This past weekend my husband and I spent some time doing one of our favorite fall activities: visiting fall festivals and various farms.  From the bonfires to the spicy cider to the petting zoos and the local crafts, I absolutely love the chance to be outside and appreciate the simpler things nature has to offer. 

Living so close to central Pennsylvania, we're also lucky enough to have delicious fresh produce close at hand.  While I love incorporating it into new recipes, every fall season has to start out with a classic (and my personal favorite): Fresh and Easy Apple Pie. 

I much prefer to use local produce to what's available at the grocery store (although, in a pinch, store bought apples will work) and this time I selected Cortland apples, Jonagold apples and Granny Smith apples, all of which have a sweet and tart flavor and work well for baking.  I love the tart flavor mixed with the sugar and spice of the recipe below.  Serve with fresh whipped cream, ice cream or a slice of cheddar cheese... delicious!





6-7 c. Apples
3/4 c. Sugar
1/4 c. Brown Sugar
1/4 tsp. All Spice
1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
1/4 tsp. Salt
2 Tbsp. Flour
2 Tbsp. Lemon Juice
1 1/2 Tbsp. Butter
1 Egg White
Dough for Double Crust Pie, in 9 inch pie pan (Recipe At Bottom of Page HERE)
 

1. My Corer, Peeler, Slicer makes paring apples super quick!  2. The brown sugar adds a richness to the flavors that I love    3.  A quick toss of the ingredients makes sure that all of the apples are equally coated and the center will thicken nicely!

Let's Do This!

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2.  In a large bowl, core, peel and slice apples. *Note: Apples will shrink down during cooking. If you like your pie super stuffed with apples, include more than you think you'll need. 
3.  Sprinkle apples with lemon juice and toss.

Cookie cutter crust allows steam to escape and looks so fancy!

4.  In a separate bowl, thoroughly mix dry ingredients.  Slowly add dry ingredients to apples, tossing to coat. 
5.  Fill bottom crust with apple mixture.  Dot with butter.
6.  Cover with top crust and crimp edges.  Cut holes to allow steam to escape. *For the top of my pie, I used a cookie cutter to create leaf cut outs and overlapped them over the apple mixture.  
7.  Paint with egg-whites and sprinkle with sugar for a shiny finish.
8.  Cover edges with aluminum foil and bake at 375 degrees for 45-50 minutes.  Allow to sit for at least 2 hours before serving. 

G, B & D (Golden Brown and Delicious)