• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
The Good Hearted Woman logo
  • Home
  • Recipes
    • Appetizers
    • Beverages
    • Bread
    • Comfort Food
    • Cooking Basics
    • Condiments
    • German Recipes
    • Main Dishes
    • Salads
    • Seafood
    • Side Dishes
    • Soups
    • Sourdough
    • Snacks
    • Sweets
    • 30-Minute Meals
  • Cozy Living
    • Arts & Crafts
    • For Music Lovers
    • Food Holidays
  • US Travel
    • One Day in...
    • Pacific
    • Rocky Mountains
    • Southwest
    • The South
    • Hikes Near & Far
  • Contact
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • Cozy Living
  • Road Trips
  • About Us
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • Cozy Living
    • Road Trips
    • About Us
    • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×

    Home » 30-Minute Meals

    Irish Apple Pie Twice-Grilled Cheese Sandwich (Award Winner!)

    April 14, 2015 • Updated: January 13, 2022 • by Renée • This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe   Print Recipe
    Melted Dubliner cheese, tart apples, sweet apple butter, and cinnamon bread combine to make this amazing, award winning “Irish Apple Pie Twice-Grilled Cheese”| The Good Hearted Woman

    Melted Dubliner cheese, tart apples, sweet apple butter, and cinnamon bread combine to make this amazing, award winning Irish Apple Pie Twice-Grilled Cheese Sandwich.


    Irish Apple Pie Twice-Grilled Cheese - The winning sandwich in Franz Grilled Cheese Contest | The Good Hearted Woman

    This post may contain affiliate links, but don't worry - they won't bite.

    Ahem...You may now refer to Mr. B and me as Portland's reigning King & Queen of Grilled Cheese [2015]. In fact, we would be absolutely tickled if you did!

    When we were growing up in east Portland, there were three memorable school field trips that every kid in town took: Alpenrose Dairy, the Zoo, and Franz Bakery. The first two trips required a long bus ride across the river to the West Side, but Franz Bakery was just a few miles from where I lived, down Sandy Boulevard. 

    Me & Mr. B in Franz Grilled Cheese Contest | The Good Hearted Woman
    Thanks to Aaron Cohen of Selfless Enterprise for sharing this great picture with us!

    The rich, mesmerizing scent of fresh Franz bread right out of the oven was as familiar to me as my mother's peanut butter cookies. I remember going to the Bakery in first grade like it was yesterday: at the end of the tour, you got an official Bakery hat (very stylish!), and a lovely, warm, child-size loaf of bread that smelled like all was good with the world. 

    Franz Grilled Cheese Contest | The Good Hearted Woman

    When I decided to enter Franz’ first ever Grilled Cheese Sandwich Contest a couple of weeks ago, I did it on a whim. I had no idea that it would culminate in making over a hundred sandwiches for an amazingly patient, nearly endless line of Portlanders drawn by early spring sunshine and the promise of a free lunch.

    Franz Grilled Cheese Contest | The Good Hearted Woman

    Mr. B jumped on board the second I asked him to be my sous-chef. He couldn't have been more enthusiastic or helpful, and the day would have been a complete bust without him. He chopped cheese, assembled sandwiches, and kept the flow going - even when we had ten sandwiches down, another ten stacked and ready to grill, and ten ready to plate.

    Franz Grilled Cheese Contest | The Good Hearted Woman

    Our youngest, Em, came with us for moral support, and ended up being our primary gofer, photographer and inspiration. She's pretty awesome.

    When Missy Maki was getting ready to announce the winner, I put my game-face on and got totally prepared to graciously congratulate the winner, so when she called my name, it literally took me a couple of beats to realize that she meant me!

    Franz Grilled Cheese Contest | The Good Hearted Woman

    Franz awarded all the finalists with a generous swag bag full of delicious goodies, including a variety of fresh breads, bagels, and their recently repackaged frosted animal cookies. As winner, I also received a beautiful All-Clad barbecue set and a year's worth of Franz products. And a ribbon! (Which is so cool, I cannot even tell you.)

    For the official Grilled Cheese Sandwich Recipe contest, we were limited to five ingredients. Ours ingredient list came in at one under (unless you count the butter to grill it with).

    Each ingredient in this sandwich was carefully chosen to complement the whole:

    • Aged Irish Dubliner Cheese for its sweet undertones, slight nuttiness, and just a bit of a bite
    • Apple butter for spiced apple-pie sweetness
    • Granny Smith Apples for crunch and tartness
    • Franz Bainbridge Island Cinnamon Swirl Bread; acting as the "crust" in this apple pie

    The Dubliner also works very well when making cheese crisps, which are one of my favorite parts of this sandwich.

    Portland Bloggers
    The field of competition included [from far right] Portland bloggers Lindsay Strannigan, Rebekah Hubbard, and Christina Johnson.

    Love a good grilled sandwich? Be sure to check out our Classic Grilled Monte Cristo, too!

    Irish Apple Pie Twice-Grilled Cheese - The winning sandwich in Franz Grilled Cheese Contest | The Good Hearted Woman
    5 from 2 votes

    Irish Apple Pie Twice-Grilled Cheese Sandwich

    Melted Dubliner cheese, tart apples, sweet apple butter, and cinnamon bread combine to make this amazing, “Irish Apple Pie Twice-Grilled Cheese.” [1st Place, 2015 Grilled Cheese Contest, Franz Bakery, Portland, Oregon]
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Course: Lunch, Sandwich
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time:5 minutes
    Cook Time:10 minutes
    Total Time:15 minutes
    Servings: 1 sandwich
    Calories: 368kcal
    Author: Renee

    Ingredients

    US Customary - Metric
    For each sandwich, you will need
    • 2 slices Franz Bainbridge Island Cinnamon Swirl Bread or cinnamon bread
    • 2 slices Kerrygold Dubliner Aged Cheese
    • ⅛ cup grated Kerrygold Dubliner Aged Cheese
    • 1 tablespoon apple butter homemade or Smuckers
    • 4 thin slices Granny Smith Apple
    • Butter for grilling sandwich

    Instructions

    Layer sandwich in this order:

    • Slice of Bread
    • Slice of cheese
    • Apple-butter
    • Apple slices
    • Slice of cheese
    • Slice of bread

    Grill Sandwich slowly!

    • In a non-stick pan over medium low heat (or an electric grill heated to about 310 degrees), spread butter on surface of the grill. (I do this by just holding the stick of butter and rubbing it over the hot surface.)
    • Put prepared sandwiches onto grill. Dubliner cheese has a higher melt-point than many cheeses, so it is very important that you allow your sandwich to grill slowly. Flip over when golden: about 4-5 minutes. Grill equally on the other side.

    Make the Cheese Crisps:

    • Sprinkle grated cheese on non-stick surface and allow to cook until golden on the bottom.
      Using a spatula, carefully peel the crisp cheese off the grilling surface and allow to cool.
      You can shape it if you want before it cools, but if you do so, be extremely careful as the cheese will be very hot!
      You can make small cheese crisps to use as garnish, or a large one to serve over the entire sandwich.
      Cheese Crisps | The Good Hearted Woman

    Notes

    The key to any good grilled cheese sandwich is patience. Don't rush the process, or you will just have a handful of toasted bread with cheese slices inside.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1serving | Calories: 368kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 51mg | Sodium: 482mg | Potassium: 118mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 482IU | Calcium: 381mg | Iron: 2mg
    This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.
    Have you tried this recipe?Mention @TheGoodHeartedWoman or tag #thegoodheartedwoman!

    If you love a little sweet with your savory, you may like these recipes, too:

    • Spicy Thai Shrimp Salad
    • Sweet & Spicy Black Beans with Bacon
    • Caribbean Chicken Stew
    • Slow Cooker Stuffed Cabbage Rolls {Polish-style Gołąbki}

    Thank you for supporting The Good Hearted Woman. • Please PIN this post!

    Irish Apple Pie Twice-Grilled Cheese Sandwich

    The Good Hearted Woman is a participant in a number of affiliate programs, including the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. While clicking these links won't cost you any extra money, they will help us keep this site up and running - and (relatively) ad-free!! Please check out our disclosure policy for more details. Thank you for your support!

    « Naturally-Dyed Armenian Easter Eggs
    Easy Classic Caramel Flan »
    785 shares
    • Share
    • Tweet
    • Yummly
    • Flipboard

    About Renée

    Renée is writer, music maker, artist, and storyteller. In her spare time, you can find her writing love songs about cowboys, exploring the moss-covered nooks and crannies of the Pacific Northwest, and making music with her talented singer-husband.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Laura @MotherWouldKnow says

      April 12, 2016 at 7:47 pm

      These look incredible - with the cheese crisp really taking the sandwich to a whole new level. I had a bakery that I loved growing up and so I could really identify with how much you love your Franz Bakery. So glad that you won the prize!

      Reply
    « Older Comments

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Adorable middle-aged couple in forest setting. (i.e., Me & Mr B)

    Join me & Mr B for the best in home cooking and cozy living - from the beautiful Pacific Northwest and beyond.

    More about us →

    Follow Us

    BBq & Potluck Favorites

    • Honey Citrus Pasta Salad with Turkey
    • Greek Turkey Burgers with Tzadiki Sauce
    • Sweet & Spicy Grilled Buffalo Wings
    • Potluck-Worthy Big Cuban Salad

    Fresh Spring Flavors

    • Caribbean Mango Salad
    • Ginger Chili Deviled Eggs
    • Easy Rice Pilaf with Asparagus & Cashews
    • California Quinoa Salad with Piña Colada Dressing

    Soup & Salad

    • Spicy Thai Shrimp Salad (Applebee's Copycat Recipe)
    • Classic French Onion Soup
    • Smoked Salmon Chowder (with Leeks & Fresh Tarragon)
    • Armenian-style Eggplant & Carrot Salad

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Disclaimer
    • Privacy Policy
    • Cookie Statement
    • Terms & Conditions
    • Accessibility Statement

    Follow

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates
    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
    • Instagram
    • Twitter

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Meet Me & Mr B

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2022 The Good Hearted Woman. All rights reserved.

    785 shares
    785 shares