Apple-Pecan-Pie-Cronuts-with-Apple-Cider-Caramel-Drizzle
Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Follow this croissants dough recipe through step 7.
  2. Roll the dough out to about 1/3-inch thickness. Using a 3-inch cutter, cut as many rounds as you can, then roll out remaining dough and cut as much as you can, I got 8 cronuts. Place the cronuts on a floured baking sheet.
  3. Cover with large towel and place in a warm place in your kitchen. Allow doughnuts to sit for one hour.
  4. Or if using canned crescent dough, open the cans of dough and divide into sets of two triangles. Press the 2 triangles together to seal and form a rectangle, repeat with remaining triangles. Stack 2 rectangles on top of one another, press them together, and then fold widthwise. Press down. Repeat with remaining dough. Using a 3-inch cutter, cut as many rounds as you can, then roll out remaining dough and cut as much as you can, I got 8 cronuts. Place the cronuts on a floured baking sheet. Cover with large towel and place in a warm place in your kitchen. Allow doughnuts to sit for one hour.
  5. While the doughnuts rest make the caramel.
  6. Make the frosting,
  7. Make the apple pecan pie topping.
  8. Heat a pot of oil to 375 degrees. Fry the cronuts in the oil for about 30 seconds on each side, until golden brown.
  9. Place on a baking sheet lined with paper towels and allow to cool before frosting.
  10. Once cool, spread on to each cronut a good dollop of the frosting and then top with the apple and pecan pie topping. Drizzle with the apple cider caramel sauce.
  11. Eat! Like IMMEDIATELY! These are best the very same day they are made, but we still enjoyed ours for a couple of days afterwards. Especially heated up in the microwave.

Apple Cider Caramel

Ingredients

  • 2 cups apple cider
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1 cup dark brown sugar
  • 3/4 cup cream
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation

  1. Add the apple cider to a medium sauce pot and bring to a boil, boil for about 15 to 20 minutes or until the cider has reduced to about 1/3 cup and is thick and syrupy.
  2. Reduce the heat and add the brown sugar, butter, cream and cinnamon.
  3. Bring back to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for about 5 to 10 minutes or until the the caramel is thicken and dark in color.
  4. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
  5. Set aside to cool and thicken more.

Cronut Frosting

Ingredients

  • 1 stick butter, softened to room temperature
  • 2 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
  • 1 2/3 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 tablespoons apple cider caramel sauce
  • 1 tablespoon milk

Preparation

  1. in the bowl of a stand mixer beat together the butter and cream cheese until smooth and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
  2. Add powdered sugar and caramel sauce and beat until smooth and combined.
  3. Beat in the milk.
  4. Set aside in a cool area.

Apple Pecan Pie Topping

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 1/2 cups honeycrips or pink lady apples, cored and chopped
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation

  1. Heat a medium size skillet over medium heat, add the butter.
  2. Add the apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt, cook, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes.
  3. Add the pecans and cook another 5 minutes or until the pecans are toasted and the apples are caramelized.
  4. During the last minute add the vanilla and cook another minute.
  5. Remove from heat and set aside, but keep just slightly warm.

Caramel Apple Muffins
Any one who loves caramel apples will love these muffins. These are great served with breakfast, or with coffee.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 2-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup 2% milk
  • 1/4 cup butter, melted
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup chopped peeled tart apple
  • 1/2 cup chopped pecans
  • 12 caramels, chopped

TOPPING

  • 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup quick-cooking oats
  • 3 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preparation

  1. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon
    and salt. In another bowl, whisk the egg, milk, butter and vanilla.
    Stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in apple, pecans and
    caramels.
    Fill paper-lined muffin cups three-fourths full. Combine topping
    ingredients; sprinkle over batter.
    Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the cake portion comes out clean. Cool for 5 minutes before removing
    from pans to wire racks. Serve warm. Yield: 14 muffins.

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It may look like a chore, but this cheesecake tart calls for a relatively straightforward preparation: First, press the crust into the tart pan. Next, mix the cream cheese filling, fill the tart shell, and bake. Finally, gild the pie with sautéed tart apples, and paint them with melted apple jelly for a jewelled effect.

Ingredients

CRUST
  • 1 cup finely ground gingersnap cookie crumbs (about 24 to 28 cookies)
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped toasted pecans
  • 1/4 cup butter, melted
  • 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
  • Vegetable cooking spray
FILLING
  • 2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
  • 3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/4 teaspoon apple pie spice
TOPPING
  • 3 pounds tart apples (such as Granny Smith), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch-thick wedges
  • 1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 2 tablespoons apple jelly

Preparation

Prepare Crust
  1. Preheat oven to 375°.
  2. Stir together gingersnap cookie crumbs and next 3 ingredients in a medium bowl until moist.
  3. Press crumb mixture on bottom and up sides of a lightly greased (with cooking spray) 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom.
Prepare Filling
  1. Beat cream cheese and next 3 ingredients at medium-low speed with an electric mixer until smooth.
  2. Pour cream cheese mixture into prepared crust, spreading with an offset spatula.
  3. Place tart pan on a baking sheet.
  4. Bake at 375° for 20 to 25 minutes or until center is almost set.
  5. Cool completely on a wire rack (about 40 minutes).
  6. Chill 8 to 12 hours.
Prepare Topping
  1. Stir together apples and 1/3 cup light brown sugar in a large bowl.
  2. Melt 1 Tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
  3. Add apple mixture to skillet, and cook, stirring often, 16 to 18 minutes or until golden brown.
  4. Remove skillet from heat, and cool apples completely (about 30 minutes).
  5. Arrange apples on top of chilled cheesecake in a decorative fashion. (To achieve a rosette look, start by arranging apples in an overlapping circular pattern about 1 inch from the edge of the crust. Make a second small circular pattern inside the first. Thinly slice some of the cooked apples, curl them, and place in the center of the tart.)
  6. Microwave jelly and 1 teaspoon water in a small microwave-safe bowl at HIGH 20 to 30 seconds or until melted and smooth. Brush apples with half of jelly mixture.
  7. Preheat broiler with oven rack 5 to 6 inches from heat. Broil tart 2 to 3 minutes or just until apples begin to brown. Remove from oven, and brush apples with remaining jelly mixture.
  8. Chill 1 hour before serving.

Note

Tart will hold in refrigerator overnight, but the crust will soften the longer it sits in the refrigerator.


Salted Caramel Strawberries
A quick dip in luscious caramel and a salty roll in finely chopped nuts turns fresh strawberries into a gourmet treat. Top picks: A ripe berry will have a shiny, deep red color from the tip of the berry to beneath the green cap. Check the carton from top to bottom for any damaged or moldy fruit—they’ll cause the others to deteriorate quickly.

Ingredients

  • 20 large fresh strawberries
  • 40 caramels
  • 3 tablespoons whipping cream
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/4 cups coarsely chopped pecans
  • Wax paper

Preparation

  1. Pat strawberries completely dry with paper towels.
  2. Microwave caramels, 3 Tbsp. whipping cream, and 1/4 tsp. salt in a 1-qt. microwave-safe bowl at MEDIUM (50% power) 3 1/2 minutes or until smooth, stirring at 1-minute intervals.
  3. Dip each strawberry halfway into caramel mixture. Roll in nuts, and place on lightly greased wax paper. Let stand 15 minutes.
  4. Serve immediately, or cover and chill up to 8 hours.

Note

For testing purposes only, we used Kraft Caramels


Caramel Brownies
Ingredients

  • 2 cups sugar
  • 3/4 cup baking cocoa
  • 1 cup canola oil
  • 4 eggs
  • 1/4 cup 2% milk
  • 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
  • 1 cup chopped pecans, divided
  • 14 ounces caramels
  • 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk

Preparation

  1. In a large bowl, beat the sugar, cocoa, oil, eggs and milk.
  2. Combine the flour, salt and baking powder; gradually add to egg mixture until well blended.
  3. Fold in chocolate chips and 1/2 cup pecans.
  4. Spoon two-thirds of the batter into a greased 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan.
  5. Bake at 350° for 12 minutes.
  6. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, heat the caramels and condensed milk over low heat until caramels are melted.
  7. Pour over baked brownie layer.
  8. Sprinkle with remaining pecans.
  9. Drop remaining batter by teaspoonfuls over caramel layer; carefully swirl brownie batter with a knife.
  10. Bake 35-40 minutes longer or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out with moist crumbs (do not overbake).
  11. Cool on a wire rack.

Yield: 2 dozen.


 Caramel Pecan Bars Recipe

These rich bars really capture the flavor of pecan pie.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup butter, cubed
  • 2-1/4 cups packed brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 2 cups chopped pecans
  • Confectioners’ sugar, optional

Preparation

  1. In a large saucepan, combine butter and brown sugar over medium heat until sugar is dissolved.
  2. In a small bowl, beat eggs and vanilla. Gradually add hot sugar mixture, stirring constantly.
  3. Combine flour and baking powder; gradually add to the butter mixture and mix well. Stir in pecans.
  4. Spread into a greased 13-inch x 9-inch baking pan. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out with moist crumbs and edges are crisp.
  5. Cool on a wire rack. Dust with confectioners’ sugar if desired. Cut into bars.

Yield: 4 dozen.