Gluten Free Caramel Apple Crepes

Usually when my little family gets together for dinner and I make my famous crepes we have the standard fillings: Nutella, strawberries, whipped cream, powdered sugar. But Monday night I had a brain flash...complete with carameled apples for the season. The best part about this little personal triumph is that I did this whole recipe with no book, no internet, no call to the cook friend. I mixed and matched the flavors and even taste tested while I was cooking. I imagined in my head what I wanted it to taste like and I just went for it. I'm usually so caught up with perfection that I research myself to death. Yay me! Not that it's a hard recipe, but still.

It seems like some sort of breakfast restaurant is always advertising their pancake meals topped with fancy fruit toppings, and since there's nothing I can eat there they will remain unnamed. However, I thought about making a chunky applesauce for the filling and using some caramel ice cream syrup we had in the fridge for that little something extra. It turned out to be a delicious alternative to Nutella and strawberries. Here's the recipe for the filling:

Chunky Caramelized Applesauce

3 gala apples, peeled, cored, and diced

1/3 cup brown sugar

4 T butter

juice of 1/2 small lemon

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp cornstarch

In a small saucepan, add apples, sugar, butter, lemon juice, and cinnamon. Heat over medium heat until butter melts and sauce simmers. Cook until apples are soft, about 12-15 minutes. Add cornstarch and stir well until thickened. Spoon into a fresh gluten free crepe and drizzle with Smuckers Caramel Sundae syrup. Top with Cool Whip, roll and eat with a fork.Try this one next time you make crepes for dinner or brunch. You could also use pumpkin pie spice instead of cinnamon for an extra-autumn flavor.

Happy eating!