Quickie Apple Pie

A friend of mine introduced me to a fun blog (The A to B of Cooking) that had the most awesome looking apple pie on it. The recipe was simple, and easy to adjust to your own tastes. So naturally, I did just that...

Mmmmm..... you want one now, don't you? Confession: So do I!

Why do I call this the Quickie Apple Pie? This cooka in the oven anywhere from 30-40 minutes, so you won't have instant results. But, putting it together is a snap, hence the 'quickie' part of this recipe. I personally love apple pie, but I don't like all the effort I have to put into it. This dish solved that problem for me. Plus, you can make one of these at a time or you can make a dozen. That means I won't make a whole pie and then feel obligated to eat it!

Ready to make your own? I thought so.

Ingredients

Let's start this with the most important ingredient, the apples. Not all apples are good for cooking, so choose well. I prefer the Granny Smith variety. They may be tart when raw, but they cook down to yummy, sweet goodness.

Peel and core your apples (two of them), then slice into thin wedges.

Set the apple wedges aside for now. In a small ramekin, combine 2 tablespoons of white sugar with 2 tablespoons of light brown sugar, a dash of cinnamon, and a dash of nutmeg.

Next, prepare your baking sheet. Line it with parchment paper, because you don't want these babies to stick! No one wants to waste all the apple goodness. Divide a sheet of puff pastry into 6 rectangles and lay them on the parchment-lined baking sheet.

It's pretty easy to evenly cut your puff pastry, because of the way it is folded in the box. See:

Simply unfold your sheet of pastry and cut where the natural lines are, then cut each piece in half. Viola!

Now all you have to do is layer your apple slices down the center of each piece, sprinkle with your sugar mixture, and dot with a bit of butter (4 tablespoons). Like so:

Make sure you leave enough gap around your apples so the puff pastry can rise around them. I needed a bit more room on my edges, so don't be like me!

Pop these into a 350 degree oven for about 30 - 40 minutes. Pull them out when the pastry is puffy and a light, golden brown. Drizzle immediately with a bit of homemade caramel, then top with vanilla ice cream and some whipped cream.

Go ahead... sit back, enjoy, and make those yummy noises. You've earned it!

I especially like these on holidays when it's me and the Hubs on our own. Or, you know, on Wednesdays. That's an apple pie kind of day, right?

As always my friends, the standard recipe is below. Until next time, happy cooking!

Thanks for reading, everyone!

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The Standard Form:

Quickie Apple Pie

Ingredients:

1 sheet of puff pastry, cut into 6 pieces

2 Granny Smith apples, cored, peeled, and sliced into thin wedges

2 tablespoons white sugar

2 tablespoons light brown sugar

Dash cinnamon

Dash nutmeg

4 tablespoons cold butter, cut into chunks

6 tablespoons caramel sauce, more or less to taste

Ice cream, for serving

Whipped cream, for serving

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Place the pieces of puff pastry on the parchment-lined baking sheet, about an inch apart. Fan the apple slice in the center of the puff pastry, making sure to leave a border around the edges.

Mix together the sugars, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Sprinkle each ‘pie’ with the sugar mix, then dot evenly with the butter.

Bake 30-40 minutes, or until the edges of the pastry are lightly brown and golden. Remove from oven and immediately drizzle the pies with caramel sauce. Top with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream if desired.