We didn’t write about it, but we made a less than delicious apple caramel bread pudding for last week’s episode off Top Chef.

We were picking skeptically at the leftovers the next day when Alex turns to me and goes, “You know, I think I forgot to add the sugar.”

It wouldn’t have been as disastrous if we hadn’t invited friends over to watch with the promise of a hot dessert to accompany the show, so for this week’s episode, we were determined to redeem ourselves in their eyes with a dessert that would make them forget that dumb bread pudding ever existed (what bread pudding?).

And while it’s always difficult to tell if folks are just being kind or whether they really enjoy something, the fact that there were lots of seconds made us feel a lot better about last week’s fail.  Who am I kidding?  These were amazing.

The strange thing is that I’d never seen anything like them before yesterday, but in the span of 24 hours, I’ve seen another similar post from a different recipe on Straight from the Farm (yum), and was informed by a classmate (with whom I’d shared the recipe prior to baking) that they were being sold at the Columbia farmer’s market.  Looks like some people are getting inside of our mind grapes!

In any case, I actually recommend that everyone make these because they are super easy and seasonal and mind-blowingly good.  I’m posting our very minimally adapted version of this Real Simple recipe below.

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice (if you don’t have it, you can use 1/4 tsp cinnamon, 1/8 tsp ground ginger, and 1/16 tsp each ground nutmeg and ground allspice )
1/4 tsp kosher salt
2/3 cup cream cheese, at room temperature
2 tbsp heavy cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar

Instructions:
Pre-heat oven to 375.  In a small bowl, combine flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and pumpkin pie spice.  In a large bowl, cream together butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar.  Add the pumpkin, vanilla, and egg, and beat until combined. Gradually beat in dry ingredients until incorporated.  Line a baking sheet (or 2) with tin foil, and scoop 16 heaping tbsp of dough onto the sheet, about 2 inches part.  Bake for about 10-12 minutes, until they begin to brown around the edges. Let cool for at least 5 minutes.  While cookies are baking beat together powedered sugar sugar, cream cheese and heavy cream until smooth and spreadable.  Spread cream filling onto 8 of the cookies, and top with other halves.

Today, Alex and I became nostalgic for the Sundays when we used to sit around all day, just doing homework and baking bread.

See, we’ve been having a lot of Sundays of sitting around, just doing and homework and NOT baking bread, and they just don’t compare.

Because of the work dilemma, we opted for a recipe straight from Epicurious, our old and faithful source for all things delicious.  This recipe received amazing user reviews, and it’s clear why.  It’s beautiful, straightforward, seasonal and delicious.  I’ve cut myself off for tonight, but I’m already thinking about the slice that I’ll toast for breakfast tomorrow morning.

I’m re-posting the recipe below for your convenience (and ours, as we’ll probably make this again and again).

Ingredients:
3 cups (or more) bread flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 envelopes quick-rising dry yeast
1 1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 1/2 tbsp orange extract
1/3 cup (about) hot water (120°F to 130°F)
1 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
1 large egg, beaten to blend (for glaze)

Instructions:
Combine flour, sugar, yeast and salt in large bowl. Add buttermilk, 2 eggs, melted butter and orange extract and stir until well blended. Gradually stir in hot water until dough is soft and slightly sticky. Knead dough until smooth, about 7 minutes. Knead in dried cranberries 1/3 cup at a time, then knead in walnuts, form into a ball, and place ball in an oiled bow.  Cover dough with plastic wrap and then a towel, and let rise until doubled in size, about an hour and a half.

Lightly oil heavy large baking sheet. Punch down dough, and divide into 4 equal pieces.  Then divide 1 dough piece into 3 equal pieces and reserve. Roll out each of remaining 3 large pieces into 13-inch-long ropes and braid them together, tucking ends under and pincing together. Transfer braid to prepared baking sheet. Roll out each of reserved 3 small dough pieces to 10-inch-long ropes and braid them together.  Brush large braid with some of egg glaze, and top with small braid atop center of large braid. Brush small braid with some of egg glaze. Let rise uncovered in warm area until almost doubled, about an hour and fifteen minutes.

Preheat oven to 325°F. Brush loaf again with egg glaze, and bake until loaf is golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped on bottom, about 45 minutes.Cool at least 45 minutes before slicing, and serve!

The good news: These were the best pancakes we’ve ever eaten — no exceptions.

The bad news: We didn’t make them.

The other good news: We procured the recipe.

The other bad news: We may not have the magic touch.

The final good news (to end on a high note): We’ve befriended the magician, with hopes that he’ll make them for us again.

This pancake recipe is the product of a multi-year quest taken on by our friend, Jared, to create the perfect pancake.  Jared loves pancakes, so this was not taken lightly.  We’re glad, because the recipe truly produces the fluffiest, tastiest, most perfect pancake we’d ever tried.

Why major league?  Oh just because Jared used to play major league baseball for the Seattle Mariners before becoming a med student.  Our friends are cool.  No biggie.

Ingredients:
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg
2 tbsp canola oil
juice of 1/2 a lemon
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
blueberries
butter for cooking

Instructions:
Mix all wet ingredients together (milk, egg, oil, lemon juice and extracts).  Combine the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt) separately, and whisk them into the wet ingredients.  Heat a pan and add butter to coat.  Make the perfect size pancake by ladling 1/3 cup batter onto the pan, and add three blueberries to each cake.  Cook on one side until bubbles form and the edges become crusty, about 3-5 minutes, then flip and continue cooking until pancakes are golden brown.

Today, I was gchatting my mom about tradition, and we both concluded that we are anti-tradition for the sake of tradition.  I believe she said something to the exact tune of: If it’s poop, it’s poop — tradition or not!

Still, there are some culinary traditions that I’m willing to honor for the sake of deliciousness, like caramel apples every fall.  This year, Alex and I bought two bags of Kraft caramels for the task.  We were all set to start dipping when we became distracted by the leftover pie crust in the refrigerator.  Abandon tradition to incorporate soon-to-spoil leftovers in an attempt to recreate my favorite fall flavors in a new and improved dessert?  Yes, plz.

These tartlets are inspired by pimped-out caramel apples: the ones with caramel, chocolate, nuts, the works.  They taste as delicious, and stick to your teeth with the same persistence (in case you were worried about that).  They were well worth the betrayal of tradition, but no guarantees that we won’t sneak in some old-fashioned caramel apples before the season’s over.

Ingredients:
1 recipe pie crust
2 apples, peeled and sliced into the thin, 1-inch pieces
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp bourbon
½ cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
20 caramels
½ cup chocolate chips

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 350.  Roll out dough and press into mini tartlet pans.  Add weight to pans by lining them with tin foil, and filling each with rice.  Bake shells for 15 minutes with the weights, and an additional 5 minutes without them.  While shells are cooking, heat butter in a pan.  Add apples, cinnamon, sugar, and bourbon and cook for 5 minutes, until apples are soft.  Remove from heat and let cool.  Once shells are cooked and ready to fill, melt caramels in the microwave by heating for 30 seconds, then stirring.  Add a tsp of caramel to the bottom of each tart, then fill with apple.  Top apples with toasted walnuts, then drizzle additional melted caramel.  Melt chocolate chips by microwaving for 30 seconds then stirring, and drizzle chocolate on top.