Pretzel bread soup bowls

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups 110 degree water
1 tsp sea salt
1 TBL sugar
5 cups flour
1 pkg yeast
olive oil (for oiling the bowl)
8 cups water
1/4 cup baking soda
1 egg yolk
1 tsp water
course sea salt

Directions:
Combine sugar and warm water in the bowl of a stand mixer.  Add yeast and let sit for about 5 minutes till foamy.  Add flour and sea salt and mix on low till blended.  Turn the speed up to medium and mix 5 more minutes till the dough is smooth and pulls away from the bowl.  Dump the dough out of the bowl and oil the bowl.  Return the dough to the bowl and cover with a towel.  Put in a warm place and let dough rise till doubled, about an hour.
Preheat oven to 450.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  When the dough has risen, divide into 4 or 5 equal pieces and roll into balls.  Place on baking sheet and cover with a towel to rise a little longer, about 15 minutes.  While the dough balls are rising, boil the 8 cups of water and add the baking soda.  Add one dough ball at a time to the water for 1 minute.  Place back on baking sheet and make an "X" on the top of the bread bowls.
With a fork, mix the egg yolk and water and brush egg mixture over bread bowls.  Sprinkle with coarse sea salt.
Bake at 450 for 12-14 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool on a wire rack.  Cut around the "X" and scoop out the dough to use as a soup bowl.

Salted caramel

Ingredients for salted caramel sauce:

2 cups white sugar
12 TB unsalted butter, room temperature and sliced into chunks
1 cup heavy cream, room temperature
1 TB coarse sea salt

In a heavy bottom 5-6 QT stock pot, heat and whisk sugar on MED heat until it starts to melt.  I kept my heat just a tad below med because I didn't want to burn the sugar.  Whisk, whisk, whisk.   Keep whisking until the sugar is melted and reaches 350 degrees.  Slowly add the butter all at once but be careful it doesn't splatter up out of the pan.  Remove from heat and keep whisking.  It should have a nice, creamy, brown color to it.  Add heavy cream and whisk well.  Remove from stove top and whisk in sea salt.   It should have a beautiful deep brown color to it now and be creamy.  Cool and store in a glass jar or bowl. 

Salted caramel apple crisp

I've been craving something sweet/salty for a couple of days now.  Since apple crisp has been on my brain as well, I thought I'd try to concoct something that would satisfy both.   This turned out much better than I pictured in my head!  Crave no more!  This is so unbelievably good, especially now when apples are ripe for the picking.  Top this with Cool Whip or ice cream.

Ingredients for Apple Crisp:

4 Granny Smith apples, cored, peeled and sliced
1/4 cup white sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup oats
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup Trader Joe's baking mix (or flour)
1/4 cup unsalted butter, cut into pieces
4 Trader Joe's honey graham crackers, crushed
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tsp water


Preheat oven to 350.  Spray an 8 inch baking dish with nonstick spray.  Core, peel and slice apples.  In a mixing bowl, toss apples with white sugar and 1 tsp of the cinnamon.  Pour into baking dish and squeeze  1/2 of a lemon over apples and add 1 tsp water.  In the same mixing bowl, mix oats, brown sugar, baking mix, butter, 1 tsp cinnamon and graham crackers.  Mix with your fingers or a fork until the butter is blended and topping resembles pea sized pieces.  Cover apples with topping.  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until apples are tender.  While crisp is baking, make the caramel sauce.  Caramel sauce is crazy easy to make!  You will need a candy thermometer or one that goes to at least 350 degrees.

Ingredients for salted caramel sauce:

2 cups white sugar
12 TB unsalted butter, room temperature and sliced into chunks
1 cup heavy cream, room temperature
1 TB coarse sea salt

In a heavy bottom 5-6 QT stock pot, heat and whisk sugar on MED heat until it starts to melt.  I kept my heat just a tad below med because I didn't want to burn the sugar.  Whisk, whisk, whisk.   Keep whisking until the sugar is melted and reaches 350 degrees.  Slowly add the butter all at once but be careful it doesn't splatter up out of the pan.  Remove from heat and keep whisking.  It should have a nice, creamy, brown color to it.  Add heavy cream and whisk well.  Remove from stove top and whisk in sea salt.   It should have a beautiful deep brown color to it now and be creamy.  Cool and store in a glass jar or bowl.
When the crisp is done, top with caramel sauce, and/or Cool Whip and/or vanilla ice cream.  Y-U-M!  This is my new favorite way to eat apple crisp!