Deconstructed Chocolate Caramel Mini Apple Pie / #appleweek

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My favorite part of an apple pie is the apples and that sweet, cinnamon sauce that they are cooked in. Mmmm...! So I thought it would be fun to make a pie with a lot of the filling and less of the crust. Don't get me wrong, I love the crust also. But sometimes you just have to change things up a bit! That's how I ended up with this Deconstructed Chocolate Caramel Mini Apple Pie!

Deconstructed Chocolate Caramel Mini Apple Pie
(printable recipe at end of page)
(2 Mini Apple Pies)

1 package of refrigerated Pie Crust
1 Nordic Ware Reversible Pie Top Cutter 
1-2 tablespoons Flour
1 teaspoon unsalted Butter, melted
1/4 cup Sugar

2-3 tablespoons Cinnamon
1/2 cup Sugar
1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
Pinch Nutmeg
1 cup Caramel Bits
2 ounces Milk Chocolate, chopped
1-2 tablespoons Heavy Duty Whipping Cream

Before opening your pie crust, let it come to room temperature. Unroll the packaged pie crust. Of course, you could make your own pie crust if you wanted. Sprinkle a tablespoon of flour on the Nordicware Pie Top Cutter. Place the piece of pie crust on top of the apple side of the cutter. Using a rolling pin, roll over the dough until it looks like the picture above. Then pull off the dough in between the apples. Put the dough aside, and use a toothpick to pick out the apples. Place them on a parchment covered cookie sheet. 

Reroll the dough and the 4 little leaves in the middle. You don't need the cute little leaves for this recipe, but it is hard to avoid them. Place on pie top cutter and do it all over again.

By the end, you will be using little pieces of dough. 

Keep cutting the dough until it is all gone. I used this Swiss Diamond Paring Knife to help me with the job! Very handy and sharp!

Brush each apple with the melted butter.

Mix together the sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. Sprinkle the mix onto the apple cutouts. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Let cool. These can be made a day or two before serving, keeping in a sealed container.

Chop your apples into small bite sized pieces. Click here to get the most efficient way to get these small pieces! Place apples on the stove with a pat of butter. Add the cinnamon, sugar and nutmeg. Cook on medium, stirring often until slightly soft. Remove from stove, or if you wish to enjoy your pies warm, just turn heat to low, and keep an eye on them while you finish the dish!

Get your caramel melting in a double boiler. Once it is melted, heat 1 tablespoon of heavy duty whipping cream in the microwave until warm. It takes less than 10 seconds. Slowly pour the warm cream into your caramels, stirring constantly until they are incorporated. If the cream is cold, it will not mix well, making your caramel too hard. This way it will be creamy. 

Chop your chocolate into small and large pieces.

Start building the deconstucted pies by placing some apple cutouts in the bottom of the bowls.

Add the cooked apples,

the melted caramel, and top with the chopped chocolate! 

Add a couple more apple pie crusts for fun! Serve and enjoy!

*a couple notes~ This would be great ala mode, and for another fun taste, add chopped peanuts on top of the chocolate and caramel. Then it will taste like a chocolate caramel apple! also....There is no need to make as many apple crusts as I made. Since I was making them anyway,  I froze them for future desserts! 

Thank you for stopping by and visiting my blog for day 2 of #appleweek! Have you seen todays recipes from my blogger friends? Here's the list to check out all the yummy goodness!:

Tuesday Recipes:

• 1-Pot Apple Sausage Meatballs by Books n' Cooks
• ABC Sheet Pan Dinner by Jolene's Recipe Journal 
• Apple Bacon Goat Cheese Salad by Jonesin' For Taste
• Apple Bourbon Float by Our Good Life
• Apple Butter Overnight Chia Oatmeal by Love and Confections
• Apple Cinnamon Layer Cake with Brown Butter Streusel by The Baking Fairy
• Apple Cornbread Cakelets by The Redhead Baker
• Apple Crumble Muffins by The Anthony Kitchen
• Apple Noodle Kugel by Palatable Pastime
• Caramel Apple Pie Dip by Mildly Meandering
• Apple Pie Donuts by Daily Dish Recipes
• Apple Pie Turnovers by The Bitter Side of Sweet
• Apple Pork Burgers by Cindy's Recipes and Writings
• Apple Cranberry Crock Pot Stuffing by West Via Midwest
• Baked Chai-Spiced Apple Chips by Culinary Adventures With Camilla
• Beet Apple Salad with Maple Vinaigrette by Caroline's Cooking
• Butterscotch Harvest Cake by Tip Garden
• Caramel Apple Cookie Bars by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Caramel Apple Sheet Cake by Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks
• Cinnamon Apple Crumb Cake by Cookaholic Wife
• Cinnamon Caramel Apple Frozen Custard by Faith, Hope, Love & Luck 
• Cold Apple Cider with Caramel Infused Rum by Amy's Cooking Adventures
• Creamy Blue Cheese & Sliced Apple Crostini by Who Needs a Cape?
• Deconstructed Chocolate Caramel Mini Apple Pie by The Freshman Cook
• Deconstructed Skillet Apple Dumplings by Seduction in the Kitchen
• Fall Panzanella Salad by House of Nash Eats
• Fresh Apple Cake with Brown Sugar Glaze by Soulfully Made
• German Apple Cake with Brown Sugar Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting by Cooking With Carlee
• Glazed Spiced Apple Cider Cookies by Savory Moments
• Hasselback Apples by Kate's Recipe Box
• PB Apple Muffins by A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures
• Skillet Apple and Sausage Stuffing Recipe by Lemon Blossoms
• Skinny Apple Crisp by The Saucy Fig
• Slow Cooker Apple Butter by Shockingly Delicious
• One Pan Pork Chops with Apples and Cinnamon by Strawberry Blondie Kitchen
• Out of This World Apple Cake by Family Around the Table 

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Yield: 2 piesAuthor: The Freshman Cook

Deconstructed Chocolate Caramel Mini Apple Pie

ingredients:

1 package of refrigerated Pie Crust

1 Nordic Ware Reversible Pie Top Cutter 

1-2 tablespoons Flour

1 teaspoon unsalted Butter, melted

1/4 cup Sugar

2-3 tablespoons Cinnamon

1/2 cup Sugar

1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon

Pinch Nutmeg

1 cup Caramel Bits

2 ounces Milk Chocolate, chopped

1-2 tablespoons Heavy Duty Whipping Cream

instructions:

1. Before opening your pie crust, let it come to room temperature. Unroll the packaged pie crust. Of course, you could make your own pie crust if you wanted. Sprinkle a tablespoon of flour on the Nordicware Pie Top Cutter. Place the piece of pie crust on top of the apple side of the cutter. Using a rolling pin, roll over the dough until it looks like the picture above. Then pull off the dough in between the apples. Put the dough aside, and use a toothpick to pick out the apples. Place them on a parchment covered cookie sheet. 
2. Reroll the dough and the 4 little leaves in the middle. You don't need the cute little leaves for this recipe, but it is hard to avoid them. Place on pie top cutter and do it all over again.
3. By the end, you will be using little pieces of dough. 
4. Keep cutting the dough until it is all gone.
5. Brush each apple with the melted butter.
6. Mix together the sugar and cinnamon in a bowl. Sprinkle the mix onto the apple cutouts. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Let cool. These can be made a day or two before serving, keeping in a sealed container.
7. Chop your apples into small bite sized pieces. Click here to get the most efficient way to get these small pieces! Place apples on the stove with a pat of butter. Add the cinnamon, sugar and nutmeg. Cook on medium, stirring often until slightly soft. Remove from stove, or if you wish to enjoy your pies warm, just turn heat to low, and keep an eye on them while you finish the dish!
8. Get your caramel melting in a double boiler. Once it is melted, heat 1 tablespoon of heavy duty whipping cream in the microwave until warm. It takes less than 10 seconds. Slowly pour the warm cream into your caramels, stirring constantly until they are incorporated. If the cream is cold, it will not mix well, making your caramel too hard. This way it will be creamy.
9. Chop your chocolate into small and large pieces.
10. Start building the deconstucted pies by placing some apple cutouts in the bottom of the bowls.
11. Add the cooked apples, the melted caramel, and top with the chopped chocolate! Add a couple more apple pie crusts for fun! Serve and enjoy!

NOTES:

*a couple notes~ This would be great ala mode, and for another fun taste, add chopped peanuts on top of the chocolate and caramel. Then it will taste like a chocolate caramel apple! also....There is no need to make as many apple crusts as I made. Since I was making them anyway,  I froze them for future desserts!

Created using The Recipes Generator