Fall is upon us and that means we need all the cozy treats ASAP. I made a fun little twist on an apple pie and a caramel apple.
I know the name is long and intimidating but it’s basically an apple wrapped in puff pastry and filled with cream cheese and caramel! Pretty simple but it makes it seem like you are a total pro baker.
Let’s get right into how to make them.
INGREDIENTS
Filling
- 4 oz. Cream Cheese, softened
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- ¼ cup Granulated Sugar
- ½ bag Werther's Soft Caramel Chews
Apples + Crust
1 roll of Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry, it's in the frozen section
4 small Apples, whatever your apple preference is
½ cup Cinnamon Sugar
INSTRUCTIONS
Start by preheating your oven to 400 degrees F.
You also want to defrost the puff pastry since it is kept in the freezer. By the time you get to the puff pastry step, it should be defrosted enough.
In a bowl mix your softened cream cheese with granulated sugar and vanilla extract. This makes the mixture just sweet enough to balance with the caramel we are going to mix it with later on.
Next up, over low to medium heat melt the soft caramel candies with heavy whipping cream. Once it has melted, just leave it on the lowest possible heat to keep it that nice sauce consistency.
Then, mix together the cream cheese mixture and caramel sauce. I tried to make it a "swirl" but even if you don't achieve that, the flavor will be there.
Next work on coring your apples. Having a little melon ball scooper made this super easy. You basically just want to get out of the nasty core that's rough and has seeds.
Next, peel the apples all the way around. Coat them in a cinnamon-sugar mixture.
Coat them in a cinnamon-sugar mixture.
Unroll the pastry and make some vertical cuts.
Next, start wrapping the pastry dough around the apple. At the bottom, it is a little tricky but that is the hardest part and it gets easier from there.
Wrap it all the way up the apple.
So next fill the apples with your cream cheese and caramel sauce.
Give them a nice egg wash to get that stunning golden color in the oven and pop 'em in.
Bake at 400 degrees F for 25 minutes or until the pastry is sufficiently browned.
Enjoy it with some ice cream or eat it all on its own!
These are the basic ingredients you are going to need. Not going to lie I struggled to find the puff pastry until I realized it was frozen NOT just refrigerated.
Start by preheating your oven to 400 degrees F.
You also want to defrost the puff pastry since it is kept in the freezer. By the time you get to the puff pastry step, it should be defrosted enough.
In a bowl mix your softened cream cheese with granulated sugar and vanilla extract. This makes the mixture just sweet enough to balance with the caramel we are going to mix it with later on.
Next up, over low to medium heat melt the soft caramel candies with heavy whipping cream. Once it has melted, just leave it on the lowest possible heat to keep it that nice sauce consistency.
Then, mix together the cream cheese mixture and caramel sauce. I tried to make it a “swirl” but even if you don’t achieve that, the flavor will be there.
Next work on coring your apples. Having a little melon ball scooper made this super easy. You basically just want to get out of the nasty core that’s rough and has seeds. I even went a little wider to allow for more filling. Totally up to you and what you prefer in terms of the filling.
Next, peel the apples all the way around. Coat them in a cinnamon-sugar mixture.
Here is when you want to start moving as quickly as you can. The juices from the apple start flowing.
Unroll the pastry and make some vertical cuts. One pastry was enough for 4 small apples. I made them pretty haphazardly but you could get really particular with it. I used one slice to make the little apple leaves.
Next, start wrapping the pastry dough around the apple. At the bottom, it is a little tricky but that is the hardest part and it gets easier from there.
Wrap it all the way up the apple.
A pro tip would be to make sure all your pieces connect and as little apple shows as possible.
That way the apple bakes all the way through and the pastry stays together.
I added the cute little leaves on top to make it a little more “apple-y”. BUT I will say filling the apples is a little tricky so the leaves might get in your way. Just keep that in mind.
So next fill the apples with your cream cheese and caramel sauce. Give them a nice egg wash to get that stunning golden color in the oven and pop ’em in.
Bake at 400 degrees F for 25 minutes or until the pastry is sufficiently browned.
Couldn’t help but take a million pictures hehe. It looks good and tastes even better.
The outer textures are nice and crunchy while the insides are still doughy and soft.
Enjoy them served with your favorite ice cream or just by themselves. They are soooooo good. The cream cheese adds some nice richness and creamy texture. The apple gives you a bit of crunch.