This evening I originally decided to follow a recipe from Facebook for apple crisps. Since I had plenty of granny smith apples that needed to be utilized, I figured this would be a nice snack to make. Well I have to say the recipe needed much adjustment, basically the time needed to make these apple crisps almost tripled. But that’s another story. I will write about that another day since I want to see how the final result turns out…Currently they are drying on my counter.

So as I was slicing the apples I figured I might as well keep going and make some individual apple pies. Since I have slivered almonds I made half the batch with almonds and the other without. These are great to make ahead and freeze and just pop them out for company, or when you have a sweet craving. Since they are made with apples, they are a better and healthier alternative, so I keep telling myself and my friends.

This is such an easy recipe and if you really want to cut on time, you can purchase some store bought already made pie dough. It’s okay to be lazy once in a while. I mean, you are slicing the apples and combining the rest of the ingredients. I’ll be honest, that is what I did this evening. The whole pastry package made 8  4 inch pies. I used 3 Granny Smith apples, some spices and 4 tablespoons of butter. Topped it off with 1 teaspoon of the preserves mixed with about 2 tablespoons of hot water, so it came to around $.75 per pie. Not bad for homemade pie.

Now I know I have posted other individual pie recipes, but this one is also a very easy to make recipe. Since I had Granny Smith apples, that’s what I used, and quite honestly they are my choice for baking. They are tart but once baked they are very tasty. Also, once they came out of the oven I brushed them with some sour cherry preserves mixed with a hint of hot water. It created a nice glace and added additional fruit flavor. Yeah fruit!!

So try this recipe and please provide your feedback and as always, Enjoy!

I’m Not Sharing My Apple Almond Pie-Pie

Ingredients: Serves 8

3 large Granny Smith Apples
1/4 teaspoon grated lemon zest

juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, diced

1 teaspoon sour cherry preserves

2 teaspoons hot water

Preparation:

Roll out the pie dough and separate into 8 equal sizes. If you are using ready- made dough, each roll will provide 4 equal pieces.

Wash, dry and core the apples and slice into 1/8 inch slices. Make sure there are no seeds. Place the apples in a large bowl and add in the lemon zest and lemon juice. Toss to evenly coat the apples.

In another bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon and allspice. In batches, add the sliced apples to coat with the mixture, shaking off any excess. Place the apple slices, slightly overlapping them on the individual pastry allowing for about ½ inch on all sides to create a border. Turn up the sides of the pastry to keep the juices from flowing onto the baking sheet. Dab each pie in the center with some butter. Place in a preheated 450 degree oven for about 22 minutes, turning halfway throughout the baking.

Remove and brush the pies with the preserve mixture. (1 teaspoon preserves and 2 teaspoons Hot water) Allow to cool. Serve at either room temperature or hot out of the oven.