Baked Caramel Apple Cheesecake Dumplings

Baked Caramel Apple Cheesecake Dumplings
Baked Caramel Apple Cheesecake Dumplings

Baked Caramel Apple Cheesecake Dumplings



Recipe by: Willow Bird Baking, adapted from Brown Eyed Baker and Taste of Home
Yield: 4 servings

Baked Apple Dumplings with a cinnamon cheesecake center. These are a heavenly fall dessert!

Pastry Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup lard or vegetable shortening, chilled
1/4 cup butter, chilled and cut into cubes
3 tablespoons ice water

Apple Ingredients:
4 medium apples, peeled
2 1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Cheesecake Ingredients:
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
3 tablespoons teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1 egg

Sauce Ingredients:
3/4 cups light brown sugar
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup butter, cubed
pinch salt
Werther’s Original® Baking Caramels, melted
toasted pecans*

Directions:
*Note: To toast pecans, spread them out on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees F for about 6 minutes or until fragrant, tossing several times.

Make the pastry: Pulse the flour and salt together in the bowl of a food processor to combine. Add the lard in hunks and pulse for about 10 seconds until it’s the texture of coarse sand. Add in the chunks of cold butter and pulse for about 10 pulses until butter pieces are no larger than small peas. Add 3 tablespoons of ice cold water and turn food processor on low — the dough should form a dough ball in a few seconds. If the dough remains crumbly and doesn’t come together, add another tablespoon of water. Add as little water total as is required for the dough to form a ball. Divide the dough into 4 equal portions on sheets of plastic wrap, form each into a disk, and chill for at least 20-30 minutes while completing the rest of the recipe.

Make the cheesecake: In a medium bowl, mix the cheesecake filling ingredients together. Scrape the filling into a ziplock bag and chill while you complete the rest of the recipe.

Prepare the apples: Core each of your peeled apples, taking out a core of about 1 to 1 1/2-inch diameter so you have space for your cheesecake filling. Mix together the 2 1/2 tablespoons sugar and 2 teaspoons cinnamon to form a cinnamon-sugar mixture and roll each apple in the mixture. Reserve any leftover cinnamon-sugar mixture.

Assemble: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Roll out each portion of the pie pastry on a lightly floured surface to a rough 7-inch square. Place an apple on the center of each. Cut off the corner of the ziplock bag of cheesecake filling and pipe filling into the center of each apple. Then pull up the corners of the pie pastry and tuck each corner into the center of the apple, pinching the dough together to seal. Place the apples into the prepared baking dish and sprinkle with the remaining cinnamon-sugar mixture.

Make the sauce: Heat the brown sugar, water, and butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat until it boils, stirring occasionally. Pour the sauce over the apples and bake them, basting occasionally, for 50 to 55 minutes or until tender and golden brown. If the cheesecake seems to be getting too dark on top, cover it with a snippet of foil. Serve warm with vanilla bean ice cream, a drizzle of melted Werther’s caramel, and toasted pecans.

Shrimp and Grits (with Creamy White Cheddar Grits)

Shrimp and Grits (with Creamy White Cheddar Grits)
Shrimp and Grits (with Creamy White Cheddar Grits)

Shrimp and Grits (with Creamy White Cheddar Grits)



Recipe by: Willow Bird Baking
Yield: 2 servings

This is a truly great Shrimp and Grits recipe. Andouille sausage and smoked bacon provide a rich flavor backdrop for the fresh shrimp and white wine sauce. The creamy white cheddar grits are a decadent base for the dish. This recipe goes very quickly once you’re cooking, so it’s surprisingly easy if you do your mise-en-place beforehand (chop all your vegetables, measure out all your ingredients, get out all your equipment.) It’s much more relaxing to cook that way. By the way, in the trial of this recipe — the one photographed above — I didn’t use any bell peppers. The recipe below is the perfected version, though, and so yours will end up more colorful and tasty than the one above.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup stone-ground grits
2 cups milk
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 1/2 cups shredded sharp white Cheddar cheese
freshly ground black pepper

1/2 pound shrimp, peeled, deveined, rinsed, and patted dry
1/2 pound Andouille sausage, sliced into 1/2-inch slices
3 slices smoked bacon, chopped into small pieces
1 heaping tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions, white and green parts
1 teaspoon finely diced jalapeño, seeded
1 finely diced poblano pepper, seeded
1/3 cup finely chopped bell peppers (I used a pre-chopped tricolor mix)
1 heaping teaspoon minced garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/3 cup white wine

Directions:
Get all of your ingredients washed, chopped, measured, and ready. No seriously, do it. Have all the ingredients lined up in prep bowls on your counter. As you use each one, toss the bowl in the dishwasher.

In a medium saucepan, boil 2 cups of milk and 1 teaspoon salt. Stir in the grits with a whisk. Reduce the heat to low and cook, covered, until all the milk is absorbed (see the directions on your package for how long this should take. Mine took 15 minutes). Remove from the heat and stir in the butter, heavy cream, and white cheddar. Season to taste with pepper (and salt if more is needed; I didn’t need to add any. Don’t forget that the bacon will be salty). Cover these and set aside until you’re ready to serve.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook the Andouille sausage until browned and remove it to a paper-towel lined plate to drain. Brown the bacon pieces and drain them on a separate space on the paper-towel lined plate. Reduce the heat to medium. In the meat drippings, cook the shrimp until pink, about 3 minutes, tossing occasionally. Remove them to the sausage plate to drain. Discard all but about 2 tablespoons of the meat drippings. To the skillet, add parsley, onions (reserving some of the green onions for topping), jalapeño pepper, poblano pepper, bell peppers, and garlic. Sauté for about a minute, stirring occasionally. Deglaze the pan by adding the lemon juice and white wine. Cook until the liquid reduces some but not entirely, about 2 to 2 1/2 minutes. Remove the pan from heat and add the sausage and shrimp back into the skillet, tossing to coat.

Spoon grits into 2 bowls and top with the shrimp mixture. Top with green onions and bacon pieces. Serve immediately.

Quick Weeknight Dinner: Blue Cheese Chicken Salad Wraps

Blue Cheese Chicken Salad Wraps
Blue Cheese Chicken Salad Wraps

Blue Cheese Chicken Salad Wraps



Recipe by: Adapted from Food & Wine via Delish
Yield: 4 wraps

Use leftover rotisserie chicken to make this dish super quick and easy to prepare! Despite being quick, these wraps pack a lot of flavor. I loved the bite of the radishes with the musky, bold blue cheese flavor.

Ingredients:
2 ounces crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons light mayonnaise
1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1/2 tablespoon minced shallot
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
salt and pepper
2 cups diced rotisserie chicken
4 Flat-Out wraps
1/2 cup thinly sliced sugar snap peas
1/2 cup thinly sliced radishes
1/2 cup arugula

Directions:
In a medium bowl, mix together the Gorgonzola, Greek yogurt, mayonnaise, olive oil, white wine vinegar, shallot, and lemon juice. Fold in the chicken and season it to taste with salt and pepper. Place a bed of arugula in the center of each of 4 wraps. Pile 1/4 of the chicken mixture, a layer of radishes, and some sugar snap peas on each one. Fold up the wraps and cut them diagonally. Serve with an arugula salad lightly dressed with olive oil and lemon juice (I do a 1 tablespoon olive oil to 1 teaspoon lemon juice ratio) and berries if desired.

Sausage and Thyme Stuffed Mushrooms

Sausage and Thyme Stuffed Mushrooms
Sausage and Thyme Stuffed Mushrooms

Sausage and Thyme Stuffed Mushrooms



Recipe by: Very slightly adapted from Pioneer Woman
Yield: 6 servings

This recipe is very slightly adapted from Pioneer Woman’s stuffed mushroom recipe, and features an incredible filling of mushroom, onions, sausage, cream cheese, white wine, and thyme. Mike and I eat the whole batch by ourselves as a main course some nights for dinner.

Ingredients:
24 ounces white button mushrooms
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 egg yolk
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 pound hot pork sausage
1/2 medium onion, finely diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup dry white wine (I used Sauvignon Blanc)
salt and pepper

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line two baking sheets with aluminum foil. Clean the mushrooms and cut their stems out, finely chopping and reserving the stems. Place the hollowed out mushroom caps on a foil-lined baking sheet. Combine the softened cream cheese and egg yolk in a large bowl. Add in the grated parmesan and thyme.

In a medium skillet over high heat, brown the sausage. When it’s browned, remove it with a slotted spoon to the bowl with the cream cheese mixture. Let it sit and melt the cheese while you cook the onions until softened in the remaining sausage drippings, about 2 minutes. Add garlic and cook for about 30 seconds before adding in white wine to deglaze the pan. Cook until the liquid is gone, about 2 minutes. Add in the mushroom stems and cook until they’re tender, about 2 minutes. Spoon the mixture into the cream cheese bowl and mix it all together. Salt and pepper this mixture to taste. Pile each mushroom cap high with the cream cheese mixture. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until firm. Let the mushrooms cool a few minutes, serving warm.

Quick and Easy Sour Cream Apple Kuchen

Quick and Easy Sour Cream Apple Kuchen
Quick and Easy Sour Cream Apple Kuchen

Quick and Easy Sour Cream Apple Kuchen



Recipe by: Willow Bird Baking
Yield: 6 servings

This quick and easy recipe was a dessert staple in my house growing up. The sour cream and apple combination is perfect, particularly with the toasted pecans on top.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup cold butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 box yellow cake mix
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup sour cream
1 egg
2 (15-ounce) cans (or 2 cups fresh, peeled) sliced apples
toasted pecans*

Directions:
*Note: To toast pecans, spread them out on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees F for about 6 minutes or until fragrant, tossing several times.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with cooking spray. In a medium bowl, use a pastry cutter or two knives to cut the butter cubes into the cake mix until crumbly. Press this mixture into the prepared pan, building it up slightly on the edges. Bake the crust for 10 minutes. In the meantime, mix together the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves in a small bowl. In a separate small bowl, whisk together the sour cream and egg until smooth.

When the crust is done, arrange the apples on it (I used canned). Sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar mixture over the apples. Drizzle the sour cream mixture over the apples (it won’t completely cover them). Bake for 25 minutes or until edges are lightly brown. Don’t overbake. Sprinkle on toasted pecans and serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream.

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