Cranberry White Chocolate Tarts

It was a weekday and I awoke just like every other morning, groggy and wiping the sleep from my eyes. I followed my typical routine—getting dressed and eating breakfast—before walking out the door. But my morning's familiarity ended here. The first snow had fallen to the ground while I slept and, for once, the snowflakes gathered, leaving the homes and streets white and sparkling.

Yawning, I drove away, making the first tracks in the pristine snow.

Working a baker's hours means I get to greet the morning long before it first hits light. As I walked the rest of the way to work under the falling snow, my feet left the first imprints on the day. The world was silent, still in bed, with the covers pulled up to its chin and dreams still filling its head. It felt surreal, surrounded by all this beauty, with no one to share in it but me.

I opened the shop and assembled the ingredients for the morning's pastries, the drifting snowflakes just visible through the storefront window. The music from the radio and the hum of the refrigerator harmonized, while the rotating blades of the stand mixer clashed, creating a familiar dissonance that has started to define my mornings. Once I get the first pastries in the oven, the smell of baking scones begins to fill the air. The scent slips out under the door and slowly drifts down the city streets.

The first customers of the day often tell me that the scents from the bakery lure them in, making the cold streets just a little bit warmer as they begin their day.

Though I dread waking so early in the morning (and oh do I dread it), once I find myself in the comfort and warmth of the bakery the world seems to make just a little more sense. My hair may be disheveled and my apron covered with flour, with dried dough hidden on my forearms and cemented to my fingernails, but this is the reason it's worth it to wake up so early in the morning. This feeling.

And though I can't explain it, it just feels right.

These Cranberry White Chocolate Tarts are fresh and colorful, with no shortage of flavor. Almond shortbread tart crusts are filled with a thin layer of white chocolate and topped with another layer of cranberries, combining three flavors I've grown to love together over the last month. I topped the tart with the simple homemade cranberry sauce I shared with you recently and it was a perfect match. If you are looking for last minute dessert ideas for the upcoming holidays, this is an easy and delicious choice. These are even perfect to make after the holiday, if you find yourself with some leftover cranberry sauce.

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Caramel Apple Tart

I love caramel apples. In fact, they make the short list of my not-so guilty pleasures. Around autumn, I slowly begin to have a singular focus for those sweet bites of heaven on a stick. Eventually it builds to a climax and I suddenly find myself in the candy aisle buying sweets I never allow myself to buy the rest of the year. Butterfingers, Twix bars, M&Ms, roasted peanuts, Snickers bars, toffee...

I turn into a sugar monster, leaving the store with an extra fifteen thousand calories in tow.

Unfortunately for me, I have only successfully made caramel apples once, long ago, before I had a place to share beautiful food with you. Once. Nevertheless, my caramel apple cravings don't cease. Every year I give them another try, if not twice or thrice, hoping this will be the year they turn out. I can gather the apples, freshly picked from trees, and buy copious amounts of sugar and chocolate, but I can never seem to get the caramel to hug the apples. Instead, it sinks to the bottom of the apples forming sweet, mournful puddles.

The recipe doesn't seem to matter, nor does the intensity in which I watch the mercury rise in my candy thermometer. Perhaps I am cursed, never to produce beautiful caramel apples again (though beautiful or not, those sweet apples are promptly devoured anyway).

So this year, after my caramel apples failed to turn out yet again (curse you, caramel apple gods!), I turned to new ideas and recipes to share this flavor combination with you. Perhaps the saving grace to come out of this sad situation is that, if I didn't have such poor luck with caramel apples, these gorgeous tarts may have never been born.

Now that would be truly devastating. The world needs more cinnamon apples drowned in an orange citrus caramel overflowing a sweet, almond shortbread crust. Don't you agree?

These Caramel Apple Tarts are a perfect treat served warmed on a cold fall day. Apples are coated in cinnamon and orange zest before being covered in an orange citrus caramel and set in an almond shortbread crust to bake. The hint of orange really lends a greater depth of flavor to these tarts. Though the recipe may appear intimidating in length, the steps are not difficult. I simply went into greater detail than usual to help you along the way.

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S'mores Pie

The end of summer is sneaking up on me. I've been spending my days working as a camp counselor. It's been a fast summer. The time flies by rather quickly when working with nearly 70 elementary school aged children; there's never a dull moment with dozens of questions, flurry, and distractions thrown at you all at once. Every night I come home starving, exhausted, and in need of a dose of peace and quiet.

Even so, I wouldn't trade my job for anything in the world.

The final week of camp begins on Monday. I've grown attached to these kids and it will be hard to say goodbye. Many of them have spent most of their summer with me, too. I'll miss them when camp ends—the quiet ones, the silly ones, the troublemakers... Well, maybe not the troublemakers as much (though I suppose we do spend the most time together).

Throughout the summer, I've learned the importance of using Silly Bandz when making a fashion statement. I've been taught that Taylor Swift has song lyrics that can truly speak to the heartache and woes of 8 year old girls ("Love Story is like the story of my life."). 7 year olds can go through a mid-life crisis ("Oh, I think I need to rethink my life"), most girls are hesitant to proclaim their love for Justin Bieber until someone else does first, and it's perfectly reasonable to get into a fist fight over Pokemon cards.

Also, it is possible to lose your underwear and not notice.

I still haven't figured that one out.

Yet, the one thing that holds true about camp, no matter your age or where you are, is that s'mores will always be the number one food to make and eat. After consuming more than my fair share of s'mores over the last few months (I'll have a hard time facing marshmallows again after this summer), I decided I wanted a less messy, more "grown-up" way to enjoy one of my favorite summer treats. Now, tell me, what could be more perfect than S'mores Pie?

I originally made this pie for the sweet finale of a dinner party. Not only was it a hit, but the entire pie was demolished in only a few minutes. My sister and I were both disappointed it disappeared before we got seconds (and you will wish for seconds). When I made it again, I suggested she bring a couple friends over to enjoy the pie. She shot down that idea faster than the first pie vanished—"Share this pie? Are you joking? There's no way I'm going to share this pie."

And so we didn't share the pie. We were selfish and ate it all by ourselves. I don't even feel the least bit guilty.

The moral of the story is that some food is too good to share. This S'more Pie is one of them.

Have you ever found a food so delicious you became greedy and absolutely refused to share?

This S'mores Pie takes the classic s'more and turns it into something so much more than just a pie—it's a graham cracker, chocolate, marshmallow revelation. I actually had tears come to my eyes when I took my first bite. A buttery graham cracker crust is filled with a thick chocolate custard and topped with a layer of toasted marshmallows before being drizzled in warm chocolate sauce. The marshmallow to chocolate layer is just right—you won't overdose on sugar before you finish your slice.

Now, since I know you are going to want to make this, I'm going to let you in on a little secret. The pie is easiest to cut when chilled, but tastes best when warmed. While the s'mores pie is good when cold, it would be a real shame to eat it this way. When warmed, the pie takes on a new texture and flavor dimension. The chocolate custard holds its shape but becomes melted when it reaches your tongue. When combined with the warm toasted marshmallow, you'll understand why tears came to my eyes. Ten seconds in the microwave is all it takes to turn this pie from good to absolutely mouthwateringly I-never-want-to-swallow-because-this-tastes-so-unbelievably-heavenly amazing.

Truth.

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