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Two sisters who love to bake...

Baked Apple Cider Donuts

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Baked Apple Cider Donuts coated in cinnamon and sugar.

It is officially Fall season and one of the most popular desserts out there is Apple Cider Donuts. I love making baked versions of donuts and have been doing so for many years. This recipe is easy to whip together if you have some fresh apple cider. If you don’t have a donut pan you can make them in a muffin pan as well.

Some recipes call for the apple cider to be boiled down, some don’t. I chose to not boil down the cider and I like the way they turned out. I think it had plenty of tang to it without boiling. I just didn’t want to mess with an additional step. If you want to boil it down for a stronger flavor this can be done by starting with 1 1/2-2 cups of apple cider in a saucepan and boiling it until it is reduced to 1/2 cup for the recipe.

I like to use a small spoon to scoop the batter into the donut pan (Amazon affiliate) but you can also use a piping bag or make your own using a ziploc bag & cutting a bottom corner to pour the batter into the pan.

The tops will be a very light golden brown when they are done and they will be springy to the touch. If you have trouble removing them from the pan try using a rubber spatula. The bottom side of the donuts will be a nice dark golden brown color.

Recipe makes 12 donuts. I used 2 Wilton donut pans (Amazon affiliate).

Baked Apple Cider Donuts
 
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Recipe type: Breakfast
Ingredients
  • ½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened
  • ¾ cup brown sugar
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 2 large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon nutmeg (optional)
  • 1¾ cups all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt (omit if using salted butter)
  • ½ cup apple cider
  • ---Coating---
  • 3 Tablespoons melted butter
  • ½ cup sugar
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 F. degrees. Grease two 6-cavity donut pants and set aside.
  2. In a mixing bowl stir butter, brown sugar, and sugar together. Mix in egg, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg (optional).
  3. Add flour, baking powder and salt and mix well.
  4. Slowly mix in apple cider until it is well combined.
  5. Fill each donut cavity about ¾ full.
  6. Bake for 12-15 minutes.
  7. Remove from oven and let cool.
  8. Mix cinnamon and sugar together in a small bowl for the topping.
  9. Once cool enough to handle gently remove from pan and brush with melted butter, coat with cinnamon and sugar mix.

 

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Cinnamon Roll TEXAS SHEET CAKE

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Cinnamon Roll TEXAS SHEET CAKE.

I love white Texas sheet cakes so I decided to make a cinnamon roll version with a buttercream icing and I’m loving it! I’ve made it several times now. You can still make the traditional frosting if you want. The traditional time that usually goes with Texas sheet cakes is more watered down and thin, I wanted more of a buttercream icing that was thicker and creamier so I changed it.

This is a mini version of sheet cake that bakes in an 8×11″ baking dish so if you want the full size to make in a jelly roll/half sheet baking pan that is 15″x 10″x 1″ you will need to double the recipe I have listed below.

*Tip* You can also bake the recipe below in a 9×13″ baking pan but it will be thinner and requires less baking time.

You drop spoonfuls of the cinnamon/sugar mix over the top then use a butter knife to swirl it around.

I’d classify this cake as super moist, thin and an easy to make cake. It’s a great cake to make for parties. The full size recipe normally call for a jelly roll pan (amazon affiliate) that is 15″x 10″x 1″ which makes a nice thin cake. The recipe below is for a smaller batch and uses a 11″ x 8″ pan (amazon affiliate).  

Photos of the process above.

I seriously love this cinnamon roll cake and I hope you will too!

Cinnamon Roll Sheet Cake with Buttercream Frosting.

*If you want to bake in a 15″x 10″x 1″ half sheet pan you will need to double the recipe I have listed below.*

*You can also bake the recipe below in a 9×13″ baking pan. I have tried this and it just makes for a thinner cake but it works, reduce baking time to 18-20 minutes.

 

Cinnamon Roll TEXAS SHEET CAKE
 
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Recipe type: Dessert
Ingredients
  • -Cake Batter-
  • ½ cup salted butter (1 stick) softened (if using unsalted add ¼ teaspoon salt)
  • ½ cup water
  • 1 cup flour (all purpose)
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • ¼ cup sour cream (I used Daisy)
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • -Cinnamon Filling-
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • 2 Tablespoon butter, melted
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
  • -Frosting-
  • ½ cup (1 stick) butter
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375 F. degrees. Grease an 11x8" baking pan.
  2. In a medium sized saucepan, bring butter and water to boil.
  3. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour and sugar.
  4. Add in eggs, sour cream, vanilla, & baking soda. Slowly pour in the boiling butter/water mixture. Stir until smooth.
  5. Pour into greased baking pan.
  6. Make the filling by mixing brown sugar, butter and cinnamon together in a small bowl. Drop by the teaspoon full across the top of the cake batter, swirl with a butter knife.
  7. Bake at 375 F.degrees for 20-22 minutes or until golden brown & toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
  8. Cool cake for 20 minutes.
  9. For Frosting: In a mixing bowl add butter, powdered sugar and vanilla together and use an electric mixer to whip until well mixing. Spread over cooled cake and serve.
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 11×8″ baking pan.
  2. In a medium sized saucepan, bring butter and water to boil.
  3. In a large bowl, combine flour and sugar. Mix.
  4. Add in eggs, sour cream, vanilla, & baking soda. Slowly pour in the boiling butter/water mixture. Stir until smooth.
  5. Pour into greased baking pan.
  6. Make the filling by mixing brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon together in a small bowl. Drop by the teaspoon full across the top of the cake batter, swirl with a butter knife.
  7. Bake at 375 degrees F. for 20-22 minutes or until golden brown & toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool cake for 20 minutes.
  8. For Frosting: In a mixing bowl add butter, powdered sugar, vanilla together and use an electric mixer to whip until done. Spread over cooled cake and serve.
  9.  
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Apple Pie Bombs/Cannon Balls/Apple Dumplings

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Apple Pie Bombs, Cannon Balls, Apple Dumplings.

Apple Pie Bombs also called Apple Dumplings or Cannon Balls are individually peeled and cored apples wrapped in a pie crust and filled/stuffed with a cinnamon and brown sugar filling. These are like mini apple pie balls.

These are really quick and easy to whip up. I made them last minute for a dessert after dinner. You can use homemade pie crust or store bought. I provide my no fail oil pie crust recipe below if you want to try it.

Recipe makes about 4 baked apples. You can cut the recipe in half and only make 2 apples if you want a very small batch.

These are best served and eaten warm from the oven because the apples give off a lot of juices and they will likely get soggy if left sitting for too long.



Make the glaze by mixing the powdered sugar, water and vanilla together and drizzle over the tops. Serve warm. New Favorite Fall Recipe!

Apple Pie Bombs/Cannon Balls/Apple Dumplings
 
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Recipe type: Dessert
Ingredients
  • 4 apples cored and peeled
  • -Pie Crust-
  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • ⅓ cup vegetable oil
  • 2-3 Tablespoon cold water
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • -Filling-
  • ½ cup brown sugar,
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • -Glaze-
  • ½ cup powdered sugar
  • 1 Tablespoon water
  • ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400 F. degrees. Bake for 25 minutes or until crust is golden brown.
  2. Prep filling by mixing brown sugar and cinnamon together in a small bowl and set aside.
  3. Prep the 4 apples by peeling them and coring them, set aside.
  4. Make the pie crust:
  5. Mix all ingredients together in bowl. Start with 2 Tablespoons of water, if it needs it add 1 more Tablespoon. Dough will look a little dry.
  6. Take the dough, form it into a ball with your hands.
  7. Take 2 pieces of waxed paper about 18" long and place the dough ball in between. Use a rolling pin to flatten the dough. I rolled mine to almost ⅛" thick. Whatever you prefer. You can roll it into a square.
  8. Divide into 4 equal pieces.
  9. Place the apples in the center, fill with brown sugar/cinnamon mix.
  10. Wrap and fold the pie crust around each apple, use a little water to seal the top closed.
  11. Place on a rimmed baking dish.
  12. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until crusts are golden brown.
  13. Let cool until warm.
  14. Make the glaze by mixing the powdered sugar, water, vanilla together and drizzle over the tops. Serve warm.

 

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Flour Tortilla Shells Made with a Tortilla Press

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Flour Tortilla Shells Made with a cast iron tortilla press (Amazon affiliate link).

Homemade flour tortilla shells are so much better then store bought ones! You can taste the difference. Is it just me or do the ones at the store have a weird aftertaste? I think it is because of the chemical preservatives they add. These don’t have any weird ingredients. Simply made with water, flour, salt and oil. 4 ingredient list. Pretty simple!

Photo above shows some of the dough balls before they get pressed.

You can make these by hand rolling them out with a rolling pin, which is what I used to do but I found a cast iron tortilla press (Amazon affiliate link) makes my life easier. I’m so glad my sister got me a press for my birthday last year! She is the best. I think they only cost around $20 on Amazon. I do recommend using a ziplok bag cut down the sides to press the tortilla with so it doesn’t stick to the cast iron, see photo below.

If using a cast iron tortilla press (Amazon affiliate link) I divide the dough into 12 pieces because this helps to make nice thin tortilla shells, I found that 10 pieces yielded shells that were too thick.

After I make these and they cool down, I store them in a large ziplok bag in the fridge and keep them for about a week. They also freeze well.


Recipe makes 12 tortillas.

Flour Tortilla Shells Made with a Tortilla Press
 
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Recipe type: Main
Ingredients
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • ⅔ cup warm water
  • ⅓ cup vegetable oil (or 5 Tablespoons of butter, lard or shortening)
Instructions
  1. In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup add salt to the warm water and stir together until the salt is mostly dissolved.
  2. In a large bowl, stir flour, salt water and oil together. If the mixture seems dry, add a bit more of the water, if too wet add a little more flour. Dough might seem a little dry but once you knead it it will come together more.
  3. Transfer to a lightly floured work surface and knead until smooth, about 2 minutes. Cover with a clean dish cloth and leave for at least 15 minutes and up to 2 hours. (Resting the dough makes it easier to roll out.)
  4. Divide the dough into 10-12 equally sized pieces and then shape into balls. (I prefer 12 for thin shells)
  5. Take a gallon sized ziplok bag and spit it down the sides, grease the inside lightly with vegetable oil. Use it to line the inside of the press. Place one ball inside the cast iron press and press it down, open the press, rotate it 90 degrees, press it again. Carefully open the ziplok bag up and peel the tortilla out.
  6. Place in a nonstick large skillet or griddle on the stove top over medium or medium-high heat and cook about 20-30 seconds on each side. They will start to bubble up on each side. Repeat with the next dough ball. (I usually press another shell while the other is cooking.)
  7. If using a rolling pin, roll each ball out to about 8" circles on a lightly flour surface, you want them to be very thin.
  8. Transfer each shell to a dinner plate and keep them covered with a clean dish towel, this helps to keep them soft as you cook them or use a tortilla warmer if you have one.
  9. **Tips**
  10. If you are making the shells ahead of time, then roll/press each shell and stack them in between parchment paper. Then cook them one at a time.
  11. If making dough ahead of time, you can put the dough balls in the fridge in a ziplok bag and use them within 3 days, remove from fridge about 30 minutes prior to pressing/cooking tortillas.
  12. Store leftover tortilla shells in a ziplok gallon sized bag in the fridge. They reheat well in the microwave or you can reheat in a skillet on the stove. They can also be frozen.

 

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Mini Danish Kringles

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Mini Danish Kringles made in a muffin tin with a sour cream dough.

I have a very hard time making full sized braided top danish kringles. I always run into the same problem no matter what method I try, the inside oozes out in the oven and hardly any filling is left inside. After failing at trying to fix the issue I came up with a solution. I decided to take my favorite recipe that uses only 3 ingredients: sour cream, flour, and butter and make mini ones! I found when I make mini ones in muffin cups with muffin liners the filling doesn’t ooze out and burn. Problem solved. Tastes the same. Only these are bite sized and mini. WIN. WIN.

 

I rolled my dough out to about 18×12″, not a perfect rectangle. And cut the dough into about 14-15 pieces. You scoop some filling in the center then fold the edges of the dough in and pinch the top closed. The dough is really sticky, you need lots of flour, I keep adding more over the top as I roll it out. You need to work fast because the butter starts melting.

Recipe makes about 15 mini danish kringles.

I made mine without nuts, I just added butter and brown sugar to the filling to keep it nut allergy friendly. My sister adds nuts and apples to her danishes when she makes them. If you want to add nuts you could add 3/4 cup chopped walnuts.

The dough turns out really flaky and butter. I took photos when it was still too warm but when it is cooled you can see the layers of a flaky danish pastry. I used my food processor to mix the ingredients together because it helps to cut the butter into the flour.

Mini Danish Kringles
 
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Recipe type: Dessert
Ingredients
  • -Dough-
  • ½ cup (1 stick) salted butter, cold, sliced (if using unsalted add ¼ teaspoon salt)
  • 1 cup all purpose flour
  • ½ cup sour cream
  • -Filling-
  • 2 Tablespoons melted butter
  • ½ cup + 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
Instructions
  1. Prepare dough in a mixing bowl, cut butter into flour until crumbly. Stir in sour cream and mix well. Dough will be very sticky. Form into a ball. Cover tightly, and refrigerate 8 hours, or overnight. If in hurry I freeze for 1 hour instead. (I use a food processor to mix dough together).
  2. After dough has chilled Preheat oven to 375 F. degrees. Line muffin tins with muffin liner cups and set aside. Prepare the filling by mixing butter and brown sugar together.
  3. Remove dough from fridge and roll out on a very well flour surface and add more flour as needed to prevent sticking. I rolled dough out between two well floured pieces of waxed paper using a rolling pin.
  4. Roll dough out to about 18x12". Slice into about 14-15 even sized pieces.
  5. Place a teaspoon of filling inside the middle and wrap the edges of the dough inward and pinch together to keep it closed (See photos above).
  6. Place in a muffin tin and continue with rest of dough.
  7. Bake for 18-22 minutes or until edges are just starting to turn golden brown.

 

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Thick Coffee Cake Stuffed Cookies

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Thick Coffee Cake Stuffed Cookies. Cookies filled with cinnamon coffee cake crumb topping.

Thick Coffee Cake Stuffed Cookies! These cookies are topped with some cinnamon crumb coffee cake topping and also filled with it. This recipe makes thick soft cookies.

Recipes makes about 10-12 large thick cookies.

   

I started by using a cookie scoop (amazon affiliate) to scoop about 2.5 Tablespoons of cookie dough into a ball. (See photos above) Then I flattened it out to about 3.5″ in diameter. I took about 1 teaspoon of cinnamon crumb filling and put it in the middle.

   

Then I began to pinch the dough together to create a rough ball shape. Then I rolled the dough into a round ball and placed it on the cookie sheet. (See photos above).


Thick Coffee Cake Stuffed Cookies
 
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Recipe type: Dessert
Ingredients
  • -Cookie Dough-
  • 1½ cups all purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ⅛ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ cup salted butter (1 stick) softened (add ¼ teaspoon salt if using unsalted butter)
  • ⅓ cup + 2 Tablespoons brown sugar
  • ¼ cup sugar
  • 1 egg
  • ½ teaspoon vanilla
  • -Filling/Topping-
  • 2 Tablespoons melted butter
  • ¼ cup all purpose flour
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 375 F. degrees.
  2. Prepare filling in a small bowl by mixing the butter, sugar, and cinnamon together, mix, then add flour and mix together, set aside.
  3. Use an electric mixer to cream brown sugar, sugar & butter.
  4. Add egg & vanilla, mix.
  5. In a separate bowl mix flour, baking powder and baking soda together. Add to the creamed butter/sugar. Beat with mixer until everything is mixed in.
  6. Scoop by the heaping tablespoon (golf ball sized or 2.5 Tablespoons), then flatten in the palm of your hand to about 3.5" in diameter.
  7. Put about 1 teaspoon of filling into the center and then pinch the edges around it to close it into a rough ball. Now roll into a smooth ball and place on ungreased cookie sheet.
  8. Repeat with the rest of the dough. Sprinkle tops with remaining filling and gently press it into the dough so it doesn't fall off.
  9. Bake 12-14 minutes or until the edges are just starting to brown.

 

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