A soft homemade pizza crust with a cream cheese spread and apple slices, topped with a crumb topping

Yield: 

12-16 slices

Ingredients: 

Pizza Crust:

1 cup warm water (112-115 degrees F)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons oil
3 cups flour
1 tablespoon dry yeast

Apple topping:

3 tablespoons butter
3 large cooking apples, peeled and sliced thinly
3/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Cream cheese spread:

4 ounces cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Crumb topping:

1/3 cup flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup soft butter
1/3 cup quick oats

Instructions: 

1. Making the crust: First, combine water, salt, sugar, and oil in a small bowl. Whisk together flour and yeast in a large bowl. Add wet ingredients and knead into a smooth dough, adding additional flour if needed. Knead for about 5 minutes, cover dough with a towel, and then set aside to rest while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

2. Making the apple topping: Whisk together the flour, sugar, and cinnamon in a medium-sized saucepan. Add butter and apples, and heat over medium heat, stirring frequently, until mixture comes to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer just until apples are tender. Set aside to cool.

3. Make the cream cheese spread by combining the cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice, and nutmeg in a bowl and beating until smooth. Set aside.

4. Combine crumb topping ingredients until mixed and crumbly.

5. Punch down dough from step 1, and spread onto a greased 16-inch round pizza pan, or onto pan(s) of your choice. Gently spread cream cheese over dough with a knife or spatula. Pour apple mixture evenly over cream cheese. Sprinkle with crumb topping.

6. Cover pizza and let set in a warm place for about 15-20 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and bake pizza in the center of the oven for 25-30 minutes, until done.

This recipe is from Tammy’s Recipes.

A sweet and spicy bread pudding made with leftover challah, topped with chunks of apples, raisins, and almonds, drizzled with butter and brown sugar

Yield: 

10-12 servings

Ingredients: 

6-8 tablespoons butter, plus extra for greasing
3 cups milk
1 tablespoon cinnamon
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 pounds leftover, slightly dry challah, thickly sliced and lightly toasted
1 cup raisins
3 cooking apples
1 to 1 1/4 cups raw sugar or brown sugar
1 cup sliced almonds (may substitute walnuts)
Whipped cream, for serving (optional)

Instructions: 

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 9×13-inch baking dish. Mix together the milk, cinnamon, eggs, vanilla, and salt.

2. Spread the challah toast with butter, reserving 3 tablespoons. Cut the challah into bite-sized chunks.

3. Add the buttered challah and raisins to the milk mixture and fold in gently so that all of the bread is coated with the liquid.

4. Core and dice the apples, but don’t peel. Spread the bread in the bottom of the prepared pan, then top with half of the sugar, the almonds, the apples, and ending with the rest of the sugar. Dot with remaining butter.

5. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until juices in the middle are clear (test with fork). Serve with whipped cream, if desired.

This recipe is from Tammy’s Recipes.

A creamy vanilla cheesecake with vanilla bean specks

Yield: 

16 servings

Ingredients: 

Crust Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons sugar
6 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling Ingredients:

24 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 vanilla bean pod
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 tablespoon corn starch
4 eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons vanilla extract

Instructions: 

1. Combine crust ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir until well-mixed. Press crumbs into a greased 9-inch springform pan, working crumbs up the sides of the pan if desired. Bake crust at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

2. Place softened cream cheese into a large bowl.

3. Scrape the soft inside seeds out of the vanilla bean. In a small bowl, stir the vanilla bean seeds into the sugar until evenly dispersed. Add cornstarch and mix well.

4. Add sugar mixture to cream cheese; beat with mixer on medium-low until smooth (about 2 minutes).

5. Crack eggs into a separate bowl; add eggs one at a time to the filling mixture, beating on low speed and scraping down the sides after adding each egg. Add sour cream and vanilla extract.

6. Pour mixture into prepared crust. Bake at 325 degrees for 80-90 minutes or until almost set. Sides should be set with a slight rippling effect at the center of the cake (the cake will completely set as it cools and is refrigerated).

7. Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack. After 30-60 minutes you can remove the springform; you may need to run a knife around the edge of the cheesecake. After cooled, place cheesecake in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours or overnight before serving.

A crunchy sweet vanilla-flavored bread/cookie with chocolate chips!

Yield: 

2-3 dozen slices

Ingredients: 

1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup oil
4 eggs
3 tablespoons orange juice
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
4 to 4 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup chopped walnuts, optional
1 1/2 cups (9 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate chips

Optional: Melted chocolate chips, for dipping the bottoms

Instructions: 

1. In a large bowl, combine sugar and oil. Stir in eggs. Add orange juice and vanilla.

2. Add flour, salt, baking powder, and cinnamon, stirring into a very thick batter. (If batter is too thin, add the extra 1/2 cup flour.) Fold in chocolate chips and walnuts (if using).

3. Line a large jelly roll pan (or two smaller jelly roll pans) with parchment or waxed paper. Spread the batter onto the prepared pan(s), either into one large strip/log or (if using two pans) two smaller strips/logs. The batter shouldn’t go to the edge of the pan, but it will be somewhat runny and should look like a thick cake batter that didn’t fill the pan. The middle of the “log” will rise during baking.

4. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30-40 minutes, until the top is dry and lightly browned. Remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees.

5. Using a serrated knife, slice the log of mandelbrot into slices about 3/4-inch thick.

6. Lay slices, cut side down, on clean ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 300 degrees for 20-30 minutes longer, turning once during baking, until mandelbrot is dry.

7. Cool finished mandelbrot on wire racks.

Optional: Melt some chocolate chips in a shallow, long dish. Dip the bottoms of the finished mandelbrot in the melted chocolate and place on waxed paper or parchment paper to cool.

A sweet bread with apples and cinnamon throughout, baked in a circular “loaf”

Yield: 

1 huge loaf

Ingredients: 

Dough ingredients:

1 cup warm water (110 degrees F)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup oil or melted butter
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons dry yeast
5 to 6 cups flour

Apple filling:

3 cups coarsely chopped apples
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon lemon juice (skip if apples are tart)

Egg wash:

1 beaten egg
1 teaspoon sugar
Coarse sugar, for sprinkling — optional

Instructions: 

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the first seven dough ingredients, in order listed. Stir in a cup or two of the flour, then add yeast.

2. Add enough additional flour to equal about 5 cups, and stir/knead into a smooth dough, adding additional flour if needed. Knead dough for 8-10 minutes. Shape into a ball, place in a greased bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 45-60 minutes.

3. Place apple filling ingredients in a medium bowl and toss to coat. Set aside.

4. Punch down the risen dough, kneading to remove excess air bubbles. On a lightly-floured surgace, roll the dough into a large round, about 1/2-inch thick. Spread apple mixture over the dough.

5. Fold the edges of the dough over the apples and continue to fold/roll the dough to make one big lump with the filling enclosed. Let rest 5 minutes.

6. Grease a 10-inch springform pan. Place springform pan on a large cookie sheet (to catch any leaks during rising/baking).

7. Now, this part gets messy. Using a sharp knife (I use a serrated one), cut off chunks of the dough and place them in the prepared pan. You should end up with 15-20 chunks of dough (though a particular number doesn’t matter). The apple pieces should be randomly dispersed throughout the dough chunks. Sprinkle with any escaped apple pieces.

8. Combine the egg and sugar, and then dab the egg wash over the top of the dough. Sprinkle with coarse sugar if desired. Cover gently with a piece of plastic wrap and place pan in a warm location to rise.

9. When dough has almost doubled in size, pre-heat oven to 350 degrees and then place baking sheet/springform in the middle of the oven (remove the piece of plastic wrap first, of course!!!) to bake for 45-55 minutes or until done. When I make this, usually the edges of the top get well-browned before the middle is cooked. So, after about 25-30 minutes, I cover the darker areas loosely with foil — sometimes forming a large loose “ring” of foil (with no foil in the middle) to lay on top.

10. When challah is done, remove from the oven and cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Turn out of pan onto a cooling rack and cover with a clean towel until completely cool.

This recipe is from Tammy’s Recipes.

A creamy cheesecake with orange and vanilla swirls, full of flavor!

Yield: 

16 servings

Ingredients: 

Crust Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons sugar
4 tablespoons butter

Filling Ingredients:

3 packages (24 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1 1/4 cups sugar
2 tablespoons corn starch
4 eggs
8 ounces sour cream
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 egg yolks
1 tablespoon orange extract
1 tablespoon orange zest
3 drops red food coloring
12 drops yellow food coloring

Instructions: 

1. To prepare crust, combine graham cracker crumbs and sugar in a bowl. Melt butter and stir thoroughly into crumb mixture.

2. Lightly grease a 9-inch springform pan with butter. Press crumbs into bottom of the springform pan, working them up the sides if desired (the bottom of a 1-cup measuring cup works well for this).

3. Bake crust at 325 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Cool completely.*

4. Begin making the cheesecake filling by placing softened cream cheese into a large bowl. Mix sugar and corn starch in a bowl and then add to cream cheese; stir until smooth. (You can also use an electric mixer on the lowest speed, but doing so will add extra air into the cheesecake and increase the chance of cracking during baking.)

5. Crack 4 eggs into a bowl; add eggs one at a time to the filling mixture and stir, scaping down the sides after adding each egg.

6. Mix in sour cream.

7. Place two cups of cream cheese mixture into a second bowl.

8. In the original bowl, stir in vanilla and set aside.**

9. In the second bowl, add 2 egg yolks, orange extract, orange zest, and the food colorings, and stir.

10. Using a 1-cup measure, pour mixtures into the center of the springform pan by alternating white and orange filling. (To create a “perfect” swirl, pour batter directly into the middle of the pan. Each additional pouring will form a new circle inside the last.)

11. If desired: When finished pouring fillings into the pan, very slightly swirl the top of the cake with a knife to achieve a gentle marbling effect.

12. Place into preheated oven (325 degrees) and bake for 80-90 minutes or until almost set. Sides should be set with a slight rippling effect at the center of the cake (the cake will completely set as it cools and is refrigerated).

13. Remove from oven and place on a cooling rack. After about 30-60 minutes you can remove the outside of the springform; you may need to run a knife around the edge of the cheese cake to loosen the sides before removing the springform.

14. After cooled, place uncovered cheesecake in the refrigerator for 6 hours or overnight before serving. Slice into 12-16 slices.

This recipe is from Tammy’s Recipes.

A creamy sweet caramel for dipping apples or drizzling over ice cream or other desserts

Yield: 

3-4 cups

Ingredients: 

1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups brown sugar (we like dark brown sugar best!)
3/4 cup light corn syrup
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions: 

1. In a 2-quart saucepan, melt butter on low heat.

2. Add brown sugar, corn syrup, and milk, stirring to combine. Increase heat to medium (or perhaps just below medium).

3. Stir constantly until mixture comes to a boil.* Use a spoon that won’t melt — the caramel gets pretty hot!

4. Remove from heat and whisk in the vanilla and cinnamon.

5. Serve warm or cold with apple slices, or drizzle over ice cream.

Slices of apples surrounded with a delicious vanilla-cinnamon caramel, baked between layers of flakey homemade pie crust

Yield: 

12 servings

Ingredients: 

6 cups peeled, cored, and thinly sliced cooking apples
1 tablespoon lemon juice (use less if your apples are very tart!)
1/2 cup (packed) brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 cup butter

Instructions: 

1. Toss apples with the lemon juice.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the sugars, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Add apples and toss to coat. Stir in the vanilla and heavy cream.

3. In a large skillet or heavy stock pot, melt butter. Add apple mixture and cook over medium to medium-high heat for 6-8 minutes, stirring constantly, until apples soften.

4. Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees. Line a 10-inch pie dish with pastry; pour in apple mixture. Place top crust, sealing the edges with water (between the crusts) and pinching. Be sure to have air holes in the top of the crust. (I cut vents while the crust is still on the counter, before placing crust over the filling.)

5. Bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for 35-45 more minutes. If your pie dish is fairly deep, it should not run over, as long as you have sufficiently sealed the edges. If you want to be sure your oven stays clean, I recommend putting an old cookie sheet on a shelf below the pie, to catch any drips. 🙂

6. Cool pie before serving. (The piece shown in the photo had been refrigerated. The pie is slightly more runny at room temperature!)

This recipe is from Tammy’s Recipes.

A spicy pumpkin cake rolled with sweetened cream cheese and nuts inside

Yield: 

12 servings

Ingredients: 

Cake ingredients:

3 eggs
2/3 cup pumpkin
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves
3/4 cup flour

Filling:

2 tablespoons butter
8 ounces cream cheese
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup powdered sugar
1/3 cup nuts, optional

Instructions: 

1. Mix all cake ingredients. Lay wax paper on a 15 x 10-inch jelly roll pan. Grease and flour wax paper; pour batter onto wax paper in pan and bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

2. Lay a clean dish towel on a flat surface with 1/3 cup powdered sugar sprinkled on it. Put baked cake upside down on towel. Take waxed paper off. Roll cake up with the towel, starting at the widest edge. Allow to cool.

3. Mix filling ingredients. Unroll cake and spread the filling and nuts inside. Roll back up (without the towel, of course!) and refrigerate. Slice into slices to serve.

This recipe is from Tammy’s Recipes.

A creamy spicy pumpkin cheesecake with graham cracker crust

Yield: 

12-16 servings

Ingredients: 

Crust Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons sugar
5 tablespoons melted butter
1/16 teaspoon ginger
1/16 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Filling Ingredients:

1 cup canned/pureed/mashed pumpkin
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
20 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch (sift if there are lumps!)
4 large eggs, at room temperature

Whipped cream, for serving (optional)

Instructions: 

1. Make cheesecake crust by combining crust ingredients and mixing well. Press into the bottom of a greased 9-inch springform pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 15 minutes. Cool on wire rack.

2. In a bowl, whisk together pumpkin, whipping cream, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and salt. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, stir the softened cream cheese until smooth. Add the sugars and stir until smooth. Mix in the pumpkin mixture, then add the cornstarch and mix until just blended. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing until just combined. (Stir by hand! Using an electric mixture will incorporate air into the batter, causing the cheesecake to rise and crack during baking!)

4. Wrap the outside of the springform pan tightly with 2-3 layers of aluminum foil.

5. Pour the filling into the cooled crust. Set the still-wrapped springform pan in a large roasting pan. Carefully pour enough boiling water into the large pan to come up 1 inch on the sides of the springform pan.

6. Bake at 325 degrees for 70 to 80 minutes or until the center is almost set in the middle.

7. Remove cheesecake from water bath and place on a cooling rack. Carefully remove the foil and run a thin knife around the edge of the cake. This will loosen the cake and help prevent the top from cracking. When cheesecake has cooled slightly, remove the sides of the springform pan. Allow to cool completely at room temperature.

8. Refrigerate cheesecake for at least 4 hours before serving. Cut into 12-16 slices and serve with whipped cream if desired!

This recipe is from Tammy’s Recipes.