Apparently Minnesota is the land of scandal this holiday season. First there was pointergate. And now? Now we have grapegate.

It all started when the New York Times ran an article on what Thanksgiving dish best “evokes” a given state. They bestowed grape salad upon our unsuspecting state, to which they earned a collective response of “Um….what’s grape salad?” which is passive aggressive code for “WTF NYT?!”

They have since revamped their claims, choosing to base an updated map not on the ramblings of some “Minnesotan-born heiress” but on data from Google searches.

Why Minnesota has been the center for so many scandals that could have been avoided through something as simple proper research is beyond me. I’m just glad I don’t actually have to eat grape salad. It sounds super gross.

Instead, let me introduce you to a more Minnesotan way to bring fruit to your Thanksgiving feast. Hello cheesecake-stuffed baked apples. Don’t you look good.

Whether you choose to celebrate with grapes, apples, or just a big drumstick, I hope you and your loved ones have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Ingredients (original recipe from Creme de La Crumb):

• 6 apples (I used Snow Sweet)
• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• optional: graham cracker crumbs, caramel sauce, pecans (I highly recommend candied pecans!)

Directions:

1. Chop the tops of the apples off and scoop out the insides. Discard the core and seeds.
2. In a medium bowl cream together cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Mix in vanilla, egg, and cinnamon until smooth. Fill each of the apples ⅔ full with the cheesecake mixture.
3. Place filled apples on a baking sheet (make sure they aren’t touching) and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes until cheesecake filling is set. Transfer to a plate and place in the fridge until completely cooled.
4. Serve apples at room temperature or chilled. If desired, top with caramel sauce, graham cracker crumbs, and pecans.