Cinnamon Toffee Fruit Dip

Honey crisp apples are taking over my life.

Every day for the past two weeks I’ve been eating one, and every day I stare at the giant beauty and don’t care that it cost $2. Sometimes I like to jazz it up and make a super unhealthy meal with them. Like this dip. Sugar, spice and toffee, baby.

I love making sweet dips like this. Apples and toffee are best friends forever, and I’m totally ok with eating the friendship.

To make this, combine cream cheese, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg in a food processor.

Blend until smooth. Stir in one crushed Skor bar (or a few “mini” score chunks).

Blend quickly for a few seconds.

Place in a serving bowl and serve with apples or fruit of your choice.

Cinnamon Toffee Fruit Dip
Adapted from Noble Pig
Serves 6

Ingredients:
1 8 ounce package of cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg
2 Skor bars, crushed (or 1/2 bag of Heath toffee bits)
3 apples (I used Honey Crisp)

Directions:
In a food processor (or with your mixer) combine cream cheese, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg until smooth. Stir in ONE crushed Skor bar. Place in a serving bowl and serve with apples or fruit of your choice.

Note: This can also be pre-made and placed back in the refrigerator, it will not stiffen up.

Skinny Peach Cobbler For One

Since I’m reducing my sugar intake over the next month to prepare for the Rock n’ Roll 1/2 Marathon, I thought I’d make a skinny version of peach crisp to calm my sugar craving. It can be the worst, and also peaches are AMAZING right now!

Training has been coming along, but I’ve decided that I need to switch things up a bit. So, after the half marathon I’m going to start training for a triathlon! I’ve done one before, but I took it slow since I didn’t know what I capable of yet and am super excited to start “shopping” for a race. Baking and racing – it’s what i’m all about.

This little cobbler is perfect if you’re trying to cut some sugar out of your diet without sacrificing flavour. My butter loving boy went crazy for this, my butter loving cat went crazy for this (but mostly just for the butter), and I devoured it needing to make it AGAIN to satisfy my craving. Perhaps these aren’t so skinny…

To make these preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Slice a peach in half and remove the pit. With a small spoon, scoop out the the dark red pit center, creating a bit more room for the crumble topping.

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar, oats, cinnamon, salt, and coconut. Add butter and, with your fingers, work the butter into the dry ingredients.

Quickly break up the butter until it is well combined.

Place peach halves, cut side up, in a small, oven-safe dish. Top each peach half with a generous portion of crumble topping. Heap it on!

Bake for 20 minutes, until topping is golden brown. Remove from the oven and serve warm with vanilla ice cream or cold milk. Delicious!

Easy Peach Cobbler For One
Recipe lightly adapted from Joy The Baker
Serves 1-2

Ingredients:
1 ripe peach (not over ripe!)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
3 tablespoons old-fashioned oats
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
pinch of salt
1 tablespoon toasted coconut
2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed

Directions:
Place a rack in the center of the oven, and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Slice a peach in half and remove the pit. With a small spoon, scoop out the the dark red pit center, creating just a bit more room for the crumble topping.

In a small bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar, oats, cinnamon, salt, and coconut. Add butter and, with your fingers, work the butter into the dry ingredients. Quickly break up the butter until it is well combined. Some of the butter bits will be the size of oat flakes, others will be the size of small peas.

Place peach halves, cut side up, in a small, oven-safe dish. Top each peach half with a generous portion of crumble topping. Heap it on!

Bake for 20 minutes, until topping is golden brown. Remove from the oven and serve warm with vanilla ice cream or cold milk. Peaches are best served warm from the oven.

Rhubarb Crunch

Long weekends do not occur enough. Can I get an Amen?

This past weekend I FINALLY went back to my hometown, spent some time with old friends, and drank some serious booze. It was magical. Since I have the coolest Grandparents ever, they allowed my noisy friends and I to set up some lawn games and party the night (and day) away.

The focus of the party was to celebrate the 25th birthday of two of my best friends, but also an excuse to get together and reminisce. High school graduation was 7 years ago. That deserves a W.T.F. So, when I’m feeling old and strange and confused, I need some serious sugar.

Enter Rhubarb Crunch. My new best friend, my new favorite crisp…and the crisp that makes all other crisps cry in a corner. Thank goodness this baby was here for me when I needed it. I meant to share this, I really did, but my boy and I ate it in one night. Whoops!

To make this, preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8 x 8-inch baking dish. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, sugar, and cinnamon. Cut in the cold butter or mix in the melted butter.

This stuff should be crumbly. Like this:

Press half of the topping into the prepared pan.

Sprinkle the rhubarb on top.

In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and cornstarch. Slowly mix in the cold water and heat over medium until the mixture boils; boil for 2 minutes or until thickened a bit.

Pour over the rhubarb in the pan.

Sprinkle with remaining crumb topping. Bake in the preheated oven for about an hour (start checking at 40 minutes) or until bubbly and beginning to brown.

Let cool on a wire rack before serving.

Enjoy! I like this stuff warm right from the pan…or with vanilla bean ice cream. Delicious!

Rhubarb Crunch
Recipe taken from Cooking for Seven
makes 6-8 servings

Ingredients:
1 cup whole wheat flour (or all purpose flour)
1 cup old-fashioned oats
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup cold butter, cubed
4 cups diced fresh rhubarb (or frozen rhubarb)
1-1/3 cups sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 cup cold water
ice cream, for serving (optional)

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8 x 8-inch baking dish.

2) In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, oats, sugar, and cinnamon. Cut in the cold butter or mix in the melted butter. Press half of the topping into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the rhubarb on top.

3) In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and cornstarch. Slowly mix in the cold water and heat over medium until the mixture boils; boil for 2 minutes or until thickened a bit. Pour over the rhubarb in the pan.

4) Sprinkle with remaining crumb topping. Bake in the preheated oven for about an hour (start checking at 40 minutes) or until beginning to brown.

5) Serve warm with ice cream! So good.

Blueberry Hand Pies

These do not look perfect. They’re cracked, and bubbling blueberry juices can be seen oozing from the top. But, I dare you to tell me these aren’t delicious! Because they are so, so, wonderfully tasty. And to me, that’s beauty.

It’s not unusual for a recipe to turn out different than I planned. Whenever I make a recipe that looks pretty, but taste’s “meh”, I don’t post it. But I don’t have the same mentality when it comes to delicious recipes that don’t look the way I had hoped.

Usually I would eat a pie like this with a fork, but after letting these tasty babies cool, I figured, HEY! They’re messy anyway, I’m eating these with my hands. And I had the best stained fingers to make my gluttony known to everyone afterwards. Baking is the best!

To make these, get your pie dough ready and chill it for at least 1 hour before making the hand pies. Then, in a small bowl, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, and lemon zest. Set aside.

In another bowl, coat the blueberries with lemon juice. Sprinkle on the sugar mixture and stir until blueberries are evenly coated.

Roll out chilled pie dough to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut out circles approximately 5-6 inches in diameter (I used the rim of a 5 1/2 inch diameter round bowl to cut out circles).

Fill center of dough circle with blueberry filling. I was able to fit 2 tablespoons of filling in each hand pie.

In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolk with two tablespoons water. Brush egg wash on edge of dough circles, fold in half, and seal the edges with a fork. Chill hand pies for at least 1/2 hour before baking.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Remove pies from refrigerator and brush with remaining egg wash. Sprinkle on turbanado sugar and cut a small slit in the top of each pie to let out steam (or oozing blueberries)! Bake for about 20 minutes, or until pies are golden brown and flaky. Cool to room temperature before serving.

Enjoy!

Blueberry Hand Pies
Recipe taken from Pastry Affair
Yields approximately 8 hand pies

Ingredients:
1 recipe for 9-inch pie crust (I use The Pioneer Woman’s recipe)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 cups (1 pint) fresh blueberries
Pinch of salt
1 egg yolk
Sanding or crystal sugar, for garnish

Directions:
Chill the pie dough for at least 1 hour before making hand pies.

In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, and lemon zest. Set aside.

In another bowl, coat the blueberries with lemon juice. Sprinkle on the sugar mixture and stir until blueberries are evenly coated.

Roll out chilled pie dough to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut out circles approximately 5-6 inches in diameter (I used the rim of a 5 1/2 inch diameter round bowl to cut out circles). Fill center of dough circle with blueberry filling. The amount you can fit inside will depend on the size of your blueberries (I was able to fit 2 tablespoons of filling in each hand pie).

In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolk with two tablespoons water. Brush egg wash on edge of dough circles, fold in half, and seal the edges with a fork.

Chill hand pies for at least 1/2 hour before baking.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

Remove pies from refrigerator and brush with remaining egg wash. Sprinkle on sanding sugar and cut a small slit in the top of each pie to let out steam. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until pies are golden brown and flaky. Cool to room temperature before serving.

Store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Seasonal Fruit Salad with Honey-Mint Lime Dressing

It has been amazing weather-wise here in Switzerland. Since I arrived on April 1st, the sun has made sure to shine her rays every. single. day! It has of course rained here and there, but it is never for very long, and it never seems to happen when I walk to and from work. Someone is on my side.

To celebrate the lovely weather, I thought I’d make a bright and colourful fruit salad with a little kick. I regularly make fruit salads with either no dressing or an orange juice dressing, but when I saw this on Tasty Kitchen, I knew I had to try.

I made this salad with ripe mango’s, kiwis, strawberries, blueberries, peaches, and pineapple.

For the dressing I threw together honey, lime juice, brown sugar, and mint.

Then I mixed this dressing until everything was well incorporated. Then I poured the dressing on top of the fruit, shared it with some friends, and ate it. I might have had a cocktail with it too…you know you want to too.

Seasonal Fruit Salad with Honey-Mint Lime Dressing
Dressing recipe taken from Tasty Kitchen
Serves 10 people

Ingredients
3 Tablespoons Honey
3 Tablespoons Fresh Lime Juice
3 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
3 Tablespoons Fresh Mint, Chopped
10 cups Seasonal Fresh Fruit: I used Strawberries, Blueberries, Peaches, Kiwis, Mangos, and Pineapple.

Directions:
In a small bowl whisk together honey, lime juice, brown sugar, and mint until well incorporated.
Toss with your bowl of fresh cut fruit and serve.
Garnish with optional mint sprigs.

Freaking Awesome Apple Dumplings

Dear healthy lifestyle,
For the most part I think we get along great. I always follow our fitness schedule, I eat the right amount of carbs, dairy, protein, fruits and vegetables, and I go to our regular doctor, optometrist, and dentist appointments. But other times I plain and simply do not like you, and sometimes cheat on you with your two arch enemies – Tonsa Sugar and Lotsa Butter. They know what I really want.

Sometimes in life we come across little specialties that warm the soul. Like snuggling under the covers on a weekend when it’s raining, reading on a sunny front porch, or dipping our toes into the water for the first time and realizing it’s warm!

For me a big comfort food is warm apples. Warm apples with cinnamon, butter, and sugar specifically. I’m such a big fan of apple crisp, apple pie, baked apples…anything really. This recipe is my boyfriends favorite thing that I make. FAVORITE! That’s hard work for a girl with a baking blog. I continue to try and top this recipe over and over again and fail. But alas, it’s hard to live up to these warm, baked, deliciously sweet rolls of goodness. You should make them.

To begin, peel and core apples.

Cut each apple into 8 slices each. Roll each apple slice in a crescent roll.

Place in a 9 x 13 buttered pan.

Melt butter, then add sugar and barely stir.

Add vanilla, stir, and pour entire mixture over apples.

Pour Mountain Dew around the edges of the pan.

Sprinkle with cinnamon

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Serve with ice cream, and spoon some of the sweet sauces from the pan over the top.

Apple Dumplings
Makes 16 dumplings
Recipe taken from The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients
2 whole Granny Smith Apples
2 cans (8 Oz. Cans) Crescent Rolls
2 sticks Butter
1-½ cup Sugar
1 teaspoon Vanilla
Cinnamon, To Taste
1 can (12 Oz.) Mountain Dew Soda

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter a 9 x 13-inch pan.

Peel and core apples. Cut each apple into 8 slices.

Roll each apple slice in a crescent roll. Place in the buttered pan.

Melt butter, then add sugar and barely stir. Add vanilla, stir a little, and pour entire mixture over apples.

Pour Mountain Dew around the edges of the pan, and through the middle.

Sprinkle with cinnamon and bake for about 40 minutes, or until the dumplings are nice and brown on top.

Serve with ice cream, and spoon some of the sweet sauces from the pan over the top.