then this jumped at me.  I took a chance, and BOY, did I make the right choice?!

The strangest thing about this recipe is that it doesn’t include any milk or buttermilk.  That made me nervous, and I was worried these would be dry or wouldn’t rise well, but I was totally wrong.  The shredded apples and the applesauce gave them all the moistness they needed, and the texture was perfect.  They’re pretty healthy as scones go, and have such a great flavor.

Caramel-Glazed Apple Bread

Jan 5, 2014

It’s weird. As a self-proclaimed caramel hater (okay, maybe “hate” is strong, but “non-lover”), I somehow made two different awesome recipes within a couple weeks back in November where caramel was the star. The first was the caramel pear crumble pie I made for Thanksgiving, and the second was this fall-worthy gem.

Obviously, apple and cinnamon are a can’t-miss combination. But the caramel glaze really elevates this bread beyond what a regular powdered sugar glaze would. It gives not just a sweetness but a warmth, and the burnt sugar caramel flavor deepens everything.

This is one of those beautiful quick bread recipes that’s super easy to throw together—I mean, the bread takes as long as it takes to chop the apples, basically. And you get not one, but two, loaves of sweet bread that can feed hungry overnight guests for breakfast, delight your co-workers, or punt as an easy dessert.

You start with a couple of these bad boys…

Apple Cinnamon Chip Coffee Cake

Oct 20, 2013

I think fall may finally be sneaking up on us here in Georgia. We’ve had a gorgeous late summer and early fall…making up for the terrible, rainy spring and summer we had. Even in mid-October we’ve had temps in the upper 70s and even 80s. I was laying out at the pool last weekend. For real. The pool was tarped over and there was only one chair left, but I was there.

Then this week it turned gray and rainy and a little chilly.

This guy just wanted to cuddle. I don’t blame him. I’m not ready for fall weather, but I do think I’m ready for fall food. And is there a more quintessentially-fall dish than one combining apples, cinnamon, and streusel topping?? I think maybe not.

I’ll be honest—I don’t think I’ve ever tried out a traditional coffee cake recipe besides the one I grew up on (my mom’s, which is amazing, and I will post for you soon). I mean, if it ain’t broke, why fix it? So last week when it was my turn to make treats for a co-worker’s birthday, and knowing that she loves cinnamon-y things, I figured I’d whip up my mom’s coffee cake.

But then I was browsing Pinterest and found a recipe I’d pinned a long time ago for an apple cinnamon chip coffee cake. “Hmm…” I thought,”Intriguing. I have all this homemade apple butter and I stocked up on cinnamon chips. Maybe this is fate.” [I typed “fat” the first time and almost left it because that seemed apropos as well]

So I gave it a try, and loved how easy the recipe was. But I made a number of adjustments, such as using half a bag of cinnamon chips instead of a whole bag (which really seemed like overkill). The biggest change I made, though, was swapping out the basic powdered sugar glaze the recipe suggested for the sweet and slightly crunchy cinnamon-sugar streusel topping that’s more traditional for coffee cakes. And it was amazing! This cake was so moist, even a couple days after I made it (I had to make it Sunday and serve it Tuesday). The cinnamon chips in the cake were like tiny little gems of awesome studded throughout.

Cheryl’s Healthy Morning Glory Muffins

Oct 13, 2013

I love me a good, healthy breakfast option. When I find one I love, I tend to stick with it. Which explains why I’ve had approximately 323 spinach and pineapple smoothies in the past several months…

A month or two ago, my co-worker brought these amazing healthy muffins into work. I ate one (and then another) and then went right to her desk and asked her for the recipe.

When she sent it, it was even better than I’d thought—whole wheat flour, oil, apple butter, and lots of super healthy add-ins like coconut, walnuts, and carrots. And yet they tasted so sweet!

They jumped to the top of my “must make” list, and I tried them out a couple weeks later. The recipe was super easy and they turned out so well! I kept them at my desk for breakfast and a mid-morning snack until they were all gone. 

Healthy Apple Cinnamon Pancakes

Nov 18, 2012

So, it was a big week in the Fergen household. My little sister, who lives in Louisville, finally went into labor with her first child. So I hit the road and have spent the last few days there with my family, just getting back around midnight last night.

That’s all to say, I haven’t had a chance to cook or bake much the past several days. So I hope you’ll accept this healthy, delicious little breakfast gem I tried a while back as a peace offering. I took a (probably even healthier) recipe from my friend Tonya’s blog, Nom Eat Nom, and adapted it for ingredients I had on-hand (including gobs of homemade apple butter).

These were full of whole grains, too, so they stayed with me a long time. And they toasted up nicely for breakfast during the work week.

This is my little niece (niece #2) who decided to join us this week!

Celebrating the start of fall (Louise’s Best Apple Butter Ever)

Oct 30, 2012

No question, it is fall in Georgia! There’s a chill in the air, the leaves are turning all manner of colors, co-workers are arguing over SEC football, and I’m getting cravings for comfort food.

You know what else says “fall”? Apple butter. Well, technically anything apple + cinnamon, but apple butter is definitely high up on the list.

I snagged a bag of pretty Galas at Trader Joe’s last week with apple butter in mind, but had never made it before. I browsed several recipes on Pinterest, but then my mom told me about this recipe that a friend of the family makes. My mom said it’s the best apple butter she’s ever had, so I was sold. The better part? No peeling necessary–you keep the peels on, the pectin in the peels helps it solidify.

I’ll post the recipe as I was given it at the bottom of the page, but I made one big tweak. The amount of sugar it called for seemed extreme, so I decreased it significantly. I only used just under a cup and a half of brown sugar in the whole batch, and it still turned out sweet and delicious.