Jolene's Recipe Journal

Welcome to Fall Flavors Week! I'm kicking things off with what I feel can sometimes be the "forgotten" fruit of the season, pears. I adore apples, but there's just something about biting into a beautifully ripe pear that makes my heart happy.

There's one thing that's always sure to be a winner at my house, and that's cookies.  I've been making this recipe since 2006, when I submitted it as an entry in my town's cookie contest and won my category.  This post is sponsored in conjunction with #AppleWeek . I received complimentary product from sponsor companies to aid in the creation of my #AppleWeek recipes. All opinions are mine alone. I took that recipe and incorporated some of my favorite new products into it.  For part of the flour, I substituted Flahavan's Irish Rolled Oats. Instead of vanilla extract, I used Taylor & Colledge Vanilla Bean Paste.  And to make the delicious apple filling, I stirred in Chocoley's Gourmet Caramel. I'm so happy with the way these turned out.  The oats give the cookies a great texture.  I also think that oats + fruit make these perfectly acceptable for breakfast!  Using vanilla bean paste instead of extract gives the cookies a much rich...

I hope you are enjoying AppleWeek as much as I am!  It always amazes me to see the creativity of my fellow bloggers and the delicious recipes they come up with each year.  For my second recipe of the week, I wanted to put a fall spin on one of my favorite desserts, cream puffs. This post is sponsored in conjunction with #AppleWeek . I received complimentary product from sponsor companies to aid in the creation of my #AppleWeek recipes. All opinions are mine alone. It all starts with a basic choux dough.  Don't panic.  It sounds fancy, but it's really easy to make.  I make it even easier by beating in the eggs at the end in my stand mixer.  Once it come together, there are 2 ways to get it to the sheets.  You can drop it with a spoon, or you can load it into a pastry bag.  I used a bag this time, which made for "smoother" puffs.  For the "cream" component of my cream puffs, I infused it with Republic of Tea's Hot Apple Cider Tea....

Welcome to Apple Week 2019! This is my fourth year participating in this event, and it's one of my absolute favorites.  I'm kicking it off with these Baked Apple Donuts with Caramel Glaze! I love making baked donuts because it's so much easier than the fried kind. This post is sponsored in conjunction with #AppleWeek . I received complimentary product from sponsor companies to aid in the creation of my #AppleWeek recipes. All opinions are mine alone. I wanted to distribute the apple flavor through the donut, so rather than dicing it up I peeled it and then used a box grater.   Once your batter comes together you can either try to spoon it into the wells of the donut pan or use a ziptop or pastry bag to squeeze it in.  Donut pans are more widely available now, I included links to my favorites down in the recipe card. I personally make 6 full size donuts and then do the rest as minis.  We enjoy the large ones for breakfast or dessert and the smaller ones ge...