It’s officially fall, and never in my life have I been so happy to see it arrive. Usually I am wistful about summer’s departure, but this year I waved farewell to it with a smile and a shrug. I guess pregnancy and summer just don’t mix, and I was ready to lower my body temperature a couple of degrees and cuddle up with some comfort food.

Fall means apples. Suddenly, I find myself stuffing apples into everything, from hollowed out squashes to pork loins. Most recently, I stuffed them inside empanadas. My best girl Lindsey was back in town for a weekend visit, and we did what we do: cook. I forced her to make empanadas because I don’t ever make them without her. It just wouldn’t feel right.

But since it’s fall, I had to make an apple empanada. Never one to leave well enough alone and just make little apple pies, which would have been fantastic in their own right, I had to make a caramel apple empanada. Because everything is better with caramel

You can make the dough from the recipe in the aforementioned post, or you can just buy pie crusts, which I’ll be honest, is what we did last night.

These can be fried or baked, depending on your taste and diet sensibilities. My taste says fried, but my sensibilities say baked. It’s a ridiculous inner battle.

http://www.lawrence.com/users/photos/2012/sep/26/241789/

Caramel Apple Empanadas
3 granny smith apples, peeled, cored, and diced
1/2 C flour
10 caramels, unwrapped and chopped into fourths
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg (for egg wash)

Combine all ingredients (except the egg) well and set aside.

Roll out three pie crusts and cut them into large circles about four inches in diameter (I just use a big sour cream tub lid for this).

Put a heaping spoonful of the filling in the center of the crust, and fold it over. Crimp around the edges to seal securely.

Bake for 12 minutes in a 350 degree oven, or deep fry in very hot canola or peanut oil.

http://www.lawrence.com/users/photos/2012/sep/26/241790/

Drizzle with a little caramel ice cream topping, and enjoy. It’s extra good with vanilla ice cream – just sayin’.