apple tarts with ricotta, honey and pecans

There’s a slight obsession going on in my home lately over sweets. We just can’t seem to get enough of them. Everywhere I turn, girl guides are selling their famous chocolate-mint cookies, magazine covers are brazen with bold cakes and sweet cookies, and I find myself buying buckets of Halloween candy just a tad too early.

The emergence of autumn makes us want to leave behind summery sorbets and yearn for decadent desserts and homemade pies. These cooler temperatures are making me feel completely domesticated, as all I want to do is stay home and make delicious home-baked goods for my little family. Most recently, I’ve been fixated on homemade pies and tarts. 

I’m so glad apple season is upon us as nothing goes together like sweet pastry dough and stewed cinnamon apples. I’m almost positive a blitz of apple recipes is coming your way. My children had a school outing to a local apple orchard, and most recently, it was a family venture. What does one do with barrels upon barrels of apples? Make pies of course.

Of all the recipes I’ve tried, my absolute favorite is my mom’s pastry dough recipe. It’s not dry or crumbly, but rather flakey and buttery and it forms the perfect base for homemade treats. It’s also very easy to handle because it doesn’t break apart like some of the other dough recipes I’ve tried. Since we love pies, tarts and strudels,  I know I’m going to be using this recipe a lot this season.