Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Paula Deen's Lean: Deep Fried Caramel Apple Pie ~ Philly Style!

I am over-the-top excited to share this delicious dessert recipe with you! On the Real Women of Philadelphia site, Paula showed us how to reinvent the classic apple pie by incorporating a new crust ingredient and of course, Philadelphia Cream Cheese. Check out her how-to video here.


Now, as you can see in the name, Paula does fry her Caramel Apple Pies. In leanin' out this recipe, I was able to save a lot of the flavor, but I couldn't keep the 'deep fry'. Sorry, y'all. But don't dismiss this dessert yet because it is incredible! Not to mention, easy as pie to make. Take a look at this simple, delicious and not-so-sinful dessert classic.


DEEP FRIED BAKED CARAMEL APPLE PIE ~ PHILLY STYLE!
Serves 8


INGREDIENTS:

1 package Pillsbury Reduced-Fat biscuits (8 biscuits)
4 ounces FAT FREE Philadelphia Cream Cheese
2 tbsp. "I Can't Believe It's Not Butter"
3 Granny Smith Apples (peeled & sliced thinly)
1/2 cup light brown sugar
flour
cooking spray


DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.


In a pan over medium-heat, melt butter and brown sugar; creating the caramel for the pie filling. To the caramel, add the sliced apples. Stir in apples until caramel is worked in. Next, add the softened Philadelphia Cream Cheese. Stir frequently, until cream cheese in completely melted and coating the apples.

To prepare the pie crusts, roll out each biscuit until roughly 6-8 inches wide. Use flour to prevent dough from sticking to the surface and the roller.





Evenly spoon the apple mixture onto the center of each pie crust. Take a little bit of water and run your fingers along the edge of the pie. Fold one side of the pie over and seal. Use a fork to secure the seams of the pie crust by pressing along the folded edge.
As Paula points out, we don't want to lose any of that goodness inside!

Place pies on a prepared baking sheet. Bake for 15-18 minutes; or until golden.

Serve with a scoop of frozen vanilla yogurt and drizzle with sugar free caramel. YUM!

 
THE RESULTS:

AMAZING! The biscuits are really a great idea for a pie crust. The are so soft and flavorful. Plus, they come in a reduced-fat variety. Bonus! Overall, if you are looking for an easy and impressive dessert, this is a hit. Since we use biscuits, we could even enjoy this for breakfast, right? If apples aren't your thing, try this recipe using any variety of fruit; peaches, pears or cherries. I really don't think you can go wrong.

In my opinion, the best way to have this dessert is to serve it warm. I made mine before dinner, so when it was dessert time, I just threw mine in the microwave for about 20 seconds. Then I topped it off with a scoop of fat free vanilla ice cream and drizzled on some sugar free caramel. Each bite was just heaven!

I really hope you decide to give this recipe a try. It is the perfect dessert for every season. A true classic! Thanks again for the inspiration, Paula.

NUTRITION FACTS (per serving):  287.8 calories;  8g fat;  51.8g carbohydrate;  6.1g protein;  2.2g fiber
**Facts do not include frozen yogurt or topping.


1 comment:

  1. Lindsay! I just wanted to congratulate you on being one of the finalists for Paula Deen's RWOP contest! I wanted to enter my Carrot Cake Cheese Cake...but I was too chicken ;) So, I got on the site today to check out who had won for dessert. I was watching your video and was thinking "She is just too cute! She deserved to win. And those cookies look amazing!"...after a while of watching, I realized...hey! that's Lindsay from Cookin' Lean! She subscribed to my blog! haha. I got pretty excited. Anyway, I wanted to congratulate you! Keep it up! I'm super excited for you, girl!
    God Bless!
    Jennifer Hodgin
    (jenthesweetiepie)

    ReplyDelete