Deep Fried Apple Pie Bites

As September gets closer, I get more and more excited for fall. Beyond apples, changing leaves and cooler weather, it is also really the start of snowboard season. In September there are video premieres, new products start shipping and  pre-season contests are in full swing. What does that have to do with desserts? Absolutely nothing, except that I have multiple reasons to look forward to September that aren’t just dessert related. Fall is my favorite season, although fall on the west coast is so different from the east coast. But one thing is the same; fall means apple season.

I recently heard about a contest hosted by one of my favorite bloggers, Ashton from Something Swanky. She teamed up with Lucky Leaf for recipe contest featuring their pie filling. I love pie, and I love small sized desserts, so I decided to create bite-sized Deep Fried Apple Pies. These mini “dumplings” are a pie crust, filled with apple pie filling, deep fried and rolled in cinnamon sugar. Oh my gosh are these delicious.

They are packed with some of my favorite flavors including maple and cinnamon. I always add a little maple syrup to my recipes. I used a deep fryer to make these, but you can easily cook these on the stove. This recipe is so easy because you can use prepared pie crust and Lucky Leaf’s apple pie filling.

Lemon Blueberry Pie Cupcakes

Ah, vacation. Yes, I am on vacation for a whole week. This summer has been a busy one with lots of traveling but not really for vacation purposes; I don’t count weddings as vacation. So yeah. I am at the lake for a week trying to bronze my embarrassingly white legs, wakeboarding and eating of course. Speaking of eating, how about some cupcakes?

Perhaps one of the best summer treats is a slice of pie with a big ol scoop of ice cream. Today I combined two of my favorite desserts: pie and cupcakes. These are Lemon Blueberry Pie Cupcakes with a oatmeal crust crumble. I mean, the best part of the pie is the crust for me so I couldn’t forget that.

The lemon cupcakes contain an extra bag of lemon pudding mix for added flavor. Once cooled, the blueberry pie filling is added to the middle and topped with a lemon infused cream cheese frosting. I sprinkled it with the oatmeal crumble. Lemon and blueberry is such a great combination. The sweetness of the blueberry and tartness on the lemon balance each other out. For this recipe, I chose to use canned  Lucky Leaf blueberry pie filling.

Blueberry Pie Parfaits

If you are reading this post, that means I survived the wedding! I can’t wait to tell you guys about it, after I am done sleeping. Except that oh wait, I am heading to Minnesota on Thursday for my cousin’s wedding. It has been about eight years since the family was all together last. A few of my cousins have children now that I haven’t met so I am very excited to see everyone. Back to back weddings, only this time I just get to eat the desserts instead of making them!

With the 4^th of July approaching (I can’t even believe it), I have been on the hunt for easy to prepare recipes that are on the lighter side. The blueberry pie parfaits are layered with crushed piecrust, lemon infused blueberry cream cheese and fresh blueberries.

I love a good blueberry pie, but I wasn’t looking to spend half a day trying to make one. Instead, I baked just the crust by cutting them into small circles and letting them cool. While the piecrust was cooling, I made a blueberry cream cheese with a lemon zest. The layer of fresh blueberries in the parfaits is a great compliment to the cream cheese.  You can make your own piecrust, but since this post is about being easy, go ahead and buy a prepared piecrust.

Gluten-free Raspberry Crisp

I am so thankful for my parents and their green thumbs, I know I don’t have it in me. So for now I will continue to be thankful for the boxes of fruit and veggies they send me in the summer! When I was little, we had loads of raspberries each summer from our garden. I have to say, raspberries are my favorite fruit, with strawberries in close second of coarse.

Today’s raspberry crisps are both gluten-free and easy to take on the go. My serving size for this recipe is for four people, but it can easily be doubled and baked in an 8×8 inch baking pan to serve a larger group. I favor the “crisp” part of the raspberry crisp, so I loaded both the top and bottom full. I made these in small jelly jars so I could pack them up and take to go. It’s perfect for a summer BBQ.

Mini Apple Pies with Gluten-free Crust

Mini desserts are my favorite because I am a fan of tasting. I don’t need a whole cheesecake, or ice cream sundae; I just want a taste. My second obsession is desserts in jars, but more on that later. I started seeing a lot of mini pies popping up all over food blogs and I was instantly intrigued.

If you are short on time, you can buy a frozen pie crust at the grocery store. One box (2 crusts) will make 6 mini apple pies. The recipe I use for my pie crust is from The Pioneer Woman blog,  and by substituting a few ingredients, it is very easy to make a delicious gluten-free crust! Several wonderful friends in my life are gluten-free and it is nice for me to be able to share my desserts with them. Click here for the gluten-free pie crust recipe.

The perfect single serving size!