Cinnamon Apple-Berry Shortbread Trifle

Disclosure: Thank you to Cost Plus World Market for sponsoring this post. Product and/or compensation was provided to me to share my ideas and tips, however, all opinions are fully my own.  #sponsored #worldmarkettribe #discoverworldmarket #HolidayGetaway

It's a known fact within my family that I have a reputation for making THE WORST apple pies or any pie for that matter.  Ironically, I love to bake.  I can bake a cake, a batch of cookies....I'm even known in some secret circles that shall go unnamed as The Cupcake Queen....but do NOT ask me to make a pie.....trust me.

Considering our house is the 'family gathering' home during the holiday season, I'm always on task to come up with delicious creations.  I love to make my house look as festive as possible, as well.  Since we are at the time of year where we will be hosting and attending more holiday season gatherings and since it's well established that I can't make pie....I turn to a tried and true, easy go to.....DESSERT TRIFLE.  It's like pie, that fell apart, and someone threw it in a bowl and made it look pretty and taste amazing.....am I right???  I'm right.

Preparing to make this recipe, I knew I could count on one of my fave shops, Cost Plus WorldMarket (Pentagon Row – Arlington, VA) to find ingredients to make my trifle along with, the festive decor I was looking for to zshuzsh up my dining room buffet!

It's clearly pumpkin season right now and trust me when I tell you that Cost Plus World Market is rocking ALL the Pumpkin Food right now  So, I might be in the minority, but I feel like fall is the time to apple all the things.  I love apples!  That being said, I definitely wanted to use apples in the trifle, and knew they would need to be flavored properly.

So, I headed to the BakingProducts section of the store and grabbed the ingredients I needed.  All ingredients in hand, I was ready to make my dessert! Cost Plus World Market always has a great variety of Cookies and Cakes on their shelves.  For this particular recipe, I chose a pack of Bahlsen Leibniz Shortbread cookies for my trifle.  

With a few short steps to follow, this recipe is super simple to make.  First step is to peel, core and chop about 6-8 apples.  I know there are different apples that can be used for baking, but I just say  use your favorite.  For my recipe,  I chose Braeburn….because that’s what was on sale! LOL.

Next, combine your apples with brown sugar, spices and vanilla flavoring.

The next step is to add a few tablespoons of butter to a pot, melt it, and add your

 apples, allowing them to cook covered, until softened, between 10-15 minutes.

You will know your apples are ready when you can insert a fork into them…..feel free to taste the apple, they should be tender but not cooked (you want cooked, not mushy – we aren’t shooting for apple sauce).

Once you have cooked your apples through, remove from heat, add your dried fruit, cover and let it sit for about 5-10 minutes.  This will allow the fruit to reconstitute and plump up.

Next, set the fruit mixture aside or allow to cool in the refrigerator.Trifle desserts are simply layers of deliciousness in a fancy footed bowl.  So, not complicated…….just like the Dr. Oetker's Vanilla pudding mixture I whipped up!  It’s super easy, you just add sugar and cold milk, whisk constantly over medium heat until thickened.

Here’s a little tip I learned, it’s important to keep whisking while the pudding is heated.  The directions on the back tell you what to do, but I kind of feel like I somehow missed the memo that it was serious, because I stepped away from the pot for like 2 minutes to find my pudding started to stick to the bottom of the pan!  Luckily, I was able to save it, but had to run the pudding through a mesh strainer to get out a few clumps.

You can’t really see the lumps here but you should end up with a smooth texture. Once the pudding is finish, you can set it aside for a few minutes and cool before starting to build your trifle.

As the fruit and pudding are cooling, you can make a flavored whipped cream easy.  It’s important to use a cool bowl and cold heavy cream.  I like to place a glass bowl in the fridge for at least 10 minutes before I start making my cream.  

To make, add Heavy Whipping Cream and Torani Vanilla Syrup and beat on high with an electric mixer.  Be sure not to over mix or you’ll end up with butter.

This is also a good time, to chop your pecans for your topping….unless you’re allergic to nuts…..then, you of course want to leave them out.

Next you can start building the layers to your trifle, starting with the shortbread cookies.

Next, add a layer of pudding , then whipped cream followed by the fruit.

Continue adding your layers in that order….shortbread, pudding, cream, fruit until you get to the top of your bowl.

You can finish the top with whatever layer makes you happy, I finish with a bit of whipped cream and chopped pecans and topped it with a Bahlsen Leibnitz shortbread cookie!

YUM!

While I was shopping, I also found great fall décor.  I picked up a few additonal items to decorate the buffet in our dining room where we always display desserts and hors d'oeuvres for our family gatherings.  Every year, I make it a special focal point of the room by brightening it up with new décor each season and holiday.

I am SO READY for fall....and this Be Thankful banner will remind us all to always be grateful for the things we are able to have in our life. 

Don't you just love apple cider in the fall?  I do - and I serve it warm in these glass footed mugs....a little cinnamon stick is great for a bit of added spice.  Just swirl it around in your mug for some added flava'!...and I love how the metallic leaves garland set an autumnal tone.

I could NOT pass up these twig branch spoons....they look rustic yet chic....and have a bit of a rose gold hue to them that makes them a winner in my book!  They're perfect alongside the Be Thankful napkins.

You can serve your desserts in these small Weck canning jars and place them on a wire stand for guests to gnosh on their dessert.  They're a staple in my home for easy and mobile desserts and snacks.

 The star of the show is the dessert presented in a trifle bowl of course!!!

Here's the recipe for you to download and print!

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PIN THIS!

Download and Print  Cinnamon Apple Berry Trifle recipe 

Download and Print  Cinnamon Apple Berry Trifle recipe 

Cost Plus World Market is making holidays super fabulous this season and is also offering a Giveaway trip to The Christmas Market in Germany.  Enter here for more details and for a chance to win: www.worldmarketsweepstakes.com 

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Links to Cost Plus World Market items featured in this post: 

Footed Glass Mugs

Two-tiered Stand

Be Thankful Banner

Metallic Leaves Garland

Saigon Cinnamon

Nutmeg

Dr. Oetker's Vanilla pudding mixture

Boyajian Vanilla Extract

Torani Vanilla Syrup

Weck Canning Jars

Trifle Bowl

Rose Gold Twig Spoons

Be Thankful Lunch Napkins

Pumpkin Cheesecake Fat Bombs

It's FALL YA'LL and you know what that means....'tis the season for Pumpkin ERRRTHANG!  Today, I'm sharing a delicious recipe for Halloween/Pumpkin Cheesecake FAT BOMBS for The Cupcake Diaries '30 Days of Halloween' series.

Don't let the name fool you, fat bombs are a tasty option for anyone following a LCHF or Keto-adapted diet.  They're packed with healthy fats and delicious flavors.  If you haven't had one before, you're going to enjoy making - and eating these.  You may remember I mentioned my new way of eating earlier this year (which has REALLY paid off in a major ways....more on that in another post).....A few weeks ago when I signed my crazy self up to participate in the series and share a Halloween recipe....I didn't take into account that Halloween = Sugary treats.  Welp.... in short, I have kicked sugar to the curb (sorta - yet another story for another post) so, after I realized what I'd done, I was sort of kicking myself.  How can I, who no longer indulges in sugary snacks,  share a sweet Halloween recipe?  Well, I soon had a moment of clarity and it suddenly occurred to me; I can easily share a sweet treat with ya'll....and it can be healthy!

Funny thing....growing up I NEVER liked pumpkin anything, in fact, Pumpkin anything wasn't really a 'thing' back then.....unless it was Pumpkin Pie, Pumpkin Bread....oh, wait - I did love me some PUMPKIN SEEDS and PUMPKIN PICKING  -  but that was probably my limit.  Honestly, I was (and kinda still am) a sweet potato girl.  However, these days, with all things pumpkin popping up errrrwhere, I have come to adopt a love for all the pumpkin things.....so, this is how we arrived at Pumpkin Cheesecake Fat Bombs

I created this treat based on a few Fat Bomb recipes I've seen around the web and adapted the filling from a Spiced Pumpkin Cheesecake I've made before.....follow along.....

To start, melt 85% Dark Chocolate with Coconut Spread (you can also use coconut butter).  I personally LOVE the chocolate brand, Moser Roth that can be purchased at Aldi.  It has a great snap when you bite into it and the flavor lingers on your palette!  Once the mixture is melted over a double boiler, you can drizzle about a tablespoon of it into teeny mini muffin cups and refrigerate for about 10 minutes!

This filling is super simple to make.  The mixture is pretty much a one-bowl deal.  Melted grass-fed butter (I like Kerry Gold), coconut oil and cream cheese  start things off and then mix in pumpkin puree, pumpkin spice mix, sweetener, vanilla, and pecans. You can use canned puree or make your own.  Also, if you don't want to use a low carb sweetener, add sugar or honey....I'm not a sugar Nazi....not trying to steal anyone's joy....I'd say about 2-4 tbsp of  either - to taste - should suffice.  I recommend adding the sugar or honey in with the melted butter before adding the puree and other ingredients.

For some weird reason, there wasn't ANY Pumpkin Spice Mix on the supermarket shelves when I was shopping for this recipe.  It could be that I wrote this post a few weeks before it was officially 'Pumpkin Spice Season' and the stores simply didn't have any.  So, I shopped my pantry instead.  I blended my own spice mix by adding fresh ground nutmeg, cloves and allspice to 1 tbsp each of ginger and 2 tbsp of Cinnamon with a pinch of salt.  I had to bust out my trusty muddler to grind up everything, but you can always use a spice grinder if you have one on hand.....I didn't.....and it worked out fine.

If you're allergic, I'm sure I don't have to convince you that you don't need to add the pecans.....but if you aren't and you love them....have at it!

Once all the ingredients are mixed just put a heaping spoonful of mixture into the refrigerated cups. They should stay cool as the chocolate ones tend to melt.   If you prefer to not make these with the chocolate cups, you can add the mix to snack cups.  Be sure to refrigerate these again for at least 30 minutes prior to serving.  They can stay refrigerated for up to 24 hours. If not serving right away or for a few days, it's a good idea to place them in an airtight container and freeze them.  These keto-friendly fat bombs are a delightful treat and can be enjoyed a little at a time if kept frozen.

Print Recipe for Pumpkin Cheesecake Fat Bombs



 

LET'S GET SOCIAL!  Find more celebrations and Halloween fun @cwbdparties on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest

Thanks to Alli of the Cupcake Diaries for inviting me to join in on this fun this year.  You can view more delicious recipes and get printables from the 30 of Days Halloween series.  Be sure to follow along and use the hashtag #30DaysofHalloween.

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