A sweet all-American favorite with a savory twist! This traditional apple pie takes a new flavor path with a cheddar cheese crust, maple syrup apple filling, bacon crumble and a lattice bacon topper. Sure to please any bacon/apple pie lover.

Step 1: Cheddar Cheese Pie Crust

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling
1/2 cup frozen butter, cubed
1/2 teaspoon sugar
3 to 4 Tbsp ice water
3 oz shredded cheddar cheese

Step 2:

Place frozen butter cubes into the bottom of a food processor. Pour cheese, flour and sugar on top of the butter. Process until mixture turns into a coarse crumb texture. Add ice water 1 Tbsp at a time while the processor is running, until the dough becomes slightly clumpy. Press some dough in your palm. If it forms a ball without falling apart, it is ready. If it falls apart, continue to add water until the ball holds together.

Step 3:

Place the crumbly dough on a clean counter, press the dough into a round flat disc shape. If the dough is sticky, knead in a little flour. Do not over work the dough or it will become tough. Wrap the disc tightly in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for an hour.

Step 4:

Take the disc out of the refrigerator and let it rest on the counter for 15 minutes. Sprinkle a clean counter top lightly with flour and roll the dough out to about 1/4 inch thickness. Place your pie pan on top of the dough to make sure it is big enough to line the bottom and sides of the pan. Roll the dough onto the rolling pin and transfer over the pie pan. Unroll and gently press the crust into the bottom and sides of the pie pan. Roll the rolling pin over the top of the pan to trim off excess crust.

Step 5: Maple Apple Filling and Bacon Crumble

Filling:
4 apples of your preference, Diced. (Fuji, Jonagold and Honeycrisp work well.)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves
2 Tbsp plus 1 tsp cornstarch
1/2 cup real maple syrup

Crumble:
1/2 pound sliced bacon, cooked and crumbled.
1/2 cup flour
1/3 cup light brown sugar
3 T unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small cubes
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Step 6:

Combine filling ingredients in a bowl until the apple pieces are well coated. Place crumble ingredients into a food processor and chop until it turns into coarse crumbs. Pour apple filling into pie crust. Sprinkle bacon crumble mixture over the top of the pie.

Step 7: Bacon Lattice Topper

8 - 10 pieces of uncooked bacon, cut in half lengthwise
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Sprinkle cheese over apple filled, bacon crumble top. Place 3-4 strips of bacon lengthwise over the top of the pie, leaving an inch gap between slices. Lift the edge of every-other bacon strip. Place one bacon strip on top of the flat strips widthwise, lower the ends of the strips. Lift the ends of the other strips of bacon from the other side. Place another bacon strip on top of the flat strips widthwise and lower the ends. Alternate lifting and placing widthwise bacon strips until the lattice is completely covering the top of the pie. Cut the edges of the bacon to a 1/4 inch of the edge of the pie and tuck the ends into the crust.

Step 8: Bake

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees ferinheight. Place the pie on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Cover the pie loosely with aluminum foil and bake 40-45 minutes until the bacon turns golden and the apples are tender. Let the pie cool before serving.