Foodbuzz recently provided me with some cake mix coupons and I finally put one of them to good use. Although I usually bake from scratch, a good cake mix is always handy and comes together so quickly. And this one looked so fancy — I was excited to try it!

They basically had me at caramel. I decided to add some fresh apple and cream cheese frosting because, well, it just seemed like a good idea. I stirred up the cupcakes, unloaded the dishwasher while they baked, and went for a quick run while they cooled. There’s nothing quite so fun as coming home from a run to fresh cupcakes. I’m just saying.

This cake mix is a lovely thing to have on hand! The apple bits and caramel included make it much taster than your average boxed mix, and adding fresh apple and homemade frosting makes these a treat fit for all of your holiday occasions (sprinkles help too).

Caramel Apple Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

There’s something about homemade frosting that just makes me happy! Usually I make this frosting with both butter and cream cheese, but I’m running low on butter this week so I stuck with cream cheese only. This is how we made it at the bakery, so I knew it would be tasty.

For the cupcakes:
1 Duncan Hines Apple Caramel cake mix
1 1/3 cups water, divided
1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon oil, divided
1 egg
1/2 cup egg whites*
1 medium apple, peeled and diced (I used Jonagold)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 16-20 muffin cups with paper liners and set aside.

In a small bowl, combine small pouch of caramel mix with 1/3 cup water and 1 tablespoon oil, and stir until thickened slightly. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine cake mix, 1 cup water, 1/3 cup oil, egg, and egg whites, and stir until well combined. Fold in diced apple.

Spoon batter into muffin cups until they’re two-thirds full (you should have enough batter for 16-20 cupcakes; I ended up with 19). Drop a heaping teaspoonful of caramel onto each cupcake and swirl gently with a knife. Don’t worry about how it looks; the “swirling” is just to spread the caramel out a little.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until cupcakes are golden brown and spring back when touched. Let cool in the pan for about ten minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

*The box calls for 3 eggs but I substituted 1 egg + 1/2 cup egg whites, figuring the cupcakes would be rich enough with the caramel and frosting. You can go either way!

For the frosting:
8 oz cream cheese, softened**
4-6 cups powdered sugar
splash of vanilla extract

With an electric mixer (stand or hand), beat (the heck out of) cream cheese until it’s light and fluffy. Add a splash of vanilla and beat again until combined. Add 3 cups powdered sugar and beat until well combined. From this point, add remaining powdered sugar one cup at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl and judging the frosting’s thickness after each cup, until frosting reaches your desired consistency. I ended up using about 5 cups, but the amount you use will vary based on temperature, humidity, and what color nail polish you’re wearing.

Spread or pipe frosting onto cupcakes, add Christmas sprinkles if you so desire, and enjoy!

**You can use full-fat or reduced-fat cream cheese, but please, for the love of all that is holy, do not use fat-free! The texture is just not the same, not to mention the taste.

I’ve never made dessert in a slow cooker before, but I kind of couldn’t resist. I mean…sugar, apples, cranberries and oats getting all snuggly warm for a few hours can do no wrong.

I’ve eaten way more of this than I care to talk about. It’s great over cereal, in case you’re wondering. I bought approximately 12 zillion local apples a few days ago and I’m pretty sure there’s going to be a crockpot crumble after-party.

Is there anything prettier than cranberries and apples? Let’s do this!

Slow Cooker Caramel Apple Cranberry Crumble
Adapted from How Sweet It Is

Serves 4 to 6

1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
4 large apples, cut into chunks
1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Topping:
2/3 cup oats
2/3 cup loosely packed brown sugar
1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3 tablespoons softened butter or margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Toss apple chunks and cranberries with salt and cinnamon.

In the bottom of your slow-cooker, mix brown and granulated sugars, then spread evenly to cover. Layer apples and cranberries on top, keeping them in a single layer as much as possible, then adding the rest on top.

Mix the crumble topping together in a bowl, using your fingers to distribute the butter evenly and thoroughly and clump it together. Sprinkle it over top of the apples. Cook apples on low for 4 hours, or high for 2 hours. Turn off heat, unplug, and let sit, covered, for one hour. During this time the caramel will thicken a bit more. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

I eat them out of hand, chopped up on top of my cereal, cooked into instant oatmeal, and sliced with a little peanut butter. And you’d better believe I’m baking with them! This weekend I made baked apple pie donuts and they totally tasted like apple pie. I wouldn’t kid about a thing like this.

We really love donuts, but we don’t love the greasy, slightly sick feeling we end up with after eating them. That doesn’t happen with baked donuts! I think I also enjoy them more knowing that I didn’t just eat an entire day’s worth of calories. And Ryan loves cake donuts, so baked donuts are just working for us right now. And I’m definitely putting apples in them.

Baked Apple Pie Donuts
Barely adapted from MomAdvice

Makes about 8 donuts

1/4 cup lightly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
1 1/2 cups chopped apple (peeled), about 2 regular apples
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/3 cup cold butter or margarine, cut into small pieces
1 egg
1/4 cup milk

For sugar & cinnamon topping:
1/4 cup apple cider
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat your oven to 350°F. Whisk the flour, baking powder, sugars salt and and nutmeg in a bowl. Add the cold chopped butter, cut into tablespoons. Cut the butter with the flour mixture until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with a pastry blender or fork.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg. Mix in the milk and fold in the chopped apples. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture. Stir using a spatula or spoon making sure not to overmix. Place two spoonfuls of batter into a greased donut mold pan.

Bake for 15-18 minutes or until the donuts are just golden. Allow to cool for five minutes. Pour apple cider into a small bowl; mix cinnamon and sugar into another small bowl. Unmold each donut gently; carefully dip each into cider and then cinnamon-sugar. Shake off excess sugar and serve immediately.

Originally I wanted to make a strawberry rhubarb crumble, but then come Sunday morning I couldn’t find any rhubarb, and really didn’t have time to go hunting around for it at multiple stores. So I decided to use cranberries instead. I know it isn’t the same thing, but I had just over a cup leftover in my freezer, along with a good two cups of strawberries, and decided to call it good. I don’t know why systematically emptying out the freezer is so satisfying, but it really is.

I started with Jenna’s crumble recipe and tinkered with it a bit, adding whole wheat flour and subtracting some sugar to try and make it as wholesome as I could without detracting from the taste. It’s a good thing I did, because in less than 24 hours I’ve eaten half the pan. I know, it’s not my finest hour. But if you’re going to eat half a pan of dessert, this is really not a bad one for the job.

Strawberry Cranberry Apple Crumble
Adapted from Eat, Live, Run

This is one of my favorite things I’ve baked…ever. And it was born out of leftover frozen fruit. I love it when that happens. This fruit medley is the perfect balance of sweet-tart goodness, without being overly sugary. Obviously this can be tinkered with; so long as you have about 4 cups of fruit total, feel free to throw in whatever you have in the freezer.

1 cup cranberries, fresh or frozen
2 cups quartered strawberries, fresh or frozen
1 medium apple, diced
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup agave nectar or honey
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
4 T cold butter, cut into chunks

Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly butter an 8 x 8″ baking dish and set aside.

Toss the cranberries, strawberries and apple in a large bowl with the all-purpose flour, granulated sugar, and agave nectar. Pour fruit mixture into the pan.

In the same bowl you tossed the fruit it, combine the oats, whole wheat flour, brown sugar and cinnamon. Using your fingers or a pastry blender, work the butter in until it resembles coarse sand (you still want some tiny butter chunks here though—don’t work it in so much that it becomes cornmeal/pie dough consistency).

Pour the topping on the fruit and bake for 45 minutes, or until golden. Refrigerate the leftovers – it’s just as good cold!

In the midst of a rather ridiculous streak of checking-things-off-the-list, I stopped for a few minutes to mix up these muffins. They are a lovely blend of whole wheat, carrots, apples, coconut, and peanuts (I know, weird). They’re hearty and delicious, and not too sweet for breakfast (not that there is such a thing).

Let’s all start the week on a bright note, shall we? Here, have a muffin and some coffee.

Morning Glory Muffins
Barely adapted from Marci Gilbert

1 1/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/3 cup canola oil
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 medium apple, peeled, cored and diced
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup carrots, shredded
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped*
1/4 cup plus 2 T sweetened coconut

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a muffin pan with papers or spray lightly.

In a small bowl, combine eggs, oil, applesauce, and vanilla, and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugars, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Add egg mixture and stir just until combined. Fold in apple, raisins, carrots, walnuts, and 1/4 cup coconut.

Spoon batter into muffin tin, filling each muffin cup 3/4 full. Top batter with remaining coconut.

Bake for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let muffins cool in the tin for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

*I didn’t have any walnuts in the house, but I did have about eight zillion dry-roasted peanuts, so I chopped some up and threw them in the bowl. I know, it sounds weird, but it worked!

Like this wheat bread, this is a perfect recipe if you’re a little afraid of yeast. Or a lot afraid of yeast. I made this bread at 6,000 feet and again at sea level, and both times it turned out beautifully. If that isn’t a vote of confidence for a yeast bread recipe, I don’t know what is.

Don’t be intimidated by the braid. It’s so easy – easier than braiding hair. I promise. And I have a little sister, so I’ve braided a lot of hair in my day. This gorgeous bread comes together remarkably quickly and bakes up just as fast. It’s perfect for breakfast — or for dinner, as I originally made it. Sometimes a girl needs some bread!

Braided Apple Bread
Adapted from La Fuji Mama via Eat, Live, Run

For the apple filling:
3 medium-size Granny Smith apples
3 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons lemon juice

For the bread:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon instant yeast
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup warm water
2 1/4 teaspoons vegetable oil

For the glaze:
1/3 cup confectioner’s sugar
5 teaspoons milk (I used fat-free)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of kosher salt
Pinch of nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Make the apple filling: Peel, core, and slice the apples into thin slices, then cut the slices in half. Toss the apple pieces with the sugar, cinnamon, and lemon juice. Bake the apple filling in an 8-inch square baking pan (or 9-inch pie tin) for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside. (Note: Do not turn the oven off at this point. You will be using it to bake the finished braid.)

Make the bread: While the apple filling is baking, begin preparing the bread dough. Mix the dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Add the water and oil and mix the dough for 6 minutes using an electric mixer on medium-high speed.

Spray a smooth clean surface with cooking spray and turn the dough out onto the surface. Knead the dough briefly to give it a smooth surface (this will only take several turns of the dough to accomplish). Spray a rolling pin with cooking spray and roll the dough out into a large rectangle, about 12-inches by 16-inches in size. Lift onto a greased baking sheet.

Using a pizza cutter or sharp knife, cut each side into strips about 1-inch wide down each side, leaving the center third of the dough uncut. Spread the apple filling down the middle third of the dough. Fold strips of dough into the center, crisscrossing the filling by alternating strips from each side. Lightly press ends to seal, and straighten out the braid with your hands, if necessary, to straighten.

Bake the braid in the oven for 25 minutes, or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and let the braid cool for several minutes.

Make the glaze: Whisk together the glaze ingredients in a small bowl until blended and smooth.

Brush the glaze in a thick coat over the entire surface of the apple braid while it is still cooling. Carefully transfer the braid to a cooling rack set on a baking sheet (to catch drips) to finish cooling and prevent the bottom of the braid from becoming soggy from sitting in any pooling glaze. Slice and serve.

I’ve been baking this cake since high school and it’s become a favorite dessert among my family and friends. At our wedding rehearsal dinner, our best man talked about this cake during his toast. It’s that good.

This cake comes together very quickly if you have one of those cool things that peels and cores and slices the apples all at once. If you’re like me, and you’re stuck going at it with a vegetable peeler, it still goes pretty fast. And please rest assured, the end result is more than worth the effort.

Applecake

Out of all the times I’ve made this cake, this was my first time to try and lighten it a bit. You know, so that I don’t have to feel guilty about eating it for breakfast. Success! It’s still delicious.

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
1’2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 cup chopped nuts*
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
4 cups apples, peeled and coarsely chopped**

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spread nuts across an ungreased baking sheet and toast in the oven for 5-10 minutes or until fragrant. Don’t forget about them – nuts burn easily!

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, salt, baking soda, and cinnamon. In a small bowl or glass measuring cup, stir together eggs, oil, and applesauce. Add to dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Fold in apples and nuts.

Spread batter into an ungreased 9 x 13″ pan and bake at least one hour, until a steak knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool (in pan) on a wire rack and try not to burn your mouth on the deliciousness.

*I typically use walnuts for this because, well, they’re cheap and taste good. This time around I had some raw cashews in the house and threw them in as well. Yum!

**Four large apples will yield about four cups – use a couple more if your apples are small. My favorites for baking are Jonathan and Golden Delicious, but feel free to use what you’ve got.

Every year about this time, I get the itch to light cinnamon candles and bake apple everything, and these are always at the top of my list. It’s nice to know that some things never change, I guess. The fact that they’re full of whole wheat flour and apples makes them hearty enough for a pretty decent weekday breakfast. Add a hot cup of chai tea and you’re set, particularly for 2-3 religion and/or sociology classes. At least that’s what Amanda and I always thought.

Whole Wheat Apple Muffins
Slightly adapted from Smitten Kitchen

Feel free to use whatever kind of apples you’d like here. Granny Smiths are my favorite, but this time around I used whatever the CSA sent me from Farmer Jimmy (or your equivalent imaginary local farmer). As with many apple recipes, this is also a great use for those less-than-perfect apples – just cut out the bruised or bad spots and you’re good to go. Also, please don’t overbake these! They’ll dry out quickly if you do.

Makes 16 to 18 muffins

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup agave nectar*
1/2 cup brown sugar, divided
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 cup plain or vanilla fat-free yogurt
2 large (or 3 small) apples, peeled, cored, and coarsely chopped

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Grease and flour 18 muffin cups and set aside.

Mix together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon, and set aside. In a separate bowl, cream the butter and add the granulated sugar, agave nectar and 1/4 cup of the brown sugar. Beat until fluffy. Add the egg and mix well; stop once to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl.Mix in the yogurt gently. Stir in the dry ingredients and fold in the apple chunks.

Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, sprinkling the remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar on top. Bake for 10 minutes, turn the heat down to 400°F, and bake for an additional 5 to 10 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool the muffins for 5 minutes in the tin, then turn them out onto a wire rack to cool completely. Keep tightly wrapped for 3 to 4 days.

*If you don’t have or can’t find agave nectar, use a total of 1/2 cup granulated sugar instead. I like to substitute agave for part of the sugar when I can, but you certainly don’t have to.

High-Altitude Notes: Reduce baking powder and soda slightly – use about 3/4 teaspoon each.

I thought I’d found the perfect cookie with this one, but now I’m not so sure. As an added bonus, this is the perfect way to use up the bit of dulce de leche you might have left over. Or at least it was for me.

Caramel Apple Cookies

Makes 2 dozen cookies

1/2 cup margarine, softened
1/4 cup dulce de leche or melted caramels
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 3/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cup diced Granny Smith apple (from 1 large apple)

Heat oven to 375°F. Mix margarine, caramel, sugars, egg, and vanilla thoroughly. Blend dry ingredients and stir in. Stir in apples.

Round teaspoonfuls of dough with your hands and place on an ungreased baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake 5 minutes and then flatten cookies slightly with the bottom of a glass. Bake for 7 to 10 minutes more (12 to 15 minutes total) or until set. Cool on the sheet for about 3 minutes before transferring to a wire rack and cooling completely.

High-Altitude Notes: Bake at 400°F for 10 to 12 minutes (total).

I know what you must be thinking: it’s March, nearly April. Who cares about apples right now? And don’t we all have bathing suits to fit into soon, anyhow? Let me tell you: you need this bread.

Clearly, we all should care about apples year-round, and not just when ciders and pies surround us. And on the second count, this bread is definitely a part of the solution, not the problem.

It’s full of all sorts of things your doctor would wholeheartedly approve of, including a punch of protein and some of that fruit stuff you’re supposed to eat every day. I know, I don’t eat enough of it either.

Trust me on this one. Do a little chopping, a little whisking, and before you know it, you’re a little bit healthier. But you don’t have to tell the kids that.

Apple Walnut Flax Bread
Joy the Baker

Makes one loaf

1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
generous pinch freshly ground nutmeg
2/3 cup buttermilk*
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup grated apples
1/2 cup coarsely chopped apples
1 tablespoon flax seeds
3/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts, divided
cinnamon and sugar for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Grease and flour a 9×5×3-inch loaf pan and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flours, sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg.

In a small bowl, whisk together buttermilk, eggs, melted butter and vanilla extract.

Mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients. Add the grated apples, chopped apples flax seeds and half of the chopped walnuts. Fold to incorporate thoroughly.

Spoon batter into prepared pan and top with granulated sugar, cinnamon and the rest of the walnuts.

Bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Let cool in the pan for 15 minutes then invert onto a cooling rack to cool before wrapping.

*In lieu of buttermilk, I used just a smidge less than 2/3 cup of plain yogurt and made up the difference with milk. It’s not an exact science, but it works for me.

High-Altitude Notes: Decrease baking powder to 1 1/2 teaspoons and baking soda to 3/4 teaspoon. Bake at 375°F for 40-45 minutes.