Pecan Pancakes with Caramel Apple Sauce

A couple of weeks ago, I came across a magazine at the grocery store that was packed full of Fall Recipes…so I grabbed it.  As I’m flipping through the different items, I wanted to make almost everything in there, all at once.  It was a bit distracting, and of course having to pick and choose what to make now, along with what to make later.  Well, since we recently went to an orchard and loaded up on apples, I decided to use this on my in-laws when we were all vacationing together at the beach.  They love my fluffy pancakes, so I decided to make these.  The pancake recipe is pretty much the same, except with a slight substitution of a small amount of light brown sugar and some added cinnamon.

The caramel apple sauce though…oh wow.  When I dressed my plate up to get some pictures and then sat down to eat, it was incredible.  I had to stop myself from eating every last bit of these three pancakes covered in bliss.  “Forget syrup, I’m making this for pancakes from now on!” I told my husband.  These were incredibly delicious, and I look forward to making them for my family next time!

For The Pancakes:

1 cup all purpose flour

1 tablespoon white sugar

1 tablespoon light brown sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1 egg, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup pecans

Heat skillet at medium heat.  Combine dry ingredients in medium size bowl.  Add wet ingredients, stir together using a whisk.  Batter will be slightly lumpy.  Measure batter 1/4 cup at a time, pour onto hot skillet.  Sprinkle a small amount of pecans on top of batter.  When you start to see bubbles on top of batter, flip pancakes over using spatula.  Cook until lightly browned on both sides, serve warm with caramel apple topping.

*If you’re not a fan of pecans (or nuts, in general), this recipe is very easy to omit adding nuts to each pancake.

For the Caramel Apple Sauce:

1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and sliced

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Melt butter in small sauce pan at medium heat.  Add brown sugar and cinnamon, stir until dissolved.  Add apple slices, and cook in pan until apples are soft.  Serve warm over pancakes.

Blueberry Crumb Cake

One night while I was flipping through one of my three million (at least that what it seems like) recipe books, I came across this recipe.  Piece of Cake! is a recipe book with tons of easy from-scratch recipes for homemade cakes.  This is actually the blueberry variation of the New York Style Crumb Cake.  I’m somewhat picky with blueberry desserts on how the consistency turns out, and was very pleased when I bit into this thick and fluffy cake with the blueberries being so soft and moist…and of course that crunchy cinnamon topping.

I sent this picture to my mom and told her that this has her name written all over it…too bad she lives in a different town.  She loves anything with blueberries, and especially coffee to go with it.  This would seriously be the perfect accomplice to a hot cup of coffee.  Whether it’s breakfast, dessert or an afternoon snack, this definitely hits the spot.

For the Cake:

4 cups all purpose flour

2 cups granulated sugar

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

4 large eggs, at room temperature

2 cups buttermilk

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

1 pint fresh blueberries (or 1 1/2 cups frozen blueberries)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large mixing bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt.  Add eggs, buttermilk, butter, and vanilla to flour mixture.  Using an electric mixer on medium-low speed, beat for 1 minute, until blended.  Scrape sides and bottom of bowl with a spatula.  Beat on medium speed for 1 minute.  Gently stir in blueberries, spread batter evenly into greased and floured 9×13 inch metal cake pan.  Sprinkle with topping, bake in preheated oven for 40-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs attached.

For the Topping:

2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled

In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt.  Using a wooden spoon, stir in butter until coarse crumbs form.  Sprinkle evenly over batter.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brownies

As a kid, I remember lurking in the kitchen while my mom was baking cookies.  At every chance I got, my little finger would go digging in the bowl with cookie dough, then get shooed away by my mom.  “That goes in the oven, not in your mouth!”  I’d giggle and turn around to walk away, until I noticed she wasn’t looking and headed for that bowl again…  But these days, it’s me fussing at my husband for trying to eat the cookie dough before I can get it in the oven.  Although I really don’t like the thought of him consuming raw eggs because it’s unsanitary, he’s also hogging the batter for a bigger batch of cookies!  Shame on him.  He’s gotten better though, now he just blocks me from putting the bowl in the sink when I have gotten all the cookies in the oven, so he can clean the bowl.  How thoughtful of him.

These are three magical words that go so well together.  When I came across this recipe on www.browneyedbaker.com, the picture was really what caught my attention…then when I read the title, my mouth started watering.  Could this be?  Two of the most wonderful desserts are combining in another way?  Yes!!  I had to try it.  When I started rummaging through the kitchen, looking for the ingredients, I noticed that I didn’t have several key ingredients needed for the brownie part.  Instead of running to the store, I had a box of brownie mix in the pantry, so I used that instead.  Came out great!  I was very happy with the end result.  When the cookies were finished and I had already cut them up into squares, it still seemed like something was missing.  More chocolate?  Of course!  So, I melted some dark chocolate, stuffed it in a little squeeze bottle, and drizzled these babies with some extra chocolate.  Like they didn’t already have enough sweetness to them…

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brownies Recipe:

For the Brownie:

4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 cups light brown sugar

4 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

For the Cookie Dough:

¾ cup unsalted butter

¾ cup light brown sugar

¾ cup granulated sugar

3 tablespoons whole milk

1½ teaspoons vanilla extract

1½ cups all-purpose flour

1½ cups mini chocolate chips

1. Prepare the Brownies: Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line a 9×13-inch pan with foil, with enough to hang over all four sides. Butter the foil. In a medium glass bowl, melt the chocolate in the microwave in 30-second increments, stirring after each, until melted and smooth. Set aside to cool slightly. In a large mixing bowl, mix the butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs and vanilla extract, scraping the bowl as needed. Mix in the melted chocolate until combined. Reduce the speed to low, add the flour and mix just until combined (don’t over-mix). Spread the batter into the prepared pan. Bake 25 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool completely.

2. Prepare the Cookie Dough: In a medium bowl, use an electric mixer on medium speed to combine the butter and both sugars. Add the milk and vanilla and mix until combined. Reduce the speed to low and mix in the flour just until combined. Using a rubber spatula, stir in the chocolate chips.

3. Spread the cookie dough over the cooled brownies. Refrigerate until the dough is firm, about an hour. Use a sharp knife or a pizza cutter (my favorite way to slice brownies!) to cut the brownies. Store the brownies in an airtight container at cool room temperature or in the refrigerator.