So…I love muffins. And I love pie. Also, I love apples. It just all makes sense in my world…how about yours?

This idea just kind of popped up on me.  I was wanting my Yummy Appley Muffins, and was contemplating how to remake them into something new…and then I started thinking about desert…all the while, I was driving to work in the morning.  Yup, my mind really does wander while driving.  From breakfast to dessert in one fell swoop.

I decided to change things up and try something totally different.  I mean a muffin pie means you can have it for breakfast right? Kind of like pumpkin bars-pumpkin is breakfasty.  So I said lets do it.  No matter what, I know it will turn out.

The hard part was trying to figure out how to make the batter not so runny since it was going into a pie plate.  I asked my cousin who is an infamous pumpkin roll maker and asked her about her dough and she said it was thick enough to spread but not really stiff.  Then I looked online at roll recipes to see the flour contents and decided to just start smaller and add till I thought it was enough.  Unfortunately I thought I needed more flour-you cause it never looks like enough-and put in 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour.  The left over batter I poured onto a cookie sheet and baked at the same time, and used cookie cutters to cut out fun Christmas shapes to put on top of the pie.

Once the batters were in the oven it was on to the compote.  I quartered the apples, then peeled them all and chopped them into small pieces.  For the compote I just used the basis of my Cranberry Sauce recipe-the sugar amount-to start that process…compote turned out to be the easiest thing in the world!  I started off the compote with the Earth Balance Buttery Spread and melted that then dumped the apples into the party.  I then dropped the cinnamon and brown sugar and let the sugar melt together with the apples, stirring it all together.  Then I poured in 1/2 cup Earth Balance Unsweetened Organic soy milk, and oh my did the smells in the kitchen get overwhelming-SO GOOD!

Muffin Pie Batter:

1 1/2 C Flour
1 Tsp Baking Powder
1/2 Tsp Baking Soda
1/2 Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Cinnamon
1/2 Tsp Nutmeg
4 Tbsp Water
2 Tbsp Applesauce
2/3 C Soy Milk
1/4 C Brown Sugar-Packed

1. Set oven to 400 degrees.
2. Combine all dry ingredients into mixing bowl. After ingredients combined, make a well in the middle.
3. Add ingredients in order after the dry-brown sugar is last. You don’t want the batter to sweet, remember you will have the compote on top. Mix all ingredients well.
4. Spray pie pan and cookie sheet with Pam Cooking Spray. In the pie plate, pour the batter in a thin layer. If you are lucky and your batter is stiffer, try and lift it up the sides. Pour the rest on the cookie sheet and spread in thin layer.
5. Bake for 10 minutes to start. **After 10 minutes I pulled out the cookie sheet and baked the pie plate for 3 more minutes.
6. Let cool off the oven.
7. When cookie sheet is cooled, use cookie cutters to cut out shapes.

Apple Compote:

1 Tbsp Earth Balance Buttery Spread
5 Small Apples
1 Tbsp Cinnamon
3 Tbsp Brown Sugar
1/2 C Earth Balance Unsweetened Organic Soy Milk

1. Wash all apples. Quarter all apples and peel. Chop apples into small chunks.
2. Turn burner on high and drop butter into pot. Let melt.
3. Drop all apples into pot. Stir the apples until all coated with butter-keep on high.
4. Add cinnamon and brown sugar to apples. Stir until all coated. Let sit for one minute until brown sugar has melted.
5. Pour soy milk into pot, and stir. When all coated with milk, put lid on pot and let come to a boil.
6. When boiling, leave lid on and lower temp to medium-high.
7. Let boil-stirring often-for 20 minutes.
8. At 20 minute mark take off lid and let keep going for 5 more minutes.
9. Turn off burner and take pot off. Let sit on trivet for 5 minutes to set.

Serving:

**If you are going to serve it immediately after baking and cooking, pour apple compote onto pie then put cutouts on top.  Let bake for about 5 more minutes.  You are just want to crisp the cutouts.

**If waiting to serve, do not pour compote onto pie, let sit in pot; you can refrigerate if needed or just leave in pot if serving within a few hours-if refrigerating, set compote out for 15 minutes prior to start the oven heating up, you need to take the chill off.  When ready re-heat oven to 400 degrees, pour compote onto pie and put cutouts on top.  Bake until warmed through. About 15 minutes.

Totals Per Serving: 8 servings