Growing up I spent many of my 4th of July’s in a small town in Northern North Dakota.
We would drive straight through the day for 14 hours and arrive at the meager house, familiar and full of people at all times. Voices carrying for miles. As soon as we would open the car door, of the blue station wagon, or the rear hatch where we had been sleeping, we could smell the smell of pie wafting from the windows.
My grandmother would cook for days before we got there, things she knew we loved. Things we missed throughout the year (I often got divinity in the middle of July, because we weren’t able to be with them at Christmas.) I wish I had more photos of her in her kitchen. Doing what she loved to do. Her thick fingers, bulky from milking cows her whole life, kneading that dough. Smiling. Always smiling. Even when she would talk about hard things, she never seemed unhappy. Her kitchen was always covered in food being prepared and flour. It was impossible to keep up with her dishes.
Pies were her specialty. The crusts in particular. Something about them couldn’t be replicated.
And there was always apple pie.
The one thing I took of hers after she passed, was her pie plate. And I make an apple pie every fourth of July. Normally not a “regular” apple pie because I never have figured out crust.
This year… it’s Snickerdoodle Apple Cheesecake.
And I know if she were here, she would love it. And then go home and replicate it, but make it better than I did.
Snickerdoodle Apple Cheesecake
Ingredients
1 box or bag of snickerdoodle cookie mix
1/2 cup butter, softened
Cream Cheese Filling
1 eight ouncepackage cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon flour
1 Teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
1 large cups apple pie filling
1/2 Teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 inch glass pie plate.
Place tcookie mix into a large bowl. Add the 1/2 cup butter, work with fork until you have crumbs. Press about 2 cups of the crumbs into to the bottom and up the sides of the pie plate.
Beat the cream cheese in a medium bowl until smooth, add the sugar and flour. Add vanilla and egg, mix until smooth
Place the apple pie filling into a small bowl, add the cinnamon and cardamom.
Spread the creamed cheese mixture into the bottom of the cookie crust. Spoon the chopped up canned apples over the cream cheese layer.
Sprinkle the crumble mixture over the apples evenly. Bake about 35 minutes or until top is golden brown. Let cool completely, refrigerate the pie at least 3 hours before serving.
Happy 4th of July Everyone!!!!