When it comes to baking I love using dough. I use it to make rolls and pizza for dinner but I also love using when making breakfast or desserts too! I recently made an Apple Braid that is delicious and also easy to make!

Last weekend my daughter and I took a trip to Apple Hill which is one of my favorite places to visit in the fall! While we were there we enjoyed tri-tip sandwiches, apple cider, caramel apples and even apple donuts. We didn’t leave without handpicking some apples that would be perfect for my kid’s lunches and also to make sweet treats like the apple braid that I have been asked to make again.

Making The Apple Braid

When baking I like to make my own dough from scratch but it can be time consuming. Not always do I have a few hours or more for the dough to rise. With that said I like to keep the Pillsbury Pizza Crust dough in the fridge which can can be used for more than just pizza. It was perfect for this apple braid that I baked.

First I made the cream cheese filling that included some cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice and vanilla extract that I placed in the center of my dough. Next I peeled a few apples and put them in a pot over medium heat with some butter, flour, sugar, cinnamon and water creating an apple filling that was placed on top of the cream cheese filling.

Once the dough was folded over and braided, I baked it at 350° for 20 minutes. While it was baking in the oven I made a quick glaze with powdered sugar, vanilla extract and water. When the braid came out of the oven, the glaze was drizzle on top.

Quick & Easy Apple Braid Recipe

Ingredients

1 can Pillsbury Pizza Crust
6 oz cream cheese softened
1/3 cup sugar for cream cheese filling
1 tablespoon lemon juice for cream cheese filling
1 teaspoon vanilla extract for cream cheese filling
3 apples peeled and diced for apple filling
4 tablespoons butter for apple filling
1/2 cup sugar for apple filling
1 teaspoon cinnamon for apple filling
4 tablespoons water for apple filling
1 cup powdered sugar for glaze
3 tablespoons water for glaze
1 teaspoon vanilla extract for glaze

Instructions

To make cream cheese filling add cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice and vanilla in a bowl. Mix until ingredients are well blended. Set aside.
In a medium pot add butter and melt over medium heat. Add apples, sugar, cinnamon and water. Cook over medium heat until apples are soft (about 5 minutes). Remove from heat and allow filling to cool about 3 minutes.
Roll your dough into a rectangle. Make 2" diagonal cuts down the side about an inch apart.
Spread the cream cheese filling down the center. Next add the apple filling on top of the cream cheese filling.
Next crisscross the strips of dough over the filling to create a braided look.
Bake at 350° for 20 minutes. While apple braid is in the oven make your glaze. In a bowl add the powdered sugar, water and vanilla extract. Stir and mix well. If glaze is too runny add a small amount of powered sugar until you reach desired consistency.
Remove from oven and allow to cool for a 2-3 minutes. Drizzle glaze on the top of apple braid and enjoy.