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Spiced Drunken Apple Blondies

September 23, 2015

Hello!

Sorry for the silence over the last while, but i was completely in wedding mode for the last month. I’m excited to say that Adam and I are now husband and wife! What a whirlwind of a day! We were married on September 5th.

Everyone tells you that your wedding day will go by fast, but you don’t believe them until its the end of the day and you’re off to the honeymoon suite and you think to yourself “i can’t believe its over!” it’s truly an exciting day, but it goes by way too fast. I remember thinking “did i even go on the dance floor after our first dance???” i felt like i was busy socializing, and saying hi to everyone that i didn’t even get to dance as much as i would have liked, which was one of the biggest things i said i wanted to do at our wedding! luckily we have 5 weddings to attend next year, and i will most certainly be busting a move on the dance floor all night long.

I’ll be sure to share some photos and more information about our wedding in the upcoming weeks once we get back our photos.

While it was definitely one of the most memorable summers, i’m very much looking forward to a laid back fall, full of relaxing, friends, and get togethers in the months to come. A couple weeks after the wedding i was already looking forward to and planning our third annual friendsgiving! can’t wait.

Adam and I are planning on going to Europe next year for our honeymoon, but we wanted to get away for a few days after the wedding to relax and unwind. We went to Whistler for four days, and stayed at the Nita Lake Lodge (so amazing) and had a wonderful couple’s massage at Scandinave Spa. It was the most i had relaxed, and not done anything (to Adam’s delight) in a long time. The spa forced us to relax (you’re not allowed to talk!) which was hard for me 😉 but definitely welcomed.

Of course, no visit to Whistler is complete without visiting the famous Pure Bread Bakery. They were Whistler’s hidden gem, but have recently opened a store in Vancouver as well. I dare you to walk in and not order more than three items – the bakery’s displays are overflowing with buttery, home-baked, decadent and simply delicious items such as brownies, cakes, loafs, meringues, bars, squares, pie and cookies.

Two of my favourites are the flourless brownie, and the drunken apple blondie. The brownie is decadent, and sweet like fudge. I made my own version of their brownie last year here, and it’s still one of my favourite recipes that turns out perfect every time. This year I discovered they’re drunken apple blondie. This bar features a butterscotch flavoured bar that’s studded with pieces of apple, and covered in a brandy-infused buttercream. If that doesn’t scream fall, i don’t know what does. Of course, I had to have a couple while we were there, just to make sure it was that good. When we came home I was still craving this delicious bar, having warded off many a tasty treat before the wedding, i decided it was time to bake again. And, since today is the official first day of fall what better way to celebrate than with an apple spiced drunken blondie.

I started by creating the base, and then added the frosting. Usually I like an unfrosted brownie, but this one needs the drunken frosting. Now, I didn’t have any brandy, however I did have spiced whiskey and I think it worked just as well.

Happy fall y’all!

I’ve been trying to post lots, including baking and step-by-step photos of everything over on Snapchat (now that I get the hang of it!) You can find me: @Aihconti, and follow along on Instagram: @AliciaBakeaholic, and Twitter: @Bakeaholic

Spiced Drunken Apple Blondies

2015-09-23 09:31:07

A moist, spiced apple blondie topped with a spiced 'drunken' frosting.

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Bar

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
large dash ground cinnamon (and nutmeg, optional)
1 + 1/4 cups brown sugar, packed
1 cup butter, room temperature
2 large eggs, room temperature
1-2 apples (preferably green) peeled and diced
1/4 cup apple sauce
large splash spiced whiskey (or brandy) (optional)

Frosting

1/2 cup butter
2 cups sifted icing sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
Large splash of spiced whiskey or brandy
Splash of non-dairy milk (or regular milk)

Bars

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Line 8x8 or 9x9 pan with parchment and let it hang over the sides.
In a small pot, place diced apple, a little bit of butter and a dash of cinnamon. Heat over medium heat, stirring occasionally until apple is soft and fragrant. Remove from heat.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon; set aside.
In a large bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer. Mix in eggs, one at a time, then vanilla. Keep beating until mixture is smooth.
Stir in flour mixture until well blended.
Add Apple mixture to dough and stir to combine.
The batter will be thick. Spread it evenly into the prepared pan. Use an offset spatula to spread out, or press with clean hands.
Bake 20 minutes, do not overbake, it will result in a dry crumbly bar. You want the middle to be set, but spring back when touched.
Let cool on counter.

Meanwhile, prepare the frosting

In a small saucepan, add brown sugar and whiskey. Heat over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
In mixer with paddle attachment whip butter until light and fluffy. Add in icing sugar on low, and turn up to beat until fluffy. Add in milk, and then cooled brown sugar/whiskey mixture. Beat again until reaches a thick consistency. If you need, add more icing sugar or liquid.
Once finished, spread evenly over top of cooled brownies and let set before cutting into squares.

Notes

These are definitely an 'indulgent' treat!

By Alicia Bakeaholic

b a k e a h o l i c http://www.bakeaholic.ca/

Apples, Bundt, Cakes, Pumpkin, Thanksgiving

Spiced Apple Pumpkin Bundt

November 11, 2014

Hey! look at that – my first GIF.

I felt I should come back with something interesting, seeing as how I haven’t blogged in a while. I blame work (teachers strike over = working everyday) and Adam’s work schedule.

When Adam isn’t home, I haven’t been baking as much, and when he is home we’re fiercely busy with wedding plans, visiting friends and family and trying to make the most of the 6 days he’s home. I’m ashamed to say we eat out more often now than ever, whereas before we would seldom go to a restaurant. But when he’s home, we’d both rather not be in the kitchen cooking and cleaning. Plus, he has to satisfy his wicked sushi craving. The food at his work is not great, however, so I do like to make him a few good homemade meals to satiate his appetite before he returns.

You don’t realize how much your schedule and routine changes when your significant other (fiancé) is out of town. You also realize how heavily you rely on that person when you find yourself in the shower with no one to grab that towel you left on bed, or when the dog wakes up in the middle of the night and you have to drag yourself out of bed, shrug on some clothes and take them outside in the new autumn chill. It’s cold here now, by the way. Although I’m reminded of how much colder it is up north when I’m complaining to Adam about our 2 degree weather, and he’s working in -20. Sorry bout that.

While I try to bake and carry on with cooking like I do when Adam is home, I regrettably find myself eating oatmeal, veggies, fruit, salads, tuna and other no prep meals for lunch and dinner. I was however proud of myself for cooking an actual meal this week (chicken enchiladas) for dinner and lunch leftovers. It was quite delicious, and just what I needed. I baked two chicken breasts with chili seasoning and sweet potato. Then I spread some pureed black beans on a tortilla, added the shredded chicken, sweet potato, goat cheese and rolled them up and topped with salsa, baking them again in the oven. They were so delicious – as I told Adam “i made real food!” While I haven’t been baking much, except for some delicious banana bars I’ll share later this week, I thought I had better upload some recipes I made last month. With ourthanksgiving over, I think I’ve exhausted my pumpkin recipes.

Pumpkin Apple Bundt Cake // bakeaholic.ca

This weekend we are hosting our second annual Friendsgiving – it was such a success last year. We make the turkey and stuffing, and our friends bring over the side dishes and dessert. The amount of food last year was crazy, and everything was absolutely devoured. It’s such a fun tradition and we love getting together with our friends. This year we have a whopping 16 people coming for dinner! We’ll have to bring in some extra tables.

I made this cake for our thanksgiving in October. It’s the perfect combination of apple spice and pumpkin spice – something a little different than the traditional pumpkin pie. The two flavours go well together, and the cake is perfectly moist.

Pumpkin Apple Bundt Cake

2014-11-11 08:45:22

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Ingredients

2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon cinnamon
2 eggs
½ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup canola oil
1 cup pumpkin puree
½ cup almond milk
1 large apple, peeled and grated
Optional: confectioners' sugar

Instructions

Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and set aside.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, and oil until thick and creamy, about one to two minutes.
Next, whisk in the pumpkin until well incorporated.
Now add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until just combined.
Stir in the almond milk, and then fold in the apples.
Pour the batter into a greased bundt pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes until the top is golden and a skewer inserted into the center come out clean.
If desired, dust with powdered sugar.

By Jennifer Perillo

Adapted from Homemade with Love

b a k e a h o l i c http://www.bakeaholic.ca/

Soup, Vegan

Roasted Butternut Squash Carrot Apple Soup

October 1, 2013

So, today was fun.

On my drive to work today as I was merging from the left lane to the right lane just before the entrance to the highway I saw a large piece of metal in the middle of the lane. It looked like a hunk of some machine, or car part that had fallen off a heavy duty truck perhaps.

I saw it only for a split second as the car in front of me switched lanes. I don’t remember if I had time to move out of the way or not, but I was thinking I had better not put my brakes on as I merged onto the highway because I’m sure I would have been rear ended. So I kept driving and sure enough just as I changed lanes the object met my front right tire.

It was quite the bump – it felt hard and solid as I drove over it with a clank. Unluckily I was merging right onto the highway with no where else to turn off, so I had to keep driving. The next exit was mine, but it was down a large hill. I could feel my tired slowly giving out. There was a sad little noise coming from the front right. It began to clunk louder, so I turned on my hazards, and coasted along the shoulder until the bottom of the highway to my exit.

Oh crap.

I pulled over for a minute so I could call Adam – panicked of course. I began crying, because well that’s what you do when you’ve just ran over a large metal object, your tire is punctured, clanking and slowly deflating and your stranded on the side of a highway and need to be at work in 5 minutes.

I managed to let some traffic by me while I was on the shoulder of the exit, and then proceed to limp my way around the exit with my hazard lights to the nearest parking lot for a park & ride bus area.

I parked, got out and looked at the damage. Yup – it was definitely torn up. I called Adam back, then called a cab to get me to work. I was really only about 5 minutes from the school I was working at today, and luckily it was the school I had been at for both my practicums so I knew it well. I think if I had been TOCing at an unknown school I may have been a little more panicked.

a $20 cab ride later, I was at school – and on time! TOC of the year? I think so.

A big thanks to Adam who was a super boyfriend today – he left work, went to my abandoned car to put on the spare tire, which turned out to be flat and had to go to the store to get a compressor, came back and changed the spare in the pouring rain, brought it to his uncle who works at a tire store (thankfully!) and put on a new set of tires (because to be honest they needed to be changed before this winter came anyways), drove my car to my school with the new wheels and dropped off my keys, then his dad dropped him off back at his car.

All I can say is thank goodness for boyfriends who know how to change a tire. Amen.

Needless to say I baked him two treats tonight – both with Apple because he requests apple pie daily.

Today, he definitely deserved two desserts. I’ll be sharing them soon because they were both major hits.

Now we’re both lying curled up on the couch watching some PVRd shows including the Black List, Agents of Shield and How I Met Your Mother. There’s lots of new shows for the season, some good some not so good.

We had some salad for dinner with a chicken breast and a mug of this soup.

Soup in a mug – it’s the best, and it’s happening all season long. It’s handy dandy.

I’ve began making a Sunday Soup – each sunday I’ll make a large pot of soup to eat through the week for lunches or quick dinners. I’ll share them on here each week.

Do you have any favourite soups??

Roasted Butternut Squash Carrot Apple Soup

2013-10-01 21:15:56

Serves 10

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Ingredients

2 medium butternut squash, peeled seeds removed and chopped into chunks
Olive Oil
1 yellow onion
5-6 medium carrots
2-3 granny smith apples
3 Tbs. Pumpkin
4 Cups (1 carton) low-sodium vegetable stock
1 cup water
nutmeg
cinnamon
dried garlic salt
curry powder
pepper

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.
Place sliced butternut squash chunks onto baking pan, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with a little nutmeg, cinnamon, garlic and curry powder just slightly. Mix together and spread in single layer on sheet.
Place in oven for 30-40 minutes, until squash is tender, caramelized and nicely roasted.
About 10 minutes before the squash is finished, dice the onion and add it to a large pot with 2-3 Tbs of olive oil. Heat over medium heat 4-5 minutes until translucent.
Peel and cut carrots into small chunks, add to pot. Cook another 5 minutes.
Peel and cut apple into chunks, add to pot.
Remove butternut squash from the oven, and add about 2 cups of the squash to the pot along with the pumpkin. I reserve the rest of the squash to have with salads - it's delicious.
Add the vegetable broth and water, bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for about 30 minutes.
Remove from heat.
Use an immersion blender to puree the soup, or you can transfer to a blender (be sure to allow the heat to escape through the top or it will burst!), or add small amounts at a time to a food processor and return to the pot. It will turn into a gloriously thick velvety smooth orange soup.
I topped mine with a drizzle of coconut milk.

b a k e a h o l i c http://www.bakeaholic.ca/

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