Apple Pie Cheesecake

The past few weeks I have been experimenting with new pie recipes in anticipation of Thanksgiving. We usually have one piece and then I send the rest with Greg to school. I made this recipe the other night and when I tried it the next morning I knew I had found my winner & that none would be going to Medical School! Try it out and let me know what you think... We thought it was pretty good; not too sweet, but different and delicious! I will post the original recipe and then tell you the few things I changed.

The best part was that my mother-in-law said she wanted an apple pie and a pecan pie... so this is what I came up with! :)

APPLE PIE CHEESECAKE

1 Cup crushed Ginger Snaps

3 TBSP. Butter, melted

1/2 Cup plus 2 TBSP. Sugar, divided

2 pkg. [8 oz. size] Cream Cheese, softened

2 tsp. Vanilla

1/2 Cup Sour Cream

2 Eggs

1 Cup Apple Pie Filling, divided

1/2 Cup Walnuts Pieces, divided

1/2 Cup Toffee Bits, divided

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Mix together ginger snap crumbs, melted butter, & 2 TBSP. sugar. Press in bottom and sides of 9 inch pie plate.

Beat cream cheese, 1/2 cup sugar and vanilla with mixer until blended. Add sour cream; mix well. Add eggs, 1 @ a time, beating after each just until blended. Stir in half of each of the pie filling, nuts and toffee bits. Pour into crust.

Bake 35 minutes or until center is almost set. Cool. Refrigerate 4 hours. Top with remaining pie filling, nuts, and toffee.

Eat it up... Yum!

**Ok, so I did have to change a few things. My father-in-law is deathly allergic to walnuts so I substituted chopped pecans, which I like more anyway. I also could not find plain toffee bits at the store so I actually just bought a bag of the heath bar bits. I wanted to avoid a pie with chocolate for my Hubby's sake, but it turned out great and Greg still ate a piece. The Heath bits have barely any chocolate on them anyway... right?

I also found I had to cook it longer than 35 minutes. I placed mine on a cookie sheet because the pie tin seemed a bit full to me and I was worried about it spilling over. It ended up being in my oven about 50 minutes. (NOTE: I have a Gas oven.... 35 min. might be fine in an Electric oven!??)

Ginger Snaps are a pretty hard cookie, so if you have a food processor that will be your best bet for blending to smitherines. Otherwise, a blender might work as well. After eating this pie though, I'm not convinced it has to be a Ginger Snap crust... I honestly think a store bought Graham Crust would work as well.

There you have it! Any Questions? If not... go get bakin'!

P.S. Check out the cute place setting name cards I made for the Thanksgiving table!!?