Caramel Pecan Apple Pie Cups

Caramel Pecan Apple Pie Cups

Caramel Pecan Apple Pie Cups 1

I made Tim and I’s Thanksgiving feast……..the Sunday before Thanksgiving…….but we needed dessert.
I didn’t want to make whole pie ..……Caramel Pecan Apple Pie Cups!

We both are huge fans of dessert, we have it almost every night……..which is why we will be starting a Health page come January 1, 2015.

Although, in the coming year we will be changing some of our dessert ways, it was a Holiday and well, it’s not a Holiday without dessert, and Thanksgiving needs pie……with ice cream……and caramel sauce, with pecans and caramel in the pie, and……well, you get the idea.

Caramel Pecan Apple Pie Cups

I originally was going to wrap the apples with the pie crust and color egg wash red so they looked like apples, but time was running short and I did not have the time to be that crafty…..maybe next year!

Individual pies would be good……..custard cups could hold them and I could cover them with pie crust. I think I have mentioned before that in the world of pie and pie crust, my Mother was the Queen……she made the best pies ever, and her crust was flaky and perfect. I wish I would have had her teach me how she did it.

Since my pie crust is ……well, less than perfect…….I buy my crust. Besides it’s easy to have on hand for an “I need a pie now emergency”!!!!!!!

I peeled and cored the apples, dunked them in lemon juice, rolled them in a sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon mixture, put them custard cups, filled them with a caramel, pecan mixture, covered them with crust, brushed them with cream, sprinkled them with sugar and baked them……..whew!!!!!

Apple Pie Cups

Now, a really cool thing happen to them after I baked them. I wanted to make them slightly fancy, so I cut a cute little leaf in the center of each crust and placed it on the top. When they came out of the oven the little leaf had fallen inside so it looked like a little volcano……..great spot to put the ice cream………I know right! So, the ice cream kind melted into the apple………it was sooooooo good and the caramel sauce on top……….heaven in a custard cup.

This is one of those recipes that you can adjust to the number of people you are serving, so if it’s only two like us you can make just two. It’s nice also that there is no “his piece is bigger than mine” argument if you have kids.

Caramel Pecan Apple Pie Cups make a yummy addition to a Holiday or any meal that begs for an apple pie dessert ……..or if you are just in the mood for pie!

Caramel Pecan Apple Pie Cups Collage

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Caramel Pecan Apple Pie Cups 1

Caramel Pecan Apple Pie Cups

  • Author: Marty Boyd
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 4 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Bake
  • Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale
  • 4 large apples ( your favorite), peeled and cored
  • 1 ready made pie crust
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoons corn starch
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup kraft caramel bits
  • 1/4 cup toasted pecans, chopped
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • 1/4 cup turbinado sugar
  • Vanilla Ice Cream and Caramel Sauce for topping

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Mix the granulated sugar, corn starch, apple pie spice and salt in a shallow dish.
  2. Juice the lemon into a small bowl. Dip each apple in the lemon juice and then roll peeled and cored apples in the sugar mixture and set in oven safe custard cups sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Mix caramel bits and pecans into the remaining sugar mixture. Stuff into the prepared apples, dividing evenly between them.
  3. Cut circles from the pie crust that are about 2 inches larger than the top of your custard cups. If desired you can cut a decorative whole in the center of each circle. Place pie circles over the tops of the apples, covering the apple completely and sealing to the custard cup. Add scrapes of pie crust to form an edge. If you have cut a decorative opening, place the cut out over the opening, do not seal. If you did not cut an opening cut slits for steam to escape.
  4. Brush the heavy cream over each apple cup and sprinkle the the crust with the turbinado sugar.
  5. Place custard cups on a lined cookie sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes until the crust is golden brown and the apple is tender.
  6. Let cool for 10 minutes. Serve topped with ice cream and caramel sauce.

Keywords: apples, ice cream, caramel, pecans, single serving size, pie

 

Twinkie Pie

Twinkie Pie

Twinkie Pie

 

Dateline 2012 ……the death of the Twinkie……wha…wha….wha……..

How could we go on without the golden sponge cake with the creamy filling! I mean twinkles are almost as American as apple pie and baseball. They have been the snack in many a sack lunch…… forever!

Well, at least since they were invented in Muscatine, Iowa on April 6, 1930. Originally, they were banana crime filled, but a ration on bananas during WWII had the company switching to vanilla creme. The change was so popular, that other than for occasional special promotions, it was never switched back.

But, as we all changed to a healthier lifestyle…….well some of us….lol, the Hostess company fell on hard times, and filed bankruptcy, ending all the snack cakes and treats we have come to love. But wait…….some really smart folks brought back the Twinkie……..hallelujah!!!!

Now this enables me to copy-cat a recipe from Pinterest ……….Twinkie Pie!!!!!
You find anything and everything on Pinterest. In my searching I saw this recipe and knew I had to try it……..Very Culinary is where I copied the Twinkie Pie from……very glad I ran across it. It was super easy to make, and if you have kids it would be fun for them to help and all kids like Twinkies.

Twinkie Pie 1

I was pretty sure Tim thought I was crazy when I said I had to try this Twinkie Pie. But, I think he is glad I did. It was our dessert last night…….topped with a dollop of cool whip………and it will be dessert again tonight………what time is it?????

Twinkie Pie Collage

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Twinkie Pie

Twinkie Pie

  • Author: Very Culinary
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 40 minutes
  • Total Time: 50 minutes
  • Yield: 8 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Bake
  • Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale
  • Ingredients
:
  • 1 box (10 count) of Twinkies
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 stick unsalted butter, melted
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 tablespoon vinegar
  • 9-inch Pillsbury deep pie crust
  • whipped cream

Instructions

  1. Directions:
  2. Preheat oven to 350.
  3. Unwrap all the twinkles; cut each one lengthwise in half and then horizontally so you have 6 pieces per Twinkie.
  4. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, butter, sugar, vanilla, and vinegar until well combined. Gently fold in the Twinkie pieces with a spatula. Mixture will be thick.
  5. Pour into the pie shell and bake for about 40 minutes; until set and the top is golden.
  6. Let cool, slice, and definitely serve with whipped cream!

Keywords: twinkle, eggs, pie, pie crust

 

Cherry Pie

Cherry Pie

Once again at the local grocery store something caught my eye………beautiful, plump, bright red cherries.

Cherries

Now, neither Tim nor I are huge cherry fans, but their allure was too much, so I bought them! Tim saw them in the frig and asked why I bought cherries? I had no answer………

Now, to find something to actually do with them, I scoured the internet……..so many variations to cherry pie……..but I wanted something different. I found a cake recipe that I wanted to modify  for my “Gluten Free” friends. Epic FAIL!!!! It was awful!!! Not really sure what I did wrong but it was a soupy mess…..see below……. The beautiful pistachio topping sank into the batter and disappeared. I will try this again after much modification, but such a waste of the beautiful cherries.

Fail

All I can say is that sometimes in the world of food, things do not always go as planned. 🙁

So , on to bigger and better things. I want to tell a gadget story……my Mom, who by the way made the best pies in the world….. her crust was flaky and tender (something I cannot replicate), especially her coconut cream pie. Mom was one to buy every little gadget on the market. When she passed away and we were cleaning out her house I came across a cherry pitter. Now, since I am not a cherry fan I wondered what I would ever use this for? But I kept it anyway………..What a great little tool! If you love cherries, or have a cherry tree, do yourself a favor and buy one……it is the bomb! Be sure you put down a paper bag, or something to catch the pits, as it is a messy process.

Cherry Pitter

After my fail, I had to do something with the remaining cherries. I remembered that Tim’s Uncle Ron “a.k.a. Rude Dog” liked cherry pie. So, I made my first every cherry pie……. with a lattice top. I did have to Google how to make a lattice top as I have never made a pie with one before……….wow……three firsts in one day! 1. Epic Fail 2. Cherry Pie. 3. Lattice top pie. My, oh my, what a day.

So here is the final result of the Cherry Pie……….

Cherry Pie

I am still waiting to hear back from Uncle Ron………I hope he enjoyed it!

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Cherries

Cherry Pie

  • Author: Pinterest
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 45 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes
  • Yield: 8 servings 1x
  • Category: Dessert
  • Method: Bake
  • Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 unbaked double pie crust recipe (store bought or homemade)
  • 7 cups sweet cherries, pitted
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
  • 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup corn starch
  • 1 tablespoon of butter, cut into tiny pieces
  • 1 tablespoon milk
  • Turbinado sugar (natural cane sugar)

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
  2. Toss together the pitted cherries, sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, almond extract, vanilla extract and corn starch in a large bowl until evenly coated.
  3. Roll out the bottom pie crust, and gently lay it in a 9-inch pie pan. Transfer the cherry filling to the pie crust, and sprinkle with little dots of butter.
  4. Roll out the top pie crust, and either lay on top and cut a few slits in the middle to make a full double pie crust. Or cut the top pie crust into strips to make a lattice pie crust (I Googled this as it was the first lattice pie I have ever made). Brush pie crust with milk and sprinkle with Turbinado sugar. Then freeze for about 10 minutes, before baking.
  5. Place the pie in the middle rack, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or tin foil to catch any drips. Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 350°F and cook for 35-45 additional minutes, or until the crust is nicely golden and the filling is thick and bubbly.
  6. Cool completely before serving.

Keywords: cherries, pie crust, pie, bake