(Easy!) Chocolate and Caramel Apple Danish {Applefest Recipe #2}

Oh my goodness...what an event it was to get to this final product!  I saw this recipe on the Picky Palate that I really wanted to try; it looked delicious!  So off I went to the store for pre-made pie crust, Rolos, and an apple.  I knew I needed two apples, but I still had one at home left over from this apple dip I made the day before.  So anyway, I get to the store and they are completely out of pre-made pie crusts; even the store brand.  For a VERY brief moment I thought..."I'll just make my own."  Then I came to my senses.  Pie crust is not one of the easiest things to make and it really is never as good as what you buy at the store, in my opinion.  So I thought I would try puff pastry sheets.

I went home to make my dessert and discovered there was only one apple left.  My dear husband loved the apple dip so much from the day before that he finished it up with my left over apple.  So glad you enjoyed it, honey!...but now I'm without an apple.  OH well, I made the recipe with one apple.  I put the finished product in front of my hubby for his opinion; and he is so honest with his opinion.  The verdict?  "Eh. It needs to be sweeter...and it needs more apples."  Duh!  I know it needs more apples...you ate the apple I intended to put in it.

I was determined to make this work.  Day 2.  I set out my second frozen sheet of puff pastry to thaw and ran to the store for more apples and Rolos.  Well, my twenty minute errand turned into a two and a half hour errand (you've been there, right?).  When I got home, my puff pastry sheet was a warm blob of rectangular dough.  There was no way this thing was unfolding.  So, I had to roll it out with my rolling pin.  (When you make this, I suggest thawing as directed on the package.  That way you can simply unfold it instead of dragging out your rolling pin.)  It was smooth sailing from there.  My husband had commented that it needed to be sweeter.  This time I used Jazz apples instead of Granny Smiths; and I used two.  I also made a glaze out of powdered sugar and apple cider.

I gave it to my husband again, a little scared of his oh-so-honest opinion again.  He took a bite and I got an "OMG!  This is fantastic!"  YES!  And it was...the Rolos melted to give a nice little hint of chocolate and caramel.  The puff pastry baked up nicely and was a beautiful golden brown.  And that glaze REALLY made the dessert a success.

I know this sounds like a dreadfully complicated recipe after reading this.  But it isn't.  I made it complicated trying to make it perfect and easy for you.  So now, you have a delicious and easy recipe.  You are welcome.

3 Tablespoons butter
2 apples of choice (I recommend a sweet variety), peeled and diced
3 Tablespoons light brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 roll Pillsbury pie dough
1 pack of Rolo chocolate caramels, unwrapped and quartered
1 egg

Preheat oven to 400.  Place butter into a skillet over medium heat.  When melted add diced apples, brown sugar and cinnamon.  Cook and stir for 5 minutes or until softened.

Unfold pastry onto a baking sheet then pour cooked apples down the center of dough leaving about a four inch border on both sides.  Top with quartered Rolos.

Cut one inch sections of pastry dough into strips on both sides then take those strips and gently stretch them over top of the apples, sort of like braiding.

Beat egg with a tablespoon of water and brush over braided pastry.

Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the danish is golden brown.  Remove and let cool for about ten minutes.  Pour glaze over danish and serve.  It's best warm or warmed up!

Recipe adapted from The Picky Palate

Thanks for stopping by for the second day of Applefest!  Check back tomorrow for a comforting recipe that can be served warm along with dinner or cold in a lunch box!  Or better yet, subscribe with your email address and you will get the recipe in your inbox!