Spiced Caramel Apple Cider Doodles

 I really wanted to combine caramel and spiced apple cider into a cookie. I could get the spice and the caramel but the apple part was eluding me. So how would I get that intense apple cider flavor I wanted? Boil down some of our hand-pressed cider into a dark, syrupy goodness. Then combine it with butter, sugar and cream and make caramel. Place on top of a mulling spice snickerdoodle. Yup. That's it...

I used the Smitten Kitchen recipe HERE but only make a half batch for this recipe with a couple of changes.

First... make the snickerdoodles.

1/2 cup shortening

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

2 3/4 cups flour

2 tsp cream of tartar

1 tsp soda

1/4 tsp salt

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1/4 cup sugar

3 tsp cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon cloves & allspice

Heat oven to 400.

Mix butter, shortening, sugar, and eggs thoroughly. Blend flour, cream of tartar, salt, and soda. Stir into butter mixture. Mix well. Shape dough into 1” balls and roll in spiced sugar mixture.

Bake on ungreased cookie sheet for 8-10 minutes. Before removing from pan and while still warm, press an indentation in the top of each cookie. I used my wooden tart shaper from Pampered Chef, but you can be creative.

Then remove and let cool on wire rack. (the cookies in the picture aren't the ones I used for these cookies, so no indentation for caramel... 😊)

Now to make the caramel. And this takes a while. Oh, and prep all your ingredients while you're reducing your cider. You won't have time later...

Reduce 2 cups of cider to 1/4 cup. 

You can't use just any cider for this. It needs to be the real stuff. Not the one you get at the grocery store. This needs to be hand pressed with the sludge at the bottom. Look at your local natural grocer or farmer's market.

Pour 2 cups of cider into a heavy saucepan and turn on a fairly high heat. Not your highest setting but close. And then just let it boil, hard. Stir it every once in a while. This is going to take a bit of time. Like maybe a half an hour. When it starts to get foamy, you know it's getting close. So keep an eye on it, it goes much quicker at this point. Have a heatproof measuring cup for liquids nearby so you can check your amount. 

Ingredients to prep while reducing cider:

1/2 cup white sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

Mix together in small bowl.

1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon

scant 1/4 teaspoon of salt

Mix in small bowl

3 Tablespoons of heavy cream

Pour into small glass

4 Tablespoons margarine (I don't use butter because it makes a stickier caramel and I hate caramel that sticks in your teeth)

Cut the margarine into smaller cubes

When your cider is down to 1/4 cup, immediately pour it back into your saucepan and remove from the heat. Stir in sugars, margarine and cream (in that order) and stir until margarine melts. 

Place back on burner and reduce heat just a bit (still med-high). Put a candy thermometer into the pan. Bring the mixture up to 252 degrees that can't be stirred down, while stirring constantly. You don't want it to burn. 😬

Stir in cinnamon and salt.

Carefully pour the caramel into a bowl and stir until it cools and begins to thicken a bit. 

Then carefully fill the centers of the cookies with the caramel. 

Let cool completely before eating. 

Bottled Lemon Curd

 This is the best lemon curd recipe ever! I can use fresh or bottled juice and lime works as well. I love that it only needs one whole egg and doesn't make a huge batch! I will be making it again soon... 

1/4 cup sugar

1 large egg

1/3 cup lemon juice

Mix these ingredients in a small heavy saucepan with a whisk. 

Heat on medium heat while whisking constantly. It will become frothy. Keep cooking and whisking until it becomes thick and completely frothy. Test on the back of a metal spoon. If it coats the spoon and doesn't fill in the line made by your finger, it is done.

Remove from heat and immediately whisk in 4 Tablespoons of cold butter, one at a time, using the whisk.

Pour into bowl and chill. 

Peanut Butter and Jelly Pie

 For Pi Day 2021, I tried an idea I'd had floating around in my head for a while... Peanut butter and jelly pie. I used a real pie crust rather than a crust crust for this no-bake pie because I really wanted more of a "bread" crust and I'm glad I did. It turned out just the way I wanted. But be warned... this pie is RICH! Cut it small! 

First you will need to blind bake your crust. Preheat your oven to 375. Roll out your crust and place in pie plate. Prick crust with fork on bottom and sides. Line with non-stick parchment and fill with weights (or uncooked rice or beans). Bake for 15 minutes with weights. Then remove and bake 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool completely on wire rack.

Make your peanut butter filling by beating together:

1 1/2 cups creamy peanut butter

1 cup sifted powdered sugar

1 softened stick of butter

Beat until smooth and creamy. It will be thick.

Spread a very thin layer of the peanut butter filling on the bottom of your cooled crust to keep the jam from leaking through.

Top with a thin layer of jam or jelly of your choice. (I like my homemade strawberry jam best with peanut butter)

Spread remaining peanut butter filling on top of jam.

Chill for a few hours before cutting. 

Best Irish Soda Bread

 I have tried a lot of soda bread recipes over the years for St Patrick's Day but this one by far was my favorite. It was a very simple recipe with an interesting method. Turns out it was the recipe I've been searching for. And even warmed up nicely the next day... :) 

4 cups flour

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 3/4 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 425.

Mix dry ingredients together and then mix in buttermilk until all the flour mixture is wet. Be careful not to overmix or your bread will be tough.

Gently knead on lightly floured surface.

Place in greased and floured round cake pan (8 or 9"). Cut cross on top with sharp knife. Cover with second round cake pan of same size, lining up the edges of the two pans. Place carefully into oven.

Bake for 30 minutes. Then remove top pan and bake an additional 10-15 minutes or until dark golden brown and sounds hollow when bottom is tapped.

Remove from pan and let cool a bit on wire rack. Serve warm with or without butter. 

Skillet Cornbread

 This is the best from-scratch cornbread I've ever made! And it's the perfect amount of batter for my new little Ninja skillet and makes just enough for two meals for my hubby and I! 

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup cornmeal

1/8 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Mix dry ingredients together.

Add...

1/2 cup sour cream

1/4 cup melted butter

1 egg

Mix until well incorporated. 

Bake at 375 in small greased skillet or baking dish for 18 minutes or until pick comes out clean.

Serve warm with butter and your favorite toppings. Ours are honey and jalapeno jelly! 

Pumpkin Butter Muffins

 I really love this muffin! I know this sounds strange, but I was inspired by this soap I bought at Bath & Body Works. Don't worry... It doesn't taste like soap. LOL

It was also my first time using my new silicone muffin cups, which, by the way, work great! 

These taste a lot like mini pumpkin coffee cakes. They stay moist for days and have a hint of coconut... You know, the soap. ;) 

1 3/4 cups flour

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

Mix dry ingredients in large mixing bowl. Make a well in the flour mixture. 

2 cups pumpkin butter (or pumpkin puree)

2 eggs

1/2 cup oil

1/2 teaspoon coconut extract (can substitute with vanilla)

/1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Whisk the wet ingredients together and pour into the flour well. Mix until just combined.

Fill prepared muffin cups 2/3 full.

Combine brown sugar with a little white sugar. Mix with pumpkin pie spice, to taste.

Sprinkle generously on top of muffins.

Bake at 425 for 5 minutes. Then lower oven temperature to 350 and bake for 10-15 minutes, or until a pick comes out clean. 

Cool in wire rack. 

These are good warm or at room temperature. 

Bao Buns

 These aren't too hard to make but they do take a bit of time and require a steamer. This recipe is for the Ninja Foodi Deluxe but you could steam them in a electric pressure cooker or steamer basket on the stove. You may have to adjust times and methods accordingly. 

There are probably a ton of different fillings you could use as well but I am including my favorite hoisin pork filling.

Place 1/2 cup hot water (105 degrees) in bowl. Sprinkle 1 package of yeast on top. Let sit 5-10 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine:

 3 cups all purpose flour

3 Tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Warm 1/2 cup milk to 105 degrees and add 1 Tablespoon of oil. Mix with water and yeast.

Make well in flour and pour in wet ingredients. Mix slightly.

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Turn onto floured surface and knead and add flour to surface until smooth and elastic.

Put into an oiled bowl, flip dough, and cover with a towel.

Place in the oven with a shallow pan of boiling water on the rack below. Let rise for 45-60 minutes or until about doubled in size.

While the dough is rising, prepare your filling.

Brown some ground pork in a skillet. Make sure to break it up into small pieces for your filling. You don't want big chunks of meat. 

After it is cooked, add in some hoisin sauce (or sauce of your choice). You want the meat covered but not wet.

After the dough has risen, punch it down and knead a few times on a lightly floured surface.

Then divide the dough into 24 equal pieces. 

Roll each piece into a circle. Don't roll it too thick or too thin.

Place the dough in your hand and place a bit of pork filling in the middle.

Bring the edges up and pinch and pleat all the way around. Then twist it a bit at the top to seal.

Then place the bun into a standard-sized silicone muffin "paper".

You can double stack these on the racks but don't do more than 6 on each layer.

Fill the bottom of the pot with 1-2 cups of boiling water. And place the rack inside the pot.

If you are doing a double layer, steam the buns for 14-15 minutes. 

If you are doing a single layer, place them on the taller rack and steam for 12-13 minutes. 

I tried this recipe with the pressure cooking lid and the Ninja glass lid. I found they did not steam correctly with the PC lid, even on vent. I would suggest buying the Ninja lid or even finding a glass lid that fits the pot for this recipe.

Start with the lower time and carefully remove the lid as soon as the timer stops. Remove one of the buns with tongs and let sit for about 30 seconds. Try removing it from the silicone mold. If it sticks and doesn't want to come out, put it back, put the lid back on and steam for another 1 minute. Check again the same way. Mine have never taken more than the extra minute.

Eat these right away. 

You can also chill them for the next day or then freeze them. 

To reheat, place frozen or leftover bun on a glass plate and cover with a damp paper towel. Microwave for about 1 minute or until heated through. You can also steam them again from frozen in the Foodi for 5-6 minutes or until heated through.