Cranberry Butter

So this Fall I’m loving cranberries. I’ve tried a ton of recipes and this is my absolute favorite! We’ve already made it 3 times. You can eat this on anything! It’s perfect for biscuits, toast, scones or even with cheese and crackers. You won’t believe how incredibly flavorful it is! Perfect combination of sweet, tart and spice.

2 12oz bags of cranberries
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup apple cider
1 cinnamon stick

Place all ingredients in crockpot and cook on low for 2-3 hours. Remove cinnamon stick and purée with immersion blender. Strain cranberry butter through fine mesh sieve and return to crock pot for an additional hour. Store in jars in fridge for up to one month (it’ll never last that long).

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Red Velvet Crinkle Cookies

I’m back! Just in time for the the most wonderful time of the year. Don’t worry, my epic Thanksgiving recap post will be coming soon, but first COOKIES! As you know, red velvet is always a hit on Mahogany Trail. These were no exception. They’re the perfect holiday cookie. You can make the dough ahead of time and keep in the fridge. I always add in red velvet bakery emulsion to really boost the flavor and the color. You can pick it up at Sur la Table. These cookies are perfectly chewy with a rich chocolate flavor. Bottom line, if you love red velvet these are for you. Enjoy!

3 cups flour
1/4 cup cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/3 cups sugar
3 large eggs
1 tbsp milk
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
5 tsp red food coloring
1 cup powdered sugar

In a mixing bowl whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whip butter and granulated sugar with an electric mixer until pale and fluffy. Mix in eggs 1 at a time, blending until combined after each. Add in milk, vanilla, lemon juice and red food coloring. On low speed, slowly add in dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill 1-2 hours. The dough needs to be firm enough to roll into balls. Preheat oven to 350. Pour powdered sugar into a bowl. Roll dough into medium balls. Roll balls into powdered sugar and evenly coat. Transfer to lined baking sheets and flatten slightly. Bake in preheated oven 12-14 minutes. Eat immediately, it’ll be worth the burns. LOL! Store in an airtight container.

Mini Shortbread Cookies

These cookies are so fun and festive, plus they come together in a flash! They are perfect for holiday entertaining or just watching your favorite Christmas movie. I’ve always loved shortbread cookies and these do not disappoint. You could make them anytime of year with any type of sprinkles you like. They’re also super fab dipped in chocolate.

1 1/4 cups flour
3 tbsp sugar
1/2 cup cold butter, cut into pieces
2 tbsp red and green nonpareils

Preheat oven to 325. In a food processor pulse flour and sugar until combined. Add butter and pulse until dough begins to come together. Place dough in medium bowl. Gently knead in sprinkles until blended throughout. Pat dough into about an 8×5 rectangle on a lightly floured surface. Cut dough into 1/2 inch squares. Place squares on an ungreased large cookie sheet. Baked 18-20 minutes or until lightly browned on the bottom. Store cookies in tightly covered container at room temperature up to a week.

Bake Apples

8 apples (I used fuji apples)
4 tbsp butter
⅓ cup brown sugar
½ tsp cinnamon

½ cup flour
¼ cup oats
⅓ cup brown sugar
¼ cup sugar
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp cinnamon
4 tbsp butter, chilled and cut into cubes

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. First, prepare the crumble topping. In a medium bowl whisk together flour, oats, brown sugar, sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Cut in the butter with a pastry knife, or two forks, or with your hands until mixture is crumbly. Peel and chop 4 of the apples. Add chopped apples, butter, brown sugar, and cinnamon to a medium sauce pan and sauté over medium heat for 8-10 minutes or until apples are tender. Remove from heat. Chop the tops off of the remaining 4 apples and use a spoon to scoop out the flesh. You don’t need to get every little bit out, just enough to make a “bowl” for the filling. Fill apples with apple filling from the sauce pan. Top with a generous amount of crumble topping. Place stuffed apples on a baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes until crumble topping is crispy. Serve warm and top with ice cream and caramel sauce.

Salted Caramel Apple Tart

This tart looks really impressive and takes absolutely no time to put together.

1 sheet (half of a 17.3-ounce package) puff pastry, thawed
2 small Granny Smith apples
2 tbsp lemon juice
3 tbsp brown sugar
1 large egg
15 caramels melted with a dash of milk
Sea salt

Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment or baking mat. Slice the apples into thin (about 1/4-inch) pieces. Place them in a large bowl then add the lemon juice and brown sugar to the bowl and toss to combine. Unfold the sheet of puff pastry onto the lined baking sheet. Lightly score the dough by cutting a border 1 inch from the edges (do not cut through the pastry). Prick the pastry all over with a fork. Arrange the apple slices on the puff pastry inside the border area. Whisk together the egg with 1 Tablespoon water. Brush the edges of the pastry with the eggwash then bake the tart for 15 to 17 minutes until golden and puffed. Melt the caramel and milk for 30-60 seconds to create a caramel sauce. Remove the tart from the oven oven, drizzle it with caramel sauce and sprinkle it with sea salt. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Pie Cinnamon Rolls

Pumpkin pie + cinnamon rolls = PERFECTION

Mahogany trail is ready for Fall. The wreath has been hung, the the scarecrow is out, the tables is set and all things pumpkin are on the menu. So when I ran across this recipe I had no choice but to try it out. I altered it slightly from the original version to add the spices into the icing. It turned out amazing, the warmth of the flavors is fantastic! I will definitely be doubling the icing recipe for cupcakes. It would be fabulous on apple, pumpkin or brown sugar cupcakes. The best part about this recipe is how quick and easy it is. You’ll be done start to finish in 30 minutes. One bite and I felt like Fall was officially here, which is a big deal since it was 85 degrees here today. Ha! If you’re a fan of pumpkin pie and cinnamon rolls you can’t go wrong with these!

Top them with the icing as soon as they come out of the oven to ensure it gets in all the cracks and crevices. Amazing!

2 cans Pillsbury Crescent Rounds
1/2 cup pumpkin puree (not pie filling)
1 tbsp milk
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp nutmeg

4-oz cream cheese, softened
1-1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Preheat oven to 375. Prepare two 8 inch cake pans. Separate dough into 16 rolls and unroll. In a small bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, milk, brown sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Evenly divide pumpkin filling and spread over each piece of rolled-out dough. Carefully roll up each dough. Arrange the rolls 1 inch apart in the prepared cake pan. Bake for 16 to 18 minutes, or until tops are golden brown. In the meantime prepare the frosting. Place cream cheese in your mixer’s bowl and cream for 1 minute. Gradually add in powdered sugar and continue to beat until well combined, then add in spices. Remove pans from oven and immediately top with icing.

Best Ever Apple Butter

If you ever wondered what Fall tastes like, look no further! This recipe was a huge hit with everyone on Mahogany Trail. We served it with the buttermilk biscuits from my previous post. It would also be perfect with waffles, pancakes, toast and scones. Or in the case of my 11 year old with a spoon. Ha!

4 pounds apples, peeled and chopped
2 cups apple cider
1 cup brown sugar
Kosher salt
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla
Pinch of ground cloves

Preheat oven to 250. Combine apples, cider, brown sugar and 1/2 tsp salt in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Bring it to a simmer, partially cover and cook until the apples are soft, about 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice, cinnamon, vanilla and cloves. Purée the mixture with an immersion blender until smooth. Bake the mixture in the oven uncovered, stirring every 30 minutes, until thickened and dark in color, about 2 1/2 hours. Remove from the oven and let cool completely. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to a week.

Blueberry Corn Quick Bread

Ok, so I’m on a bread kick. I’ll blame it on the banana bread I started with. Ha! This bread was inspired by pancakes at my favorite hotel. The Four Seasons at Troon North serves blue corn lemon ricotta pancakes with blueberries on top. It might be September, but one bite of this bread I’m right there at the Four Seasons with my Mom for our annual Mother’s Day trip. Enjoy!

1 1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 stick butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup milk
Zest of 1 lemon (reserve juice)
1 cup blueberries

1/2 cup powdered sugar
Juice of 1 lemon

Preheat oven 350. Whisk together the dry ingredients. Beat the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, vanilla and lemon zest, followed by the milk. Add in the dry ingredients and mix until combined. Stir in the blueberries. Pour into prepared loaf pan and bake for 55-65 minutes. Mix the juice of the lemon with powdered sugar to make a glaze to pour on top.

Spiced Apple Walnut Bread

What could be more perfect for Fall than this bread? The answer is…nothing! It’s the perfect blend of warm Fall spices. The apples just melt away to create a luxuriously moist bread. This base recipe can be used for several other versions of quick bread. Swap out the apples for bananas, double the walnuts and omit the cranberries for a fantastic banana nut bread. Either way you can’t go wrong. Enjoy!

1 large apple, peeled and shredded
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup sour cream
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 350. Prepare a 9×5 loaf pan. Whisk the apple, oil, sour cream, eggs and vanilla. Separately combine the dry ingredients. Food the wet into the dry and mix until just combined. Add to loaf pan and bake for 55-65 minutes.

Brussels Sprouts with Cranberries, Blue Cheese and Pecans

This dish is basically Fall in a bowl. One bite and you’ll be saying Fall-la-la-la-la-llelujah!!! Sweet cranberries, tart blue cheese, and the crunch of pecans transform these brussel sprouts into something even my 11 year old will eat.

1 pound brussels sprouts, de-stemed and halved
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup blue cheese crumbles
1/3 cup pecans
1 tbsp maple syrup
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Olive oil

Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add brussels sprouts and season with salt & pepper. Cook for 8-10 minutes. Remove from heat and add cranberries, pecans and blue cheese. In a small bowl combine syrup and vinegar and whisk until combined. Pour over Brussels sprouts mixture and gently toss to coat.