Crash Hot Sweet Potatoes

These crash hot sweet potatoes have to grace your Thanksgiving table. I mean it. They are so delicious that you should totally ditch the sweet potato casserole. I’m a little biased since I don’t generally like casseroles but these guys are SO GOOD. They are caramelized and crispy on the outside while smooth and creamy inside.

I made two different spice varieties, the spicy sweet version from the original recipe and a sweet cinnamon pecan version. I thought I would prefer the sweet ones but surprised myself when I kept going back for the spicy ones. I loved the combination of flavors and it added a lot of depth. Yum! You’ve gotta make these tasty little morsels of goodness!

Head on over to DLYN for the recipe and make sure to scroll down to get the sweet rub recipe too! Apply it just as you would the sweet and spicy version.

Sweet Rub:
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. pecans, chopped
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Maple Glazed Carrots

I never really liked carrots as a kid but after forcing myself to eat them recently I have actually grown to enjoy them quite a bit. I prefer them raw but I like them cooked too. Especially when they are simmered in butter, brown sugar and pure, delicious maple syrup.

These sweet, glazed carrots are the perfect side dish for your upcoming Thanksgiving feast. Not only are they quick and easy but they only require 4 ingredients, 3 of which I’m sure you already have in your kitchen. I almost always have baby carrots in the fridge for snacking on so I can whip up these carrots with dinner anytime!

Maple Glazed Carrots
recipe from The Country Cook

3 Tbsp. butter

3 Tbsp. brown sugar, packed

1 Tbsp. maple syrup

1 pound baby carrots (or whole carrots chopped into chunks)

1.  In a medium skillet, heat the butter, sugar, and maple syrup over medium heat, stirring until smooth and the butter is melted.

2. Add the carrots and toss to coat. Cover and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until the carrots are tender and glazed.

Sweet Potato Pie Cupcakes with Marshmallow Frosting

So do you all follow How Sweet It Is? If you don’t, you must follow the link know because she is amazing and quite hilarious. The recipes she dreams up are spectacular and this is one of them!

I only recently became a fan of sweet potatoes and now I’ve kind of become obsessed. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately since I certainly don’t need 12 of these in my house), Joel hasn’t jumped on my sweet potato band wagon yet so I’ve had these bookmarked for awhile waiting for the perfect opportunity to make them for someone else. When we were invited to a friends house recently to watch the Husker game I knew the time had come. And brought my cupcake holder home empty!

The cupcakes themselves were warm and spicy with a nice crunchy texture from the graham cracker crust. The marshmallow frosting was really, really sweet. I’m not a big fan of frosting in the first place so it was a bit much for me but the frosting lovers reported that it was yummy. The caramel drizzle of course adds more sugary goodness. The pecans added another layer of crunchy texture which I really enjoyed (but they are optional so do as you please).

These cupcakes would be a perfect update to the regular ‘ole sweet potato pie that usually graces the Thanksgiving buffet.

Sweet Potato Pie Cupcakes with Marshmallow Frosting
recipe from How Sweet It Is
makes 12 cupcakes

Graham crust:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/2 teaspoon sugar

Cupcakes:
1 1/3 cups loosely packed brown sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled
6 ounces cooked, mashed sweet potato
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup milk

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a cupcake tin with liners. In a small bowl, mix melted butter, sugar and graham cracker crumbs until moist, then press about 1/2-1 tablespoon of crumbs into the bottom of each liner.

2. In a large bowl, whisk egg and sugar together until combined and no lumps remain. Add in vanilla extract and butter, then whisk in sweet potato. Add in flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg, then add in milk and stir until combined and smooth. Drop about 1/4 cup of batter on top of each graham cracker crust. Bake for 15-17 minutes, or until cupcakes are set and spring back at the touch. Let cool completely before frosting.

Marshmallow Buttercream Frosting

1/2 cup butter (1 stick), softened
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups marshmallow fluff
3 cups of powdered sugar
1-2 tsp. milk, if needed

Beat butter in the bowl of electric mixer until creamy. Add in fluff and beat for 2-3 minutes, then add in vanilla extract. With the mixer on low speed, add in powdered sugar 1 cup at a time until fully incorporated. Once all the sugar has been added, beat on medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes. If mixture if too runny, add a bit more sugar. If it’s too thick, add a bit of milk one teaspoon at a time. Frost cupcakes and drizzle with caramel sauce and chopped pecans.

Nutter Butter Candy Corn Bars

I’ve been so obsessed with sharing football food that I totally overlooked Halloween eats. We have been super busy around here and my mind has been elsewhere. I even missed out on starting a 12 weeks of Christmas treats series. Super disappointing since it was so fun last year. But no worries, I will be bringing you lots of treats for the upcoming holidays.

Now, onto Halloween which is approaching way too quickly! Noah is going to be a golfer this year and he is very excited to say the least. I know it seems like an odd choice but he is totally obsessed with all sports (surprise, surprise) and he particularly loves golf. He has a little golf set that we play with every day, all day. This boy, who never stops moving, will just sit on Joel’s lap and watch golf while yelling “hit it in the hole guy!” And if they miss, even on their first shot, he yells “missss.” He has high expectations. So, needless to say, this Halloween is going to be very fun in our house! Plus, he will get it this year and actually get to enjoy some of the candy.

These rich, simple, 4 ingredient bars would be great for any Halloween party! They just scream fall with all that yummy candy corn peeking out from every nook and cranny. I think they would be good with a little chocolate drizzled on top (but you guys know I have a thing for peanut butter and chocolate). They would be great addition to a Halloween dessert bar along with Candy Corn Cookies and Peppermint Patties.

Nutter Butter Candy Corn Bars
recipe from the Cookin’ Cowgirl

1 lb. package Nutter Butters
1 cup candy corn
4 Tbsp. butter
6 cups marshmallows

Place one row of the Nutter Butters in the food processor and pulse a few times. Blend until cookies are turned into crumbs. Break up remaining row of cookies into large chunks. In a large bowl, melt butter and marshmallows together in microwave, stirring occasionally. Once melted, add Nutter Butter crumbs and chunks and stir together. (This will be thick and a little tough to stir; don’t worry, you’re doing it right.) Pour about 3/4 cup candy corn into mixture and stir to combine. Pour mixture into 8×8 baking dish that has been sprayed with non-stick spray. Top cookie bars with remaining 1/4 C candy corn. Let cool completely before cutting.

4 Ingredient Pumpkin Frozen Yogurt {No Machine Required}

I don’t know about you but I could eat ice cream every single day of the week, even on our coldest Minnesota days. I restrain from doing so but now that I have this recipe in my pocket it is much more tempting. It’s simple to throw together with ingredients that I almost always have on hand. It’s a cool, creamy, seasonal treat that’s healthy to boot. Plus, it’s really fun to give a big bowl full to your toddler and watch him go at it (while still knowing it’s good for him). Warning: you are about to be bombarded with silly, goofy pictures of my little man!

Now, I don’t want to fool you all….the real deal pumpkin ice cream is much better to my taste buds but this is much better for my waistline.

4 Ingredient Pumpkin Frozen Yogurt
recipe from The Family Kitchen

1 cup nonfat vanilla yogurt
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 tablespoon granulated sugar (I used Splenda)
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Mix everything together in a large mixing bowl until completely combined. Churn the mixture in an ice cream maker for a few minutes until it is a smooth, cool consistency. Alternatively, place the bowl in the freezer and stir mixture every half hour until it reaches desired consistency.

Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Sheet Cake

I really wish I had better pictures so you could truly know the amazingness that was this cake. I kind of put off making this until the last minute for a gathering so I only had time to snap some quick pictures but it was so yummy that I wanted to make sure I shared it with you during prime pumpkin season.

I love pumpkin, cinnamon rolls and cake for that matter so I knew combining them would be good….really good. And it was. The pumpkin with the buttery cinnamon swirl is what I loved about this delectable dessert. Don’t worry about all the calories, they were rich so a small piece will be enough to satisify you! This would be the perfect dessert to share at Thanksgiving!

Pumpkin Cinnamon Roll Sheet Cake
recipe from Picky Palate

1 box yellow cake mix
4 eggs
1/2 cup canola or vegetable oil
1/2 cup milk or buttermilk
3.4 ounce box vanilla instant pudding mix
1/2 cup sour cream
15 ounce can pumpkin
1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cups powdered sugar
1/4-1/2 cup heavy cream (start w 1/4 cup and add a little more cream if needed)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and spray a jelly roll pan with non stick cooking spray.

2. Place cake mix, eggs, oil, milk, pudding, sour cream and pumpkin into a stand or electric mixer, beating until well combined, about 1 1/2 minutes. Pour into prepared pan, spreading evenly.

3. Place butter into a microwave safe bowl and melt, about 30-40 seconds. Add brown sugar and cinnamon to bowl, mixing until combined. Drizzle mixture evenly over cake then take a knife and run it through to swirl.

4. Bake cake for 30-35 minutes, until cooked through and remove. Place powdered sugar and cream into a large bowl and mix until creamy and smooth. Drizzle over warm cake then let cool for 20 minutes before cutting into squares. Refrigerate if not serving same day.

Makes 16 to 20 squares

Apple Fritters

I know I have been on an apple kick lately, but we keep going back to that darn apple orchard and you can only make so much applesauce (I have quite a bit in the freezer for future snacking and baking). Joel loves apple fritters and ocassionally gets them from our favorite donut shop but I have never made them myself so I decided this was the perfect opportunity.

The recipe calls for shredded and chopped apples to add texture to the fritters. I wasn’t sure about the diced apples since I don’t really care for cooked fruit but I understood the reasoning so I went with it. And I’m glad I did. Turns out I don’t mind chunks of apples when they are swimming in sweet, fried dough. Who would’ve thought?

Apple Fritters
recipe from Scarletta Bakes
YIELD:  approximately 25 fritters (for reference, the finished fritters were approximately 2-3″ around)

2 c. self-rising flour (if you don’t have self-rising flour like me, go here for a simple DIY recipe)
1/4 c. dark brown sugar, packed
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. buttermilk
3 large eggs
5 apples
1 tbsp. lemon juice, fresh
1 1/2 c. white sugar
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
4 c. peanut oil

1. Prepare the apples by peeling all 5, shredding 2 of the apples, and dicing 3 of the apples into small chunks. You can do this in whatever combination you prefer, the idea with the shredding and chopping is to get a variety of textures going on in your fritters.

2. To prepare your fritter batter, place the flour, brown sugar and salt in a large bowl. Stir in the eggs, buttermilk and lemon juice, mixing just until you have a uniform batter. Fold in your apple pieces. In a seperate bowl, combine white sugar and cinnamon.

3. Meanwhile, heat your peanut oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pan. Your oil can’t be too hot when you begin frying or your fritters will burn instantly. Heat the oil over medium-high heat and don’t be scared to test your oil’s temperature with a few trial fritters. The fritters should take approximately 2 minutes to cook on each side – they will turn a deep golden brown as you fry them.

4. Don’t make your fritters too large. Fritters that are bigger than a tablespoon of batter won’t cook through and are much more likely to burn as you fry them. Don’t worry, the batter expands as you cook it. Stick with a tablespoon for scooping your fritters, and lightly grease it on both sides so that the batter slides right out into the hot oil.

5. Flip your fritters regularly. Watch them closely. The color is key. Look for dark, golden-brown – no black. Work in batches of 4-5 fritters at a time.

6. As soon as they have cooked, remove them to paper towels to drain and cool slightly. When they are cool enough to handle, toss them in the cinnamon sugar and serve.

Pumpkin Pie Cashews

I’m pretty sure these are the best mixed nuts I have ever made (although Burnt Sugar Almonds are pretty darn good). Pumpkin pie is one of my favorite desserts so I was immediately drawn to this recipe. It originally called for a mixture of almonds and pecans but I had a big bag of cashews I wanted to use up so cashews it was. The richness of the cashews worked nicely with the sugary, buttery, spicy mixture they were doused in.

I love that these nuts weren’t baked so they make for a quick and easy snack that I almost always have the ingredients for. I have made them for several occasions  and they have been a huge hit every time. Try these out for your next fall gathering, everybody will love them!

Pumpkin Pie Cashews
recipe from The Fajdich Times

2 cups cashews (or any other nut you prefer, I have made them with almonds and they were really yummy)
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons water
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
pinch of salt

1. Toast the nuts in a dry pan for 5 minutes over medium low heat, stirring so they don’t burn. When done, pour them into a separate container. Put all the rest of the ingredients in your hot pan, be careful with the water because it might splatter. Stir for about 2 minutes until it thickens. Pour the nuts back in the pan and stir well while cooking for 2 minutes more.

2. Pour the nuts onto a foil lined or parchment paper lined cookie sheet, spreading them out, and let sit until cooled. Keep in a sealed container.

Crock Pot Applesauce

Remember our apple picking adventure? Well, we came home with LOTS of apples for the sole purpose of homemade applesauce for that boy of mine. It’s one of his favorite snacks and I love making it for him rather than buying it. It’s so simple to throw together (whether in the crock pot or on the stovetop) and it requires very few ingredients which you can control.

I have made strawberry, blueberry, raspberry and pumpkin applesauce with lots of success. I usually don’t add any sugar to homemade applesauce but I made an exception here because it was such a small amount and I just love cinnamon and brown sugar together.

This is wonderful eaten on its own or baked into Applesauce Spice Cake or Caramel Apple Cake Pops.

Crock Pot Applesauce
recipe from Skinny Taste

8 medium apples
1 strips of lemon peel – use a vegetable peeler
1 tsp. fresh lemon juice
3 inch cinnamon stick
5 tsp. light brown sugar (unpacked)

1. Peel, slice and core apples. Place them in the slow cooker. Add the cinnamon stick, lemon peel and brown sugar.

2. Set crock pot to low and cook for 6 hours. Stir apples occasionally, apples will slowly become a delicious applesauce.  Remove cinnamon stick and use an immersion blender to blend until smooth or if you prefer a chunky sauce, leave sauce intact.

Apple Streusel Cake with Cream Cheese Glaze

See these apples? We picked them….for free. And we took them home…for free! Seriously people, nothing is free anymore. I found out about this cute little orchard owned by the city last year but we never got around to checking it out. So when I heard that the apples were ready this year I put it as top priority in my phone’s to-do list. I take my lists VERY seriously.

So we headed to the orchard and had a great time picking the apples.

Good thing that boy of mine is so tall!

Many of the apples we brought home were dedicated to Noah’s favorite snack, lala, known to normal people as applesauce. We are still not sure where he came up with that one. To use up the rest of the apples, I went through all my recipes I have saved to find some yummy apple options.

This was the first recipe I found and after giving Joel tons of options, it was his hands down favorite. I will be sharing another of his must have picks later. It was even Noah’s top choice (after lala of course). Whenever we give him two options he always picks the second one, no matter what it is. I’ll admit we sometimes use that to our advantage.  Anyway, I asked him if he wanted apple cake or apple pie. His response: “apple cake.” I reversed the order and: “apple cake.” I asked several more times with a conclusive result of: “apple cake mama.”

You can’t really blame them can you? Apple cake with streusel and a glaze…I’m totally with them! I don’t care for fruit in dessert all that much but I can absolutely get behind this.

Apple Streusel Cake with Cream Cheese Glaze
recipe from Lauren’s Latest

For the cake:
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup peeled, diced apple (1/4 inch pieces)
1/3 cup canola oil
2 eggs
1/4 cup low fat buttermilk
1/4 cup low fat sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the streusel:
3/4 cup oats
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup walnuts

For the glaze:
3 oz. softened cream cheese
1 1/2 tablespoons softened margarine or butter
2/3 cup powdered sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
3 tablespoons milk, or enough to make it a glazing consistency

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray 9-inch spring form pan with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.

2. In a large bowl, whisk all dry ingredients together. Make a well in the center and pour all wet ingredients in. Slowly start mixing the wet ingredients into the dry and stir until just combined. Toss in apple pieces and stir. Pour batter into prepared pan. In a small bowl, stir all ingredients for streusel together until butter pieces are small chunks found throughout mixture. Sprinkle over top of cake and bake 45-55 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean when inserted. Remove from oven and cool.

3. Before serving, whip cream cheese and margarine together until smooth. Stir in powdered sugar, vanilla and milk until smooth and runny. Add the milk slowly until desired drizzling consistency is reached. Un-hinge spring form pan and place cake on serving platter. Drizzle with glaze and serve.