Apple Pie

I have neglected the blog lately and hope I still have readers! With Thanksgiving on the horizon I figure I should post about my favorite apple pie.

Kris' hands down favorite dessert is apple pie. To be honest, I had never really given apple pie a fair shot (aka decided I didn't like it) until I went home with Kris for the first time in college. Kris' mom baked an apple pie and my mom taught me to eat whatever your hosts put in front of you so I ate the pie. I'm not sure if that was a good or bad decision in this case, because now I like apple pie, although I can easily resist it unlike other desserts. Kris on the other hand could eat the whole pie if you let him.

Here is my go-to apple pie recipe. Since Kris is not a crust fan, I use a crumb topping instead of a double crust, but you could do either. As for the apples, I typically use a mixture of golden delicious, fuji, and gala. I really dislike granny smith apples because I am not a tart fan, but use whatever you like making sure to adjust the sugar if needed.

Apple pies are also made easy due to the handy apple pie peeler/cutter that we received as a wedding gift (along with a great pie dish that makes your crust look perfect). I highly recommend this tool and can't imagine having to actually peel and cut the apples by hand!
The apples look like this after using the peeler/cutter...how fabulous!


Apple Pie

Ingredients:
8 cups of thinly sliced apples
1/3 to 2/3 c sugar (depending on your apples...I often opt for the full amount of sugar)
1/4 c all purpose flour
1/2 t ground cinnamon
1/2 t ground nutmeg
Dash of salt
Pie crust (make your own or go with the easy Pillsbury crusts in the refrigerator section)

Crumb topping:
1 stick butter (firm, not room temp)
1/2 c packed brown sugar
1 c all purpose flour

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 425
2. Combine apples with sugar, flour, and spices.
3. Line pie plate with crust. Fill with apple mixture trying to fill in any holes.

4. For crumb topping, mix together flour and sugar. Cut in butter so that it remains crumbly.
5. Put pie plate on a baking sheet lined with foil or parchment paper (the juices will bubble out so this will help with cleaning). Top the apples with the crumb topping trying to cover the entire pie.

6. Bake for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, cover pie with foil and continue to bake for 20 minutes.
7. Let cool to room temp or until it is still slightly warm so the pie can set up a bit. Serve with vanilla ice cream.