Cheese & Apple Cups

Happy Monday friends!  This blog post is SO special to me and especially to my husband.

I had told all of you on my Facebook page about my late mother-in-law's recipes.  She used to love to cook and bake for her family and she wrote down all of her recipes.  Those recipes have gone, somewhere, somehow and we have never had any, not a single recipe of hers, especially nothing written down.  I have spent so much time trying to perfect recipes she used to make for my husband, just to see if I could and make him smile.  I got the coleslaw down and the Blueberry Duff, so far, that is it!   We were going through some boxes over Easter.  My husband was looking for something in particular and the first box he opened,  resulted in "OMGOSH CHRIS COME HERE"!!  He opened the box and sitting as crisp and unwrinkled, looking like they were purposely placed there, were 3 pieces of paper.  Three handwritten recipes of his moms!  One of them has a little budget written on one side, a shopping list on another.  It was SO fun to see what she was shopping for back in the day, and I could learn some of her fashion taste, and how she loved her home to be decorated and what she was buying my husband for school clothes.  How do you measure the preciousness of finding something like this?!?!  To learn more about the woman who sadly passed away a year before Geo and I met!  Priceless, absolutely priceless.

I will remind you, we both, to our core, KNOW we never have had these in our possession.  My husband and his mother were VERY close, we would have known if we had these.  You can come to your own conclusion, I have certainly come to mine. 

The recipes written were difficult to put together.  There were actually 4 recipes but we figured out that 2 of them went together and that is what you are getting today.  This is a dessert/snack/appetizer unlike anything I have ever made, tasted or seen.  It is so unique in its flavor and texture.  I think if you are looking for something unusual and delicious, you better get on this one right away!  It isn't overly sweet, or overly savory.  It is a bit of an equal partnership of both!  A very old school recipe as my husband put it.  I was nervous about the combination of flavors, but indeed it works pretty darn well. 

You WILL have leftover filling.  I thought about cutting it down, but decided I was honoring Donna by posting it exactly as she had written it.  Trust me when I tell you the leftovers will make a great little apple crisp OR ice cream topping!

Let me get to what she simply had labeled as "Cheese & Apple Cups".

Thank you Donna........*wink wink*

Let's get started! (all ingredients will be in RED)

5-6 apples, peeled and chopped
1 1/2 cups pineapple juice or use a can of chunks, tidbits, or slices and food process
3 tbps cornstarch
3/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp butter
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla

In a medium pot, add pineapple juice, cornstarch and sugar.  Whisk until completely combined.  It must not be heated, has to be cold, or the cornstarch will lump.  Next stir in apples and butter, and turn on the heat.  Stirring this OFTEN let it come to a boil and boil it for 2 minutes.  It will begin to thicken.  When 2 minutes has passed, turn off the heat and add in vanilla and salt, stir and set aside. 

1 med/lg bag of Cheese Puffs (any brand or shape will do)

Prepare Cheese Puff crumbs.  In a food processor or in a large ziploc, make cheese puffs into dust.  You will need about 2 1/4 cups of cheesy puffy dust!  Put into a bowl and set aside.

1/2 cup of butter

Melt in a bowl and set aside as well.

Refrigerator Biscuits.  (12)

In my store these come 10 to a package, just the cheapest, plain old biscuits is what you need here!!  I obviously had to use 2 cans, and just baked the rest off for dinner or you could make these ALL since you will have leftover filling.

1/3 sugar
1 tsp Cinnamon

Combine in a small bowl for topping

Preheat your oven to 375 F.  Get out your muffin pan, place your cheesy crumbs and melted butter bowls near you.  Take out your biscuits...  Now take 1 biscuit,  and flatten it, now, dip it in the melted butter, then dip it in the crumbs, flip it and dip the other side in crumbs and then place it in the muffin pan, press bottom down and press the sides until they come up to the top.  Repeat this with as many biscuits you want to use but at least 12.  ( I would guess you could get another 8-12 out of the filling you have left)  Now fill each cup up with your apple filling!  When you are done, sprinkle some cheesy dust on top, then sprinkle on some cinnamon sugar.  Do this to each cup and then bake for 20 minutes.

Let cool 15 minutes, you may need to run a knife around the edges before lifting them out.  Best we can tell they are delicious warm OR cold!! 

Enjoy this special treat, that was such a surprise blessing!!

Your "love from Heaven" Chefwannabe