Name: Granny Smith Pizza
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 2 slices applewood smoked bacon; 16oz Whole Wheat Pizza Dough; 1 small Granny Smith Apple; 1/4 cup grated Grana Padano; 1/2 cup Mozzarella Cheese; 1 grilled boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut in bite sized pieces; Candied pecans- recipe follows; Real Maple Syrup, optional

Granny Smith Pizza

When it comes to apples, desserts are pretty easy for me to come up with. We love them all, cakes, crisps, cookies, pies. It's a little harder to come up with savory or main dishes, but this year, I knew I wanted to recreate a pizza that I get at a local restaurant that I absolutely love.

This post is sponsored in conjunction with #AppleWeek. I recieved product samples from sponsor companies to aid in the creation of AppleWeek recipes. All opinions are my own.

It's so good, thin crispy dough, bacon, candied nuts, cheese, marinated chicken, and of course, apples. Theirs is wood-fired, but since I'm not set up for that at home, I needed a different way to get that crispy yet chewy crust. Swiss Diamond sent me a beautiful double griddle, and it was perfect for cooking up the bacon.

After a quick wipe down, it was ready for the dough base, which cooked in just a few minutes. The best part of all is that it's oven safe, so after I assembled all the ingredients on top, I could pop it under the broiler to melt the cheese too! I did make some other small changes to the restaurant's version.

I used whole wheat pizza dough instead of regular. Though the candied walnuts are nice, I prefer pecans. You can buy them already candied, or you can make your own. I love it with the maple drizzle, but it's great without it if you can't get your hands on any real maple syrup.

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Granny Smith Pizza

Ingredients

2 slices applewood smoked bacon
16oz Whole Wheat Pizza Dough
1 small Granny Smith Apple
1/4 cup grated Grana Padano
1/2 cup Mozzarella Cheese
1 grilled boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut in bite sized pieces
Candied pecans- recipe follows
Real Maple Syrup, optional

Instructions

On an oven-safe double griddle, fry bacon to desired crispiness. Chop and set aside. Wipe bacon fat from pan, leaving a trace amount.
Split dough in half, then gently stretch to circular or oval shapes. Lay them onto warm griddle. Cook on the first side until lightly browned and crisp. Flip and repeat on that side.
Heat broiler. Top pizzas with cheeses and grilled chicken. Core the apple, slice it thin, and add it to the pizza.
Place under the broiler and cook until cheese is melted and chicken is warmed through. Sprinkle on bacon and candied pecans. Drizzle with maple syrup, if desired. Cut each pizza into 4 slices and enjoy!

**For the candied pecans, combine 1/4c brown sugar, pinch of salt, dash of cinnamon and 1/2T water in a skillet. Whisk over medium heat untiil smooth. Add pecans. Stir to coat well. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes until thickened. Spread on parchment and cool completely.