Rustic Brown Bag Apple Pie

 

 

 

 

 

Rustic Brown Bag Apple Pie Tarts with Maple Cream

This is the absolute best apple pie!  Ever! You can make it in a 9 inch pie plate or in 4-5 inch tart pans.  The crumb topping gives it the  great rustic feel of a hot and crumbly dessert.  The recipe was passed from Lois Smart, mother of Elizabeth Smart, to my sister-in-law, Cynthia Smart Owens, and once I tasted it I had to get the recipe too. I can’t tell you how many people love this pie.  They always say, “I made your apple pie!”  And I say in return, “I’m so glad!  Now it’s your apple pie!”  It is so easy, even for people who have never made a pie in their life!  Baking it in the paper bag ensures a moist but golden brown perfect pie.  No, the bag won’t catch on fire (paper catches fire at 451 degrees, remember the book Fareinheight 451 from AP English?) but it will catch the spills!  This is the perfect pie to have under your belt, it is so versatile and always needed during the holidays.  I love making the pie in the tart shells.  They just look so elegant for a dinner party served on a desert plate.  The whipped cream sweetened with maple syrup adds the perfect final touch!

Crust:

1 ½ cups flour

1 ½ teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon coarse salt, scant

½ cup vegetable oil

2 tablespoons cold milk

 Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a medium bowl add all ingredients for the crust.  Mix it up with your hands until thoroughly combined.  Press mixture into a 9 inch pie pan, or 8 (4-5 inch round) tart pans.  Edges will be rough, no need to crimp.

                                                                                      Filling:                                     

                                                       

                                                                    8 cups peeled and sliced apples

                                                                                     ½ cup sugar

                                                                                2 tablespoons flour                  

                                                                                1 teaspoon nutmeg

                                                                                1 teaspoon cinnamon

 Peel and slice apples and place in a medium bowl.  Toss with sugar, flour, nutmeg and cinnamon.  Pour onto crust.  Pile the apples up high.

 

                                                                 Topping:                                        

                                                                               ½ cup butter, softened

                                                                                        ½ cup sugar

                                                                                        ½ cup flour

 In small bowl mix butter, sugar and flour with your hands.   Mixture will be really sticky.  With your hands press pieces of the topping mixture on top of apples, covering almost the entire top of pie or tarts.   Place pie inside a paper bag and fold ends under pie.  If you are making the tarts, place tarts on a rimmed baking sheet and place baking sheet inside paper bag leaving the end open.  Set in hot oven and bake at for 1 ½ hours until golden brown.  Check pie or tarts after an hour of baking.   Serve with a large dollop of whipped cream sweetened with a little maple syrup.