This is a fairly simple recipe that, more than anything else, just requires the dough and fudge to chill in the refrigerator. It’s a great recipe to make in advance, as the completed logs can be wrapped and stored in the freezer until they are needed, and a single batch makes 7 dozen (small and thin) cookies.

Fudge Ingredients:

1 ½ cups chocolate chips
2 tablespoons butter
½ cup sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon orange extract
1 ½ cups chopped pecans or walnuts

Fudge Instructions:

1. In a double boiler, melt the chocolate chips and butter.
2. Once the chocolate is melted stir in the sweetened condensed milk, nuts, and vanilla and orange extracts. Chill for 30 minutes or until firm to the touch.
3. Form the fudge into logs between 12″-15″ long and ½″-¾″ thick. Wrap in parchment paper and refrigerate until firm.

Dough Ingredients:

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, chilled
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon orange zest
1 egg
1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon baking soda

Dough Instructions:

1.  Cut the butter into ½″ cubes and place in bowl of electric mixer.
2. With the paddle attachment, beat in sugar and zest at medium-high speed for about 5 minutes, until light and fluffy.
3. At low speed, beat in the egg.
4. Sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda. At low speed, mix into mutter mixture just until incorporated. The dough should stick together in clumps but not pull away from the sides of the bowl.
5. Roll the dough into 12″-15″ long × 4″-5″ wide sheets ¼″ in thickness on parchment paper and refrigerate until firm.

Final Instructions:

1. Wrap the chilled dough around the fudge logs so that the edges overlap slightly. Press the edges together to seal as necessary.
2. Re-wrap the logs with parchment paper and chill for another hour.
3. Preheat the oven to 375°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
4. After the logs have chilled, cut into ¼″ slices and set 1″ apart on the baking sheet.
5. Bake for 8-9 minutes or until edges begin to brown slightly. The fudge center will remain soft.
6. Cool for 2 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Ingredients:

For the donuts:

1 cup apple cider
3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
4 tablespoons (½ stick) butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
½ cup buttermilk
vegetable oil (for frying)

For the glaze:

1 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons apple cider

Instructions:

1. In a saucepan over medium or heat, gently reduce the apple cider to about ¼ cup, about 20–30 minutes. Set aside to cool.
2. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Add the eggs at low speed, one at a time, mixing each until completely incorporated. Gradually add the reduced apple cider and buttermilk, mixing until combined. Add dry ingredients and mix just until dough comes together.
4. On a floured sheet of parchment or waxed paper, roll or pat dough to ½″ thickness and place on a sheet pan in the freezer for 20 minutes.
5. Add 3–4 inches of oil to a deep-sided pan at medium heat until the oil reaches 350°F (a candy thermometer works great here.)
6. While the oil is heating, pull the dough out of the freezer and cut out donuts using a 3″ donut cutter. Place the cut donuts and donut holes onto a sheet pan and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
7. Line a plate or cooling rack with multiple layers of paper towels.
8. In a small pan, whisk together the apple cider and confectioners’ sugar for the glaze on medium-low heat until the mixture is smooth and the sugar is completely dissolved, then reduce heat to low.
9. To fry, place the donuts in the oil for 60 seconds, then flip them over for another 30–60 seconds until evenly cooked.
10. Drain on the paper towels, dip the top in the glaze, and enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
3 cups quick oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup light brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2-3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and diced into ¼″ pieces

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter, sugars, eggs, and vanilla at medium speed
3. Sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt and mix into the creamed mixture at low speed
4. Add in the quick oats at low speed
5. Slowly fold in the diced apple
6. Scoop onto a greased or lined baking sheet and flatten to ½″ thickness
7. Bake for 10-12 minutes

Update:

Rather than coring the apples, after peeling them, just take slices from the side. Saves a whole lot of time, especially if you’re using smaller apples.

Ingredients:

1 box yellow cake mix, separated
3 eggs
¼ Cup sugar
3 Tablespoons milk
1 jar pumpkin butter (about 1½ cup)
1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
½ Cup (1 stick) butter, melted
¼ Cup (½ stick) cold butter
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ Cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
2. Lightly grease a 9″ x 13″ pan
3. Measure out 1 Cup of cake mix and set aside
4. Mix remaining cake mix with ½ cup melted butter and 1 egg until combined
5. Press the mixture onto bottom of pan
6. Mix pumpkin butter, 2 eggs, and 3 tablespoons of milk until combined
7. Pour the pumpkin butter mixture over the cake mixture in the pan and smooth gently if necessary
8. Sprinkle the chopped nuts over the pumpkin butter mixture
9. Mix the cup of cake mix set aside earlier with 1 tablespoon flour, ¼ cup sugar, and 1 teaspoon cinnamon
10. Blend the cold butter into this third mixture until butter is granulated and mixture has a crumbly consistency
11. Sprinkle this final mixture over the pumpkin mixture in the pan
12. Bake 35-40 minutes or until mixture is set and crumble is a golden brown

When I was at the grocer’s choosing which cake mix to use (the debate was whether to use a plain yellow cake or use a mix for a coffee cake and simplify the recipe — I despise using mixes in general), a girl stopped and gave me some advice. Not at all useful, but advice nonetheless. Where was she when I was wondering what type of knife would work best for dicing baking chocolate?