Apple Everything Pizza

  Granny Smith Apples were on sale last week, so naturally I HAD to get a bag.  Surely I could come up with something tasty!  In the end, I took several recipes, some ideas of my own, and came up with this dessert pizza Tuesday night.  It’s a little bit Caramel Apple, a little bit Apple Crisp, a little bit Apple Cider, a whole lotta good!  🙂

  The Fruit Pizza crust comes from my mom’s recipe box, the crumble topping idea comes from Holly at Life As A Lofthouse, and the original pizza I was going to make before I thought of the apple cider cream cheese part, was from Pampered Chef.

click title for easy printable

Ingredients

• FOR THE CRUST:
• * * * * * *
• 1-½ cup Flour
• 1-½ sticks Butter, Softened
• FOR THE APPLE CIDER CREAM CHEESE:
• * * * * * *
• 8 ounces Cream Cheese, Softened
• ¾ ounce (.74) Apple Cider Packet
• ½ teaspoons Cinnamon
• ¼ cup Sugar
• TOPPINGS:
• * * * * * * *
• 2 whole Medium Granny Smith Apples, Peeled, Cored And Sliced
• ½ stick Butter, Softened
• ½ cup Flour
• ⅓ cup Brown Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
• ⅓ cup Quick Oats
• Caramel Ice Cream Topping

Preparation Instructions

FOR THE CRUST:
Mix flour, 1/4 cup sugar, and 1 1/2 sticks butter until smooth. Press into pizza pan or onto a circle pizza stone. Bake 12 minutes at 350F or until golden brown. Cool, loosen cookie from stone with the back of a large bread knife. Set aside.

FOR THE APPLE CIDER CREAM CHEESE LAYER: Mix softened cream cheese with cider powder, cinnamon and sugar until smooth. Spread on cooled crust.

TOPPINGS:
Peel, core and slice apples and place on cream cheese layer. {sprinkle with Fruit Fresh to keep from browning} With a fork, blend together, butter, flour, cinnamon, brown sugar and quick oats. Sprinkle on top of apples.

Broil for 2 minutes or until topping is golden brown.  Let cool 15 minutes before placing pizza in the fridge for at least 2 hours.

Drizzle pizza with caramel ice cream topping before cutting and serving.

MMMMM!

  You could probably eat it out of the oven, and we tried it that way, but I gotta say, its SO worth waiting for it to get cold. The cream cheese and apple flavors really pop then!  Voted best cold by all 4 little Fergusons AND their mommy and daddy! 🙂

~T

 

Caramel Apple Cheesecake

  Today is Avery’s Born Again Birthday!

She asked Jesus into her heart a year ago tonight when Nana was babysitting.  My mom chose not to tell us that night when we got home from our date, just to see if it was “real” to Avery.  Would you believe that early early the next morning she came racing into our room and from the doorway announced:

“I asked Jesus in my heart and I get to go to Heaven!” in her little teeny sweet 2-year-old voice, then did the sweetest little celebratory jump in the air.  “Yipee!”  🙂 

  Precious, precious moments in the lives of our children.  We will wish her a Happy Born Again Birthday when she wakes up today and remind her why we celebrate this special day:

  Jesus washed away her sins, she can go to Heaven for eternity and that on this very day a year ago, the angels had a Born Again Birthday party for her as God wrote her name in the Book of Life!  Now THAT is reason to celebrate! 🙂

  On to the dessert:

  The title says Caramel Apple Cheesecake, what more could you want to know?!  🙂

  Ok, it was delicious……caramel is my WEAKNESS!  It was the perfect fall dessert and I am SO excited to own a Springform pan so I can make this sorta thing.  (finally after 10 years of wishing I had registered for one, I now own THREE springform pans, all in different sizes thanks to a Bed, Bath and Bey0nd gift card.  I LOVE that place!)  Thank you, Lisa for sharing this great recipe!

Ingredients

• 1-½ cup Cinnamon Graham Cracker Crumbs
• ¾ cups Sugar, Divided
• ¼ cups Butter, Melted
• 14 ounces, weight Package Of Caramels
• ⅔ cups Evaporated Milk
• ½ cups Chopped Pecans, Divided
• 2 packages (8 Oz. Each) Cream Cheese, Softened
• 2 Tablespoons Flour, divided
• 2 whole Eggs, Lightly Beaten
• 1-½ cup Chopped & Peeled Granny Smith Apples
• ½ teaspoons Ground Cinnamon

1.  Place a greased 9 inch spring form pan on a double thickness of heavy-duty foil. (about 18 square inches) Securely wrap foil around pan.

2. In a small bowl, combine cracker crumbs, 1/4 cup sugar and butter. Press onto the bottom and 1 inch up the sides of prepared pan. Place on baking sheet. Bake at 350* for 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack.

3. In a heavy saucepan over medium-low heat, melt unwrapped caramel squares and milk until smooth and melted. Pour 1 cup over crust; sprinkle with 1/4 cup pecans. Set remaining caramel mixture aside.

4. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, 1 T. flour and remaining sugar until smooth. Add eggs; beat on low-speed just until combined. Combine apples, cinnamon and remaining flavor. Fold into cream cheese mixture then pour into crust.

5. Place springform pan in a large baking sheet; add 1 inch of hot water to larger pan. Bake for 40 minutes. Reheat reserved caramel mixture if necessary, gently spoon over cheesecake and top with remaining pecans.

6. Bake 10-15 minutes longer or until center is just set. Remove pan from water bath. Cool on wire rack for 10 minutes. Carefully run a knife around the edge of the pan to loosen; cool 1 hour longer.

Refrigerate overnight before serving.

Enjoy your GORGEOUS creation!  Its super delicious!!!!

And Happy Born Again Birthday to my precious little Peanut, Avery!

~T