Autumn Cream Fruit Strudel

Ingredients

• 12 sheets phyllo dough, thawed if frozen
• 8 Tbs. (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
• 7 tsp. granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup, divided
• 8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
• 3 tbs. honey
• 3 or 4 tart apples, peeled, halved, cored and diced (about 3 cups)
• 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp. plus 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1 cup pecans, chopped

Method

1. Position a rack in the lower third of an oven and preheat to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper
2. Working with 1 phyllo sheet at a time and keeping the others covered with a barely damp kitchen towel to prevent them from drying out, place the first sheet on the parchment paper. Using a pastry brush, brush well with some of the melted butter. Lay a second phyllo on top of the first and brush again with butter. Sprinkle with 1 tsp. of the granulated sugar. Repeat, brushing every sheet with butter and sprinkling every other sheet with 1 tsp. granulated sugar, until all of the phyllo is used
3. Mix together the cream cheese, 1/4 cup pure maple syrup, honey, and 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon. Spread the cream filling along one side of the phyllo stack, positioning it about 1 inch from the edge
4. In a large bowl, toss together the apples, brown sugar, 1/4 cup maple  syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg and pecans. Arrange the apple filling over the cream filling. Fold the edge of the stack over the fillings, then carefully roll up the phyllo into a log with the seam side down. Brush the log with additional melted butter and sprinkle with the remaining 1 tsp. granulated sugar
5. Bake the strudel until the phyllo is golden and the apples are tender when pierced with the tip of a knife, 45 to 55 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 30 minutes. Transfer the strudel to a long serving platter, cut crosswise and serve warm. Serves 8