Apple Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies (Guest Post)

A couple of months ago Nicki Anderson, a health and fitness guru, contacted me to guest post on At350Degrees. She owned and operated the award-winning Reality Fitness, Inc. Personal Training studio, has  authored four health and motivational books (Nicki Anderson’s Single Step Weight Loss and 101 Ways to Motivate Your Clients and Increase Retention), and is a health and fitness contributor to websites, magazines, and newspapers. She’s found delicious guilt-free summer snacks using Stevia–my favorite so far, Apple Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies!

Apple Tarte Tatin (Watch out, Julia Child!)

Bonjour, everyone! I’m home from France with a souvenir for all of you to enjoy: a magnificent Apple Tarte Tatin! Ironically enough, I watched the movie “Julie and Julia” on my plane ride back home, and as Julia Child’s most famous French dessert, it is only fitting that I bake a tarte tatin in honor of one of France’s best known pastries. An Apple Tarte Tatin, my dad’s all-time favorite dessert, makes a fantastic home-baked delicacy that fills the house with the sweet smell of baking apples and caramel!  When the apples caramelize in the pan, they form a sweet syrup that creates a delicious coat around the tart. The tarte tatin is so surprisingly simple to make; you’ll only need a skillet and four ingredients! Paired with a flaky crust and vanilla ice cream (a la mode is a must!), this dessert is totally irresistible! Bon appetit!!

Recipe: Apple Tarte Tatin

**NOTE: Watching your diet? A trick I like to indulge in is freezing Cool Whip to scoop like ice cream; serve  it with a slice of Tarte Tatin and you’ll never miss the “a la mode” appeal!

Mini Apple Pies

When I made the Cherry Lattice Pie for Mothers’ Day, I used the leftover dough to experiment making these wonderfully tasty mini apple pies! They were absolutely fantastic, especially “a la mode” served with some delicious vanilla ice cream!I absolutely loved these mini apple pies– I live for pie crust AND they make perfect individual servings!

Recipe: Pie Crust (See directions below…)

Directions: Cut dough (I used the top of a glass) into rounds and place in a greased muffin pan. Place chopped apples into a bowl and add sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, dried orange peel, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice to taste. Scoop apple mixture into (uncooked) crusts and sprinkle with sugar. Bake until browned; the apples should be fragrant and oozing. Cool on a wire rack and serve with vanilla ice cream/whipped cream!