This is a cinnamon roll recipe with a homemade apple pie filling in the center, topped with a maple glaze. It is truly delicious. I use my challah bread recipe for the dough, as is it velvety and very soft. 

Apple Cinnamon Rolls

INGREDIENTS:

Challah bread dough:

1 ½ cups warm water

½ cup honey

1 tbsp oil

4 eggs

1 ½ tsp salt

1 tbsp sugar

2 tbsp yeast

7-8 cups flour

Mix together all ingredients, except for flour. Add the flour, cup by cup, until the dough comes together enough to start pulling aside from the bowl. Pour out onto a floured surface and knead, adding flour as you go to keep it smooth and not sticking to the counter. Knead for about 10 minutes. Put dough in a large, greased bowl. Cover top with plastic wrap. Allow to proof until the dough has almost doubled, about 1 ½ hours. While the dough is proving, make the apple pie filling below. 

Homemade apple pie filling:

5-6 apples, peeled and cored

1 tbsp lemon juice

3 tbsp butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup water

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground cardamom

dash of ground cloves

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1 tbsp water

2 tsp cornstarch

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1/2 tsp vanilla extract

HOW TO PREPARE:

Chop apples into small pieces and put in a medium saucepan. Stir in lemon juice. Add 3 tbsp butter and turn stove onto medium heat. After the butter has melted, stir in brown sugar, water, cinnamon, cardamom, and cloves. Cook on medium heat, stirring, for about 5 minutes. 

In a small bowl, stir together water and cornstarch. Add to saucepan and stir frequently until thickened. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla extract.

Once the bread dough has risen, sprinkle flour on your countertop and roll out the challah bread into a big rectangle. Spread apple pie filling all over. Roll up and cut into 2 inch wide pieces. Place in very large greased pan OR in two greased 13x9" pans. Cover with plastic wrap. Allow to rise for 30 minutes. 

Remove plastic wrap and bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes, or until rolls are brown and cooked through. 

Maple glaze:

4 cups powdered sugar

1/4 tsp maple flavoring

1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Milk

Stir together the powdered sugar, maple and vanilla extracts. Then add milk, a little at a time, stirring until you reach a good pouring consistency. If it's too thin, add more powdered sugar. If it's too thick, add more milk. Pour glaze over hot apple cinnamon rolls. 

Pecan Pie

 Pecan Pie

INGREDIENTS:

Uncooked pie crust

1 cup sugar

3 tbsp brown sugar

½ tsp salt

1 cup corn syrup

¾ tsp vanilla

⅓ cup melted butter

3 eggs, beaten

1 cup chopped pecans

HOW TO PREPARE:

First, whip up your pie crust. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Next, mix the sugar, brown sugar, salt, corn syrup, butter, eggs, and vanilla together in a bowl. Pour the chopped pecans in the bottom of the unbaked pie shell. Pour the syrup mixture over the top. Cover top and crust lightly/gently with foil. Bake the pie for 30 minutes. Remove the foil, then continue baking for 20 minutes, being careful not to burn the crust or pecans. Overall baking can take anywhere from 50-70 minutes. All to cool for several hours or overnight.

Buttermilk Pie

Just in time for Thanksgiving, I am sharing this recipe for Buttermilk Pie with you! I found the recipe here. When I tried this pie, my first thought was: Where has this pie been all my life?! It is that good.

Buttermilk Pie

Photo found here.

Buttermilk Pie

INGREDIENTS:

1 large (9 inch) pie crust

1/2 cup butter, softened

2 cups sugar

3 1/2 tablespoons of flour

3 eggs

1 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Nutmeg – to dash on top

HOW TO PREPARE:

Preheat oven to 350. Prepare pie pan with pie crust.

Cream together butter and sugar. Once fully combined and slightly fluffy, add flour and eggs.

Mix well. You can use a hand mixer for this, or beat with a fork until fully combined and smooth. Stir in buttermilk and vanilla extract. Mix until fully incorporated.

Pour into prepared pie crust. Dash nutmeg on top.

Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes at 350 – or until done. A fork or toothpick inserted into the middle should come out cleanly. The pie will still be slightly jiggly after baking.

Allow time to cool and set before serving, usually an hour at the very least.

Cream Pie

I absolutely LOVE homemade pudding and that's basically what this is - better than any other pudding recipe on the earth, at least that I've found. We made cream pies every Thanksgiving and any other time the craving hits me. I almost always double this recipe and then make all 3 flavors: banana, chocolate, and coconut.

Cream Pie

In saucepan put:

1 ½ cup sugar

3 tbsp cornstarch

½ tsp salt.

Add:

¾ cup half & half

2 ¼ cup milk

Put on medium heat until it boils. Boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Put 3 egg yolks in a separate bowl and add 3 spoonfuls of hot mixture and mix. Then add to hot mixture. Then bring to boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat & add:

1 ½ tsp vanilla

1 tbsp butter

You can add 1 cup chocolate chips, sliced bananas, or shredded coconut. Pour into 1-2 baked pie crusts. Chill overnight and top with whipped cream.

Pumpkin Pie

This is what I make for Thanksgiving, in addition to the Cream pies. Yum!

Pumpkin Pie

INGREDIENTS:

¾ cup sugar

½ tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp ginger

¼ tsp cloves, ground

2 eggs

15 oz pumpkin

12 oz evaporated milk

Mix together. Pour into unbaked crust. Bake at 425 for 15 minutes. Reduce to 350 degrees, baking for 40-50 minutes or until done. Cool a room temperature.

Apple Pie

This is a great recipe to make with kids. Let them help you cut up all the apples! :) I made this recipe while I was in Ukraine adopting my twins. I made it for a Ukrainian family that I was staying with and before I left for the US, we'd made this recipe 3x! It's simple and so satisfying.

Apple Pie

INGREDIENTS:

¾ - 1 cup sugar

2 tbsp flour

1 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp nutmeg

¼ tsp salt

5-6 apples, peeled & thinly sliced

HOW TO PREPARE:

Mix together. Pour into unbaked pie crust. Top with bits of butter on top of pie and more pie crust on top. Bake at 400-425 degrees for 50-60 minutes or until brown.

Cherry Pie

I'm not generally a fan of fruit pies. At all. But this recipe? Mmm. It's especially good hot with vanilla ice cream on the side or top or underneath or...you get the picture. Try this recipe, it's as easy as pie, and you'll find that making pie isn't so difficult!

Cherry Pie

INGREDIENTS:

2-3 cans pie cherries

½ cup to ¾ cup sugar

2 tbsp flour

1 tbsp cornstarch

2 tbsp butter, cut into bits

Glaze for crust (optional)

1 egg yolk mixed with 1 tsp water

In a large bowl combine cherries with sugar, flour & cornstarch. Fold in butter bits. Turn into pie crust. Top with crust. If glazing crust, beat yolk with 1 tsp water and brush on crust (not on edges) Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes or until pie begins to brown; reduce heat to 350 degrees & bake about 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Pie Crust

I'm not a fan of pie crust, but I am of this recipe and I'm certain that you will be, too!

Pie Crust

INGREDIENTS:

3 cups flour

1 tsp salt

1 ¼ cup shortening

1 egg

5-6 tbsp cold water

1 tsp vinegar

Mix flour & salt; cut in shortening until mixed well. Beat water, egg & vinegar-stir into flour mixture. Equals 2-3 crusts.