Spiced Coffee Cake

I'm not sure where you draw the line between breakfast and dessert, but this is worth making for both.

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Adapted from Better Homes and Garden
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2 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup butter, margarine, or shortening

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

2 eggs

1 1/3 cups buttermilk (or substitute sour milk)

1/2 cup chopped nuts (I used pecans)

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Grease bottom and sides of a 13x9-inch baking pan.

In a large bowl combine flour, brown sugar, and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs; set aside 1/2 cup. Stir in baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg into remaining crumb mixture. Add eggs and buttermilk. Pour into prepared pan. Combine reserved crumb mixture and nuts; sprinkle over batter.

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Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Serve warm.

Upside-Down Apple Pie

Let me preface this by saying: This is the best apple pie recipe - my new favorite! Basically, you make a praline layer on the bottom of the pie plate, lay out pie crust on top, add apples, top with pie crust. Then after baking, flip it over onto a serving dish and let all that caramelly goodness run onto and seep into the pie! MMMMmmm! As we speak, I am eating a piece leftover from yesterday and I think it might even be better today than it was yesterday! Next time you buy a bag of apples that sit in the refrigerator not getting eaten... peel em, chop em, and make this delicious apple pie!

Excuse the messy pictures... but my kids (and my husband) kept sneaking their forks (and fingers) into the pie to get one more bite. It was sure tasty!

Ingredients:

Double Pie Crusts (I cheated and bought)

6 tablespoons butter, melted, divided

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup chopped pecans

1 cup sugar

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

8 cups thinly sliced peeled tart apple (about 1/8 inch thick)

Directions

Line a 9-in. deep-dish pie plate with heavy-duty foil, leaving 1-1/2 in. beyond edge; coat the foil with cooking spray. Combine 4 tablespoons butter, brown sugar and pecans; spoon into prepared pie plate.

In a large bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, apples and remaining butter; toss gently.

Roll out one pie crust and place pastry over nut mixture, pressing firmly against mixture and sides of plate. Fill with apple mixture.

Roll out remaining pastry to fit top of pie; place over filling. Trim pie crusts to 1/4 in. beyond plate edge. Seal and flute edges. Cut four 1-in. slits in top pastry.

Bake at 375° for 50 minutes or until apples are tender and crust is golden brown. Cover edges with foil during the last 15 minutes to prevent overbrowning if necessary.

Cool for 15 minutes on a wire rack. Invert onto a serving platter; carefully remove foil.