Cinnamon Candy Apples - Pink Saturday

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...It's hard to imagine a fall harvest without candied apples. While caramel apples have become more popular, the cinnamon variety predates them by 50 years. Candied apples were created at the turn of the 20th century by William Kolb, a New Jersey candy maker. He made them to use as part of his Christmas display and they rapidly became popular with his customers. His approach was simple. He dipped apples into a candy made from sugar, corn syrup, red dye and cinnamon oil. As the candy hardened it formed a glistening shell around the apple and the candied apple as we know it was born. The apples are still prepared in this way. If you are comfortable working with a candy thermometer you'll find these easy to make. There are, however, a few pitfalls that you want to avoid. For openers, make sure your apples are wax free. Since this is not a recipe that can be tasted as it cooks, be generous with the amount of flavoring you use up front. You should be able to find bottled cinnamon flavoring in the spice aisle of major grocery chains. It can also be ordered online. Make sure you use a pot that is deep enough to allow dipping the apples and that sticks inserted into the apples are strong enough to hold them. If the syrup becomes too thick don't be afraid to reheat it and when you're finished dipping, make sure you put the apples down on a buttered baking sheet or parchment paper. Wax paper will melt. Finally, these are best eaten within 24 hours of making. Their appearance begins to deteriorate after that. This recipe will make enough syrup to coat 12 small apples. It may be doubled. Here's the recipe.

Cinnamon Candy Apples...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite inspired by Paula Deen

Ingredients:
1 cup water
1/2 cup corn syrup
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon flavoring
1 teaspoon red coloring
1 dozen wooden craft sticks
1 dozen small firm apples

Directions:
Boil water, syrup, and sugar together until a brown caramel color is reached (at about 250 degrees F on a candy thermometer). Remove from heat and add cinnamon and red coloring. Cool slightly. Meanwhile force a stick into the core of each apple. Dip apples 1 at a time into heavy red syrup, drain well, and place on a buttered baking sheet or parchment paper to cool. Yield: 12 small candied apples.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Caramel Corn - Chasing Delicious
Making Candy in the Spirit of Halloween - The Food Addicts
Mummy Munch - Picky Palate
Caramel Apples - Annie Eats
Candy Compost Bars - Sugar Plum
Cakespy: Homemade Candy Corn - Serious Eats

This post is being linked to:
Pink Saturday, sponsored by Beverly at How Sweet the Sound.

Cherry Cupcakes - Pink Saturday

Photo courtesy of Photobucket - Creative Commons Attribution

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...A bit of chocolate is good for the soul and mine is happy right now. These cupcakes go together quickly and are better for you than most. That's not to say they're better for you than an apple might be, but the folks at Eating Well have managed to reduced the fat and calories and still deliver something you'll enjoy. If you need to take the edge off a sweet tooth, give these a try. I'm happy to report that despite what's been taken from them, enough remains to make these a really nice snack. If you object to the use of food coloring, by all means omit it. It adds nothing but a lovely pink hue to the cupcakes. It is Pink Saturday, so I decided to use it. Here's the recipe.

Chocolate Cherry Cupcakes...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Eating Well

Ingredients:
Cake
3/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour (see Note)
3/4 cup cake flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup canola oil
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup nonfat buttermilk
1-1/2 cups chopped pitted cherries, fresh or frozen (thawed and drained), plus 12 fresh cherries with stems for garnish
Frosting
6 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese (Neufchâtel), at room temperature
1 /2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
1 cup packed confectioners’ sugar
Red Food coloring
Milk for thinning

Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 12 (1/2-cup) muffin cups with paper liners.
2) Whisk whole-wheat flour, cake flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.
3) Beat granulated sugar and oil in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until combined. Beat in egg and vanilla until well combined. With mixer on low, alternately mix in dry ingredients and buttermilk, starting and ending with dry ingredients and scraping sides of the bowl as needed, until just combined. Fold in chopped cherries until just combined. Divide batter among prepared cups (they will be full).
4) Bake the cupcakes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 22 to 26 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.
5) Meanwhile, beat cream cheese, sour cream and confectioners’ sugar with an electric mixer until smooth. Add a drop or two of red food color to tint icing. Refrigerate frosting until very cold, about 2 hours. Thin with milk if necessary to spread on cooled cupcakes. Garnish with a cherry on top. Yield: 12 cupcakes.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Pumpkin Cupcakes with Maple Cream Frosting - One Perfect Bite
Boston Cream Pie Cupcakes - Sugar Plum
Raspberry Cup Cakes - My Kitchen Treasures
Red Velvet Cupcakes - What's for Dinner Across State Lines
Carrot Cupcakes - Christine's Cuisine
Owl Cupcakes - Sinfully Southern Sweets
German Chocolate Cupcakes - Barbara Bakes

This post is being linked to:
Pink Saturday, sponsored by Beverly at How Sweet the Sound.

Not Your Mama's Lemonade - Pink Saturday

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I know you need no reminders to schedule your mammogram. Early detection is currently the greatest weapon we have in fighting this insidious disease. I think you'll enjoy any of the drinks that appear below. Pick one and join me in a toast to the cure. Recipes for the drinks can be found by linking to the source that's listed to the right of each photograph. Here's to the cure!





Taylor Takes A Taste













Mike's Hard Pink Lemonade










Southern Living













The Intoxicologist










Life's Ambrosia











Better Recipes












Coastal Living












Food












Gal's Stuff













Whole Living











Country Living











Kraft Recipes














Pink Lemonade






This post is being linked to:
Pink Saturday, sponsored by Beverly at How Sweet the Sound.

Assorted Creams and Ices - Pink Saturday

We've had an unexpected return to warmer weather here in Oregon. Rather than roast beets or make borscht, I thought it might be fun to reprise some of the pink ices we've featured here this past year. You can link to the recipes to find out how they were made and what we were thinking when they were originally featured. I hope you'll enjoy them.

I've a bit of housekeeping to share with you as well. I've added a print feature to the blog that allows printing of all or portions of each post. I've temporarily placed it at the top of each entry where it can be better seen. I'll move it to a less conspicuous area once folks are aware the function has been added.





Peppermint Ice Cream












Cranberry Chambord Sorbet











Pink Grapefruit Sorbet











Sour Cherry Gelato










Pink Lemonade Granita







This post is being linked to:
Pink Saturday, sponsored by Beverly at How Sweet the Sound.

Grapefruit Sorbet - Pink Saturday

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...This is a light and lovely dessert that's a perfect way to end a heavy summer meal. I started to make this sorbet when ruby red grapefruit juice became available at our warehouse store. There are purists who will insist the ice should be made with fresh grapefruit juice. They are right, but there are times when life gets in the way and shortcuts become necessary. It's also hard to set those shortcuts aside when they are successful. My recipe relies on commercial grapefruit juice, but uses a scant spoonful of zest to heighten the taste of the finished sorbet. I also use vodka in this recipe because it helps prevent the sorbet from becoming impossibly hard in the freezer. This is a trick that works well with all homemade ice cream. I hope those of you who enjoy tart desserts will give this one a try. The recipe was originally develop Chef Chris Green who works for the Viking test kitchen. It is easy and delicious. Here's the recipe.

Grapefruit Sorbet...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Chris Green

Ingredients:
2 large ruby grapefruits, juiced, or 1-1/2 cups pink grapefruit juice
1 teaspoon grapefruit zest (zest before juicing grapefruit)
1/2 cup water
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon vodka

Directions:
1) Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan; bring to a boil and stir to dissolve sugar. Cool completely.
2) Combine grapefruit juice, zest and sugar/water mixture with vodka in a metal bowl. Chill in refrigerator or by placing the metal bowl over a larger bowl filled with ice water until 40 degrees.
3) Pour chilled mixture into container of an ice cream machine and churn until frozen. Scoop frozen sorbet into a container. Seal and transfer container to freezer for several hours to allow sorbet to firm up. It can be kept frozen for up to 3 days. Yield: 4 servings.

You might also enjoy these recipes:
Chocolate Sorbet - Elana's Pantry
Sweet Tea Sorbet - The Runaway Spoon
Mango Sorbet - Family Spice
Cherry Lime Sorbet - Momofuku for 2
Cucumber Sorbet - Healthy Green Kitchen
Bing Cherry Sorbetto - Sticky Gooey Creamy Chewy

This post is being linked to:
Pink Saturday, sponsored by Beverly at How Sweet the Sound.