Apple Pie
Brown Bag Apple pie
I love pies of all types. Sweet, savory, individual, single- or double-crusted — they are all wonderful. Below is a sampling of some of my favorite pies, just in time for harvest parties or Thanksgiving dinner.
My first offering that I am sharing with you is an apple pie with a crumble top. This pie is so easy and yummy that I don’t bother with a lattice top anymore. A friend of our family shared this recipe many years ago when we lived in West Palm Beach.
You will need to get a paper bag from the grocery store for what might seem like a very unusual way of baking, but I promise it works every time. Just make sure the bag does not touch the element in your oven.
Next up is a three-generation recipe for sweet potato pie my mother has been making since I could barely see over the counter to help. My grandmother made it before her, and now I make it for our family.
Finally, I am sharing a different twist on a chess pie — vinegar pie. A friend of ours made it for us while were visiting them in North Carolina, and now it’s a family favorite. I encourage you to try it. Don’t be turned off by its name.
All three recipes make a simple yet deliciously perfect ending to any meal. I hope all of you have a blessed Thanksgiving, and happy baking!
Brown Bag Apple Pie
7 cups apples, diced
½ cup sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
Dash salt
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
½ cup sugar
¾ cup flour
1/3 cup butter, diced
1 single pie crust
(prepared or homemade)
Stir together apples through lemon juice in a large bowl.
In a separate bowl, combine sugar, flour and butter with a fork until crumbly.
Place pie crust in pie plate add the apple mixture. Sprinkle with crumb mixture. Put pie in a paper grocery bag. Staple shut. Put bag on a baking sheet and put in oven. Bake for 1 hour at 425 degrees. Cool in bag for 5 minutes.
My Mother’s Famous Sweet Potato Pie
5-6 small sweet potatoes
3 eggs
1 cup evaporated milk
1 cup sugar
½ tsp. + a dash cinnamon
¼ tsp. + a dash nutmeg
2 Tbsp. butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1 single pie crust (prepared or homemade)
Dice sweet potatoes and boil until tender. Drain and mash them well.
Beat eggs and add remaining ingredients. Mix until blended. Pour mixture into a prepared pie plate and bake at 375 degrees for 50-55 minutes or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.
Vinegar Pie
1 stick margarine, melted and cooled
1 ½ cups sugar
2 Tbsp. flour
1 Tbsp. vanilla
2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
3 eggs
1 9-inch pie crust (prepared or homemade)
Combine first six ingredients and pour into pie shell. Bake at 300 degrees for 45 minutes or until firm.
