Cream Cheese Fried Apple Super-Stuffed Strudel

Today I was shopping for pumpkins for the front of our house, and I started to think about how much I love fall. Then I started to think about apples, and how much I enjoy Honeycrisp apples. One thing led to another, and I began thinking about how fried apples and cream cheese probably taste amazing together, especially if they're sandwiched between crescent roll sheets and topped with sugary goodness, caramel and nuts. So, I created just that.

I'm not sure what exactly makes a strudel a strudel, but I'm going to call this dessert I made today a super-stuffed strudel. I looked it up on Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strudel) and borrowing loosely from the post, strudel (1) originated in Hungary which is my favorite country outside the US, and (2) has a sweet filling. According to my loose interpretation of a strudel, I'm not making too far of a stretch in calling this dessert just that. Plus, I helped make a strudel as part of an entertaining dinner at a Hungarian restaurant during one of my visits there, so I have experience in authentic strudel making - probably more than the average American. And, let's be real, if General Mills can call that glorified Pop-Tart a strudel, well then, I am definitely good to go with my spin on it here. This recipe is Jeff approved, especially since I caught him sneaking seconds behind my back just now when I went to stir the baked apples I have in the oven. I will post that delicious recipe later.  

Cream Cheese Fried Apple Super-Stuffed Strudel | Yields 6 servings
1 large Honeycrisp apple, diced
2 TBSP butter (unsalted)
3/4 cup sugar Cinnamon to taste
1, 8 oz block 1/3 less fat cream cheese at room temperature
1 container seamless crescent sheet (if seamless isn't available, the other versions are fine)
Caramel ice cream topping
Walnuts, chopped (optional)
Vanilla ice cream (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 and grease a 2.6L (11 cup) glass baking dish.

Core apple and dice with skin on. Place 2 tablespoons of butter in a nonstick skillet and melt. Add 1/2 cup sugar and diced apples to melted butter. Add cinnamon to taste (I only add probably 1/2 to 1 tsp because I don't like an overwhelming cinnamon flavor). Saute apples until tender. It's ok to taste to make sure you get it to the texture you like!

Place the cream cheese in your mixing bowl. Once apples are tender, spoon apples (and just a little liquid - probably no more than 2 tbsp.) over the cream cheese. Stir until smooth.

Cut the seamless crescent roll sheet in half. Place one half in bottom of the greased baking dish. Top with the delicious cream cheese/fried apple mixture and spread evenly over the dough. Add second half of seamless crescent sheet on top, and pour remaining liquid from the skillet over the dough.

Put in the oven and bake 30 minutes (uncovered), checking periodically as your oven may cook more quickly or more slowly than mine. Once the crescents are golden, you are ready to fall in love.

Cut and plate the dessert into 6 servings. Drizzle the strudel with caramel, sprinkle with walnuts, and serve with a scoop of ice cream. Enjoy!

If I didn't have a freezer meal ready to stick in the oven, then I might just skip dinner and opt for two servings of this deliciousness.