Warm Apple Pie Dip with Cinnamon Sugar Crisps

Warm apple pies are a classic autumn dessert. You can't beat the smell of apples mixed with sugar and spice and all things nice. I always buy my apple pies, because baking one can be so much work. Then I came across this amazing apple pie recipe. What if I told you that you could get that same great apple pie taste without... the pie? That's right. This Warm Apple Pie Dip with Cinnamon Sugar Crisps hits the spot and ticks all the boxes for flavor as well as creativity. It's sure to be a huge success at your next family or festive gathering.

An apple pie is a fruit pie in which the principal filling ingredient is apple. The pastry is generally used both top-and-bottom, making it a double crust pie; exceptions are deep-dish apple pie with a top crust only and open-face tarte tatin. Apple pie recipes date back to at least the time of Chaucer where the ingredients for the first known recipe from 1381 were listed as 'good' apples, 'good' spices, figs, raisins and pears. Saffron was used for coloring the pie filling. While most modern recipes call for an ounce or two of sugar, the earliest recipe did not (sugar was expensive in 14th-century England, where apple pie is said to have originated, which is why pears were added � for their sweetness). Apple pie was brought to the English colonies by the British, Dutch and Swedes during the 17th and 18th centuries. In the English colonies, apple pie had to first wait for the planting of European varieties, brought across the Atlantic, to become fruit-bearing apple trees as there were no native apples (except crabapples). The main use for apples at this time was in cider, however there are American apple pie recipes printed from the 18th century and it has since become a very popular dessert. Apple pie screams 'all American' and there is a phrase in the United States which says �as American as apple pie�, meaning 'typically American'.

This apple pie dip recipe is basically a deconstructed apple pie, meaning it has all of the usual ingredients of a typical apple pie, but has been taken apart so that each of the components can be eaten separately, or together (which is definitely best!). For this recipe, you want to cut your apples into very small chunks. You can choose any apple, but I would choose an apple of the baking variety, such as granny smith. Next, a sauce of brown sugar, white sugar, flour, cinnamon and water is mixed together and the apples are added to it, stirred in and then microwaved. This will help to thicken the sauce, making it better for dipping. If you wanted to be slightly more traditional, you could bake the mixture on the stove, if desired, until the apples soften and the liquid mixture thickens. The other part to this recipe are the cinnamon sugar crisps used to dip up all of the gooey apple goodness. For these, all you will need is a package of pre-made pie crust, which you cut up into small strips, bake and then season with lemon juice, sugar and cinnamon. These crisps take the place of the traditional apple pie crust, but are just as delicious (if not more-so!).

While this apple �pie� is nontraditional, it tastes just as amazing and is a wonderful, creative dessert dish to bring to any party. It's easier to prepare, easier to cook, easier to share and easier to eat. It's like a dessert version of nachos and salsa! I guarantee this will be just as popular... maybe more popular... either way, they'll be a huge success!