Summer Sweets: Apple Pie Fries

It would appear that in the summer months I have apple pie on the mind! This is the second dessert post of the summer themed around it and I will have to admit, the best one! I made this treat when my grandparents came to eat at our house because I know Poppa loves apple desserts. I rushed to do it so my results were a little sloppy looking, but what they lacked in appearance they made up for in taste! At some point while all 4 of us were enjoying this dessert, Matthew Darling looked at me and said with such genuine meaning, "This may be the best dessert you've ever made". And he didn't even get to indulge in the homemade caramel sauce!

Like Poppa, I really love apple desserts and this one may win out. Next time I whip it up, I will do so without rushing. Hopefully then my fries will look more like fries! I found this recipe on Pinterest some years ago and just now got around to trying it. Everyone at dinner was really glad I did! 

In my rush, I almost completely forgot to document the process through photos! So no picture of the ingredients, we jump right into the 4th step:

Spreading the apple filling over pie crust #1

Fries (of all shapes and sizes) ready for the oven!

Fries with a heavy drizzle of caramel!

You can bet there weren't any leftovers of this dessert!

• 1 Packaged Refrigerated Pie Crust (2 crusts total)
• 10oz Apple Pie Filling
• 1 Egg
• 1 tsp Cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp Nutmeg
• 1/4 cup Sugar

1. Preheat your oven to 350 and set crusts out to warm slightly. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper at this point too.
2. Add your apple pie filling to blender or food processor and pulse a few times so that apple chunks become smaller.
3. Dust a work surface with a little flour then roll out pie crust #1.
4. Spread the pie filling across pie crust #1 leaving about 1/8" uncovered at edges. Place pie crust #2 on top.
5. Cut into fry shapes.
6. In a small bowl, beat your egg well then brush on tops of fries.
7. In a separate bowl, combine sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg, then sprinkle generously on top of fries.
8. Place the fries on your prepared baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes.
9. Serve hot!

It ended up being cheaper for me to make my own caramel sauce since I had all the ingredients at home already. If you'd rather skip this step, you can purchase any caramel topping from the grocery store. Just be sure to heat it up before serving! Below is the recipe I used to make my own caramel:

• 1 cup Brown Sugar (packed)
• 1/2 cup Butter (or one stick)
• 1/4 cup Milk (I used almond milk and it turned out fine)
• 1 tsp Vanilla (optional)

1. On the stove, bring butter, brown sugar, and milk to a boil and cook until thickened. Should be just a couple minutes.
2. Remove from heat and stir in your vanilla.
3. Let cool before taste testing or serving! It will be very hot!

I poured caramel over everyone's fries except my dairy allergy bearing husband. Poor Matthew! This caramel would be good on real apple pie and vanilla ice cream too! Or over brownies! Or by the spoonful! Just kidding...