Apple Walnut Pull Apart Bread

Apple Walnut Pull Apart Bread

Whatever happened to all things fall? I mean now it's just pumpkin, pumpkin, pumpkin. No  squash, no apples, no pears. When did pumpkin become the only flavor available while you enjoy the changing leaves and crisp, cool air? I am not here to say that I do not love pumpkin, I am quite a devoted fan on the contrary. But my taste buds enjoy more than one flavor, especially in a world that is bursting with them. So I simply cannot enjoy fall properly without apples, squash, and pears. And frankly, if you claim to be a lover of the fall, that it is absolutely your favorite season, that you wish it was nearly year round, you can hardly make that claim while only supporting the big, orange gourd. Perhaps now you feel that you have only been half heartedly in love with fall now that you have discovered you've left out the other produce delights it has to offer. But do not despair, there is an entire month of fall left to relish it whole, not just in pumpkin.

Ingredients

24 frozen dinner rolls thawed
2 Granny Smith apples, diced
1 Gala apple, diced
2/3 c. brown sugar
1 c. walnuts finely chopped
1 tsp. cinnamon
4 T. butter, melted

Directions

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a bundt pan with butter

-Mix together the chopped apples, brown sugar, walnuts, and cinnamon until well combined.

-Using a pair of clean kitchen scissors, cut each roll into thirds.

-Place a third of the cut roll pieces in the bottom of the bundt pan. Drizzle about a third of the melted butter on top of the roll pieces. Then top with a third of the apple mixture. Repeat layers two more times, until ingredients are all used up.

-Let rise in a warm place for about an hour (or until rolls have doubled in size).

-Bake for 30-35 minutes, until tops are golden brown and the middle rolls are done (I baked for 35 just to make sure the middle and bottom weren't doughy any longer).

I drizzled some dulce de leche I had left over from my clearance score at Williams Sonoma but you could easily leave this part out, make your own caramel, or make a glaze of powder sugar and milk.


Life is better homemade!
-LL

Honey Cinnamon Caramel Corn

       
       This is one of my most favorite caramel corn recipes I've created. I researched various recipes on the internet and came up with this one all on my own. Looking back at a lot of the recipes on this blog, you can tell that I'm a huge honey fan; for this recipe I've used it again in place of Karo syrup. After the caramel corn has dried/cooled the end result is still slightly sticky because I don't put it in the oven to harden it more, but I (and every one else who I've given this too) seems to like it better this way anyway. Instead of a hard caramel corn it's more like a sticky toffee caramel corn, as far as texture goes. The cinnamon is what makes this recipe great--it provide the warm and loving effect that is perfect for the fall/winter/holiday season. The peanuts, though optional, provide an extra level of texture which I love. In fact, I think I'll make this again to gives as gifts during Christmas!

     

Ingredients
3 quarts popped popcorn
3/4 cups honey roasted peanuts (optional)
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup honey
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon baking soda


Directions
--Have all your popcorn pre-popped and in an extra large bowl. (I used 1/2 cup of kernels in a whirley-pop.) Mix in about half of the peanuts. Set the other half aside for now. Also lay out a large section of wax paper on your counter/table for when you cool the caramel corn.

--In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the butter, brown sugar, and honey. Dissolve all ingredients and bring to a low boil, allowing to bubble (not a heavy boil) for about 4 minutes.

--Remove from heat and mix in the cinnamon and baking soda. Pour over the popcorn.

--Scatter in the rest of the peanuts and mix everything together thoroughly, trying to make sure everything is covered.

--Lay the caramel corn in a flat layer on the wax paper sheets and allow to dry/harden. The end result will still be a bit sticky. (If you wanted you could even roll the popcorn into balls before the caramel completely cools.)




Happy Baking!
--H