Last Tuesday I took this to a Ladies Bible Study and there was not one bite left. In fact, several ladies ask me for the recipe. I made them into brownies and sprinkled walnuts on top (instead of in them like the recipe called for) and then sprinkled powdered sugar over the top. They were really good. So tonight, instead of letting the rest of the jar of applesauce go to waste, I decided to use the same recipe and make them into muffins. The actual recipe calls to make it in a 9×13 pan and frost it. Am posting the frosting recipe as well, in case you want extra yumminess to go along with your coffee. But sometimes, the simple flavors of spice, cinnamon and apples goes so well with a cup of hot tea or coffee. So tonight, muffins it is….taken from Land O Lakes web site You know, if it comes from LOL, it will be good.
1/2 cup of softened butter
2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups applesauce (I had a jar of the cinnamon flavored so it added more flavor of cinnamon than if you use just the regular applesauce, but can you really ever have too much cinnamon?)
1 1/2 teas baking soda
1/2 teas baking powder
1 1/2 teas cinnamon
1/4 teas allspice
1/2 teas pie spice
1/2 teas salt
3/4 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup chopped pecans (I had walnuts, so used those)
1 teas vanilla
Frosting
1/2 cup butter
3 cups powdered sugar
1 teas vanilla
2-3 tables milk
1/4 cup chopped nuts
Heat oven to 350. Grease and flour a 13×9″ baking pan. Set aside.
Combine all cake ingredients except raisins and nuts in a bowl. Beat at low speed, scraping bowl often, until ingredients are moistened. Beat a hight speed until smooth. Add the raisins and nuts and stir into batter.
Pour into greased pan and bake 30-35 minutes or until center is firm to the touch and edges begin to pull away from the sides of pan. Cool Completely.
For Frosting:
Melt the butter over medium heat. Continue cooking, stirring constantly and watching closely, 4-6 minutes or until butter just starts to turn golden. Butter will get foamy and bubble. Remove from heat and cool completely.
Combine the browns butter with the powdered sugar. Add the vanilla and milk until frosting is smooth and spreadable. Frost cooled cake and sprinkle with 1/4 cup nuts, if desired.
Years ago when I lived in Corpus Christ, TX, one of my favorite dessert memories was from Luby’s Cafeteria. Sometimes, when we would go, they would have a cinnamon apple topped cheesecake. It was delicious and so different from other cheesecakes. Very creamy and the flavor combination of apple, cinnamon with the cream cheese was just awesome. On the back cover of Nov 2016 Taste of Home I found a recipe that resembled that wonderful memory.
It was so much fun to make up a recipe today for our friends coming over tonight from church. I have always wanted to try this and I figured before my first heart attack or before all the butter and cream cheese went to my head and caused dementia, I needed to do this. Just finished putting the final touches on it and I can’t wait until we cut it tonight. Randy and I have set a new world record this week for us. Do not ask me why, but we have not had dessert in 4 nights. I do not count the Hershey with Almonds bar I ate last night as dessert. and..he doesn’t count scraping out the last of the Blue Bell Pumpkin Spice Ice cream out of the container as dessert. Those are just things that we eat to clean up the freezer and cabinets.
Today was the last Wednesday that some precious lady’s met in our home for Bible Study. The study was a 6 week study and since it was Fall, I tried to bake something pumpkin each Wednesday. Today I knew that these pumpkin scones would make the perfect treat for our last study. Served with butter and apricot jam, they were a hit. My sweet Shannon, who had sent me packets of flavored sugar a few weeks back, had sent multiple flavors of sugar. So today, before baking I sprinkled on the Salted Caramel and that added to the already delicious flavor.
For years, my mom used to come over on Halloween to bring popcorn balls and caramel apples for our kids before they left to go Trick or Treating. Of course, I usually had half of them eaten by the time they kids got home. This year, I decided to make popcorn balls. I remember thinking that when my kids are grown and have kids of their own, I will have all the time in the world to continue the tradition of making caramel apples and popcorn balls. Well, I have to admit it has taken me….well, lets put it this way, our oldest grandchild is 17 today and this is the first year I have made popcorn balls. The sad thing is, Jaden will already be gone with his friends to head to downtown Phoenix to go to a Haunted House. Well, I hope when he gets down there with his friends, he will think to himself, “oh man, what am I doing here, I could be home having a popcorn ball that my Nana made me?” That will show the little whipper snapper. Who knows, it might be another 17 years before I attempt making them again. Maybe Jaden’s kids will enjoy them. Surely I will have more time then to make Halloween treats. Before I post the recipe, I have a concern that I need to share. A concern and a question. If any of you out there are missing a teaspoon, would you please private message me. Don’t embarrass me by commenting on here that you wondered what happened to that 8th spoon that goes with your dinnerware. It happened yesterday at church, of all places.
ast night we were invited to some friends who live across the street from us to play cards. Patti had just returned from Texas and while there she ate this amazing dessert at their kids house. She made it for us last night and oh my gosh, it was some of the best dessert I have ever had. You need to believe me when I say that this layered dessert is a winner. Thanks Patti for sharing it with us last night and then sharing the recipe today. Wasn’t even mad that you beat me at cards after having some of this great dish.
We are so excited to have friends coming in from California who have become like family. When we began to plan when they could come, I immediately knew what we would be having for dinner their first night here….chicken fried steak! So after deciding on the main course, and knowing the only things you MUST have with the steak is mashed potatoes, black eyed peas/green beans, we didn’t spend too much time on the side dishes. Looking through different recipes, I remembered that not only is German Chocolate cake is Randy’s favorite cake, it is also one of theirs. So I decided to make one. This one is a little different from the original. Because the homemade cake is so light, it doesn’t hold up well to what I wanted to do, so I used the Betty Crocker, pudding included German Chocolate cake mix and made it in a glass pyrex 9×13. When it was baked and still warm, I poked holes with the handle of a large wooden spoon so the homemade German Chocolate frosting could seep into the cake. This gives the cake such a gooey-gooey texture and allows for the coconut-pecan mixture to ooze through out the entire cake. Then, of course to cover up the holes, what does one do? Well, one makes homemake chocolate frosting to drizzle over the top of that. And to top it off, we will have a side dish of Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla, sitting ever so lovely beside it.
Chocolate Castles 