Baked Caramel Apple Donuts

This whole post was originally about how discouraging it can be to fall into a creative slump while being busy with things you aren't passionate about, and then I deleted it. The thought of someone reading it and scoffing, "oh she thinks she's just SO busy," killed my vibe entirely, and that is some real bullshit. This blog isn't for those people. It's for awesome, nonsensical, nice people who like good food and sharp wit.

...And dogs, but that doesn't really apply right now.

If that sounds anything like you, then try this baked caramel apple donut recipe (adapted from Queen Shutterbean) and dance around like an idiot while you're at it. I recommend this song to set the mood.

Side note: supportive people are the best. Be one. Find one. Keep 'em around forever!

The first thing you should know about these donuts is that the apple flavor comes out just perfectly after they set overnight. Also, if you aren't reeeeaaally into caramel, you may want to go with a different topping (obviously) because the one I used is mighty chewy. However, it does soften up overnight. Give them a try! You won't hate me for it.

Baked Caramel Apple Donuts

Adapted from Shutterbean 

• 1 1/4 cup flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg 
• 1/8 teaspoon allspice
• 2 eggs, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 medium Gala apples, peeled & shredded
• 1 1/2 cup chewy caramel candies
• 1 tablespoon whole milk
• Optional: chocolate melts for drizzling

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray donut pans with cooking spray & set aside. Whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, brown sugar and granulated sugar until smooth. Whisk in oil and vanilla. Stir into the flour mixture until just combined; stir in the apples. Spoon the batter into the prepared donut pans until almost full. Baked until golden and a tooth pick inserted in the center comes out dry. It takes about 15-20 minutes.

In a small, microwaveable bowl, combine the caramel and milk. Microwave for 1 minute at medium power. then stir; repeat in 30 second intervals until melted and smooth. If making small donuts, dip them directly into the caramel. For larger donuts, spoon caramel topping on top! If you want chocolate drizzle, melt your chocolate in the microwave in 30 second intervals, then transfer it to a ziplock bag and snip one corner off. Drizzle quickly!

Free iOS 7 iPhone Backgrounds

The new iPhone operating system came with a lot of visual changes that can be hard to maneuver. For many people, one of the most frustrating changes has been the zooming effect that happens when you try to set a photo as a background. That feature was intended to create a 3-D look and feel when you use the right type of picture with lots of depth (focused on an object in the foreground) or lots of texture.

I optimized these free backgrounds for iOS7 by adding extra space on each edge to account for the automatic zoom. You can still re-position them with your finger like you're used to! TIP: if the wiggly moving background is giving you motion sickness, go to Settings > General > Accessibility > Reduce Motion.

How to Download/Save

On your computer: click your favorite background to enlarge it. Right click on the full-sized picture & save.

On your phone: tap your favorite background to enlarge it. Touch & hold your finger on the full-size version until the option "Save to Camera Roll" appears.

I'm hoping to add more of these AND some holiday options soon! In all honesty, making iPhone wallpapers and other free downloads has become my new favorite thing to goof off with since I just learned how to make glitter & tinsel in Photoshop CS6. Yeah, you read that correctly! I CAN MAKE GLITTER! 

Apple Cinnamon Detox Water

*Update: Wow, looks like this is getting a few more clicks lately! Thanks for visiting my blog!*

It's a pretty common idea that if you want to improve your diet and eating habits, you should cut out caloric beverages. Drinking calories makes it far too easy to lose track of what you're really consuming, and when we've been doing it for years it can be hard to consider what a big difference cutting it out could make.

I've been drinking my 8 glasses (or more) of water daily for a while now, but I always had Diet Coke as my crutch. While I still roll my eyes when people go into the whole "diet soda is just as bad as regular soda" thing, and I know drinking it every now and then isn't going to kill me, I do realize that I'm better off without it.

The problem is that I think it's crazy to expect people to ONLY drink water every single day. I'm an American and I need some flavor. That's where this detox water comes in.

This water recipe will help clean up your system and even help your body burn calories more efficiently. That old rule "the more water you drink, the less you retain" is absolutely right, and drinking this apple cinnamon water will speed up the process of cutting water weight.

You will need:
A large pitcher
Fuji apples
Cinnamon sticks (powdered works too, I used about one teaspoon)
Ice
Water
*Update* Somebody suggested a squeeze of lemon to keep the apples fresher!

Oops, I only had powdered cinnamon! :)

This recipe has a 1:1:1 ratio, meaning you'll need 1 fuji apple and 1 cinnamon stick for 1 pitcher of water. With that said, you can leave the same apple and cinnamon stick in the pitcher for up to three days while refilling the water.

Slice a fuji apple and toss the slices into the pitcher with the cinnamon stick. Cover with ice, then fill the pitcher with water and allow it to set in the fridge for 15 minutes before drinking. Enjoy it throughout the day in the place of any juice or soda you would normally have!

Apple Hand Pies

If anyone tells you fall is their favorite time of year because of the pretty colors or the crisp leaves, they are lying to you. People love fall because of the heaping mounds of butter, sugar, and spices that go into recipes this time of year. I'm not saying it's a problem- this is like my Olympics. Michael Phelps, you've done your part for our medal count, but move over and watch me take gold in a serious event: dessert.

I had never made a fruit pie before this, so I wanted to make it a bit different. Cue Pinterest and its wonderful world of hand pie ideas.

Do NOT be intimidated by the pie crust process. It may be lengthy, but it's easy as...well...guess.

And look how cute the final product is!

 

The recipe I used was a combo of a crust recipe from Brown Eyed Baker and a tart apple filling recipe from Food Network.

For the pastry:

2½ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
16 tablespoons (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
½ cup sour cream
4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
½ cup ice water

one egg yolk beaten with 2 tablespoons water, for egg wash

coarse/turbinado sugar, for sprinkling

Tart Apple Filling:

3lbs Granny Smith apples, sliced, cored, and diced small

2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons apple cider
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt 
½ teaspoon nutmeg

1. To make the pastry, in a bowl, combine the flour and salt. Place the butter in another bowl. Place both bowls in the freezer for 1 hour. Remove the bowls from the freezer and make a well in the center of the flour. Add the butter to the well and, using a pastry blender, cut it in until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Make another well in the center. In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream, lemon juice and water and add half of this mixture to the well. With your fingertips, mix in the liquid until large lumps form. Remove the large lumps and repeat with the remaining liquid and flour-butter mixture. Pat the lumps into a ball; do not overwork the dough. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour. If preparing ahead of time, the dough can be stored at this point for up to one month in the freezer.

2. Divide the refrigerated dough in half. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out one half of the dough to 1/8-inch thickness. Using a 4 1/2-inch-round biscuit cutter, cut circles out of the rolled dough. Transfer the circles to a parchment-lined baking sheet, and place in the refrigerator to chill for about 30 minutes. Repeat the rolling, cutting, and chilling process with the remaining half of dough. (I don't have a biscuit cutter, so I used the rim of a small bowl and managed to get 14 total.)

3. While the dough continues to chill, make your filling. Peel and core all the apples; dice small. Toss with the granulated sugar and cider. Add the apples and cook, stirring, until tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in the flour, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg; cook until thickened, 1 more minute. Let cool.

4. Remove the chilled dough from the refrigerator, and let stand at room temperature until just pliable, 2 to 3 minutes. Spoon about 1 to 2 tablespoons filling (use the smaller amount for a 4-inch circle) onto one half of each circle of dough. Quickly brush a little cold water around the circumference of the dough, and fold it in half so the other side comes down over the filling, creating a semicircle. Seal the hand pie, and make a decorative edge by pressing the edges of the dough together with the back of a fork. Repeat process with remaining dough. Place the hand pies back on the parchment-lined baking sheet, and return to the refrigerator to chill for another 30 minutes.

5. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Remove the chilled hand pies from the refrigerator, cut a small slit in each and lightly brush with the egg yolk wash. Sprinkle sanding sugar generously over the pies, and place pies in the oven to bake. Bake until the hand pies are golden brown and just slightly cracked, anywhere from 20 to 40 minutes, depending on how thick you rolled the dough. Remove the pies from the oven, and let stand to cool slightly before serving.

 Enjoy your delicious, warm little pies! I had fun making cute little brown paper packages so they could be packed in lunches or given as gifts. Have fun with these!