I made this earlier today, using a recipe I've been changing up for years now.

I must say though, this has been the best version of it yet and I decided to share it.

This is a quick, easy, delicious dessert that takes maybe 20-25 minutes from preparation to plate.

I personally do not ever use measurements with this recipe, I do everything according to how much is there. It comes out right pretty much every time, except for one case where I used too much heavy whipping cream and the pudding came out watery. As a rule of thumb, only add so much so that the pudding is thick and stands alone, it should be clumpy and thick like a paste.

You'll need:

-Two packets of cream or neufchatel cheese (I have used both in the past, neufchatel for this cake specifically, but cream cheese works far better.)

-Two packets of vanilla pudding (I have used everything from the generic Great Value to Jell-o brand to Hershey, it doesn't make a difference.)

-Heavy Whipping Cream

-White Oreos and/or Vanilla Wafers (I used generic "cream center cookies" and vanilla wafers for this cake and it came out really good.)

-Ground Cinnamon

-3 Apples (I used Braeburn apples but I think any sweet apple will do.)

-Butter

-Sprite, Ginger Ale, or other preferred sugary soda

-Cake pan or Pie tin

First, we'll make the crust. If you are using Oreos, take apart each cookie and scrape out the cream into a separate dish. I usually use about one and a half packs of Oreos, though for this cake I used half a box of Vanilla wafers and half a pack of white Oreos. Adjust this so that the amount you have will be enough to coat the bottom and sides of your cake or pie tin.

Crush the cookies into a fine powder using a blender or other means. Once it has the consistency of flour, mix in some ground cinnamon to taste.

In a separate bowl, mix the Oreo cream with butter, about half a cup or so (add more if necessary.) Warm it up in the microwave until it has a nice smooth consistency.

Note: if you are only using vanilla wafers, just use butter and a bit of sugar.

Add the butter to your cookie flour and spread it into the cake or pie tin until it is adequately coated. Leave in the freezer or fridge to harden while you perform the next step.

Next, take one of your apples and chop it into slices. Saute the pieces until soft using cinnamon and ginger ale or sprite (or your choice of soda.)

Let cool, then blend until it reaches a saucy texture.

Add this to your cream or neufchatel cheese and stir until the entire mixture is a light brown.

Pour this into your crust and pop back into the freezer or fridge, (I find the freezer always works best at this step because you want the bottom layer nice and stiff before adding more layers to give it a very smooth finish.)

Next, get your pudding out and mix it in with about a cup of heavy whipping cream. Continue adding cream until the pudding is very thick, but doesn't have any pockets of dry mixture left in it.

Next, saute and blend one more apple in the same way, this time adding the sauce to the pudding. Mix until fully blended (I added a drop of red food coloring at this stage to give it a nice peachy look, so if yours does not look exactly the same, try adding red coloring if you have it. If not, it will still taste the same. :)

Don't add this layer yet, instead, wait a little bit and put this mixture in the fridge.

Saute the last apple in slices, but do not blend. Once this apple is soft and syrupy, take out your current cake and lay down the slices as a middle layer. Now, pour the pudding over the top, starting at the edges and working inwards towards the center.

Lastly, use any leftover pie crumbs to garnish the top. If none are left, crunching up some Oreos and cinnamon will work nicely.

I personally enjoy this recipe because it is not too sweet, there is more flavor than relentless sugary vengeance. As someone who doesn't really like sweets unless its chocolate, this is a very tasty, satisfying dessert.

A lower sugar or calorie version could be made by swapping out the pudding and cookies for healthier options (I used gluten-free Oreos once and it didn't chance the flavor or texture at all,) reducing or eliminating the butter (or using butter alternatives,) and swapping soda for honey, agave, or simply sauteing the apples alone (just be careful not to burn them as I have!)

This is a super versatile dish, so adjust it to your needs and flavor desires and enjoy!