Caramel Apple Pie

Holiday treat. This apple pie combines caramels with cream cheese, applesauce, vanilla and cinnamon. Served chilled and garnished with Cool Whip and apple slices.

Ingredients -

1/2 package (about 24) Caramels
1 tablespoon Milk
1 (6 ounces) Ready-Crust Graham Cracker Pie Crust
1/3 cup chopped Nuts
1 (8 ounces) package Cream Cheese, softened
1/2 cup Sour Cream
2 tablespoons Sugar
1/2 cup Chunky Applesauce
2 teaspoons Vanilla
1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
3-1/2 cups (8 ounces) Cool Whip, thawed
Fresh Apple Slices

Preparation:

1. In small saucepan over very low heat, melt caramels with milk. Stir mixture until smooth.

2. Pour caramel mixture into pie crust.

3. Sprinkle chopped nuts over caramels.

4. Allow caramel to cool completely.

5. In medium mixing bowl, beat softened cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Stir in chunky applesauce, vanilla extract and cinnamon.

6. Fold in half the Cool Whip.

7. Spread cream cheese mixture over caramel layer.

8. Chill pie in refrigerator for 4 hours minimum.

9. Garnish pie with remaining Cool Whip and fresh apple slices.

Cooking Tip

Pie Baking

Many recipes will recommend starting at a higher temperature for the first several minutes of baking before lowering the temperature for the remainder of the baking process. The higher temperature at the beginning “sets” the crust so the bottom is not soft or soggy.

Baking Tip

Unbleached All-Purpose Flour

When using unbleached all-purpose flour, replace 1 ½ tablespoons of the flour with an equal amount of cornstarch. Cornstarch counters the unbleached flours tendency to form unwanted gluten.