Apple Pie

Prep Time: 45 mins
Bake Time: 60 mins
Makes 9” pie, Serves 10 

Nothing gets me more excited than a detoxed version of a traditional dessert.  From north to south and east to west, fresh apple pie unites all of us.  It’s an American tradition and the cozy feelings it brings me serves as a reminder to live in love and gratitude for family and the bounty our country provides.

This recipe makes a large pie loaded with soft apples and warm spices.  The cut-out shapes that form the top crust layer will add charm to your holiday table and are easy to create.  Don’t skip boiling the filling ingredients before mixing in the apples, it’s worth the effort and is the key step that elevates this pie above all others. Granny Smiths are the gold standard for baking because of their bright, tart flavor and they hold up well in the oven.  I’ve used a variety of organic apples from green to red or whatever I have fresh in the house, you really can’t pick a wrong one. If you’re using a tart variety of apples, feel free to increase the Sugar Swap to 1 cup in the filling if your family likes things sweet. 

 

   

Pie Crust Ingredients: 
2 cups Flour Swap
1 cup Butter Swap
½ cup Sugar Swap (granular)
½ teaspoon salt
2-4 Tablespoons hot water (as needed for crumbly dough consistency)

Apple Filling Ingredients:
¾ cup Sugar Swap (granular) 
⅓ cup Butter Swap
¼ cup water
3 Tablespoons Flour Swap
1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon salt
2- 2 ½ LBS apples peeled/cored/thin sliced (6-7 medium apples or about 7 cups sliced)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Grease a 9” pie pan well.  Prep a piece of foil with a 3” hole cut in the center to cover the pie while baking. The vented foil will prevent the crust from getting too brown while still allowing the steam to escape and the apples to become soft.

Prepare the pie crust by mixing the Flour Swap, Sugar Swap and salt together.  Then add Butter Swap and water 1 Tbsp at a time until the dough is crumbly but sticks together when pressed.  Divide the dough into 2 equal portions.  Press 1/2 of the dough into your greased pie pan making sure the thickness is uniform while working the crust up the edges of the pie pan.  Set aside the other half of the dough, you’ll use it during the final assembly.  

Prepare the apple filling by mixing all ingredients except apples in a large pot.  Heat the filling ingredients while stirring.  Boil the filling for about 2 minutes on medium heat until it thickens and darkens in color.  Remove the pan from the heat and mix in the apple slices until well combined.  Pour the coated apples into your pie crust.  

Final Assembly: Add about 2 more tablespoons hot water to the unused portion of pie crust.  You’ll want a consistency of dough that you can press or roll out on parchment paper to about ¼“ in thickness.  Use your favorite cookie or pie crust cut-outs to make shapes and place them on top of the apple filling.  Gently press down the dough onto the apples.  Cover the pie loosely with vented foil and place in the oven.  Bake for 15 minutes at 400 degrees, then turn down the oven to 350 degrees and continue baking for another 45 minutes.  Watch the exposed crust closely after about 40 minutes.  If it becomes too brown, loosely cover the vent with more foil.  Total bake time will be 55-60 minutes.

Remove from the oven and cool on a rack.  Serve slightly warm or room temp with a dollop of yogurt, coconut whipped cream or Simple Keto Ice Cream.  Store covered in the fridge for up to 5 days.