Apple Treats Week: Decandent Caramel Apple Dip...

Welcome to the 4th edition of Apple Treats Week!

I am super excited to share this recipe with you...because if you have never tried this before...you are in for a wonderful treat!
It's so good it's ridiculous!

I first had this delicious dip about 8 years ago when my SIL brought it to a scrapbook day that our scrapbook group was having.
It was a huge hit and I know we had her running to the kitchen to cut up more apples!
I have since taken this dip to book club, meetings and other gatherings and it is always a hit with people asking for the recipe.

There is something about caramel and apples that go hand and hand...they are like best friends on a playground!

It's also an easy, no-bake recipe...it actually takes longer to cut up the apples than it does to make the dip.

This dip also has only 5 ingredients:

Cream Cheese

 To the cream cheese you add: 2 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
Mix until creamy and fluffy.

Then spread this mixture on a pretty plate with a spatula.

Then 2 other ingredients are needed:

Caramel Sauce.

Skor Toffee Bits.
Now spread the caramel sauce on top of the cream cheese mixture.

And sprinkle generously with skor toffee bits.

and now surround the dip with slices of Granny Smith apples.

And now you have created the most dreamy dip ever!
Look at this:

It is the perfect bite!
The tartness of the apple, the richness of the cream cheese, the sweetness of the caramel sauce and the crunch of the skor toffee bits....it is the most delicious bite!

The ingredients I showed you can make one large dip on a large platter, or 2 smaller dips on dinner size plates.
On this day, I made 2 dinner plate size dips...one for my teenage daughter and her friends,  and one for the rest of the house.

So, have I tempted you? Will you be making this dip?

If you would like to see what else was shared for Apple Treats Week, check out these recipes:

Salted Caramel Apple Cookies, go here.

Apple Brownies, go here.

Apples+Pastry=Family Fun, go here.

Thank you so much for joining me at Apple Treats Week!
Come back tomorrow for the last treat of the week.

This post is linked to these terrific parties:

















Weekend Wrapup Party @ Tatertots & Jello

Apple Treats Week: Apples + Pastry = Family Fun

Welcome to the 3rd edition of Apple Treats Week here at Echoes of Laughter.
On Monday, I shared a recipe for "Salted Caramel Apple Cookies".
On Tuesday, I shared "Apple Brownies".
Today we are talking about Apples & Family Fun!

I know that most people have their own favourite recipe for pasty, apple pie & apple crisp, so I won't share one with you here...but I did want to share some fun ideas you can do with apples, pastry and your family.

Yes!

Get your family involved!

Call it Apple Fest Day!

It can be such a fun activity in the kitchen.... plus you are teaching your children that cooking & baking is fun and it's a needed life-long skill.

I want to share with you one of my very favourite after school snacks when I was growing up

...apple tart.

My mom would take our regular pastry recipe and make this tart on a cookie sheet.

It just requires rolling out pastry, laying it on a cookie sheet & filling with apples with cinnamon & sugar.

 It would turn into this beautiful golden pastry that would be cut into squares.

We would have it for an after school snack or it would appear in our school lunches..wrapped in wax paper.

It can also be drizzled with frosting...think of it as your own homemade pop tart...but far & away better than any store bought pop tart. And it takes no more time than a pie.

And it gives twice as many slices as pie.

When my Mom is here visiting with us, she is so great about getting everyone involved in the kitchen.

Everyone has a job!

She has my Dad peel apples for us.

She gets the kids involved....they love being in the kitchen with Grammie.

Here's Tyler rolling out pastry with Grammie.

And here's Hunter making pastry circles for stuffed apples...with Grammie assisting.

Which brings me to another delicious treat you can make with pasty..stuffed apples.

Simply peel & core the apples, sprinkle with cinnamon, sugar and a little butter.

And wrap pastry circles around the apples and bake for 15-20 minutes until golden.

My Uncle Derrick makes the most amazing stuffed apples.

When I used to work at home in Nova Scotia, he would often pop by my office in the fall with a gift of stuffed apples...they were so yummy...I miss them!

And here's another thing you can do while apples are in season.

You can make 'apple pie kits' to throw into the freezer..so when you want to make a pie, or apple crisp, or cookies ... you have apples  ready to go from the freezer.

This is a huge baking helper.

I am making a number of these kits to go into my freezer for winter.

I hope you find some time this fall to have some fun in the kitchen with your family.

Call it 'Apple Fest Day' and make some yummy treats and create memories!

Come back tomorrow when I will share my family's favourite 'no bake' apple recipe.

Thank you so much for all the wonderful comments I am getting about "Apple Treats Week".

I adore you all... you make my day! xo

This post is linked to these terrific parties:



Weekend Wrapup Party @ Tatertots & Jello

 

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Apple Treats Week: Apple Brownies

Welcome to the 2nd edition of Apple Treats Week!

I am so amazed to hear that some of you made the cookies from yesterday already.

That is so fantastic!

Today I am going to share another of my favorite apple recipes...Apple Brownies.

This is a very easy recipe that showcases the fresh taste of apples and

 takes only minutes to mix up.

I started making these about 5 years ago and they are a refreshing change from regular brownies.

I also love this recipe because it makes a 9 x13 pan.   I think if you are going to take the time to indulge in homemade baking, you may as well make lots to share!

Apple Brownies make an awesome lunchbox treat..both my kids love these in their lunch!

Apple Brownies

1 cup butter
1.5 cups sugar

2 eggs

3 large apples chopped (about 4 cups of chopped apples)

2 cups of flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 tsp Cinnamon (You can also use apple pie spice)

1 cup of chopped walnuts (optional)

Melt butter and mix in with sugar and eggs, beat well, stir in apples. Add dry ingredients & mix well. Bake in greased 9x13 pan for 45 minutes in a 350 degree oven.
As you can see above,  I drizzled a little white icing over the squares to make them a little prettier for a dessert.

If you want to fancy them up to take out somewhere, cream cheese frosting is also

yummy too!


Thank you so much for joining me during Apple Treats Week!

Apple Treats Week: Salted Caramel Apple Cookies...

I am so excited to share the first day of Apple Treats Week with you today!

The first treat I am sharing is a recipe for Salted Caramel Apple Cookies.

I have been making this recipe for about 13 years, but the caramel & salt part is a recent addition to this cookie.

 It reflects my love of salty & sweet together....and it is just divine.

 Please don`t be intimidated when you see the words salted caramel apple cookies...it is really not that super fancy or hard...I promise.

I am not a gourmet baker by any means. And there are already a ton of blogs out there that do super-fancy to- die-for desserts.

I want to give you a simple & easy recipe that you can fit into your day....these cookies take no more than 10 minutes to mix up; another 10 minutes to bake  and 3 minutes to drizzle caramel sauce and sprinkle salt on top.

Simple Dimple!

For this recipe, you will need 1 and half cups chopped apple. Prepare this before you mix up the dough.

 This is the simplest of all cookies to make...a drop cookie recipe. It only takes a few minutes to mix up in a mixer.

Salted Caramel Apple Cookies:

In medium size bowl, stir together:

1 3/4 quarters cup of flour

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1 cup chopped nuts... I used walnuts.

Set aside dry ingredients.

Wet ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, room temperature

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs, room temperature, well beaten with fork

1/2 cup quick cooking oatmeal

Stir in:

1 cup raisins (can be omitted)

1 and half cups chopped apple

Cream butter & brown sugar together in mixer.. Add beaten egg, oatmeal and fruit.

Add bowl of dry ingredients. Mix well.

Drop from teaspoon on to greased cookie sheet.

Bake at 375 degrees for about 10 minutes.

Let cool  on cookie sheet for 2 minutes. Then transfer to wire rack to finish cooling. 

 Makes 3 dozen.

Option Number 1:

You can stop right here.

You have a great cookie for a lunchbox treat or an afterschool snack.

If you don`t have caramel sauce & salt...that`s totally okay.

You have made Apple Walnut cookies...and they are yummy!

 Option Number 2:

If you desire, caramel sauce & salt can be used to make Salted Caramel Apple Cookies.

I use these 2 things to add the fun to my cookies.

The caramel designer sauce can be found at the Bulk Barn if you are in Canada.

The smoked salt I found at my local deli.
I love smoked salt...it has such depth of flavour. But regular crystal salt is fine.

 Drizzle and sprinkle the cookies and Finit!

You are done!

 Now you have a super delicious cookie that looks pretty on a plate.

Great with a cup of tea and guests.

 I have to say that as I was taking pictures of this to share with you, the smell was driving me crazy!

The cookies smell so good!

I also wanted to show ...this is the lonely apple tree in my backyard.

My heart is so happy to have this little tree.

It keeps a piece of home, the Annapolis Valley, close to me.

It also gives me one heck of a lot of apples!

And they taste so good!

I can run outside and pick a basket of apples whenever I like.

Thank you so much for joining me for the first day of Apple Treats Week!

Be sure to join me tomorrow for another yummy apple treat!

Thank you so much for reading!

This post is linked to these great parties:










Weekend Wrapup Party @ Tatertots and Jello

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