Kraft Channels Centuries-Old Tradition With Cheese-Topped Apple Pie

Few dishes are as debated yet patriotic as apple pie topped with a slice of melted cheese, specifically sharp cheddar. One Reddit foodie says it has to be "cut your face on it sharp," but, it looks like food giant Kraft begs to differ. The company is entering the dessert game and switching things up in a big way. Maybe you know Kraft American Singles from your grilled cheese sandwiches. Now, get ready to see those golden bad boys used in a whole new way. Introducing: Kraft Singles Apple Pie. (Yes, really.)

Per a press release, the 5-inch pie is handcrafted and made with golden delicious apples, spices, and gooey Kraft Singles baked into the filling. In classic fashion, this personal pie is also topped with a melted Single. It was created in partnership with a small American business, the NYC-based Little Pie Company, world-famous for its handmade from-scratch pies.

This cheesy treat is available for purchase now. Fans can find them in-store at Little Pie Company in Manhattan's Hell's Kitchen for $10.95 each. Foodies living outside of NYC, don't despair — the Kraft Singles pie is also available via the delivery platform Goldbelly for $44.95. It might seem like a much steeper price point, but the Goldbelly package comes with two pies, two 16-slice packs of Singles, and a recipe card. (If you're saving it for Independence Day, the pie will last for three days in the fridge or a month in the freezer.)

To celebrate the upcoming Fourth of July, Kraft is launching what it calls a fusion of two of the most American foods in the country's culinary oeuvre: apple pie and cheese. The pie may only be available for a limited time, while supplies last, but American foodies have been topping their apple pies with cheese since at least the 1800s, and the perhaps-unlikely trend has stuck around for a reason. The cheese adds savory dimensionality and slight saltiness, like peanut butter pretzels or salted caramel.

Over the years, the hybrid dessert has emerged as an unofficial character in the American zeitgeist. One character in "Thank You for Smoking" (2005) orders a slice of apple pie with cheese in a restaurant, quipping, "It's American." Robert De Niro orders it in "Taxi Driver" with a cup of coffee. A colloquial saying has even emerged in the dish's honor: "An apple pie without the cheese is like a kiss without a squeeze."

It may be a little controversial, but love it or hate it, apple pie with cheese is an enduring classic, and it doesn't appear to be going anywhere any time soon — at least, not if Kraft has anything to say about it.