Cookie Swap

If there is one thing I really love around the holidays it is going to a cookie swap. For the past few years I have had a cookie swap at my house and attended one at my friend Barbara's too. You can never have too many cookies. I love to see and taste everyones Christmas best, and well to be honest I get mad when people bring something other than there best. I guess one would say I can be a bit of a cookie swap snob.

This year we had some really great cookies. Barbara's tri-colored layer cookies are always a hit, Beth's Hungarian Nut Rolls are delicious, and this year Arlene pulled out a great Chocolate Florentine cookie that I know I will be making soon, just to name a few.



I seem to make something different every year, this year I made some Danish Oatmeal. I love just about anything with oats, and the recipe was light and delicate.

Ingredients

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup oatmeal
1 cup chopped pecans
1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar, or as needed

Directions

Preheat an oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, and salt. In a separate large bowl, mix the butter, 1 cup confectioners' sugar, and vanilla until the mixture is smooth and creamy. Stir in the flour mixture; gently stir in the oatmeal and pecans and lightly mix until combined.
With a spoon, drop about 1 scant tablespoon of dough per cookie onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven until lightly browned, about 20 minutes. Let cool completely before sprinkling cookies with confectioners' sugar.

Get Your Craft On Card Night

Well is was craft night at the Keneally's with the mom's group. The plan was to make a total of 20 cards, 5 different cards, 4 of each and that is what we did. We had a feminine, masculine, girl, boy and a gift card holder.

I put allot of thought into the design of the cards, I wanted them to be creative but not over dressed.

The nice thing for the attendees is I have all of the pieces cut before they get here, it was a little time consuming for me, but those who know me know I love to craft and love to share craftin'.

Marble NY Cheesecake

I had BIG plans to make a Pumpkin Cheesecake for Thanksgiving to bring to my sisters... just as I was about to start mixing my mom walked in and informed me my sister bought one. Panic, no not me, just break out the cookbook and change direction.

I already had the crust done at that point, and that was already an improvised ingredient. The original pumpkin recipe called for vanilla wafers, I had Girl Scout Trefoils. It turned out perfect. I also used lowfat cream cheese, the other recipe was from Cooking Light, it made no difference in the taste or texture.

INGREDIENTS
Graham Cracker Crust
1 cup graham cracker crumbs (4 ounces, 8 whole crackers, broken into rough pieces and processed in food processor until uniformly fine)
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
5 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted, plus additional 1 tablespoon melted butter for greasing pan
Cheesecake Filling
2 1/2 pounds cream cheese , cut into rough 1-inch chunks and left to stand at room temperature for 30 to 45 minutes
1/8 teaspoon table salt
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar (10 1/2 ounces)
1/3 cup sour cream (2 1/2 ounces)
2 teaspoons lemon juice from 1 lemon
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large egg yolks
6 large eggs

Chocolate Swirl
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/4 heavy cream

INSTRUCTIONS
1. For the crust: Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees. Combine graham cracker crumbs and sugar in medium bowl; add 5 tablespoons melted butter and toss with fork until evenly moistened. Brush bottom and sides of 9-inch springform pan with most of remaining melted butter, making sure to leave enough to brush pan in step 3. Empty crumbs into springform pan and press evenly into pan bottom. Bake until fragrant and beginning to brown around edges, about 13 minutes. Cool on wire rack while making filling.

2. For the cheesecake filling: Increase oven temperature to 500 degrees. In standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat cream cheese at medium-low speed to break up and soften slightly, about 1 minute. Scrape beater and bottom and sides of bowl well with rubber spatula; add salt and about half of sugar and beat at medium-low speed until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape bowl; beat in remaining sugar until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape bowl; add sour cream, lemon juice, and vanilla, and beat at low speed until combined, about 1 minute. Scrape bowl; add yolks and beat at medium-low speed until thoroughly combined, about 1 minute. Scrape bowl; add whole eggs two at a time, beating until thoroughly combined, about 1 minute, and scraping bowl between additions. Melt the chocolate chips and cream in the microwave. Once you pour the cream cheese mix into the pan, spoon the chocolate mix onto the top of the cream cheese, a dollop here and there. Swirl with a knife.

3. Brush sides of springform pan with remaining melted butter. Set springform pan on rimmed baking sheet (to catch any spills if springform pan leaks). Pour filling into cooled crust and bake 10 minutes; without opening oven door, reduce oven temperature to 200 degrees and continue to bake until instant-read thermometer inserted into center of cheesecake registers about 150 degrees, about 11/2 hours. Transfer cake to wire rack and cool 5 minutes; run paring knife between cake and side of springform pan. Cool until barely warm, 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate until cold, at least 3 hours. (Cake can be refrigerated up to 4 days.)

4. To unmold cheesecake, remove sides of pan. Slide thin metal spatula between crust and pan bottom to loosen, then slide cake onto serving plate. Let cheesecake stand at room temperature about 30 minutes, then cut into wedges and serve.

Peanut Brittle

Well since I invested in that candy thermometer I feel the need to use it, so this recipe caught my eye in Family Fun magazine.

Peanut brittle has long been one of my favorite candies, I remember as a child loving Planters Peanut Bars.

Over the summer while on a long road trip we stopped at a rest stop and bought some snacks, Tim grabbed a peanut brittle. After we got in the car and blasted it open we discovered it stale and old, what a disappointment. That was the last brittle I had so I was hoping that what I was about to make wasn't going to be another let down.

I had all of the ingredients on hand except for the peanuts. I decided to splurge on the peanuts, I love Stew Leonard's peanuts and at $6.99 a can they are a splurge, but I am worth it. The peanuts were also salted, so I just omitted the salt from the recipe.

Ingredients
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp. salt
3 cups peanuts
2 tbsp. butter
2 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. baking soda

Instructions
Heat sugar, syrup, 1/2 cup water and salt to a rolling boil in a heavy saucepan. Add peanuts. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring constantly, until syrup spins a thread (265 degrees).



Remove from heat. Immediately add butter & vanilla, then baking soda. Beat rapidly and pour on a buttered surface spreading to 1/4 inch thickness. When cool break into pieces. Store in an airtight container. Makes about 2 lb.



Watch your teeth!

Disney Autograph Books

If you know me you know I LOVE DISNEY! We usually plan a family trip once a year to Walt Disney World, and I make each of the boys their own albums to get character signatures. They are easy to do.



I use the Cricut Disney Font cartridge and cut the Mickey heads at 4 inches. The cover is about four layers of cardstock glued together, as you can see I personalize each book for the boys with their first initial. On average I have the book about 20 pages, you could get 20-40 autographs in a book if you use both sides. The stitching on the books is just a white gel pen.



You can then take the pages out and incorporate them into your scrapbooking layouts.

Cannoli Cake

Earlier this week, on election day, my office was bustling with activity. Friends were in and out as we awaited the close of the polls, that's when we get real busy. Now everyone knows that I do alot of baking so one of the guys wanted to know if I could make cannoli's. The light bulb went off, I told him I don't know if I would do cannoli's but how about a cannoli cake. The search was on, I browsed through quite a few recipes and found one on the Sargento website that really caught my eye.

The recipe said to mix the ingredients with a mixer, I have to tell you next time around I will use a food processor. I wasn't that excited about the consistency of the cannoli cream, I felt it should have been smooth, but the taste was spot on delicious.

I also wanted to share some insight to my photos of this cake. Since this cake was a work request I wanted to take the pictures there. My office is not glamorous, my desk is piled with work. We use paper plates and cut with plastic. It was hard to get the cake there and be pretty. I transported the whipped cream separately and opted to frost it at its final destination, that is the real reason for a half frosted cake. Too much mess for my desk.




Cannoli Cake

Ingredients
4 eggs
2/3 cup sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, melted and cooled
1/4 cup chopped semisweet chocolate
1 recipe Ricotta Filling
1 recipe Whipped Cream Frosting
Fresh berries or candied cherries, for garnish
Ricotta Filling:
2 cups (15 oz.) Sargento® Part-Skim Ricotta Cheese
3 Tbsp. sugar
1-1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup whipping cream, whipped
1 cup semisweet mini chocolate chips
Whipped Cream Frosting:
2 cups whipping cream
2 Tbsp. confectioners sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Directions
Beat eggs and sugar on medium speed in bowl with an electric mixer 5 minutes or until thick. Gently fold in flour and butter; pour into greased and floured 8-inch round cake pan. Bake in preheated 350°F oven 40 minutes or until cake feels firm when touched in center. Cool in pan 5 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely on wire rack.

To make Ricotta Filling: Beat Ricotta cheese, sugar and vanilla on medium speed in bowl with electric mixer 3 minutes. Fold in whipped cream and chocolate chips.
To make Whipped Cream Frosting: Beat cream on high speed in bowl with electric mixer until soft peaks form. Beat in sugar and vanilla.

Cut cake in half horizontally using sharp serrated knife. Cut each layer in half again horizontally. Place 1 layer on serving platter; spread with one-third Ricotta filling. Repeat procedure, ending with cake layer. No sooner than 6 hours before serving, frost sides and top of cake with all but 1 cup frosting. Decorate with remaining frosting, chopped chocolate and fruit. Refrigerate until serving time.

Helpful Tips
This recipe produces a very dense cake layer. The only leavening is the air incorporated into the eggs when beaten. For best results, eggs should be at room temperature before beating with sugar.



I think Sean enjoyed his cake. Any more requests?

Shadow Box

Recently one of Francis' teachers became a grandmother, Miss Tracy has been very dear to us so I wanted to make something special for the baby. I decided to make a shadow box with her name in it.

The plan required going to Michaels to find the prefect frame. The easy part turned out to be not so easy. Originally I planned to buy six small shadow boxes to put each letter in, I couldn't find the package of three shadow boxes that I had seen in the past. So I looked at the rest of the selection which was large but lots of black frames, not real good for a baby, lots of frames that were not well put together. Finally I decided on a brushed antique nickel frame.

I had decided on the paper rather quickly. The paper I choose was pretty but not baby-ish, something that can be kept for years to come.



For the font I went with the Plantin School, the letters are classic. I made the letters with four layers, three layers cut with the shadow option and the top layer regular. The letters are cut at 4 inches, originally I cut a set of letters at 5 inches, what was I thinking, too big. Between layers 1-2, and 2-3 I used foam tape to gave them some definition.

After I assembled most of it I knew I wasted to add some bling, so I opted for pearls in each of the flower centers.

Why all the hype?

I have seen on TV, in magazine and on other blogs homemade marshmallows. Everyone raves about them about how delicious they are and how they would never buy another marshmallow again. So I figured it was time I saw for myself what all the hype was about.

The ingredients were fairly basic, had all on hand at home. Equipment needed required a new purchase, a candy thermometer, which I guess is a good item to have. Once in a blue moon when I am going to deep fry something I guess that the oil is the right temperature, now I can actually tell.



I followed the directions to a "T", candy making seems somewhat scientific. The hard part was spreading it into a pan, I could not get it smoothed out at all. The oiled spatula was a sticky mess to say the least and I couldn't even get allot of the marshmallow out of the mixing bowl. I allowed them to sit for about 6 hours then I cut them up using the pizza wheel, that went smoothly. A little sticky getting all the sides of the marshmallows coated in the powdered sugar/cornstarch mixture.

The kids were pretty curious about my "concoction", when I told them they were marshmallows they both sampled. Dan gave a thumbs up, while Francis just kept coming back asking for more, I guess that kind of said it all. My take on them was they were good, but not something I would need to whip up on a regular basis. I am going to try them in hot chocolate and toasted over a fire, maybe done that way will sway me to be a homemade marshmallow lover, but for now I can live with store bought.





Ingredients
3 packages unflavored gelatin
1 cup ice cold water, divided
12 ounces granulated sugar, approximately 1 1/2 cups
1 cup light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
Nonstick spray
Directions
Place the gelatin into the bowl of a stand mixer along with 1/2 cup of the water. Have the whisk attachment standing by.

In a small saucepan combine the remaining 1/2 cup water, granulated sugar, corn syrup and salt. Place over medium high heat, cover and allow to cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Uncover, clip a candy thermometer onto the side of the pan and continue to cook until the mixture reaches 240 degrees F, approximately 7 to 8 minutes. Once the mixture reaches this temperature, immediately remove from the heat.

Turn the mixer on low speed and, while running, slowly pour the sugar syrup down the side of the bowl into the gelatin mixture. Once you have added all of the syrup, increase the speed to high. Continue to whip until the mixture becomes very thick and is lukewarm, approximately 12 to 15 minutes. Add the vanilla during the last minute of whipping. While the mixture is whipping prepare the pans as follows.

For regular marshmallows:
Combine the confectioners' sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl. Lightly spray a 13 by 9-inch metal baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Add the sugar and cornstarch mixture and move around to completely coat the bottom and sides of the pan. Return the remaining mixture to the bowl for later use.

When ready, pour the mixture into the prepared pan, using a lightly oiled spatula for spreading evenly into the pan. Dust the top with enough of the remaining sugar and cornstarch mixture to lightly cover. Reserve the rest for later. Allow the marshmallows to sit uncovered for at least 4 hours and up to overnight.

Turn the marshmallows out onto a cutting board and cut into 1-inch squares using a pizza wheel dusted with the confectioners' sugar mixture. Once cut, lightly dust all sides of each marshmallow with the remaining mixture, using additional if necessary. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.

Make & Takes

One of the things I love about going to crops are the Make & Takes, little projects that help showcase some of the products one of the vendors at the event might be selling. The most recent crop I went to had a few make and takes, a scrapbook layout, a Christmas card, a Halloween treat box and a glittery diecut pinecone.



This card is a stamped image that I colored in with watercolor pencils and markers. In order to smooth out the pencil/marker lines we used a blender pen that gets filled with water and makes the colors look like it has been painted with water colors.




The treat box was real cute. The box itself was cut out of a piece of cardstock using a Sizzix. The hardest part of the box was the creases and getting it folded. I couldn't really get it folded perfectly but neither could anyone else, so I decided to use the ribbon to pull the rest of the sides closed. The image was stamped and cut out with a circle punch then backed with a scallop punch. Cute right!


The pinecone was a die cut from the Cricut that was already cut out for us to use. This was a real easy project with real pretty results, you could probably even do this with kids. We used a pen adhesive and just "colored" in the whole pinecone with the glue and sprinkled on the glitter. Simple!

Guinness Stew

Believe it or not this recipe came from a Disney Food Blog, you can actually find this stew in Epcot at the Rose & Crown Pub. With the weather getting cooler stew is a good stick to the bones dinner, and easy to make too. I had most of the ingredients on hand all I needed was a bottle of Guinness, which I was able to pick up the one bottle I needed at the local beer distributor. I didn't feel like spending $10 on a six pack in case I didn't really like it and I wasn't sure if anyone would drink what I had left over.I made this stew on the stove but I am sure would do just as well in the crockpot.

I followed the original posted recipe but then had to make some small variations. The original recipe calls for no flour, so I did wonder how this stew was going to thicken up. So at the end I added some Wondra as a thickener. I also doubled the amount of Guinness, I wasn't just going to pour it down the drain or drink it at home by myself.

Ingredients:
2 pounds sirloin cubes
1 ounce olive oil
1 dry bay leaf
8 ounces diced onions
4 ounces diced carrots
½ ounce chopped garlic
2 teaspoons fresh thyme
2 teaspoons fresh rosemary
¼ teaspoon red chili flakes
8 ounces Guinness stout
1 quart beef broth

You start by cubing the meat in equally sized cubes. Brown the meat in olive oil in a large pot. Once meat is browned on all sides add bay leaf, onion and carrots. Cook until onions are translucent.

Add garlic, thyme, rosemary, chili flakes and Guinness. Cook for 5 minutes, then add the broth and bring to a boil.



Reduce heat and simmer for at least an hour, or until meat and carrots are tender.

Grandma's Rice Pudding

Fall to me really is time to cook, time to get out your comfort food recipes that you didn't want to heat the house up for in August. Not only is this rice pudding recipe delicious it is also real easy. If you can turn the oven on and dump things into a casserole dish that you can make this rice pudding.

Rice Pudding
Combine all of the below ingredients in a low and wide casserole dish, it will work better than tall and deep.


1/2 Cup of Uncooked Rice


3/4 Cup of Sugar (I had some extra cinnamon sugar I used)


1 Cup of Heavy Cream


4 Cups 2% Milk


Place in a 325 Degree oven for 2 hours without stirring. It will be golden. Serve warm or cold.

Turkey Pot Pie with Savory Crumb Topping

With all the rainy days we have been having and the weather turning cooler I feel the need to start cooking some comfort food. What is cozier than pot pie? This isn't just any pot pie, but a crumb topped pot pie. I had never had nor made one before, but it sounded delicious. Once again another recipe from Cook's Illustrated.

The recipe looks more complicated than it actually is. I served it with farmer's market green beans and actually was too busy digging in that I forgot to take a picture of it plated. It truly was a savory delicious dish.

INGREDIENTS

Filling
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless turkey breasts and/or thighs
3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion , chopped fine (about 1 cup)
3 medium carrots , peeled and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices (about 1 cup)
2 small celery ribs , chopped fine (about 1/2 cup)
Table salt and ground black pepper
1 teaspoon soy sauce (see note)
1 teaspoon tomato paste (see note)
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup whole milk
2 teaspoons juice from 1 lemon
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley leaves
3/4 cup frozen baby peas

Crumble Topping
2 cups (10 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon table salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
6 tablespoons unsalted butter , cut into 1/2-inch cubes and chilled
1 ounce Parmesan cheese , finely grated (about 1/2 cup)
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream

INSTRUCTIONS

1. FOR THE CHICKEN: Bring chicken and broth to simmer in covered Dutch oven over medium heat. Cook until turkey is just done, 8 to 12 minutes. Transfer cooked turkey to large bowl. Pour broth through fine-mesh strainer into liquid measuring cup and reserve. Do not wash Dutch oven. Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 450 degrees.

2. FOR THE TOPPING: Combine flour, baking powder, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper in large bowl. Sprinkle butter pieces over top of flour. Using fingers, rub butter into flour mixture until it resembles coarse cornmeal. Stir in Parmesan. Add cream and stir until just combined. Crumble mixture into irregularly shaped pieces ranging from 1/2 to ¾ inch each onto parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Bake until fragrant and starting to brown, 10 to 13 minutes. Set aside.

3. FOR THE FILLING: Heat 1 tablespoon oil in now-empty Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion, carrots, celery, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper; cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until just tender, 5 to 7 minutes. While vegetables are cooking, shred chicken into small bite-size pieces. Transfer cooked vegetables to bowl with turkey; set aside.

4. Heat remaining tablespoon oil in empty Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Remove cover and stir in soy sauce and tomato paste. Increase heat to medium-high and cook, stirring frequently, until liquid has evaporated, and dark fond begins to form on surface of pan, about 5 minutes. Transfer mushrooms to bowl with chicken and vegetables. Set aside.

5. Heat butter in empty Dutch oven over medium heat. When foaming subsides, stir in flour and cook 1 minute. Slowly whisk in reserved chicken broth and milk. Bring to simmer, scraping pan bottom with wooden spoon to loosen browned bits, then continue to simmer until sauce fully thickens, about 1 minute. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice and 2 tablespoons parsley.

6. Stir turkey-vegetable mixture and peas into sauce. Pour mixture into 13 by 9-inch baking dish or casserole dish of similar size. Scatter crumble topping evenly over filling. Bake on rimmed baking sheet until filling is bubbling and topping is well browned, 12 to 15 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining tablespoon parsley and serve.

National Card Making Day

Yes there actually is such a thing. I saw something on Facebook from Archivers about it, so of course I googled it, and sure enough there is such a thing. So as things winded down around the house I busted out some stamps, ink and paper and got to work. I didn't go to crazy as I tend to make a mess once I get going and I didn't wan to spend allot of time cleaning up. Just two cards to say I participated in this national day, I find it a far stretch to call it a holiday.




These cards were not my favorite, I felt like the were missing something, so I may still add some ribbon and brads. I did use some ruby red stickles on the cherries and dish for some bling. I was trying to make a "fun" card, but don't feel like it was a success.

Just some cards...Beautiful Day & Smiles

Tonight I felt inspired to break out some card making supplies and whip up a few birthday and thank you cards.




Recently I had gotten some new punches too that I knew I wanted to incorporate onto the cards. I started with choosing the colors, and coordinating the paper with the stamp pads. I went with a celery, plum and pink; I just love that combination. For the stamp sets I went with some florals to go with the "girly" colors, Beautiful Day and Smiles.

Carmel Apple Muffins

I had plenty of apples left from the apple picking we had done. I really wanted to make some sort of muffins with the apples but I couldn't find a recipe that appealed to me until I visited Chocoholic Anonymous to look at another recipe when this one caught my eye.

I made the batch and the house smelled abosolutely delicious. The recipe makes 24 muffins, more than this family could possibley eat which is okay for me because I just love to share my baked goods with my co-workers. They were a real hit for me and for them, this recipe is a keeper.

*Pecan Streusel Topping*
1/3 cup toasted pecans, chopped
1/3 cup flour
3 tbsp butter, room temperature
1/4 cup quick oats
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp cinnamon

*Muffins*
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 1/2 cups diced apple
2 tsp lemon juice
3/4 cup sour cream
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup caramel topping
1/4 cup milk
2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup butter
1/2 cup + 1/4 cup granulated sugar (divided use)
4 large eggs, separated
1 1/2 tsp vanilla


Preheat oven to 350°F and grease 2 standard muffin tins (12 cups each) or line with paper muffin cups.

Place all of the ingredients for the pecan streusel topping in a medium bowl. Using a pastry cutter or your fingers mix the butter into the dry ingredients until you have a mixture resembling coarse crumbs. Set aside.

In a small bowl mix together the diced apple, cinnamon, nutmeg and lemon juice until the apples are well coated. Set aside.

In a medium bowl mix together the sour cream and baking soda, set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer cream together 1/2 cup sugar and the butter.

Beat in egg yolks two at a time, mixing completely after each addition.

Stir milk and caramel into the sour cream mixture.

Set your mixer on low and alternate adding flour and caramel mixtures. Mix just until combined; do not over mix.

In another bowl beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Continue beating while gradually adding the remaining 1/4 cup sugar. Beat until stiff and glossy.

Fold 1/3 of the egg whites into the batter to lighten it. Fold in the remainder of the egg whites until just barely combined (some white may show in the batter).

Gently fold in the apple and spice mixture.

Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tins filling about 2/3 full.

Sprinkle about 1 tbsp of streusel topping over the batter in each cup.

Place the pans in the heated oven for 16-18 minutes or until the tops are golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out with a few moist crumbs.

Store in a sealed container.