These oat-filled fall cookies taste like banana bread with a touch of maple. Iced with a delicious frosting made from nutty-flavored brown butter and more maple, the cookies are then topped with a whole toasted pecan. Perfect on a chilly afternoon with a warm cup of cider or tea. INGREDENTS 24-28 whole pecan halves  12 tablespoons butter, softened ⅔ cup maple sugar ⅓ cup firmly packed light brown sugar 1 large egg ½  teaspoon vanilla extract 1 large banana, very ripe, about ¾ cup ¾  cup oats 1 ¾  cups flour ½  teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon baking powder Brown butter maple icing (below) INSTRUCTIONS Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Place the whole pecans on a parchment lined sheet tray. Place in the oven and toast for 8-9 minutes until browned. Set aside to cool. Using a stand mixer, Beat the butter, maple sugar and brown sugar together until smooth and fluffy. Add in the egg, vanilla extract, and ban...

The smell and taste of fall – all in a gingerbread cake topped with fresh apples and caramel. This fantastic upside-down cake makes a great addition to any seasonal table with its tasty gingerbread baked over cinnamon caramel sauce and sweet sautéed apples. Removing the cake from the pan, when turned, allows the apple caramel to coat the sides. Delicious served with a dollop of cinnamon whipped cream. INGREDIENTS Topping: 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, plus more for the pan 1 cup jarred caramel sauce, high quality such as Williams Sonoma, Trader Joes, Fresh Market or homemade 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 4 large, firm cooking apples, such as Honeycrisp, Fuji, or Granny Smith cored, peeled, quartered 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1 tablespoon lemon zest Cake: 6 tablespoons unsalted butter ⅔ cup dark muscovado or dark brown sugar 2 large eggs ⅓ cup molasses 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon ginger ½ teaspoon cinnamon...

The combination of apples and cinnamon is the quintessential taste of fall. So welcome cooler days with these easy to make Apple Cinnamon Bars. With their brownie-like texture on the outside, and layer of cinnamon apples in the center, they are especially delicious with a drizzle of brown butter icing over their walnut topping. Take them along with some apple cider for all your fall activities or simply enjoy at home. Be sure to use a piece of parchment longer than the pan to create “handles” for easy removal before cutting. INGREDIENTS 2 medium apples, peeled and sliced into thin wedges 1-1/2 cups packed brown sugar, plus 2 tablespoons, divided 1/2 cup butter, plus one tablespoon, divided, plus more for the pan 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 2 eggs, lightly beaten 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1 cup Walnuts, toasted Brown Butter Icing 4 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 cup sifted conf...

Celebrate National Apple Month with a delicious Apple Slab Pie. Perfect for a crowd, this easy treat is baked on a sheet tray instead of in a pie pan.  Roll out the dough and fill with apples and cinnamon, add a top crust, bake, and finish it with a drizzle of vanilla glaze. We like to serve it with a side of cinnamon swirl gelato. INGREDIENTS For the pie crust: 4 cups all-purpose flour, we recommend White Lily 2 teaspoons salt 4 tablespoons sugar 3 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes 7 tablespoons vegetable shortening, cut into small cubes 6-8 tablespoons cold water For the filling: 4 pounds Granny Smith, and Honey crisp apples 1 cup sugar 2 tablespoons lemon juice ¼ cup cornstarch 3 teaspoon cinnamon Pinch salt Finishing: 1 tablespoon milk Turbinado sugar for sprinkling For the Glaze: 1 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted 2-4 tablespoons whole milk 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract Vanilla Gelato or ice cream fo...

Easy to make, Tartes Pomme are mostly Apples and Puff Pasty. Baked together in the oven, the apples become soft while the pastry expands just enough to create a delightfully crunchy base. The apple cider in the recipe is reduced to create “boiled cider” and then used to brush over the apples as well as a flavor in the icing. INGREDIENTS 2 cups Apple cider 1 piece Pepperidge Farm frozen puff pastry, thawed overnight in the refrigerator, rolled to 10-1/2″ x 10-1/2″ All-purpose flour 2 medium Fuji or honey crisp apples ( about 3″ or less in diameter) 1 tablespoons Turbinado Sugar or brown sugar 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger 1 cup powdered sugar 1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts INSTRUCTIONS Pour two cups of apple cider into a saucepan. Set over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Continue to simmer to reduce to 1/2 cup cider, about 20-30 minutes. Set aside to cool slightly. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Open the sheet of puff pastry on a ligh...

Halloween isn’t just for kids! So we decided to put together a unique bourbon candy bark made only for adults. Perfect for your grown-up party, this sticky, gooey treat is made with popcorn and dark chocolate bark drizzled with bourbon caramel and topped with mixed nuts, white chocolate and topped with festive harvest blend M&M candies. INGREDIENTS 8 ounces high-quality dark chocolate, chopped 3-4 cups of pre-popped salted popcorn ¼ cup homemade caramel sauce or quality jarred caramel sauce such as Williams-Sonoma, Trader Joes, or Fresh Market 1 tablespoon bourbon, preferably Maker’s Mark ½ cup salted mixed nuts, such as almonds, cashews, pecans, walnuts, peanuts 8 ounces white chocolate, chopped 1/2 cup Harvest Blend M&M’s Line a sheet tray with parchment paper or a Silicone baking mat. In a metal bowl set over simmering water, (water should not touch the bowl) add the chopped chocolate and stir to melt completely. Spread very thinly over the parchment ...

Get “game day ready” with our quick and easy Football Pastries! Perfect for your next tailgate party, our cute football shapes are loaded with a delicious filling and will look great on your tailgating table or platter. Filled with delectable chocolate chip & vanilla pastry cream, these treats will satisfy anyone’s sweet tooth. For a special treat, fill your football shapes with softened ice cream and store in the freezer until ready to serve. You can purchase Dufour Chocolate Puff Pasty locally at Whole Foods. INGREDIENTS 14 ounces Dufour Chocolate Puff Pastry 2 cups whole milk 1 vanilla bean, split, pulp removed 6 large egg yolks ½ cup sugar ⅓ cup cornstarch, sifted 3 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter, softened ½ cut finely chopped dark chocolate 4 ounces of white chocolate INSTRUCTIONS Defrost the puff pastry over night in the refrigerator. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Remove the dough from the packaging and lay out on a cutting board. Using a coo...

Black cocoa powder, a super-dark Dutch-process cocoa, will make these the darkest chocolate brownies you've ever seen. Perfect for Halloween and covering with stretchy melted marshmallows to make tasty, but scary, spider-filled webs.  1 cup unsalted butter, cubed, plus more for the pan 6 ounces semi-sweet Guittard chocolate baking bars, broken into small pieces  1½ cups granulated sugar 1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar 1½ cups all-purpose flour ¾ cup black cocoa powder 1 ½  teaspoons kosher salt 5 large eggs 1 tablespoon vanilla extract Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a 9x9” baking pan with parchment, letting excess extend over sides of pan and lightly grease with butter. In the top of a double boiler, place the chocolate pieces and the butter. Cook over simmering water, stirring occasionally, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Turn off heat, and whisk in sugars. Remove from heat, and let cool slightly.  In a medium bow...

It’s Pumpkin Spice time and we have it all wrapped up in a tasty Bundt Cake. Filled with a tunnel of vanilla cream cheese and topped with brown butter icing and caramelized nuts, the cake is spiced with a blend of allspice, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves. It’s the American quintessential flavor of fall. Cream cheese filling 8 oz. cream cheese ¼ cup sugar 1 large egg 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste Bundt cake 12 Tbsp. softened butter, plus more for the pan 2¼ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for the pan 2 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. baking soda 2 tsp. cinnamon ½ tsp. nutmeg ½ tsp. ginger ½ tsp. ground cloves ½ tsp. salt 1 can pumpkin purée, 15 ounces ¾ cup buttermilk 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 cup sugar ¼ cup light brown sugar 3 large eggs Using a hand held or stand mixer, in a mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, sugar, egg, and vanilla bean paste until smooth. Add to a large plastic disposal piping bag, being careful to keep the...

Sweet fall apples, all wrapped up in crispy baked puff pastry. Filled with cinnamon and brown sugar, these baked fall delights are drizzled with caramel sauce right before serving. Perfect for celebrating National #appledumplings Day. INGREDIENTS: 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed 4 small honey crisp apples, peeled and cored, seeds removed 1/3 cup brown sugar 2 tablespoons chopped pecans, toasted 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 4 teaspoons small 3/8” butter cubes, divided 1 egg, whisked 2 tablespoons turbinado sugar To serve: 8 tablespoons room-temperature caramel sauce, homemade or high-quality store purchased INSTRUCTIONS: Preheat the oven to 375˚F. Line a sheet tray with parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, roll pastry into a 14”x14” square. Cut into four 7” squares. Place an apple on each square. In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, pecans, and cinnamon. Spoon the sugar  mixture into center of each apple and fill to the to...

A decadent dark chocolate brownie bottom is layered with a creamy pumpkin cheesecake center and topped with a toasted marshmallow fluff icing. Need we say more? To top it off, we found our cute marshmallow pumpkins at Williams Sonoma. ( www.williams-sonoma.com  or your local store) INGREDIENTS Brownie Layer 6 ounces high-quality bittersweet or dark chocolate, chopped 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped 1 ½ sticks unsalted butter 1 ½ cups sugar 2 teaspoons vanilla 3 large eggs, plus 2 egg yolks, room temperature 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup all-purpose flour Cheesecake Layer 2 packages 8-ounce cream cheese, room temperature ½ cup sugar ¾ cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix) 2 eggs ½ teaspoon vanilla ½ teaspoon of cinnamon ¼ teaspoon of ginger 2 tablespoons flour Toasted Marshmallow Icing ¾ cup sugar or superfine sugar* 1½ tablespoons light corn syrup 3 large egg whites 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract Marshmallow Pumpkins...