Caramel Apple Pizza

(actual photo of Sarah's Caramel Apple Pizza...holler!!)

I made this dessert pizza a few nights ago. It was very easy to make, and INCREDIBLY delicious. I took the photo moments before my husband and I attacked the pizza like it was our job.

Caramel Apple Pizza

1 package (16-18 oz) refrigerated sugar cookie dough

1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

2 medium Granny Smith apples

1/4 cup caramel ice cream topping

1/2 cup nuts (peanuts or walnuts), chopped

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Shape cookie dough into a ball and place in center of a large round pizza stone; flatten slightly. Using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll dough into a circle about 1/4 inches thick. Bake 16-18 minutes or until light golden brown. Remove from oven and cool for 10 minutes. Carefully loosen cookie from baking stone using a large bread knife. Cool completely on baking stone.


2. Combine cream cheese, brown sugar, peanut butter and vanilla in a small mixing bowl; mix well. Spread cream cheese mixture evenly over cooled cookie.


3. Peel, core and slice apples. Cut apple slices in half and arrange evenly over cream cheese mixture.


4. Microwave ice cream topping on HIGH 30-45 seconds or until warm; drizzle evenly over apples. Chop nuts and sprinkle over apples. Cut pie into wedges.

Yield: 16 servings (yeah right)

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Bake Time: 16-18 minutes

Cool Time: About an hour

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Tips from Sarah:

• Don't roll the cookie dough out to the edge of the baking stone. I rolled it out until about 1/4 inch away from the edge, and I had pieces of the cookie drop off and go to the bottom of the oven. That smelled good. Roll the circle out to about 1/2 inch from the edge of the stone.


• I used walnuts instead of peanuts, mainly because I thought I had peanuts and I didn't. I liked the walnuts.


• I used apple slices and chopped up pieces of apple. I had a lot of apple slices left over and I didn't want to overlap too much on the pizza. When I make it again, I may try chopping up all the apple slices.


• Remember to refrigerate any leftovers. (Duh)


• The leftovers don't keep all that well...on the second day, the cookie had gotten somewhat soggy because of the juice from the apples and the cream cheese mixture. That being said, it was still flipping delicious...just not as pretty as a piece of the pizza on the first day.

ENJOY!!!

(Recipe adapted from Pampered Chef Taffy Apple Pizza)

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Eating: Crap...I forgot to eat breakfast...again. No wonder some moms lose weight. Before I had a baby, I never forgot to eat a meal.

Watching/Listening To: The Today Show...1/2 hour until Hoda and Kathie Lee...who are exactly like the SNL impersonations.

Annoyed At: Political Ads on both sides in this State and all others. I wish we had more than two major parties in this country...then maybe candidates would focus on the issues instead of focusing on attacking the other side. If there were more options in each race, maybe we would actually learn what the candidate would do if elected, rather than what the other person did/does/would do in a negative light. Not all candidates are running negative campaigns, so snaps to those candidates.

Shopping for: Mama needs a new pair of shoes.

Sidenote of the Day: The Hoff got the first boot on Dancing With the Stars. What a blow to his giant ego! Germany is crying right now. Hasselhoff is drunkenly mourning his loss over a delicious cheeseburger. Nom nom nom.