Candy Apple Pie
One of the best things about living in a new city is the anonymity. In my hometown, I can’t make it through a trip to Wal-Mart without seeing someone I know. During my last gynecological exam, my doctor called in her assistant, who happened to be (surprise!) one of my high school classmates. If you thought bumping into your former boss barefaced with bedhead was bad, try making small talk with someone bringing up all your wasted high school potential as they stare at your va-jay-jay.
Too familiar.
Familiarity is a double-edged sword. It can breed contempt or comfort, boredom or nostalgia. Especially when it comes to comfort food. I wouldn’t change a thing about my mom’s homemade chocolate pudding, but apple pie … Apple pie begs for experimentation.
Let’s review. This pie starts with a graham cracker crust topped with caramel and a cup of chopped pecans. Then you simmer your sliced apples in butter, brown sugar and cinnamon until they’re tender and give the house that “OMG, what’s cooking?” smell. Once you ladle the apple filling into the crust, you’re ready to add the fluffy cream cheese layer and bake the pie. And then after it’s cooled, you’ll add even more goodness – whipped cream, more caramel and more pecans. A final swirl with a knife, and you’ve got a pie worth sharing. A pie you’ll be thinking about when you wake up in the morning. A pie perfect for the last summer cookout or the first fall tailgating party. Seriously, recruit friends. This is a big pie.
This pie makes me wish all of you lived a little closer, especially my new Adopt-A-Blogger mentor, Nicole of Art and Aioli. For the next three months, she’ll be giving me tips on how to improve this blog, including NOT writing about my vagina, I’m sure. Anyway, if you’re interested in helping a new blogger, there are still many newbies who need mentors for Adopt-A-Blogger, an annual event sponsored by Kristen of Dine and Dish. Please, sign up! Get familiar!
And ALWAYS wear lipstick to Wal-Mart.
Candy Apple Pie
From MiMi Hodge, winner of Good Morning America’s “Pie of Emeril’s Eye” Contest, 2000
Crust:
- 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/3 cup butter, melted
- 3/4 cup caramel ice cream topping
- 1 cup chopped pecans
Apple Filling:
- 5 Granny Smith apples (peeled, cored, sliced very thin)
- 5 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Cream Cheese Topping:
- 8 oz. cream cheese
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/4 cup sugar
Topping:
- 3/4 cup heavy cream, whipped
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1/2 cup caramel ice cream topping
- 1/4 cup chopped pecans
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the crumbs, sugar, cinnamon and melted butter. Mix well and press into a 10-inch pie plate and up the sides. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes until golden in color. Remove pie shell from oven and cool completely. Pour caramel into pie shell and sprinkle with 1 cup of chopped pecans. Refrigerate pie shell while making apple filling.
3. In a large (12-inch) skillet over medium heat, melt butter and add brown sugar, salt and cinnamon. Stir with a wooden spoon. Add apples and stir. Cook over medium to medium-high heat for 15 to 20 minutes until apples are softened and tender. Let cool for 10 minutes and pour into pie shell. Reduce oven to 350 degrees F.
4. In a medium bowl, using a hand-held mixer on low speed, combine cream cheese and sugar for about 1 minute until smooth. Add egg, lemon juice and vanilla and beat for 1 minute or until fully blended. Pour over apple filling in pie shell. Bake for 30 minutes until an inserted knife comes out clean. Remove pie from oven and let cool. Refrigerate for 4 hours. Let stand outside the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
5. Top with whipped cream, caramel and pecans, and swirl with a knife. Slice and serve.
Oh my, this looks so good. I’m making this one!
LOL – I can only imagine how awkward that would have been. My home town is the same way… population 1000. Everyone knew everything about each other. I miss it sometimes, but other times…not so much.
This pie looks AMAZING!
Holy mackeral! I’m definitely making this pie very, very soon. Yum!
You do NOT have to wait for Nicole… YO MAMA does not want to hear about your Va-Jay-Jay.
The pie looks so good…Please bring three slices on Thursday. I’ll trade you lasagna.
Sorry, Mom! Duly noted. Your slices are on the way.
Funny story about the doctor’s office! This pie is very interesting. I’ve never seen a cream cheese topping on a fruit pie like this but I’m intrigued. Is this a regional specialty or just your own ingenuity?
I think I’ve gone to heaven. At least they’d better have pie in heaven!
oh my gosh. I can not wait to try this. AMAZING!!!!
Mmm, for sure, this is a must do. I already told my boyfriend that I want this for my birthday, but that’s not ’til May, so I will have to do it myself before then!
This looks really amazing. I’ll have to try it this weekend. (I have the oddest feeling of deja vu, like I have typed those very words on your blog before…. many times.)
BTW… I gave you a li’l award. (http://kellyinthewild.blogspot.com/2008/09/ill-try-not-to-let-it-go-to-my-head.html)
It looks ah-ma-zing! I’ve been looking for ideas for a big dinner I’m basically catering and this may just have to be dessert. Yum!!
This is breathtaking! Definitely going in the “Must Make ASAP!” pile. :)
LOVE that you can combine vay-jays with apple pie in a single post!! ;)
Oh.My.Goodness. That pie is screaming at me to make it – It looks fantastic!
I wonder how many weird google hits you’re going to get for this post?
Confession: I think your blog is one of my TWD absolute favorites :-) But don’t tell the others!
I never thought about it being a plus that I don’t know anyone at my OB/GYN, but I will feel grateful every time now!!
This pie looks soooo good. Wish I had a slice for breakfast right now!
Wow, you always post the best looking treats! And your GYN story is exactly why I hightailed it out of my hometown, WalMart was the ‘meeting’ place :)
You know, after having three kids, I will pretty much talk to anybody about anything, even if I happen to be laying on an exam table in stirrups, but I totally see your point. The pie looks fabulous, and I might just make it this weekend!
You will love Nicole, she is so nice. Your story was just too funny. If I was drinking anything I would have doused my computer screen, I laughed so hard. The pie is magnificent, great pictures!
Holy cow. I couldn’t eat that… but I think I’d like to try. It’s not bad for you when there’s fruit in it, right?
By the way… a little warning next time. I know I’m going to laugh when I read what you’ve written, but that just about got me thrown out of my office for obsence laughter volume.
This pie looks INSANE. It’s like all of my fondest childhood dreams come true–a bunch of sweet things together into a huge pie tin. I’m going to bookmark this for the next potluck so I can share the love.
i agree with mimi :]
this looks amaaaazing!
and i can relate to the appreciation of anonymity…definitely. i’m from la but i go to school in delaware and i actually enjoy not running into kids from high school. it’s like having two separate lives.
Rebecca that looks awesome! I love visiting your site :) I’ve passed on a blog award to you! You can pick it up at my site http://food-baby.blogspot.com
Yum..this pie looks sooo good. I need to make it soon. I love your Drs. story. I laughed so hard!
Too too funny Rebecca! Yes. I suppose it is not exactly “kosher” to talk about… what was your word?? Cute… never heard that one before. But hey! It’s your blog and it was funny and not graphic so I think you’re okay. Don’t know if I could handle that kind of familiarity myself.
This pie looks absolutely decadent!
Oh and thank you for the links!!! :-) Much appreciated.
can i have some? now??
Wow, that looks amazing! I’ve never seen an apple pie with so many great layers.
As for the OB, I had the same thing happen to me when we moved to a small town for school. Crazy!
You should know that I starred this recipe in my google reader to remember to make. I just have to come up with a party to serve it at- I’m thinking my annual pumpkin carving party!
Thanks for stopping by my blog, I love your recipes.
This is an extremely impressive variation of the apple pie! Looks perfect for Halloween too. And I totally know what you mean about seeing too many people you know while out and about.
Such a great post. Did you hit the publish button with a satisfied smile? Seriously, it all ties in so well, down to the last line. Not to mention the pie, which of course goes without saying. Never heard of it until today, but I’ll think of nothing else till I get some.
Please don’t forget to pick up your award at my blog. And thanks for yours.
Here from Martha Stewart’s blog. This pie looks and sound so good!!
Hi, I found your blog on this new directory of WordPress Blogs at blackhatbootcamp.com/listofwordpressblogs. I dont know how your blog came up, must have been a typo, i duno. Anyways, I just clicked it and here I am. Your blog looks good. Have a nice day. James.
That pie looks incredible! And your stories are always so entertaining.
Not sure how I found your blog, but I am psyched that I did. I will totally make this pie this weekend. I learned the hard way a couple of weeks ago about the dangers of not wearing lipstick (or clean clothes in my case) to WalMart. I wrote about it on my blog.
I Love It! I’ve been in similar situations myself too! AWKWARD!
Your pie looks sinful, like most everything you make!
I made the pie on Thrsday, all gone by Friday……freakin’ delicious is all i can say!!
OMG! I think I might have experienced a brief diabetic coma reading your blog! I have a movie night coming up and this might just be the thing to take.
I read this on Friday,and knewthat I wasted to try the recipe. Kismet? You tell me. Saturday, the apples at the Farmers Market looked fantastic, so I bought a bunch, assorted kinds. On the way home, was invited to a dinner party, and “volunteered” to bring dessert…Mmmmm. Not onyl did the house smell fantastic, everyone loved the pie! I only changed one thing – the topping layer. I spread the whipped cream, then sprinkled nuts, then drizzled it with the caramel, Forget the “swirl with a knife”! It looked fantastic, and quite professionally done. Great recipe, thanks for posting it!
Oh my oh me!! You are too funny, lol. And this pie looks out of this world. Dang, I wnat a slice!
Will you please come to my house and take pictures of my cooking. You make everything LOOK SO GREAT! Can’t wait to try the pie.
Your recipe appeared on recipe BB at Taste of Home site. I clicked the link given and here I am. Don’t have a 10″ pie plate but as soon as I get one, will make. Pics really sell the recipe. Thanks so much. Now I’m going back to look at the rest of your site more closely. Thanks
Oh geez. I wish I could reach into the screen and grab that slice! I love this take on apple pie–it seems very nontraditional but it also sounds, and looks, amazing. I definitely want to give this a try!
Wow, just saw this. Think I’ll give it a try this weekend.
I’m a psychiatric nurse and its sometimes just a bit uncomfortable when someone you know gets dragged in to be admitted to my unit! Yikes…sticky situations for sure….
Holyyy! I think I just put on 5 lbs. reading the recipe. Definitely gonna try this one, though. Looks like heaven in a pie plate!
Oh my gahhhh. This pie is also on my list of Things To Blog About At Some Point. I made it for a Christmas party and it was a smashing hit. Are you sure we aren’t evil twins?
YUM! I'm bookmarking this one. I plan to make a nut-less version of it!
This recipe looks great! What a unique idea. I'm an Editor of the recipe site RecipeLion.com and I just finished a blog post about cooking with apples. http://blog.recipelion.com/how-to-use-fall-apples...