Honey, these are a true hit for any party or get together you’re having. With the holidays coming—this would be the perfect dessert with a side of ice cream!

Yummy!

The recipe is quite very simple. I know for pastry, this is quite intimidating, but I promise you—you can make them and do it well!

Ingredients:

For Pastry:

4 cups of flour

1 stick butter chilled

1 tbsp salt

1 cup of water

For Filling:

4 pink lady apples, peeled, cored and cubed

2 tbsp cinnamon

1/2 cup sugar to taste

2 qt oil for frying

Directions:

To make the pastry: Sift flour and salt together in a large bowl. Cut in shortening with 2 knives or a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Add cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with a fork, until flour mixture is moistened. Do not add more water than you need: when you squeeze a handful of moistened pastry mixture, it should form a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

To make the filling: Place apples in a saucepan. Combine sugar and cinnamon; pour over apples and toss to coat. Cook, covered, in a saucepan on low heat until soft; mash with a fork to make thick applesauce. Set aside to cool.

Roll dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/8-inch thick; cut out eight 4-inch rounds with a large cookie cutter.

Place 1 heaping tablespoon of applesauce in the center of each pastry round. Moisten edges with cold water, fold in half, and press the edge with a fork to seal. Repeat with remaining pastry and filling.

Heat oil in a deep fryer or large saucepan to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

Lower pies carefully into the hot oil in batches. Fry until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Repeat with remaining pies.

Variations:

You can do these with different types of fruit, it doesn’t have to be just apples!

Classic—as a kid I loved a good chocolate whoopie pie, but my love of fall inspired this awesome treat.

It’s no secret that I am not a fan of pumpkin flavor, but this takes it up a notch. The cream cheese mixed in with the pumpkin batter makes it taste like a pumpkin roll without it being in roll form.

These are perfect wrapped in plastic wrap and packed in kids lunches or even an afternoon treat at the office.

Ingredients:

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 Tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
• 2 cups pure pumpkin purée, (one 15 oz can)
• 2 cups packed light brown sugar
• ¾ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Cream Cheese Filling

• 1 cup (225 g or 8 oz) block cream cheese, room temperature
• ¼ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
• ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350℉. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
• In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and pumpkin pie spice. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer (or using a hand mixer), beat butter and brown sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minute. Add pumpkin, eggs and vanilla. Mix until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
• Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix just until combined.
• Use a medium cookie scoop to transfer batter to prepared pan, leaving 2 inches of space between each scoop Bake at 350℉ for about 12 to 14 minutes. They are done when they are soft and slightly springy. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
  In the bowl of a stand mixer (or using a hand mixer), beat cream cheese and butter until creamy. Add confectioners’ sugar and mix until combined.
• Finally, mix in vanilla and a pinch of salt.
  
• Transfer frosting to a piping bag fitted with desired tip. Match up the whoopie pies so the pairs are similar size. Pipe frosting to the bottom of one cookie, then press the bottom of the matching cookie gently on top to create a sandwich. Repeat with remaining cookies.

In my corporate job, my dear work friend Anna, shared this recipe with me. She knows I am not a fan of a lot of pumpkin flavors. So I tried this and I fell in love! This is great for a day in the kitchen in your own solitude.

You’ll need quite a few ingredients for this recipe, but I promise you it will be so worth it once your grandkids take a bite! ❤️

Ingredients:

Cookies:

• 2 sticks (16 tablespoons) butter, softened
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cups rolled oats
• 3/4 cup shredded carrot

For the icing:

• 8 oz cream cheese, softened
• 1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter, softened
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

For the cookies:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter, sugar and brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about a couple minutes. Reduce the speed to low and add in one egg at time, making sure to wipe down the sides of the bowl in between each addition. Mix in the vanilla extract.
2. Add in the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and oats on low speed until combined and a cookie batter has formed. Gently mix in the shredded carrot until combined. Using a medium-sized cookie scoop, scoop the cookie batter out onto baking sheets, placing them a couple inches apart.
3. Bake for 11-12 minutes, or until the cookies are slightly golden brown. Let the cookies cool slightly on the baking sheets before transferring them to a cooling rack to cool completely.

For the icing:

In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the cream cheese and butter on medium speed until smooth, about a couple minutes. Reduce the speed to low and add in one cup of powdered sugar at a time until a smooth frosting forms.Mix in the vanilla extract.

Assembling:

Once the cookies are completely cooled, flip half of the cookies over and evenly spread about a 1-2 tablespoons of the frosting on each bottom, stay away from the edges of the cookies. Top each frosted bottom with a cookie top and gently push together to form a frosted cookie sandwich. The frosting should be evenly at the sides and not spilling out. Enjoy!

Y’all these are so yummy! You’ve gotta make them a part of your fall favorites—especially if you love carrot cake.

With Fall right around the corner, my love for good peanut butter heightens. Chocolate is one of my favorite guilty pleasures! If you love those two things, you’re gonna love this recipe!

It’s real simple y’all! this recipe doesn’t require a lot of work, just a little bit of time.

If you know anything about southeastern Virginia, it’s the peanut capital of the world; and honey, do we love our peanut butter!

Nanny used to make this pie all the time. I remember her bringing it to family get togethers and boy did she love Reese’s cups!

Let’s Get Started Y’all!

Ingredients:

4 heaping tablespoons of peanut butter

1 tablespoon Honey

1 1/2 cup or rice crispy cereal

2 pkgs chocolate pudding

3 cups skim milk

4 tablespoons of whipped topping

1 Oreo or chocolate pie crust

Directions:

In a bowl, combine peanut butter and honey. Microwave on high for 20 seconds. Stir in cereal. Press into 9” chocolate pie shell and chill.

Prepare pudding with milk according to the package directions. Spread over the pie and chill. Top with whipped topping and mini Reese’s cups. Optional: top off with caramel syrup!