When trying to eat right, no need to always skip dessert, just make it fabulous and an appropriate size. So, how about these adorable
Apple Surprise Mini Pies
Apple Surprise Mini Pies
The surprise? There's actually a cheesecake layer beneath the apple pie filling!
How cute would these be as end-of-the-year Teacher gifts? We used half pint jars but you could use ramekins or whatever else you want.
Apple Surprise Mini Piesmakes 12
Ingredients:
1 3/4 C. (1 package) Graham Crackers
1/3 C. butter, melted
24 oz. (3 pkg) Philadelphia Cream Cheese
3/4 C. sweetened condensed milk
2/3 C. white sugar
2 eggs
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/3 C. butter, melted
24 oz. (3 pkg) Philadelphia Cream Cheese
3/4 C. sweetened condensed milk
2/3 C. white sugar
2 eggs
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 cans apple pie filling
2 Pillsbury Refrigerated Pie Crusts
12 half pint canning jars or ramekins
Drinking glass (a little larger than your jar lids), to cut out crust
12 half pint canning jars or ramekins
Drinking glass (a little larger than your jar lids), to cut out crust
Directions:
Place graham crackers in ziploc bag and crush. I think this was the kids' favorite part. Wham! Wham! Wham!
Place graham crackers in ziploc bag and crush. I think this was the kids' favorite part. Wham! Wham! Wham!
Pour melted butter into baggie with graham crackers and shake to mix well. Place 2 heaping tablespoons of graham cracker mixture into bottom of a half pint jar and carefully spread around.
For cheesecake layer, beat cream cheese and sweetened condensed milk until smooth. Add sugar, eggs, vanilla, and lemon juice and mix well. Place 1/3 c. of cream cheese mixture into each jar.
Fill jars to the top with apple pie filling (about 1/2 C).
Unroll pie crust. Find a drinking glass or round cookie cutter that is about 1/2" larger than your jar lid and cut out 4 circles. Re-roll remaing dough and cut out 2 more circles. Repeat with other pie crust. If desired, cut small slits or a little shape in the middle of your crust.
Place one cutout crust on each jar and pinch edges to resemble a pie crust. Finish with a light dusting of white sugar.
Place on a cookie sheet (just in case any of them leak, you don't want to clean that out of your oven!) and bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes until pie crusts are browned. I came back in the kitchen to find these two little bakers waiting veeeeeery patiently for their pies to come out of the oven...
Remove from oven. Tie a small ribbon around each jar, if desired, and serve. I can't wait to make these for our next sit-down dinner, they'd be adorable served to each guest for dessert!
A note: if you aren't serving these within an hour or so, you should refrigerate them. They're also fabulous right out of the fridge, we had some for breakfast.:) 
