When you think of fall most of you probably think of the summer slipping away, the leaves changing color, and the sudden drop in temperature. When I think of fall I see hot chocolate, cozy pajamas and most of all, Thanksgiving desserts.

In the past week I have experimented with the recipes of two classic pies, apple pie and pumpkin pie which are two of my favorites.The interesting thing about the apple pie was that it had a whole new name completely. I retrieved the recipe from Culinary Couture Blog and the writer called it an Apple Galette. Galette is a french term for a round, flat pastry that is often topped with fruit, in this instance apples.

Now you would think that the twist of the classic apple pie recipe would stop there, but it just kept getting better.

Cream cheese crust. This is what really caught my attention when looking for odd recipes, I knew I had to try this newfound desert and see if it was as savory as I hoped it would be. I felt the crust was the main attraction to this classic.

When making the crust I discovered how much of a difference there was in the consistency of regular pie crust and the Galette crust. If you look at your classic pie crust it’s thin and flaky whereas the Galette is thick and keeps its shape. I believe that the cream cheese in the Galette had something to do with the consistency but I was not disappointed.

The Apple Galette turned out better than I could have ever imagined. The crust turned out a beautiful golden brown and the apples, oh my goodness the apples. In a traditional Galette you can see whatever the filling is, So imagine the rich aroma of caramelized apples filling the room as I pulled this masterpiece out of the oven. It took all the strength I had not to devour this delectable dessert on the spot.

Once I tried the first bite of this dessert I fell in love. The cream cheese worked perfectly with the classic caramelized apples. I knew this was a dessert I would make for years to come. Now it may sound like it turned out perfectly but I believe there could be a few improvements.

As you might recall I stated that the crust was thicker than most pie crusts. Due to this when rolling out the crust you have to roll for longer and make sure it’s not too thick otherwise it might not be cooked thoroughly. I rolled it to about ⅓ of an inch but the next time I make it I will roll to about ¼ of an inch.

Now for the pumpkin pie, I found a recipe for a pumpkin pie with Nutella in the filling and an irresistible gingersnap crust.

I have never been a fan of gingersnaps but I have always been a fan of pumpkin pie. This was one of the more abstract pies that I found. I thought the ginger snaps would contradict with this pumpkin and Nutella filling and make the whole pie inedible. Oh how wrong I was.

For the pumpkin filling I used regular canned pumpkin but you could definitely go the natural route with the pumpkin and it would be just as good. The filling is like any other pumpkin pie but instead of just putting it in the crust you added spoonfuls of Nutella into the mix.

Making the crust was an interesting ordeal. I needed to crush 1 ½ cups of ginger snaps into tiny crumbs and I had no clue where to start. After a while of messing around with different ideas I found that the best way to do it was put the cookies in a gallon plastic bag and take the rolling pin to them. All that was need after that was to add some sugar and melted butter and mix it up.

I was excited beyond belief while I was fitting the crumbs to the pie plate. After I put the pumpkin filling in the newly formed crust I melted the nutella a bit so it would be easier to use.

I took spoonfuls and put them in different places on the pumpkin filling and took a butter knife and swiped through the mixture horizontally to form a pattern with nutella and pumpkin.

As I waited for the pie to be done in the oven I thought if it tasted as good as it smelled, The Pumpkin Nutella would win any pie contest. Again, like the Apple Galette the aroma of this dessert filled the kitchen as it was taken out of the oven.

I have to admit this pie was not as alluring as the apple Galette but when I tasted it none of that mattered. I was very pleased with how the crust turned out, it was crunchy like a graham cracker crust but crumbly like a cookie.

The flavor of the Pumpkin, Nutella, and Gingersnap was mouthwatering. I don’t think I could’ve ever imagined three things with such different flavors to work so well together.

These pies will definitely be at the thanksgiving table from now on. I recommend these to anyone who is looking to spice things up for the holidays, or even just looking for a special dessert.

Here are links to two of the recipes:

Pumpkin Nutella – http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2012/09/26/nutella-swirled-pumpkin-pie/

Apple Galette – http://www.culinarycoutureblog.com/2013/09/apple-galette.html?m=1