Mini Apple Pies

Mini Apple Pies

Oven Temperature: 425 Degrees

Prep. Time: 1 Hour

Cook Time: 30 Minutes

Total: 1 Hour 30 Minutes

I have something to admit. I have never made a pie before. It wasn't until last month that I made my first pie. Of course, the credit has to go to Pinterest. You see, I lovvvvvveee babies. Personally, I think if you take any regular size anything and make it into a mini baby size, it's just automatically cuter. So, you can imagine how I ooooohed and awwwwed when I saw these babies. I was determined to make them. Fortunately for me, we had a ton of apples and enough butter to make these little masterpieces. I'm not gonna lie; I was more enthusiastic to try making a pastry crust for the first time then I was to actually eat the pie. It's not that I hate Apple Pie. I like Apple Pie; I really do. I'll eat it if it's the only dessert there, or if I have to choose between it and some baby food pie like pumpkin. That being said, I'm not crazy about it. I mean, if you say Apple Pie, I don't drool like I would over a doughnut, or a lava cake. However, I was still really excited to make it. And, boy am I glad I was, because this has changed the image of Apple Pie in my mind forever.
This Apple Pie has the perfect amount of sweetness. The Granny Smith apples sweeten it perfectly while the Jonagold apples add the perfect texture to it. The brown sugar and cinnamon caramelize the apples so nicely leaving them sticky, tart, and delicious. The apples plump up as they cook and retain the perfect balance of texture. The nutmeg gives this gooey caramel mess a nice little kick. Then, you add the lemon juice. It sizzles. It adds a freshness, and just puts the cherry on top. The dough is ever so flaky and just welcomes the filling as it is poured into these little crust cups. As they bake, the filling sizzles, it bubbles out the top of the crumb topping and a golden brown color shades the top of each pie. You can hear the gooey bubbles as they sizzle and slowly pop. Then, you take a bite. That bite. The crust flakes. The crumb topping crunches perfectly. The apples are soft with a bit of texture. You get the cinnamon, and then the hint of nutmeg. The whole thing together just marries in your mouth. The spices bring in the warmness of the holiday season, and the light crispness of the apples welcomes the cold crisp weather outside. It's the perfect feeling, the best feeling. Nothing can ruin it. Nothing.

Ingredients:

Piecrust
2 1/2 Cups Flour
3 tsp Sugar
1/2 Cup Unsalted Butter (Cubed and Chilled)
6 tbsp Vegetable Shortening (Chilled)
5-6 tbsp Ice Water

Filling
2 Pounds Apples (Personally I use whatever I have. Granny Smith and Jonagold work great!)
1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
1/4 Cup Granulated Sugar
1/4 tsp Salt
2 tsp Cinnamon
1/8 tsp Nutmeg
2 1/2 tsp Cornstarch
1 tsp Lemon Juice

Egg Wash
1 Egg
1 tbsp Cold Water

Directions:
Start by peeling, coring, and cutting the apples. You want them to be about 1/4 inch slices. In a pot, add the apples, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, and cornstarch. Cook covered on medium heat for about 20 minutes, until the apples are tender. Uncover and continue to cook stirring occasionally for another 10 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed. Turn off the heat and set aside in a bowl until cooled.

You can do this step in a food processor or in a bowl. I did it in a food processor. I will include instructions for doing it by hand.

Begin by pulsing the flour, and sugar together. Add the butter and shortening and blend until you have coarse crumbs. You want this mixture to look like crumbs. If you are doing this by hand, mix the sugar and flour; with a pastry cutter or a fork, cut the butter and shortening through the flour. Now you will add the ice water. Whether you do this by hand or with the food processor, you need to add the ice water slowly. Drizzle the water in and pulse the food processor If doing this by hand, just continue to cut the water through the crumbs. You want the dough to come together. In the food processor, the dough will just all combine and stick to the blade. By hand, you will have to knead the dough to allow it to combine nicely. Either way, do not over-knead! Wrap the dough, and place in the refrigerator or two hours, or in the freezer for 30-40 minutes.
When the dough is ready, preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Lightly flour a surface and roll the dough to 1/4" thickness. Spray the cupcake tin and set aside. With a cookie cutter or glass or tupperware or anything you have on hand, cut circles slightly larger then the cupcake opening. Work quickly so the dough doesn't dry. Fit the circles into the cupcake openings and gently fill with the apple filling. Fill it generously because the filling will shrink as it bakes. Dot the top of each pie with a little butter.

You can make the crust topping in many different ways. You can use small cookie cutters and just place shapes, or you can lattice the top crust. Personally, I have recently found it easier to place the leftover dough in the food processor to get little crumbs. I top each pie with a generous amount of crumbs, and OMG they are perfectly crisp when they come out of the oven. Whichever route you decide on is fine, just make sure to blend the egg with the water to make an egg wash and brush the tops of each apple pie. This will help the crust to brown evenly.
Bake until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling. Remove from the oven and allow the pan to cool for 5-10 minutes. With a knife, go around each pie to loosen. Use a spoon to gently remove the pie. Enjoy!

Tiramisu Cupcakes

Tiramisu Cupcakes . . .

Oven Temperature: 325 Degrees

Prep. Time: 1 hour

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total: 1 hour 20 minutes

Tiramisu is known as a classic and decadent dessert. You are bound to find some "Homemade" version of it at probably any Italian restaurant you go to. Being muslim, I cannot drink alcohol. Therefore, I have never actually gotten to taste tiramisu because it usually has some form of alcohol in it. Now, I know I could have made it myself, but I am the kind of person that likes to make everything from scratch. I didn't really make it if I bought the cookies, bought the coffee, and bought the cream. Right? So, I never made it, because I am weird like that. Now you can only imagine my excitement when I got a request for tiramisu cupcakes. This was coming from an addict, from someone that loved tiramisu, from someone that had tried it in all its forms, and from someone that I looked up to. This meant that they're opinion mattered to me. I had to perfect them, I just had to.

These cupcakes are just jawdroppingly beyond amazing. They are that  good. The cupcakes themselves are fluffy and dense in the weirdest way. They are amazingly moist and have like an almost crispy sweet edging. Combine that with espresso syrup that they are lovingly and delicately brushed with and you have this ridiculous coffee, sugary, cakey concoction. Then you have the frosting. That frosting. Oh. My. God. 

The mascarpone itself is a rich creamy cheese. Now, at $6.00 for 8 oz of it, my frosting had better taste damn good. The frosting is airy, rich, creamy, and slightly sweet. The first bite is different. You want to take another one. You take the second bite, and the frosting hits the crispy edges of the cupcake, the sweetness of the coffee, and the actual crumbs within the cake, and you are just in heaven. Literally. Enough said.

This recipe is pretty straightforward one. However, it is also one that requires extreme attention to detail. I am pretty OCD about details, so the recipe should be easy to follow, and you should get pretty decent results if you follow it word by word. This is definitely a recipe that I would not use substitutions in—unless I stated a specific substitution within the recipe. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Cake

1 1/4 Cups Cake Flour (*See Substitute below)

3/4 tsp Baking Powder

1/2 tsp Salt

1/4 Cup Milk

1 tbsp Pure Vanilla Extract or 1 Vanilla Bean Split lengthwise (Scraped)

4 tbsp Unsalted Butter (Cubed and Softened)

3 Whole Eggs AND 3 Egg Yolks

1 Cup Granulated Sugar

Coffee Syrup

1/2 Cup Espresso or DARK Coffee (HOT)

1/4 Cup Granulated Sugar

Frosting

1 Cup Heavy Cream

8 oz Mascarpone Cheese

1/2 Cup Powdered Sugar (Sifted)

Decoration

Unsweetened Cocoa Powder for Dusting

*Substitutions

*For 1 1/4 Cups Cake Flour:

Measure 1 Cup Flour and REMOVE 2 tbsp Flour. Add 2 tbsp Cornstarch.

Measure 1/4 Cup Flour and REMOVE 1/2 tbsp Flour . Add 1/2 tbsp Cornstarch.

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Line your muffin tins with paper liners. This recipe will make exactly 18 cupcakes. After you line the tins, spray the top, that way the cap of the cupcake doesn't stick when the rise during baking. 

Sift your cake flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside. In a small pot, heat your milk, and vanilla extract (Or Scraping with the pods, you'll have to strain the mixture after though). Heat through, but DON'T boil. When bubbles form around the edges, remove from heat. If you used vanilla beans, remove the pod and strain. If not, skip this step. 

Now, you should set up a double boiler for the next part. Make sure the bowl is large enough to fit all the ingredients as they will expand. In the bowl you are going to use, whisk together the whole eggs, egg yolks, and the sugar. I used an electric mixer for this step. Now, place this bowl over the pot of water. Turn on the heat and allow the water to boil. Make sure to whisk this mixture continuously by hand for about 4-6 minutes. You want the sugar to dissolve and for the mixture to be warm. Remove the bowl from the heat. Now, using an electric mixer, whisk this on high speed until the mixture is thick, pale, and yellow. You want it to be able to hold a ribbon across the surface for a few seconds when the whisk is lifted. 

Next, you are going to fold in the sifted flour mixture. You want to fold it in three separate batches so your batter doesn't deflate. Now, take about a half cup of batter and mix it into the milk mixture in order to thicken the liquid for easy folding. Now fold the milk mixture into the rest of the batter. You just want to combine the ingredients. 

Next, evenly pour the batter into the cupcake tins. As I said before, you should get exactly 18 cupcakes. You want to rotate the pans halfway through baking for even baking. Bake until the edges are light golden brown, which is about 20 minutes. A toothpick should come out clean. Place the cupcake tins on wire racks until they are completely cool. You want to leave the cupcakes to cool completely before removing from the tins. 

To make the syrup, mix in the coffee and sugar and set aside to cool. 

When the cupcakes have cooled, brush the tops with syrup. I take a pastry brush and dip it in the syrup, brush the cupcake, and then repeat for each of the cupcakes. Then you repeat the process until you are out of syrup. This way they have time to absorb, and they are all evenly soaked. They may drip a little, but I assure you this amount of syrup is perfect if you follow these steps. Don't try to just put even tsp's because then they wont absorb it all and they will drip. If you do it like this, they will be perfectly moist. They may drip a little, but these cupcakes are so fluffy, that I guarantee you they will absorb all of it. 

While the cupcakes settle a little, make the frosting. You want to use this frosting immediately  so don't make it until you need it. In a small bowl whisk the whipping cream till stiff peaks form. Don't over whip or it will be grainy. In another bowl, whisk together your mascarpone cheese and powdered sugar until smooth. Now slowly and gently fold in the whipping cream into the mascarpone mixture. 

Using a sandwich or freezer bag, pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes. Don't dust with cocoa until before serving. If you are not serving till the next day, just wrap and place them in the refrigerator. Allow them to come to room temperature for about an hour before serving. Dust with cocoa powder. Enjoy! 

Reese's Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Reese's Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes!

Oven Temperature: 350 Degrees

Prep. Time: 1 1/2 hours

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total: 2 hours

I have a really bad addiction to chocolate. It's gotten to the point where I cannot buy a bag and leave it in my room, because I will eat it. ALL OF IT. I have no discipline. Of course, the fact that I don't gain weight doesn't make things better. Since there are no severe consequences to eating the bag, I really don't care, and it is HORRIBLE. So, I will not buy a bag. If I am depressed, I buy a few hundred chocolate bars, and eat them all. Other than that, even my mother won't buy it. Of course, that doesn't stop me from going to school and buying chocolate from the little no-gas gas station. Sometimes, it'll make it home and in rare cases, till the next day. However, most of the time I'm throwing out the wrapper as I leave the little store. So, my addiction may be bad, but the first step to beating an addiction is admitting that you have a problem. I have a problem. I know I do. I am working on it. I have gotten better, and the best solution I have found is to bake for others. The best feeling in the world is make something and watch someone eat it. That face they make when they taste it, it's just beautiful. They look at you as if you just put the world into their hands. Their face gets this look, a look saying oh.my.god.you.are.the.best.person.in.the.whole.entire.world.and.right.now.I.just.LOVE.YOU! They finish it, and then they are just drugged with an amazing flavor that they just don't want to leave their mouth. That is what happened when I made these cupcakes. That is exactly what happened, because that look was on my face.
I love this chocolate cake recipe. It's rich, it's bitter, and it's moist. I am also obsessed with peanut butter. So imagine my excitement when I found out about Reese's peanut butter cups. Chocolate and peanut butter just put a smile on my face. THen, you have the chocolate mousse on top. Chocolate, Peanut Butter, more Chocolate, more Peanut Butter, and more Chocolate and Peanut Butter. I am in heaven, and after you make these dreadfully amazingly tasty cupcakes, you will be as well.

Ingredients:

Cupcakes
2 Cups Sugar
3/4 Cup Cocoa
1 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
2 Eggs
1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil
1 Cup Boiling Coffee (or Water)
1 3/4 Cups Flour
1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Salt
1 Cup Milk
2 tsp Vanilla Extract

Filling
1 Cup Creamy Peanut Butter
1/2 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream PREPARED or 2/3 Cups Prepared Cream (Cool Whip)

Chocolate Mousse Frosting
1 15 oz. Can Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 8 oz. Package Cool Whip
1/2 Cup Sour Cream
1 1/2 Cups Chocolate Chips
Milk (Optional)

Topping
Mini Reese's Peanut Butter Cups

Directions:
Begin by making the frosting. On a double boiler, melt the chocolate chips. Allow them to cool to room temperature. Using a mixer, whip the sweetened condensed milk with the cooled melted chocolate. You want a smooth mixture. If the chocolate isn't cooled, it will curdle with the condensed milk. Now, add the cool whip and sour cream. Whip well. Add milk if you want to thin the mousse out slightly or if you feel it is too stiff. You can always add less chocolate if you do not want it as sweet. Set in the refrigerator until needed.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (325 if convection). In a bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla and beat well. Now, stir in the Boiling coffee (or water). Mix just until incorporated. The batter WILL BE THIN. I usually pour the batter into a large measuring cup in order to easily pour it into the cupcake pan. Line 2 cupcake pans with 12 liners each. Spray the top of the cupcake pan so when they rise they don't stick to the top. Now, evenly pour the batter into the 24 cups. You should have enough to fill each one 2/3's of the way. Place the pans on the center rack in the oven and set a timer for 27 minutes. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean. Immediately transfer to a cooling rack until completely cool.
With a mixer, cream the peanut butter and slowly add the prepared cream. Beat well to incorporate into a Peanut Butter Cream.
After the cupcakes have cooled completely, fill them with the peanut butter cream by inserting the tip on a piping bag midway into the cupcake, squeezing, and releasing. This video is a great tutorial on how to do that. After all your cupcakes are filled, frost with the chocolate mousse frosting. I frost the cupcakes pretty generously and usually still have a little mousse left over. After you finish frosting them, you can just decorate them with a mini reese's or you can crush some to sprinkle on top as well. I did both. The mousse holds well, so they won't melt all over the place. However, these do need to be refrigerated so they don't go bad. Enjoy!