Apple Pie Cookies (with or without nuts)

Hey folks! So since I'm in the Christmas spirit I've been baking up a storm, some successful (this recipe), some not so successful (the fudge). Anyway, of everything I made my favorite was actually an original and personally Kelly recipe!

So here's what you need -

Utensils - You'll need a cupcake tin (or a baking sheet but the cupcake tin is WAY easier) and a circular cookie cutter - or small water glass which is what I used.

Ingredients - Get one of those boxes of the 2 uncooked pie shells (like, the pillsbury kind) that you find by the butter and eggs in the grocery store. And secondly, a large can of apple pie filling (or you can make your own apple pie filling, but I'm not gonna lie about where mine came from :) haha). Also, while I'm not going to give "amounts" you also need brown sugar, cinnamon and sugar to dust on top when you're done.

So basically you the pie shells into little circles and lay them into the cupcake tin, it's ok if they don't go to the top. If you're going to do them on a baking sheet, don't fold them up or anything.

Then you want to take small scoops and place them in the middle of the cup/cookie. I did it the cookie route, and they were pretty good but I could EASILY see how the cupcake tin route was better. Also, I feel like you could use more apple filling with the cupcake tins whereas I put a limited amount of apple pie filling on the cookies for fear they would just run all over the pan.

I cooked them for however long it says to cook the pie crust at whatever temperature the box said, plus about 3 minutes or so. It depends on your stove though.

Then if you want, you can sprinkle on the dusting of brown sugar, regular sugar and cinnamon.

If you want to proceed on to more deliciousness, you can do that too.

That's by adding a candied nut topping. And to make this, you'll need:

1 lb pecans
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
dash of nutmeg

So you whip up the eggs with the vanilla with your trusty kitchen aid until you've got kind of a frothy mixture. Add the nuts and stir them with a wooden spoon until they are coated, then add the rest of the ingredients (mixing them ahead of time is a good idea, before pouring them on the nuts). Mix them up with that trusty wooden spoon again. Then put them in the oven on 250 and stir them every 15 minutes so they don't stick together too much.

Then once these bad boys are done, throw them on the top of your cupcakes/cookies, and deliciousness ensues! Enjoy and Merry Christmas!

Peanut Butter Cake

This recipe is a take on a recipe Zack's mom makes. It was pretty good if I do say so myself.

So the recipe is as follows:

Part 1
1 box yellow cake mix (chocolate works too - I used yellow though) - also note the time lengths to cook the cake on the box because that's what you'll use to bake this cake - for me it was 350 for 30 minutes.
1 cup peanut butter (I used chunky peanut butter which was my first amendment to this recipe)
1/2 cup packed brown sugar (I used 1/3 of a cup of splenda brown sugar instead)

Mix the ingredients together in the mixer until it has an almost pilly consistency, then take out 2/3 of a cup of the mixture.

Then to the remaining mix, add:

3 eggs
1/4 cup of oil
1 cup of water

It makes a pretty wet batter, akin to cake mix but a little thinner. Pour it into a greased 13x9 pan - preferably glass. Once all the mix is poured in, take the leftover 2/3 cup of crumb mix and add to it chocolate chips. You're supposed to add nuts too, but since I used the chunky peanut butter I went without the nuts on top. I WAS thinking though as I was making this, all the delicious things you could put on top of it. Kind of like when I was making the gooey butter cake. I also think this lends credence to my idea of a peanut butter and jelly cake that's worthwhile. I know you're out there cake!

Anyway, throw any ingredients you want on top of the cake that would add to the deliciousness of the peanut butter, maybe some banana or apple? cinnamon? The ideas could go on forever. Also when in doubt of what to put on top, chocolate icing would be equally as glorious!

Anyway this was a thoroughly enjoyable cake but milk is most definitely necessary!