Heavenly Apple Pie

August 27, 2009

My mom gave me this pie crust recipe a few years ago. Since then I have loved making pies and consider them an easy dessert. I love the smell of apple pie fresh out of the oven.

This is a wonderful back-to-school dessert!

"Best Ever Pie Crust"

Makes 1 deep dish double crust pie

Mix gently together:
3/4 c. Shortening
3 Tbsp Butter, softened

Then add:
2 1/4 c. Flour (I usually use 1 c. whole wheat, 1 1/4 c. unbleached)
1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
1/4 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Sugar (I use Fructose)

Mix with pastry cutter or two forks until it resembles oats.

Add 1/2 c. Cold Water all at once. Stir gently until dough forms. Divide it into 2 balls. Wrap each ball tightly with plastic wrap and place in the fridge.

Apple Pie Filling

4 large Green Apples
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 c. Flour (again, a good opportunity to use whole wheat)
3/4 c. sugar (or 1/2 c. Fructose)
1 1/2 tsp. Cinnamon

Peel the apples and slice them as good sized chunks into a large bowl. I usually hold the whole apple in my hand and start cutting off pieces until I get down the core. I don't like thin slices because they seem to get mushy. This is also quicker than making dainty little wedges to arrange in the pan. I'm all about being fast! Squirt lemon juice on the apples and toss. (I often do this step the night before to save time on baking day, and in that case I'll use more lemon juice to keep them from browning.)

In a smaller bowl, mix all the dry ingredients together, then add to the apple chunks and toss until well coated.

Assembly

Preheat oven to 425 F. Remove pie dough from the fridge. Place a layer of plastic wrap onto the counter, about 18 inches long. Unwrap one ball of dough and place it on the new plastic wrap. Open up the used plastic wrap and place it on top of the dough. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out into a circle between the layers of plastic, lifting the top plastic to rearrange as needed. Roll until it has a wider diameter than your deep-dish pie pan. Peel off the top plastic, pick up the circle of dough with the plastic still stuck to the bottom and flip the dough over, setting it into the dish. Peel off the plastic. Help the dough settle evenly in the pan.

Pour in the apple mixture. Dot the apples with butter.

Repeat dough rolling process and transfer the second dough on top of the apples. Trim the top crust so that it is even with the pie dish. Save the scraps! Roll the bottom crust edges up on top of the edge of the pie and press with your finger all the way around to make a nice fluted edge. Cut slits in the top crust to allow steam to escape while baking. Cut a shape (heart/apple/letter) from the scraps to decorate, if you wish.

You may brush the top of the pie with beaten egg white, if you'd like to. It gives it a pretty, glossy look. I usually don't because I'm trying to be fast, and also because I would have to remember to add the leftover yolk to scrambled eggs the next day and I often forget and waste it.

**Place the pie onto a cookie sheet, to catch juices that might bubble over!**

Bake at 425 F for 20 minutes. Then, reduce the temperature to 375 F and bake for another 30 minutes. Place on a cooling rack after removing from the oven.

As for the scraps: Mold them into a ball and roll flat. I like to cut them into 1 inch strips, spread some butter on them and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Then I place them on the cookie sheet with the pie, for about the first 10 minutes of baking. They'll get nice and crispy, but don't let them burn! Remove them with tongs from the oven, or take the whole cookie sheet out and remove them quickly with a spatula. Return the pie to the oven still on the cookie sheet.

Enjoy with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream!