The ADDs of Baking

I can get pretty distracted when I'm getting ready to bake. This is how these hand pies were developed:

I'm gonna bake! What should I bake? Something with apples, it's fall. But it's 90 degrees so straight up apple is weird. Maybe berries? What kind of berries? I wish strawberries were in season I want strawberry shortcake. Blackberries? Blackberry apple pie. With lattice crust! No, with crumb topping! Wait, what if I made individual cupcake-sized pies? with crumb topping? No, with little hearts on top! Wait, what if I made hand pies? Wait, what if I made a "pie" with sugar cookie dough? Oh man. Do I have time to do all 5 of these? No...ok, call Katie.

And so the hand pies were decided upon. Sometimes I need reigning in. (I'm totally going to do that sugar cookie dough thing soon, though, so keep your eyes peeled.) 

These pies were awesome. They hit the spot, ushering in fall with some fresh honeycrisp apples, with a nod to our warm weather streak in the blackberries and lemon juice. They were also very cute, so that's a plus. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!

Apple Blackberry Hand Pies

makes 4

1 batch pie crust

2 honeycrisp apples

2 pints blackberries

juice of 1 lemon

2/3 c sugar

1 egg

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Peel, core, and chop apples. Combine apples and blackberries in a medium mixing bowl; if the berries are large, cut them in half. Stir in lemon juice and sugar; set aside. Beat the egg and set aside.

Divide pie crust into four equal portions. Roll out each portion into a large rectangle, until dough is about 1/4 inch thick. Spoon filling onto one half of the dough; wet edges of the dough and fold remaining half over, pressing to seal. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar. Repeat for other 3 pies. 

Bake pies on a baking sheet for 30-40 minutes or until crusts are golden brown. Let cool slightly before eating. 

xo

l

Caramel Cake!

WOW. I'm the worst. Sorry it's been so long. Work picked up, and for a few weeks there, I forgot how to balance work and play. But I'm back, and hopefully I'll do better! My sincerest apologies go out to the two people who actually check this blog and called me out on not posting. I love you both.

So I mark my lackluster triumphant return with this killer Butter Caramel Cake. It's sinful. It's decadent. It's probably not healthy to eat more than one piece per year. But man, is it worth every bite. It should be a special occasion cake, a cake reserved for celebration--but the day I made it, I had no good reason. It's a labor of love, and there are few things I love more than baking. So why not just celebrate that in itself?

Fine, I give up. We all know I just really wanted a piece. Or three. Make it whenever you feel like it; waiting for a special occasion just guarantees today won't be special.