Apple Picking Fun (With Favorite Fall Recipe)

Since Aiden was a tiny little baby, we have one family fall tradition: apple picking. We have now picked our way through several states, thanks to moving: Connecticut, New Jersey, & Virginia. We headed out again this year and once again, it is a perfect way to embrace the beginning to fall.

We loaded up the car & headed out on a late Saturday afternoon, all ready to go in some new fall clothes. We had fun doing some fall shopping this year at one of our favorite shops, Tea Collection. We are huge Tea fans in our house because their clothes are high quality, and can hold up to lots of play and dirt. The boys are all about finding clothes for comfort & I like to look for clothes with style. Tea Collection is a great mix of both comfort and style. With three little kids, I am a shopper that looks for convenience when it comes to shopping which is often while I shop online, at the computer with the kids tucked in their beds at night. So when I came across the Tea’s clothing sets, I was very excited to find this quick and convenient option. You can buy 3-6 coordinating items together in their sets at a cheaper price, which makes shopping easier & cheaper. Below, I have included links to some of the fun items that we found for fall this year!

“Home on the Range” Clothing Set || Arsenio Happy Hoodie || Estampida Graphic Tee || Lined Cargo Pants

As much as we have loved summer, these boys have been happy to embrace the fun of fall! Apple picking, fall festivals, & the excitement of Halloween brings another favorite time of year for these two.

Once we arrive home from the apple orchards, we immediately start eating & baking with our apples. This year, we decided to try a new recipe: Mini Apple Monkey Breads. It is a twist on one of our favorite breakfast dishes, The Best Monkey Bread. It is an easy breakfast recipe to make & it’s a great one to have the kids help join the baking. Read below for directions on how to make this delicious & kid-friendly breakfast dish!

Apple Monkey Bread Muffins

Ingredients:

For the rolled dough:

2 rolls of biscuit dough
Sugar
Cinnamon

For the topping:

3/4 sticks of butter
1/3 cup of sugar
1/3 cup of brown sugar
1-2 apples, chopped into small cubes
Pecans, optional

Directions:

1. Turn your oven to 350 degrees.

2. Spray 2 muffin tins with cooking spray.
3. Make a mixture of cinnamon & sugar to make a cinnamon sugar mixture. I really just eyeball my measurements, but I would measure about 1 cup of sugar to 2-3 teaspoons of cinnamon. Place the cinnamon sugar mixture into a bag.
4. Slice the dough into small pieces about the size of a quarter. Each individual biscuit will make about 4-6 pieces depending on how you cut it.
5. Place apples into the bag. Zip & shake. Place the coated apples into the muffin tins, about 3-5 pieces in each muffin tin. (This is a good step to have the kids help do!)
6. Place biscuit dough into the bag. Zip & shake. Place the coaled dough pieces into the muffin tins. I would say about 4-5 pieces per muffin tin. (Again, my kids love to help shake!)

7. For the topping: In a saucepan, combine the 3/4 stick of butter, 1/3 cup of sugar, & 1/3 cup of brown sugar. Stir together as the butter melts. Bring to a rolling boil. Add pecans (if you want). Pour the sauce over the dough in the muffin cups.

8. Bake at 350 degrees for about 14-18 minutes until it the dough is cooked through.

9. Take out of oven. Let cool for 2-4 minutes.
10. Turn the pan over & the monkey bread muffins should just pop right out.