Easy As Pie...Apple Pie That Is!

Well into the fall season, I find myself inspired to bake and cook with the beautiful ingredients the fall harvest brings. Apples and squash of all kinds are abundant and flawless this time of year. A giant bowl of squash, apples, pumpkins and gourds makes the perfect centerpiece for the table during autumn. The squash and pumpkin can last up to a few weeks, so you can take them from your centerpiece as needed for whatever warm fall meal you plan to cook. Since the apples spoil a bit quicker than squash, I decided to use these fresh Gala apples in the quintessential Halloween/Fall Dessert-none other than Apple Pie.

Not being much of a dessert person, my dessert preparation experience is a bit limited to Rice Crispy Treats, Pillsbury Cookies, and Duncan Hines Brownies. Needing to broaden my horizons, I went for the simpler route by purchasing the pie crusts instead of making them. In normal everyday life, who has the time to be making their own pie dough anyway. After searching through some recipes, I went for this simple method and added my own twist.

Lizzy M.'s Apple Pie

2 Store-bought Pie Crusts

5 Large Gala Apples (any semi tart large apple will do the trick)

1/2 Cup Flour

1/4 Cup Sugar

1/3 Cup Dark Sugar

1 Tbsp Cinnamon

1/2 Tbsp Nutmeg

1 Tsp Salt

2 Tbsp Butter, divided

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Peel the Gala apples and cut in half to remove the core. Next, slice the apples into moon shapes. The slices can be as big or small as you want them to be.

In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Add the apples slices, and mix well to coat the apples with the flour and sugar mixture.

With non-stick cooking spray (canola or vegetable), coat the bottom and sides of a 9" pie pan. Gently press the first pie crust into the pan shaping the bottom of the dish. Fill the crust with the apple mixture. Add the divided pieces of the butter on top of the apple filling. Finally, place the other pie crust on top. Gently press the top crust edges into the edges of the bottom crust to create a seal. Make 5-6 small slits in the top of the pie.

Bake the apple pie at 350 degrees for 15 minutes on the lowest rack of your oven. Then place the pie on the middle rack and bake for one hour until the crust is brown and the filling is bubbling hot.

Serve warm with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream or all by itself.

For my very first pie, I must say it was quite successful. The smell alone of it baking on a rainy Halloween night was worth it. Making this pie has made me incredibly excited about all the things you could put into a pie crust. I intend to start experimenting with that as soon as possible. I will keep you posted but until then bake away!