"Dreamy" Apple Pie

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! I know I have a lot to be thankful for in my life and I am so happy that I got to spend the day with my wonderful family and amazing boyfriend. We had a delicious spread as well, with way too much food of course. But I guess that's Thanksgiving for you! One of my favorite parts of Thanksgiving is naturally dessert. I always ask everyone what their favorite dessert is for Thanksgiving and this year my sister wanted pumpkin pie and my dad wanted apple pie and my boyfriend (who isn't a big pie person) wanted dirt cake. So I made all three!



First up is this apple pie and it really does live up to its "dreamy" name. I used my perfect pie crust recipe which you can find here and is made with the most amazing apple pie filling I have ever tasted. Believe me, its hard to resist just eating the filling straight out of the bowl when you're making the pie. And then instead of a traditional pie crust on top, it is topped with a streusel topping. It really gives it an awesome cinnamon flavor and it all comes together with the creamy filling. So unbelievably yummy! And as you can probably tell by the picture, this pie was instantly devoured. It was more than half gone before I even got my picture! I guess that just goes to show you how great this pie is!

Dreamy Apple Pie
Ingredients:
1 whole Unbaked Pie Crust

For The Filling:
3 whole Large (4 Or 5 Small) Granny Smith Apples, Peeled, Cored, And Sliced Thin
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
1/2 cup Sugar
1 Tablespoon All-purpose Flour
1 cup Heavy Cream
2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
1/8 teaspoon Cinnamon

For The Topping:
7 Tablespoons Butter
3/4 cups All-purpose Flour
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
1/4 cup Pecans (optional)
Dash Of Salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Roll out pie dough and place it in a pie pan. Decorate the edges as desired.

Add apple slices to a large bowl. In a separate bowl, mix together cream, sugars, flour, vanilla, and cinnamon. Pour over apples and pour apples into pie shell.

In the bowl of a food processor (or you can mix by hand) combine butter, flour, sugar, pecans (only if using, chop if you're not using a food processor), and salt. Mix until everything comes together in clumps. Pour topping over apples.

Attach foil to the edges and lay a piece of flat foil loosely over the top of the pie. Place pie pan on top of a rimmed cookie sheet and bake for one hour. At the end, remove foil and allow to finish baking and browning. Can bake for up to 15 or 20 minutes more if necessary. Remove from oven when pie is bubbly and golden brown.

Source: Recipe from The Pioneer Woman Cooks

Perfect Pie Crust

I can't believe that Thanksgiving is tomorrow already! Is anybody else feeling the stress of preparing that huge Turkey Day feast? I sure am, but it definitely helps to pace yourself out throughout the week so you're not doing everything on one day. You'll be asleep before you even get to eat! But it also helps to have some great recipes that make the process just that much easier. We are big pie people in my house so it goes without saying that I have to make pies for Thanksgiving dessert. My dad wanted apple and my sister wanted pumpkin so I made one of each, figuring I get the best of both worlds then with two of my favorites! Its necessary when making pies to have that amazing, buttery, flakey crust. The crust really does complete the entire pie, its probably my favorite part! So here is my favorite pie crust recipe, a great staple to have around for any kind of pie. This recipe is from The Pioneer Woman and it really is a "perfect" pie crust! Check out Ree's post here for a great step-by-step tutorial on how to make this pie crust. And then get to baking on those holiday pies, only one day left until the big day!

Perfect Pie Crust
Ingredients:
1-1/2 cup Crisco (vegetable Shortening)
3 cups All-purpose Flour
1 whole Egg
5 Tablespoons Cold Water
1 Tablespoon White Vinegar
1 teaspoon Salt

Directions:
In a large bowl, with a pastry cutter, gradually work the Crisco into the flour for about 3 or 4 minutes until it resembles a coarse meal. In a small bowl, beat an egg with a fork and then pour it into the flour/shortening mixture. Add 5 tablespoons of cold water, 1 tablespoon of white vinegar and 1 teaspoon of salt. Stir together gently until all of the ingredients are incorporated.

Separate the dough into two equal parts. Form 2 evenly sized balls of dough and place each dough into a large Ziploc bag. Using a rolling pin, slightly flatten each ball of dough (about ½ inch thick) to make rolling easier later. Seal the bags and place them in the freezer until you need them. (If you will be using it immediately it’s still a good idea to put in the freezer for about 15 to 20 minutes to chill.)

When you are ready to use the dough to make a crust, remove from the freezer and allow to thaw for 15 minutes. On a floured surface roll the dough, starting at the center and working your way out. (Sprinkle some flour over top of the dough if it’s a bit too moist.) Roll out the dough until it's about ½ inch larger in diameter than your pie pan.

With a spatula, lift the dough carefully from the surface of the counter into the pie pan. Gently press the dough against the corner of the pan. Go around the pie pan pinching and tucking the dough to make a clean edge

Source: Recipe from The Pioneer Woman Cooks