I’m just not feeling it. We traveled this weekend for my sister’s birthday party, and everything is out of sorts. My work is half finished, the laundry and grocery shopping are a day behind, and counting, and I’m still getting used to having our dogs back. Both had an overnight at Astro’s doggie day care! Then, Athena had a dental cleaning today at the vet. I’m really on another planet. All I can really say is that this recipe will do what I cannot do alone today – brighten someone’s day.

I’m laughing because everyone sees the beauty there, but my mom sees illuminated horse dung! I think she can see the beauty too, but it’s all about perspective. It’s just a phone photo – it’s not the answer to life itself. However, after 8,887 (slight exaggeration) straight days of gloom, it was the first great sunset we’d seen in a long time. So I had to capture it! There’s probably a metaphor in there somewhere, and I’ll let you find it. For now, though, it’s awesome recipe time!

Bushel of Apples Cookie Cups

What You Need:

Refrigerated Sugar Cookie Dough 24 count
Chocolate Fudge Frosting
Regular Tootsie Rolls
Flavored Tootsie Rolls

What You Do:

1 – Preheat oven according to package time, and then take each cookie, roll it into a ball and place in an oil sprayed mini cupcake pan

2 – Bake for 13-15 minutes or until golden brown and then take out of oven and immediately take a spoon or the end of a handle and press into the cookie (This will make the cup part of the cookie. Let Cool!)

3 – Take the flavored tootsie rolls and cut each one into thirds, and then roll each piece into a ball

4 – Then take the regular tootsie rolls and cut little slices, then roll in hands to make a rope shape

5 – Cut really small pieces for the apple stems and a little bit longer ones for the “basket” handles

6 – Place a stem on top of each apple – if you’d like you can take a little green piece of tootsie roll and place it on the apple as a leaf

7 – Fill a sandwich size baggie with the chocolate frosting and cut a hole on the corner

8 – Pipe some frosting down into the cookies and place as many apples as you’d like into each “basket”

9 – On a few or all of the baskets you can add 2 little handles on each side

10 – Take one of the tootsie roll rope pieces you made earlier and dip each end into some frosting. Attach each handle to both sides of the basket. You might have to press down just a little on each end