Three Semi-Homemade Donuts for Autumn: Spiced, Sour Apple, and Cinnamon-Sugar

Temperatures are still on the warm side, but the leaves are changing color and that scent of autumn is in the air. I can't even put into words how much I love autumn. So I wanted to make semi-homemade donuts (donuts made from canned biscuit dough) with an autumn flavor. My first choice was cinnamon-sugar--you can't go wrong with cinnamon-sugar. And then I had some mulling spices in my pantry so I thought, why not? Then there was a single packet of apple cider mix sitting on a shelf. I tasted the mix and it had a sour apple flavor. I'm not a big fan of sour but Eric loves it--if you like Sour Patch kids, you'll like the sour apple donuts. I ended up with three delicious autumn donuts (and donut holes!)

Ingredients:
1 tube of refrigerated biscuits
vegetable oil
cinnamon-sugar
mulling spice mix (I used Aspen Mulling Spices)
apple cider mix powder (I used Alpine Spiced Apple Cider Mix)

Directions:
Separate your biscuits and lay them out on your work space. Rinse out an empty soda pop bottle. The size of the bottle doesn't matter. Remove the cap and press the opening of bottle into the center the biscuit to make the hole in the center. To get the dough out of the bottle opening, just squeeze the sides of the bottle; it'll pop right out and you'll have donut holes. Repeat with the rest of the biscuits.

Pour your vegetable oil in a large sauce pan, enough so that the donuts can be submerged. Heat the oil over med-hi heat to between 360 and 375 degrees. (I don't use a candy thermometer; I just wing it.) With tongs put your biscuit into the oil and cook until the perfect golden brown on each side. Place on a plate lined with paper towel.

Place the cinnamon-sugar in a shallow dish. The mulling spices in a second dish. And the apple cider mix in a third dish. Coat your donuts and donut holes in the desired seasonings.

Store in an airtight container.

Enjoy!

~Krissy

More Fall Dessert Recipes:
Acorn Donuts
Apple Rings!
Homemade Candy Corn 
Peanut Butter Baked Apples
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Brownies
Pumpkin Pie Rice Krispie Treats

Apple Rings!

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I can tell you right now that these apple rings are going to become a yearly tradition in our house. It's kind of like eating apple pie but in onion ring form. They are best right out of the oven, hot and crispy, and everything a fall treat should be. I found the recipe here, changed it just a little, and reduced the servings since these delectable treats are best right out of the oven and don't keep for long. Two apples fed four of us.

Ingredients:
2 apples
1 large egg white
1/3 cup water
splash of vanilla
1/3 cup flour
pinch of salt
canola oil for frying
cinnamon-sugar*

Cinnamon Glaze:
1 tablespoon, butter, melted
large pinch of cinnamon
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1-3 tablespoons of milk

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

In a medium bowl, whisk egg white until foamy. Whisk in the water and vanilla. Set aside. In another medium bowl whisk together flour and salt. Set aside. Pour cinnamon-sugar in a shallow dish. Set aside.

Peel your apples. If you have a coring device, core your apples then slice them into 1/2-inch slices. If you don't have an apple corer--I don't--slice your apples into 1/2-inch slices then use a paring knife to cut the centers out of each apple slice. It didn't take nearly as long as I thought it would.

Heat your oil over medium-high heat. Dip each apple slice in the egg mixture, then the flour, and carefully set it in the oil. Working in small batches, repeat with the rest of the apple rings. When the rings turns a golden brown, place them on a towel paper-lined plate. Once the rings have cooled enough to handle, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

Place the apple rings on a cookies sheet and place them in the oven to crisp up. Bake for 5 to 10 minutes or until the rings become crisp.

While the rings are in the oven, make the glaze. Mix all the ingredients together except for the milk. Add the milk a tablespoon at a time until you reach your desired consistency.

Remove the apple rings from the oven and drizzle the glaze over them. Serve warm.

I went a little heavy on the glaze since I was making the plate up for Eric.

*We usually have cinnamon-sugar on hand. Mix 1/2 cup granulated sugar with 1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon. Store in an air-tight container at room temperature.

Next time I makes these, I plan on doing two things differently.

Number 1: Have Eric do the frying since he is the superior fryer (I may or may not have filled the kitchen with smoke while making these)

Number 2: Eat these amazing fall treats with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Enjoy!

~Krissy

Also Check These Fall Recipes:  
Acorn Donuts
Applesauce Cookies with Caramel Frosting
Cheese Tortellini in a Pumpkin Sauce
Cinnamon-Sugar Pastry with Pumpkin Dip
Mini Pumpkin Pies
Baked Apple Chips
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Brownies
                                                      Pumpkin Caramels!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Brownies

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I have been searching and searching for a fudgy, chewy pumpkin brownie recipe for what seems like forever. Last year I made pumpkin swirl brownies. They contained cayenne pepper and were absolutely delicious. I may or may not have eaten the entire pan myself. And while I liked them plenty, they still had a more cake-like consistency than brownie. I thought I finally found one, but after reading through the comments, it was another cakey brownie. So I decide that I would just have to come up with one on my own. There is a science, a chemistry, to baking that I only kind of understand. So I looked at bunch of brownies recipes and formed my own pumpkin brownie using their proportions as a guideline. I crossed my fingers, popped it in the oven, and prayed it turned out edible. It not only turned out edible but oh-my-god good. The consistency was exactly what I had been looking for and the taste was out of this world.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp salt
1 large egg
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 cup dark chocolate chips

Directions: 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 8x8-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Sift the flour into a small bowl and set aside.

Cream the butter and sugar together in a large bowl until the mixture is light and fluffy. Beat in the pumpkin pie spice, salt, egg, and pumpkin puree. Gradually stir the flour into the wet ingredients and combine well. Add the chocolate chips and stir. Pour the batter into the baking dish.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the brownies are lightly browned on the edges and the center is set. Allow to cool in the pan. 

Enjoy!

~Krissy

Also Check These Fall Recipes:  
Acorn Donuts
Applesauce Cookies with Caramel Frosting
Cheese Tortellini in a Pumpkin Sauce
Cinnamon-Sugar Pastry with Pumpkin Dip
Mini Pumpkin Pies
Pumpkin Bread!
Pumpkin Lasagna Rolls
Pumpkin Penn Casserole
Pumpkin Caramels! 

Pumpkin Caramels!

Happy First Day of Autumn!

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I don't think there is anything about autumn that I don't love. I mean, fall has the best weather, the best clothes, the prettiest foliage, not to mention Halloween. It is without a doubt my favorite time of year. It's also when I'm most inspired to cook. I can't go to the grocery store without gasping at all the pumpkins, squashes, and apples.

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Now there's some autumn recipes that I have to make every year. Top on the list is my Cinnamon-Sugar Pastries with Pumpkin Dip. Eric absolutely loves it. I'll probably make it at least twice before Thanksgiving just for him. And we always carve pumpkins which mean Roasted Pumpkin Seeds.

Then I have to make my Baked Potato Soup. It just screams out fall. Since apple cider will (finally) be in season, I must remake my Apple Cider Cake that I baked in February for Eric's birthday; this time with real apple cider instead of the powdered mix. But I also have a list the length of my arm (only a slight exaggeration) of new recipes to test out this autumn season. And chances are it's only going to continue to grow. I'm sure I won't get to them all, but I'll try my damnedest, beginning with . . . Pumpkin Caramels!

I made sea salt caramels last Christmas and they were amazing. I gave them as gifts and had to hide them from Eric or else he would have eaten them all. Everyone loved them. I had never even heard of pumpkin caramels until Pinterest. I tracked down a recipe that appealed to me, made a few changes, and here it is. Who knew homemade caramels could get any better?

Ingredients: 

1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2/3 cup pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup water
4 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut in chunks
1 teaspoon lemon juice

Directions:
Line an 8x8-inch glass baking pan with wax paper and grease it with butter. Set aside.

In a medium sauce pan, heat the heavy cream, pumpkin puree, and pumpkin pie spice over medium-high heat. Stir and combine well. You want to get the mixture hot but not boiling. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a large heavy-bottomed pan with sides that are at least 4 inches high (I used a stock pot), combine the sugar, maple syrup, corn syrup, and water. Over medium-high heat, bring to a boil, stirring continuously. Once the sugar is completely dissolved, continue to cook the mixture until it reaches 248 degrees on a candy thermometer. Occasionally swirl the saucepan but refrain from stirring the mixture.

When the temperature reaches 248 degrees, slowly and carefully stir in the cream-pumpkin mixture. The mixture will bubble so be careful not to burn yourself. When the caramel reaches 230 degrees, stir continuously. When the temperature hits 244, remove from heat, and stir in butter chunks and lemon juice. Continue to stir until the butter is completely incorporated into the caramel.

Pour the caramel into the prepared pan. Allow the caramel to cool and set for at least 2 hours. Cut into 1-inch squares and wrap the pieces in wax paper.

I cannot even begin to describe how amazing these caramels are. I may have to make a second batch for Thanksgiving.

Enjoy!

~Krissy

Also Check These Fall Recipes:  
Acorn Donuts
Applesauce Cookies with Caramel Frosting
Cheese Tortellini in a Pumpkin Sauce
Cinnamon-Sugar Pastry with Pumpkin Dip
Mini Pumpkin Pies
Pumpkin Bread!
Pumpkin Lasagna Rolls
Pumpkin Penn Casserole
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Brownies

Applesauce Cookies with Caramel Frosting

I will use just about any excuse to try out a new dessert recipe. Visiting my parents for Independence Day was the perfect excuse to test not just one recipe, but two. These applesauce cookies were the second batch of cookies I prepared, the Baileys Cookies being the first. Applesauce cookies don't exactly scream summer--they do, however, yell out for autumn--but I had all the ingredients and I didn't want to wait months to try them. And I'm glad I didn't wait. They are cakey, fully of spice, and super yummy.

I slightly adapted this recipe. It makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Cookie Recipe
Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup shortening
1 egg
2 cups flour
1 ts baking soda
1 ts baking powder
1 cup applesauce
1/2 ts cinnamon
1/4 ts ground cloves
 
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and cloves together. Set aside.

In a second large bowl, cream the sugar and shortening with an electric mixer. Mix in the eggs and applesauce. Gradually stir in dry ingredients until well combined. Spoon a heaping tablespoon of dough on a cookie sheet, spacing the cookies about 2 inches apart. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Allow to cool.

Naked Cookies

Frosting Recipe
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup half and half
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup powdered sugar

Directions:
Place the butter, half and half, and brown sugar in a saucepan. Heat over medium heat, stirring until the mixture boils.* Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. Allow to cool and then stir in the powdered sugar. Spread over the cookies.

*The caramel taste of the frosting isn't really that strong. My mom commented that she thought it tasted more maple than caramel and I agree with her. The brown sugar just didn't get to caramelize long enough, so next time I make these, I'm getting my candy thermometer out and boiling the brown sugar mixture until its temperature reaches 248 degrees. That should give it a good, strong caramel flavor.

Applesauce and Baileys cookies

Enjoy!

~Krissy