Apple Picking Equals Finger Licking!

So this past Sunday my family along with my daughter's Daisy Scout troop made our annual trip to Carter's Mountain Orchard in Charlottesville, VA for some good ole apple picking, apple cider slushies, and apple cider doughnuts!  I love Fuji Apples best but I'll tell you, that hike up the mountain this year, I was not prepared for (spoiled by the usual relaxing shuttle ride up the mountain).  But the views from the top are breath taking and make great photo ops!  I dragged my family up the mountain and for the Sweet and Delicious Fuji apples while the rest of the group opted to go down the mountain for Winesaps (ugh) and Pink Lady Apples!  I managed to Pick 23 pounds of apples with the help of my tree climbing mother (you had to be there) and my babies that I had to teach that apples from the ground with holes in them are not what we want to take home...LOL! 

So what does one do with 23 pounds of apples you ask well of course you Bake, Bake, and Create!  We shared some with the kids classes and well the rest will be turned into delicious confections..Yummy!!!  I was intent on making a apple cookie and while most only called for apple cider I had to come up with my own recipe to incorporate some ingredients I had on hand like Apples and Cinnamon Chips!  In the words of my co-worker "It was one of the best darn cookies she ever ate"......

Here You Go!!!

Charisse's Cinnamon Apple Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (1 stick) Butter Flavored Crisco
• 1 cup packed Brown Sugar
• 1/4 cup Granulated Sugar
• 2 Eggs
• 1-1/2 teaspoons Pure Vanilla Extract
• 1-1/2 cups All Purpose Flour
• 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
• 2-1/2 cups Quick Cooking Oats
• 1 (10oz) package Hershey's Cinnamon Chips
• 4 Fuji Apples chopped (or I am sure any sweet apple of your choice would be fine)

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F
2. Beat Crisco, brown sugar, and granulated sugar in a bowl until creamy.  Add eggs and vanilla; beat well.  Combine flour and baking soda; add to butter mixture, beating well.  Stir in oats, cinnamon chips, and apples.
3. Drop by teaspoon fulls onto ungreased cookie sheet (I used my Pampered Chef small scoop).  Bake 12-15 minutes or until lightly browned.  Cool 1 minute, remove from cookie sheet to wire rack.  

You should get about 4 dozen cookies. 

Always Remember to EAT DESSERT FIRST!!!

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(¸.•´ (¸.•` ¤ Charisse C. Matthews

Eat Dessert First: Cinnamon and Sweet Potatoes=Fall

Eat Dessert First: Cinnamon and Sweet Potatoes=Fall

Cinnamon and Sweet Potatoes=Fall

So as some of you know I am the VP of the All Saints Catholic School PTO (yay me)...LOL and I had this genius idea that we should show monthly appreciation to our teachers by serving them up a little breakfast on the second Tuesday of each month, thus giving me an opportunity to do what I love and do best BAKE (in case you didn't know that already)!  So of course I eagerly volunteered myself to jump start these monthly appreciations thus allowing me to work out a new recipe with two ingredients that I love CINNAMON and SWEET POTATOES (although I don't like candied yams) funny huh!  There are so many things that you can do with Sweet Potatoes (like make Roasted Apple and Sweet Potato Soup)......YUMMY!

So I found a recipe for Maple Glazed Sweet Potato Bread and made it MINE!!!  I also served up Home Made Apple Bread and Cranberry Oat Bars (from my Tastefully Simple business).  I took a loaf of the Sweet Stuff into the office as well and it was a HIT!!!  So here is the recipe, A FALL GIFT FROM ME TO YOU!  

Maple Glazed Sweet Potato Bread

INGREDIENTS FOR THE BREAD:

• 1 cup butter flavored Crisco (1 stick)
• 3 cups Sugar
• 4  Large Eggs
• 1 Large can of Cut Sweet Potatoes in Syrup Pureed (food processor whoohooo)
• 3-½ cups All-purpose Flour
• 2 teaspoons Baking Soda
• 2 teaspoons Baking Powder
• 1-½ teaspoons Cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• ½ teaspoon Pampered Chef Cinnamon Plus (this contains Grated Orange Peel, Nutmeg, Cloves, Allspice, and Ginger) or ½ teaspoon of Ground Cloves
• ½ cup Milk 

MAPLE GLAZE:

• 1 cup Confectioner's Sugar
• ½ cup Pure Maple Syrup

PREPARATION:

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease two 9”x5” loaf pans and set aside (I used 4 mini loaf pans and (2) 8"x5" loaf pans (grease with PAM with Flour or Bakers Joy to remove loaves from pans with ease).

Using an electric mixer on low speed, cream together Crisco, Sugar, Eggs and Sweet Potatoes. Sift flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and Cinnamon Plus or Cloves. Gradually add flour mixture to the sweet potato mixture, alternating with milk until all combined (always ending with the liquid). Pour equal amounts into loaf pans.  Bake for 55-60 minutes until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean *mini loaves take about 10 minutes less time. 

Carefully turn loaf pan upside down to remove bread and cool on a wire rack.  

For the glaze, wisk confectioner’s sugar and maple syrup until creamy. Drizzle over cooled loaves. 

I hope you Enjoy this as much as my family, the ASCS teachers, and my co-workers did and remember to always EAT DESSERT FIRST!