Deconstructed Chocolate Caramel Mini Apple Pie / #appleweek

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All opinions are mine alone.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’ CooksABC Sheet Pan Dinner by Jolene’s Recipe Journal Apple Bacon Goat Cheese Salad by Jonesin’ For TasteApple Bourbon Float by Our Good LifeApple Butter Overnight Chia Oatmeal by Love and ConfectionsApple Cinnamon Layer Cake with Brown Butter Streusel by The Baking FairyApple Cornbread Cakelets by The Redhead BakerApple Crumble Muffins by The Anthony KitchenApple Noodle Kugel by Palatable PastimeCaramel Apple Pie Dip by Mildly MeanderingApple Pie Donuts by Daily Dish RecipesApple Pie Turnovers by The Bitter Side of SweetApple Pork Burgers by Cindy’s Recipes and WritingsApple Cranberry Crock Pot Stuffing by West Via MidwestBaked Chai-Spiced Apple Chips by Culinary Adventures With CamillaBeet Apple Salad with Maple Vinaigrette by Caroline’s CookingButterscotch Harvest Cake by Tip GardenCaramel Apple Cookie Bars by A Day in the Life on the FarmCaramel Apple Sheet Cake by Hezzi-D’s Books and CooksCinnamon Apple Crumb Cake by Cookaholic WifeCinnamon Caramel Apple Frozen Custard by Faith, Hope, Love & Luck Cold Apple Cider with Caramel Infused Rum by Amy’s Cooking AdventuresCreamy Blue Cheese & Sliced Apple Crostini by Who Needs a Cape?Deconstructed Chocolate Caramel Mini Apple Pie by The Freshman CookDeconstructed Skillet Apple Dumplings by Seduction in the KitchenFall Panzanella Salad by House of Nash EatsFresh Apple Cake with Brown Sugar Glaze by Soulfully MadeGerman Apple Cake with Brown Sugar Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting by Cooking With CarleeGlazed Spiced Apple Cider Cookies by Savory MomentsHasselback Apples by Kate’s Recipe BoxPB Apple Muffins by A Kitchen Hoor’s AdventuresSkillet Apple and Sausage Stuffing Recipe by Lemon BlossomsSkinny Apple Crisp by The Saucy FigSlow Cooker Apple Butter by Shockingly DeliciousOne Pan Pork Chops with Apples and Cinnamon by Strawberry Blondie KitchenOut of This World Apple Cake by Family Around the Table 

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Yield: 2 PiesAuthor: The Freshman CookPrint Recipe

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!

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