Everyday I am faced with the pressures of Pinterest. Does everyone really have a perfectly organized closet with flip-flops on hangers? Can I really make a necklace holder out of reclaimed wood? But nothing intimidates me more than the site’s immense food section. Rice Krispies Treats that look like sushi, perfectly cooked eggs inside of green pepper slices…there is so much to choose from. These culinary creations look so simple online, but are they actually doable?
And so the idea of Pinning and Drinking was born. This week, I’ve tested out three different apple-themed Pinterest projects in honor of Fall.
Pinning and Drinking Pt. 1: An Apple a Day
Beverage: Apple Cider Sangria (Original Pin)
Before starting any Pinterest project, I suggest making a cocktail. This apple cider sangria, from a blog called How Sweet It Is, doesn’t just go with the theme—it is absolutely delicious. Just mix a bottle of pinot grigio, apple cider, ginger brandy and some fresh fruit together and boom, you’re ready to bake. A photo of my version is on the right. Okay, ready? Cheers! Let’s get Pinning.
Experiment No. 1: Tidy Candy Apples (Original Pin)
Experience Level: Easy
Time Elapsed Before First Injury: No Injuries
During an initial hunt for apple projects, the tidy caramel apple popped up several times, leading to this instruction page. The lack of photos was unnerving, but I decided to tackle it anyway because of its massive popularity on Pinterest.
Apples, caramel cubes, corn syrup and lemons are the only ingredients. I initially attempted hollow out the apples with a spoon, but quickly gave up and asked my husband to go to the store and buy a melon baller. In order to avoid apple tears, he obliged. Life became much easier.
Unwrapping two bags of candy caramels was not fun, especially since self control is not my strong point. Heating the caramels and corn syrup on low to create the filling was easier than I thought, but cleaning the pot afterwards was not. After letting the mixture cool and wiping the apples down, I poured the hot caramel into the hollowed-out fruit and placed them in the refrigerator for an hour.
So, Did It Work? The final product looked identical to the Pin, but was by no means perfect. After cutting the apples, they separated from the caramel pretty quickly and left moon-shaped slices that were completely inedible.The caramel hardened to the point where if I had tried to bite through it, I almost certainly would have lost teeth. I would not attempt this project again.
Here is how my version stacked up against the original Pinterest post:
Experiment No. 2: Apple Roses (Original Pin)
Experience Level: Moderate
Time Elapsed Before First Injury: 2 Minutes
Roses made out of apples? Who wouldn’t love that? The original Pin led to an instruction page on a blog called “Having Fun in the Kitchen,” which I assumed meant “easy.” Rookie mistake.
The recipe requires apples, puff pastry, lemons, sugar and cinnamon. After an hour-long search at the store for puff pastry (FYI—It’s frozen. Just saved you 45 minutes. You’re welcome.), I headed home to get started.
The instructions are simple: thinly slice apples, boil them and roll onto the puff pastry with a cinnamon sugar mix. It did, however, call for some lemon zest, which is where my first injury occurred. I cut my hand while trying to zest a lemon on a cheese grater. Word to the wise…buy a lemon zester. A second injury came while boiling the apples. I burnt myself pretty badly while transporting the hot fruit into a colander. This is a direct result of my own stupidity in the kitchen, so I won’t even try and offer advice on how to avoid it.
So, Did It Work? This wouldn’t exactly qualify this as a complete Pinterest fail, though only one of my apple roses looked remotely like a flower. A friend (or perhaps enemy) called the others “ratchet cinnamon buns”—a description I had a difficult time arguing. They were, however, delicious. Here is how my version stacked up against the original Pinterest post:
Experiment No. 3: Apple-Caramel Pie Pops (Original Pin)
Experience Level: Moderate
Time Elapsed Before First Injury: No bodily injuries, but almost burnt my house down
These apple-caramel pie pops, from Miss Renaissance’s blog, quickly caught my eye. The step-by-step photo tutorial helped make the seemingly difficult project look simple and I desperately wanted to have these adorable confections in my home.
The directions suggest making your own pie dough, but the store-made stuff worked just fine for me. I found that the suggested two-inch circles were a little small, I so stretched them out in order to fit the filling, which consisted of chopped up apples and more Kraft candy caramels.
Confession: I used wax paper instead of parchment paper. DON’T DO THIS. Smoke started pouring out of the oven like crazy almost immediately, so I was able to recognize the problem and avoiding burning the pie pops (and my house down).
So, Did It Work? Yes! While they don’t look quite as perfect as the Pin, they were a hit at our brunch and everyone assumed that I can actually cook (fooled them!). I will definitely make these again. Here is how my version stacked up against the original Pinterest post:
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