I’m back! It’s November 30th – which is the last day of fall, in my non-scientific opinion. I thought I’d make one last fall-inspired recipe – caramel apple muffins. I made these a few weeks ago and am just now getting around to blogging about them! They were delicious — but a bit more yummy if served warm!

Caramel Apple Muffins
Recipe Source: Sugarcrafter
Print Recipe

2 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 tsp baking powder
2 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cardamom
1/2 tsp salt
1 egg
1 cup milk (at least 1%)
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped peeled tart apple
12 caramels, chopped

For the topping:
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup quick-cooking oats
3 Tbsp butter, melted
1 tsp cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a muffin pan. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, spices, and salt.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, butter, and vanilla.
3. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in the apples and caramels.
4. Combine all of the topping ingredients in a small bowl.
5. Fill muffin pan cups 3/4 full, and then sprinkle the topping over the batter. (Mine overflowed a bit, so I would suggest filling a bit less than 3/4 full)
6. Bake 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Let cool in the pan 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool slightly. Serve warm.

No recipe for today! My baking projects might slow down in November, mainly for the following reasons:

1. Graduate school.
2. Graduate school.
3. Graduate school.
4. My oven is currently on the fritz. And by that I mean, every time I use it, the screeching and wailing fire alarm goes off. Less than ideal, wouldn’t you agree?

For today’s post I thought I’d answer the top 5 questions I get regarding this blog and my love of baking. If you have any other questions, feel free to comment.

What do you do with all the stuff you make?
I give it to friends, take it to work, eat some of it myself, or cut the recipe in half so I don’t make quite as much.

How do you not weigh 300 pounds?
Surprisingly, I don’t really have a sweet tooth. I have a salt tooth instead. :) That and I run a lot, about 15-20 miles a week — I’m currently training for a half marathon. So it all balances out.

Do you ever write your own recipes?
No. I don’t have the time to experiment or perfect new ideas. And seriously… have you seen all of the amazing cookbooks, food blogs, and magazines out there?! Why invent your own when there is deliciousness everywhere you look?

Do you post each and every recipe you bake?
Yes and no. If it’s a comedic disaster, I will post it — cause I like to keep it real. But if the recipe just turned out to be bland or not recommendation-worthy, I don’t bother writing about it. I think blogging about something that I didn’t like defeats the purpose of this blog.

Would you ever consider opening your own bakery?
No. No. No. And no. I want my hobby to remain my hobby — once it becomes work, the magic is gone.

Sick of pumpkin yet? Too bad. THIS is the bread that changed my mind about pumpkin. I’m slowly starting to like pumpkin, though I doubt I’ll ever be able to handle pumpkin pie! My co-worker Jackie brought this bread into the office and I had a piece – I fell in love. Immediately requested the recipe and had to have more! Thank you to Jackie for sharing this treat with me :)

Pumpkin Raisin Bread
Print Recipe

2/3 cup shortening
2-2/3 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 cups pumpkin
2/3 cup water
3-1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
2-1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
1 cup raisins (optional)

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease and flour 2 9×5″ loaf pans. Mix all ingredients and bake 65-75 minutes.