Apple Pull Apart Bread

Ingredients

• Apple Pie Filling
• •3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and diced
• •2 tbsp butter
• •1/4 cup granulated sugar
• •1 tsp ground cinnamon
• •1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• •1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• •1/4 cup water
• •1 tsp cornstarch
• Cinnamon-Sugar Biscuits
• •16 oz can flaky refrigerated biscuit dough
• •6 tablespoons butter, melted and browned
• •1/2 cup granulated sugar
• •2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• Crumb Topping
• •1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• •1/3 cup brown sugar
• •1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• •1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• •4 tablespoons salted butter, soft
• Cream Cheese Icing
• •2 tablespoons butter, softened
• •2 ounces cream cheese, softened
• •3/4 cup powdered sugar
• •1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• •1 tablespoon milk

Instructions

1. 1Preheat the oven. Set the oven to 325°F. Line a 9x5-inch loaf pan with parchment paper, allowing extra paper to hang over the sides for easy removal.
2. 2Cook the apples. Peel, core, and finely dice the apples. Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a skillet over medium-low heat. Stir in the apples, sugar, cinnamon, lemon juice, and 1 tablespoon of water. Cover and cook for 8–10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the apples are tender.
3. 3Thicken the filling. Mix the cornstarch with the remaining water until smooth. Stir into the cooked apples and continue cooking until the filling bubbles and thickens. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool while you prepare the biscuits.
4. 4Prepare the biscuit coating. Melt the butter in a medium sauce pan over medium-high heat and continue to cook until it gets toasty brown. Pour the butter into a heat-proof bowl. In a second shallow bowl, mix the sugar and cinnamon. Separate the biscuits, then gently cut each one just enough to make a pocket for the filling.
5. 5Coat each round. Dip both sides of each biscuit round into the melted butter, then generously coat it in the cinnamon sugar.
6. 6Assemble the stacks. Spoon apple filling onto a coated biscuit round, place another round on top, and press gently.
7. 7Arrange in the pan. Turn each stack on its side and place it in the loaf pan with the biscuit layers standing vertically. Spoon a little filling between neighboring stacks so there is apple filling between every biscuit layer. Continue until the pan is comfortably filled, without packing the stacks too tightly.
8. 8Mix the crumb topping. Combine the flour, sugar, and cinnamon. Use a fork to work in 3 tablespoons of softened butter. Scatter the crumb mixture generously over the loaf.
9. 9Bake the loaf. Cover loosely with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 30 minutes.
10. 10Check the center. At the 50-minute mark, check the biscuit layers near the middle of the loaf. If they are still wet or underbaked, continue baking in 10-minute intervals until cooked through. Loosely cover with foil again if the topping begins to brown too much. Total baking time may range from approximately 60–85 minutes.
11. 11Prepare the icing. Beat the softened butter and cream cheese together until smooth. Mix in the powdered sugar, vanilla, milk and salt until creamy.
12. 12Cool and serve. Drizzle generously with cream cheese icing, and serve warm.