On a rainy morning in Washington D.C. a couple of weeks ago, I had one of those memorable food experiences–the perfect setting (bar window seats looking out to 14th street, the girls by my side) combined with the perfect pastry–Ted Bulletin’s famous pop tart (so many IG readers told me I had to try it!). It was insanely delicious–so memorable that I wanted to try and recreate a version of it, so last weekend we took a shot and made a fall version–the caramel apple pop tart.

I’ve seen more elaborate pop tart recipes that layer dough, but I wanted something simple and quick so I used my mom’s pie crust recipe because it never fails me. We filled our dough with apples and cinnamon, spooned a little powdered sugar glaze over it and then, once set, drizzled caramel on the top. They were quick and easy to make–the perfect weekend treat, and everyone loved them.

Preheat Oven to 375° F. Recipe makes 4-6 pop tarts, depending on how big you make them.

Pop tart Dough
1 cup flour
1/2 cup shortening
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 cup milk

Pop tart Filling
3 large apples
2 tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
lemon juice

Glaze
powdered sugar
milk
8-10 caramels

I’ve made my mom’s pastry dough so many times, I could mix it in my sleep. Pour the flour and salt in the bowl first, add the shortening, and then thoroughly fork the shortening into the flour until the dough looks like little peas. Slowly add the milk, folding it into the dough with the fork to mix. I always take over with my hands to get it thoroughly mixed, making a big dough ball. For a flakier pop tart, chill the dough first, and then transfer the dough ball to a floured surface. I don’t know if the next step matters, but I follow my mom’s dough voodoo to a T, so here’s how it goes: you punch the dough once and then talk to it like you’re its mother. Tell it what to do and “show it who’s boss,” as my mom says. Then roll it out to about 1/4 inch thickness. Dash was getting a little frustrated that the dough wasn’t doing what he wanted it to do, so Brett came in with Bones to avoid a meltdown. His little smile.

Cut the dough into rectangles (ours were about 4 inches long, but you can make them whatever size you’d like). Brush a little beaten egg with milk to the top of the bottom layer if you want to ensure the filling sticks.

For the filling, peel and chop the apples into small pieces and add cinnamon, sugar and a little lemon juice.

Scoop a small spoonful of filling onto one rectangle and cover it with another dough rectangle.

Seal the pop tart by forking the edges together, and cut a little “x” on the top for venting.

We greased a sheet of aluminum foil on top of a cookie sheet to avoid a messy pan, but next time I make them, I’m skipping the foil because I didn’t grease it very well, and a couple pop tarts were hard to pull away from the foil after they baked.

Bake pop tarts at 375° F for 20-25 minutes or until golden (check them closely toward the end).

Pull tarts out of the oven and let them cool 5-10 minutes before removing them from cookie sheet. In a bowl, mix a little powdered sugar with milk and vanilla (I never measure this) to desired thickness to make your pop tart glaze. When tarts are cool, spread glaze on top. Unwrap caramels and place in microwave-safe bowl with 1/2 tsp water. Microwave in 20 second increments until melted and stir. When glaze is set, drizzle caramel over the tart. The kids loved the caramel glaze, but I think I would have loved it with just a little cinnamon and sugar sprinkled over the top.

Either way, the finished product was delicious and initiated our fall baking season.

Happy Weekending, Friends!

Good Morning! Ambassador of Fall here, checking in for Monday. This is it–the week with the actual first day of fall for those of you who like to follow the rules. As you know, I’ve been rolling out the red carpet for fall a little early to give it a proper welcome, of course. In doing so, I’m happy to report we found pumpkins at Trader Joe’s last week, and we simmered our second batch of wassail for the season over the weekend.

What’s this wassail you speak of, you ask? If you’re not familiar with wassail, basically it’s a hot mulled cider. My mom used to make it, and I associate it with all things fall and cozy. Traditionally, drinking wassail was an important part of “wassailing” in parts of England years ago–a Yuletide ceremony that involved singing and drinking and was believed to help bring a good cider apple harvest the following year. The word wassail actually comes from the Anglo-saxon phrase “waes hael” which means “good health.” This scene in Little Women summarizes all the wassail feels…deliciously cozy. And yes, sometimes when I make wassail, I reenact that scene.

Traditional wassail recipes have evolved over the years, and there are a number of different ways to make and serve it today. Years ago, wassail was made from mulled ale, curdled cream, eggs, roasted apples and winter spices, and was served from large pewter wassail bowls. Today, it usually involves hot apple cider, citrus of some sort, sugar and spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, allspice), and sometimes bourbon or whiskey is added.

I’ve used the same basic recipe over the years (although recently I’ve cut the brown sugar completely out of it because sugar is the dragon, and I am the dragon slayer). My kids finally like wassail too now, and I love that we only drink it in the fall and winter, so they’ll have all those cozy end-of-year memories with it.

Fall Wassail

3 cups apple cider
Juice from 1 orange (or 3/4 cup of orange juice)
Lots of Orange Zest (I love lots of pieces of citrus peel in my wassail, especially once it cooks down)
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cloves
Optional: 1 tbsp. brown sugar, dash ginger, dash nutmeg, bourbon or whiskey
Float/Garnish: 2-3 cinnamon sticks, orange or apple slices, dried apple rings

Pour all that fall goodness into a pot, bring it to a boil, and then let it simmer for a while. Your kitchen will smell like the essence of Autumn.

Make it once, and you’ve already passed Wassail 101 and are ready for Advanced Studies Wassail which involves ditching the measuring and pouring a little of this and shaking a little of that into a pot. You can’t go wrong with variations of the ingredients–it will turn out delicious every time.

Best served with a big wooden ladle.

And how cute are these little pottery cups, perfect little sipping size for the kids. These are The Toddler Cup from East Fork Pottery. Everything they make is beautiful.

Garnish cup with a little apple ring.

I make a pot of wassail with our Halloween chili every year and pour a big travel mug to take trick-or-treating

You know what goes good with wassail? The 2018 Fall Playlist. I curated a big list of songs I’d have looping 24/7 if I were, say, trapped in a cabin in the mountains sipping wassail while I sat in a window nook, watching the leaves fall. You can also play it right from this post. Go ahead, give it a try…while your wassail is simmering.