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I have a plan for us.

A plan so utterly foolproof that we are not going to stress about a single calorie this holiday weekend!  And no….this plan does not involve tequila or amphetamines.  And especially does not involve mixing the them together in a large cranberry margarita and calling it a night.

Definitely not.

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One of my pilates instructors gave us some pearls of holiday eating wisdom last week that went something along the lines of “if it ain’t homemade, don’t eat it!”.

And I thought…HELLO!  GENIUS!  It is so true that apple pie bought from the supermarket is just YUCK.  Flavorless crust.  Filling that is not infused with sweat, blood and LOVE (and um…strands of really long curly dark brown hair…)  No one needs that.

AND because no one in my family bakes except for me.  I’ll be eating exactly two slices of summin’ summin’ on Thanksgiving.  No more, no less.  Fine. I was set.

But.  (And there’s always a but.)

Then I started daydreaming about all the Thanksgiving pies out there.  And I started getting really sad.  Because that meant that pecan pie and cheesecake and apple pie were not going to be eaten on the big day!  And really, what is the point of eating a Thanksgiving meal if you don’t gain at least a pound.  What else are you going to have to complain about from now until Christmas?  Seriously.

Solution – just make all the pies yourself!  Then you are officially allowed to eat them.  All of them.  No holds barred.

Which I seriously considered doing for about 24 hours until I realized this was not exactly the mentality that good old Kristen was going for when she led us through The Hundred and Rolling Like a Ball.

So I did the next best thing.  Which was just combine all the pies. Into one monster of a Thanksgiving dessert.

You can thank me when you step on the scale on Friday morning.

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This pie has it all.  A graham cracker crust, followed by a layer of homemade caramel and pecans that tastes JUST LIKE pecan pie, followed by an apple pie filling, followed by cheesecake, followed by homemade whipped cream and a topping of homemade caramel.

I brought it to a grad school potluck and it was the only dessert that anyone ate.  All the chocolate cupcakes and cookies and apple cakes went completely untouched.  Proof that this pie is saving you calories.  I bet you can’t say that about the pecan pie your cousin picked up at the A&P a mere five minutes before arriving at your house.

I should also mention that instead of using butter in the pie crust and apple filling, I used Melt, which is a buttery spread that was sent to me by the company to review.  Melt is made up of a blend of healthy cooking oils, including organic virgin coconut oil, organic flaxseed oil, organic palm fruit oil, and organic canola oil.  And the best part is, that it can replace butter tbsp for tbsp in baked goods!  When eaten plain, it has a hint of coconut flavor to it (which I love) but when added into baked goods, that is completely unnoticeable.  All in all, I think it’s a great butter substitute and way to reduce the bad fats in your baking without sacrificing flavor or texture.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

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Caramel Apple Cheesecake Pie
Makes 1 9-inch pie, adapted from Annie’s Eats

Ingredients

    For the caramel

  • 8 tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • 1 cup packed light brown sugar
      For the crust

    • 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
    • 3 tbsp sugar
    • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
    • 5 1/3 tbsp unsalted butter (or Melt spread!), melted
    • 1/2 cup caramel
    • 1 cup chopped pecans

For the apple filling

  • 5 tbsp unsalted butter (or Melt spread!)
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar, tightly packed
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 5-6 Granny Smith apples, peeled cored and thinly sliced

 

For the cheesecake

  • 8 oz cream cheese
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

 

For the topping

  • 3/4 cup heavy cream
  • 3-4 tbsp confectioner’s sugar
  • 1/4 cup caramel

 

Instructions

      For the caramel:

    1. Combine the butter, heavy cream and brown sugar in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat.  Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly.  Once it reaches a boil, lower the heat to medium and continue to boil until the mixture is thickened, about 8 minutes.  Remove from heat and let cool.

For the crust:

  • Preheat the oven to 375.  Line the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper.  In a medium mixing bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, cinnamon and melted butter.  Toss with a fork until all the crumbs are moistened and the ingredients are evenly mixed.  Transfer the mixture into the bottom of the prepared springform pan and press the crumbs in an even layer over the pan bottom and about 2/3 of the way up the side.  Bake for 6-8 minutes, until golden in color.  Let cool for about 10 minutes.  Pour a layer of caramel into the bottom of the crust and sprinkle evenly with the chopped pecans.  refrigerate the crust while you prepare the filling.

 

For the filling:

  • Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.  Mix in the brown sugar, salt and cinnamon and cook for 1 minute, until bubbling.  Mix in the apples and toss well to coat.  Cook over medium to medium-high heat until tender and most of the liquid has been reduced, about 15 to 20 minutes.  Let cool for a few minutes and pour into the prepared pie shell.  Set aside.

 

For the cheesecake:

  • Reduce the heat of the oven to 350.  Combine the cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat on medium speed until smooth, about 1 minute.  Mix in the vanilla, egg and lemon juice until fully incorporated and smooth, 1-2 minutes.  Spread the cheesecake filling into an even layer over the top of the cooked apples in the crust.  Bake until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes.  Remove from the oven.  Transfer to a wire rack and let cool to room temperature.  Refrigerate for four hours.
  • To serve, carefully remove the sides of the springform pan. In the bowl of a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, beat the heavy cream and confectioner’s sugar on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form.  Spread gently over the top of the chilled cheesecake layer.  Swirl caramel sauce over whipped cream.

 

Disclaimer – Although I received these products for free, I did not receive any monetary compensation for doing this review. My thoughts and feelings on them are entirely my own.

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You are reading this post on Eats Well With Others at https://joanne-eatswellwithothers.com. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author and or owner of Eats Well With Others. All rights reserved by Joanne Bruno.
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91 Responses to Caramel Apple Cheesecake Pie

  1. Hannah says:

    Oh, Joanne, you tempt me so. If I had a spare MINUTE I would find a way to make this for Thanksgiving, but I don’t think it can happen… There’s still Chanukah, though! 🙂

  2. Sanjeeta kk says:

    Caramel, apples and a cheese cake…a dessert could not get better than this!

  3. Combining so many delicious desserts into one masterpiece is just genius! I’m going to be channeling you at dinner tomorrow night as I try not to stuff myself to being uncomfortable. My rule is to only eat what I love:-)

  4. Amy says:

    That is perfect advice to follow. This pie/cheesecake looks very decadent and delicious!

  5. You are amazing!! Brilliant dessert. I think I’ll be staring at the pictures on this screen tomorrow, wishing this was at my family’s Thanksgiving too!! Wish I had the time to make it!

  6. sofia says:

    i think this might be the winning pie recipe that redeems my cranberry sauce fail (or what i conceived as a win – real cranberries, orange zest, sugar = divine healthy cranberry sauce concoction) that I brought to the boyfriend’s Thanksgiving celebration last year. This year I will wow them with pie/cheesecake with apple action. daaaamn this looks good. will let you know if i make it!

    PS post-t-giving date? or post xmas when you’re on break from school?

  7. If I invite you to my Thanksgiving, will you promise to bring that pie? Looks fantastic. The caramel drizzle did me in.

  8. Its like heaven in a slice. I can taste that caramel with the crust and apples. YUMMMMMMM, I am not a huge pumpkin cheesecake fan and I am thinking this is my next cheesecake instead of doing pumpkin- that way I can actually eat the dessert instead of watching everyone else! LOL!

  9. Lora says:

    What a great idea to combine all flavors into the mother of all Thanksgiving pies. I would definitely pass everything else up to get a piece. Yum!

  10. Double swoon. Remember when I blogged about crazy good-looking autumn treats being posted faster than I can keep up? Ahem…that meant YOU! Just kidding, this looks fantastic and thank you for sharing!

  11. Danielle says:

    This looks great if I didn’t already purchase all the ingredients for our pumpkin dark chocolate swirled cheesecake I might have had to make this one.

  12. Adrienne says:

    This is a brilliant idea! I am totally taking the glutton route though and we’re going to have three pies for Thanksgiving. Thank goodness it’s only one day a year 😀

  13. Thats one hell of a dessert.

    Melt sounds interesting. I had a look at their site. The ingredients include organic butter flavor, non-GMO sunflower lecithin, tocopherols and annatto-turmeric. Maybe nothing wrong with these ingredients but I am curious about butter flavour. BTW Melt contains small amount of butter also.

    Happy Thanksgiving

  14. Joanne says:

    Seriously? I can just skip the main course and enjoy this!

    Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, wishing you many happy moments around the dinner table 🙂

  15. I love your strategy… it is basically my own philosophy, too, although I tend to push it further because it has to be made by me (or Rob or my fam). I have no temptation to eat anything store-bought because I know I can make it better! My only weakness are at raw restos… eek!

    And damn Luna bars… crack bars.. I shouldn’t be eating them because I didn’t make them myself! 😛

  16. Mary says:

    This sounds decadently delicious. It’s bound to be a hit. You’ve combined three things I hold dear. You can’t go wrong with cheesecake and caramel and apples. The best part is the apples make it healthy 🙂 Have a wonderful holiday, Joanne. Blessings…Mary

  17. Elizabeth says:

    Ok, no seriously, can I just come over and have a piece now? I’m in the city…

  18. Faith says:

    Ever since I made a caramel apple cake a couple weeks ago I’ve been craving it again — and this version with cheesecake sounds amazing! Looks like the perfect addition to Thanksgiving dessert.

    Happy Thanksgiving, my friend!

  19. brocstar says:

    everything you bake looks so delicious! I’m making tofu pumpkin this year… classic.

  20. SnoWhite says:

    Girl, this looks amazing. Happy Thanksgiving.

  21. First I want to say happy Thanksgiving and 2nd OMG! This Cheesecake, Apple, Caramel, OMG Pie looks so dam good, I swear I almost licked my computer screen. Debating if I want to make it for Thanksgiving. it’s just my husband and I, and I know I’ll eat the whole thing myself. I wonder if I can scale it down? Nah, who’d want to? This is just pure craziness! It’s like you took all my favorites and stuck them into one pie! Thank you!!

  22. SallyBR says:

    Looks decadent! I still cannot believe it will be my second THanksgiving in a row without ANY cooking… (sigh)

    Next year I am cooking up a storm!

    Great post, wonderful photos…

    Happy Thanksgiving!

  23. Monet says:

    Girl! This looks too good. I want a slice…I want the whole pie! Thank you for sharing your thoughts, pictures and delightfully delicious recipe. I hope you have a blessed Thanksgiving, my friend!

  24. Big Dude says:

    Girl – when you move off your healthy eating, you do it with a giant bang. This looks awesome.

  25. MM says:

    All those pies in one? And save me calories? Score! Now about your cranberry margarita recipe…

  26. You are a genius. I would love to make this but I have another pie that comes first. It is called a Rosemarie Chocolate Pie and that is Rosemarie, not rosemary. Two delicious Rosemarie bars start the pie off. We should trade off.

  27. I agree with your instructor. If it is not homemade I will not eat it :). Save room for the good stuff only and your pie looks amazing.

  28. Shannon says:

    You just stole my heart. That is all.

  29. Ranjani says:

    Damn. This pie is insane! (in the best possible way)

  30. sally says:

    Homemade it is! I’m going for it!

  31. Shannon says:

    genious! except i might try a pumpkin cheesecake layer to make sure ALL my bases are covered 😉

  32. Jenna says:

    What a pie!!! One might call it the Mother of Holiday Pies. I don’t blame your fellow students for centering all their gustatory drive onto this gem!

  33. Katerina says:

    It is true that nothing and I mean nothing can beat the homemade food and this is a universal truth! This pie looks full of flavor and love because love gives a special flavor to everything we make!

  34. vianney says:

    Omg!! Okay this the mother of all thanksgiving desserts, really a pound I risk two for this one!!

    Have a wonderful Thanksgiving !!

  35. La Liz says:

    ‘Tis the season to be Thankful for Joanne’s creativity throughout the year. Pies are best when homemade, and yours takes the cake! Love the graham cracker crust. Have a great holiday, Joanne!

  36. Mouthwatering dessert …I am craving for a slice:)

  37. Chris says:

    This makes me think of caramel apples at the fair except I know yours tastes better.

  38. So hope you save me a piece! I’ve been collecting pie recipes even though I don’t make too many. I’ll have to have a pie marathon somtime!

  39. Julie says:

    i am NOT stepping on the scale on friday for reasons like this. although nobody in my house is brave enough to man a recipe like this. are you sure you’re not an undercover baker for magnolia or something like that…

    also i think of you every sunday during the next iron chef hahaha just bc of michael symon!

  40. ~Bee says:

    Gorgeous, beautiful cheesecake! Looks like something Cheesecake Factory should envy. Caramel and apples are my favorite dessert combo, so I’ll be bookmarking this when I feel brave enough to try to make my own caramel!

  41. Debbie says:

    Of all your recipes I think this one has to be the best…I LOVE this recipe and will be trying it. Oustanding!!!! Have a great holiday Joanne!

  42. Megan says:

    That pie is amazing. I love how you combined so many desserts into one!

  43. I bookmarked this recipe before I even read it. If I wasn’t doing thanksgiving with a bunch of cheesecake haters, this would be on my table for sure. Props to you, lady.

  44. Tahts quite possibly the best advice ever. Does she say the same at Christmas??? Oh please say the same for Christmas!!

  45. tigerfish says:

    Oh don’t ask me to make any pie. I can’t even bake anything! :O

    So I will skip Thanksgiving pies this year. I have your instructor to thank. LOL

  46. Candace says:

    You are driving us crazy over here with this recipe. It looks absolutely fantastic! I’m taking your advice this year for sure. Happy Thanksgiving, Joanne!

  47. woman!
    why the hell have I NOT thought of apple inside cheesecake?
    this is just fabulous.
    I am NOT baking anything tomorrow as we are doing sushi. lol
    I know you’ll be pigging out and later in the day will be tweeting to all of us how much you’ve eaten and cannot wait to hit the gym. I can feel it coming…..

  48. Natalie says:

    i made this last year and still remember how fantastic it was!! have a great thanksgiving! 🙂

  49. Pam says:

    Homemade is the answer! I could eat the whole thing and that would be at least 4-5 lbs I could complain about until New Years. Hope you have a splendid Thanksgiving my friend. xoxo

  50. Rona says:

    This looks so delicious! Homemade is definitely the way to go! And even better if it is infused with sweat and love. I am going to say skip the blood and the hair…although I too tend to leave a little of both when cooking.

    I hope that you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

  51. Catherine says:

    Dear Joanne, This sounds superb!! I would love a slice. All of the flavors of Thanksgiving in one.
    I wish you a very Happy and very Blessed Thanksgiving my dear. Your friend, Catherine xo

  52. Astra Libris says:

    Wow. Wow!!! Dessert heaven!!! *swoons in delight and awe* 🙂

    P.S. I LOVE the don’t eat it if it’s not homemade rule!! 🙂 I followed it during a potluck lunch at work today, and I had a delicious, appropriately portioned lunch! 🙂

  53. You’re my heroine Joanne. What a delicious idea! Yay to you!

    ?
    Camila Faria

  54. This is what I’d call “Crack Pie”! Holy cow! I’m a sucker for all of these things! Looks incredible, darling!

    Happy Thanksgiving!

  55. OohLookBel says:

    That ‘homemade only’ mantra is one I’d love to follow. Now, if only I were a good as cook as you, then I’d really be eating well. Excellent pie!

  56. Michelle says:

    Homemade calories SO DO NOT COUNT. I am right with ya. 😀 And that pie is plain genius. Luscious, mouth watering, genius.

  57. Beth says:

    That is one spectacular dessert. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family. I can’t wait to read about your Thanksgiving meal!

  58. Johanna GGG says:

    looks decadent – but where is the pumpkin 🙂

    Pumpkin aside I would be happy for this to be my only thanksgiving dessert – in fact since we don’t celebrate thanksgiving I would just have this for any dessert!

  59. kate says:

    YUM! I love anything caramel apple and I agree about the “don’t eat anything that’s not homemade”. I always end up regretting it because it makes me feel like crap afterwards. Simply not worth it!
    Enjoy your Thanksgiving Joanne!

  60. Looove this pie creation of yours! Combining different desserts into one could have gone awry but this looks amazing. About Melt – I thought flaxseed oil shouldn’t be heated because it breaks down the good fats into harmful ones? Hm.

  61. daphne says:

    I almost wish we can be in the US experiencing thanksgiving. Oh, and that MELT product sounds too good to be true!! genius in combing all desserts in one.

  62. tori says:

    There are no words. Only hand gestures. This is insane.

  63. Amy says:

    OH. MY. GOD. You’re right…you did not disappoint. And this: “what is the point of eating a Thanksgiving meal if you don’t gain at least a pound. What else are you going to have to complain about from now until Christmas?” I love. Okay, now I will sit here for one more minute and just look upon that creation of beauty. Sigh…

    Happy Thanksgiving, J! xoxo

  64. What a gorgeous and tempting dessert! Love that caramel swirl on top….

  65. bookmarking this to make later. yummmmmm.

    🙂

    xo Alison

  66. happy thanksgiving lady!
    this looks phenom.
    i’m praying there are no hairs in my pies. and if there are, i pray that they are in only my slices.

  67. Claudie says:

    I will say only one thing: I *love* the way you think and this pie 😀 Happy Thanksgiving!!!

  68. Kristen says:

    I am really wishing that you had whipped out your camera at the pot luck and made everyone wait to eat any of that amazing creation so that we could have seen a slice of that yumminess all layered together. Next time, Joanne. Next time.

  69. koshercorvid says:

    That pie is brilliant. I don’t even much care for cheesecake, but the sheer layered decadence of it all is calling to me! I love the addition of caramel, especially knowing it’s homemade. Beatiful work!

  70. That Girl says:

    The entire time I was reading this I still kept thinking “great, now I want a cranberry margarita!”

  71. This does look pretty darn decadent and well worth the calories. Hope you had a great Thanksgiving.
    😉

  72. Apple caramel cheesecake is one of my favorite flavors. A restaurant I used to work at would turn out this desserts and it was amazing. This one might just beat it. All the layers look amazing.

  73. grace says:

    this is one looker of a dessert, joanne! by not showing us the innards, we’re forced to make it ourselves to see them. devious plan. 🙂

  74. Carolyn Jung says:

    Is it bad that even after all the millions of calories I consumed on Thanksgiving, I’m still lusting over this cheesecake? I can’t help myself. 😉

  75. Reeni says:

    I bet it weighed like ten pounds! You could burn off calories just lifting it. It sounds absolutely sinful. That’s why I LOVE it!

  76. Esi says:

    Hello decadence. This looks incredible.

  77. Lori says:

    Absolute best holiday eating tip I’ve heard yet! Unfortunately that means I can eat about 50% of what my family offers which is pretty much what I do. It seems I’ve only partially rubbed off on them. 🙂 This dessert sounds so good!

  78. Kelly says:

    WOWSA – this looks absolutely incredible Joanne!

  79. I am swooning. This looks soooo good- I’m trying this before my apples are gone. 🙂

  80. Cara says:

    This is seriously a show stopper! And worth breaking my new rules for, should it have graced our Thanksgiving table. Fortunately or not, no one in my husband’s family bothers to bake desserts so there was little temptation/indulgence coming my way.

  81. Holy flippin’ cow! This is genius. I have to make it.

  82. Lea Ann says:

    Good grief this sounds good.

  83. Hey Joanne, your Cheesecake Pie is a Recipe Guessing Game on Knapkins. Think your friends can win? http://knapkins.com/guess_games/927?source=blog

  84. Free Coupon says:

    It looks sooo yummy !! thanks for the recipe!

  85. […] years ago…Caramel Apple Cheesecake Pie, Butternut Squash and Potato Pie with Tomato, Mint and […]

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