Sour Cream Apple Pie

This pie is a wonderful mix of a custard pie with an apple pie and is one of my new favorites! In our family, my mom's apple pie is a must at every winter family dinner. Recently when I had an overabundance of apples, I went through my recipes to look for something different to try and found this recipe that my mom gave me years ago but I had never gotten around to making. I am SO GLAD I finally tried it because it is a real keeper! Since I made the Impossible Pie some time ago and discovered a new-found love of custard pies and all the different ways to work custards into desserts, this pie was right up my alley-- and not that difficult. 

unbaked pie with custard and apple before crumb topping was added

Finished pie

Serves: 8

Ingredients:

• 1 unbaked 9-10 inch pie crust
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1/2-3/4 cup sugar, depending on sweetness of apples
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp flour
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 3 cups chopped apples

Topping:

• 1/3 cup brown or white sugar- or a mix (I used all brown)
• 1/3 cup flour
• 3/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/3 cup cool butter
• 1/3 cup crushed nuts (walnuts or pecans work well)

Directions:

• Preheat oven at 375 degrees F.
• Chop apples and set aside.
• Prepare unbaked pie crust in pie pan.
• Combine eggs, sour cream, sugar, salt, 2 Tbsp flour, vanilla and nutmeg and stir until smooth. 
• Add in apples and pour into the prepared unbaked crust.
• Bake for 15 minutes. Meanwhile combine topping ingredients using a fork to cut the butter into other ingredients until it is combined into pea-sized clumps.
• Sprinkle over top of pie when finished with 1st 15 minute bake and bake for another 20-25 minutes or until filling is set when you lightly jiggle pie. 
• Cool completely and serve alone or with whipped cream, ice cream or caramel syrup. Refrigerate leftovers.

Adapted from a Taste Of Home recipe.

CranApple Deep Dish Tart

This delicious combination of apple pie and apple crisp are worth the little extra effort and is the perfect autumn and winter dessert. I made this recipe and was going to share it with everyone this past fall but a lot has been happening over the past few months. My husband went through major surgery (having part of his pancreas removed), which took a long time to recover from-- but we are thankful that it was not cancerous. Now that everything is settling down, I hope to get back to sharing a few recipes that I have enjoyed lately.

I had an inspiration for this recipe when I was making an apple dessert and couldn't decide if I wanted to make apple pie or apple crisp. Since then, I have seen a number of apple pan pie recipes but nothing quite like this. The great thing about this recipe is that you can substitute many other fruits for the cranberries, fresh or dried. If you use dried fruits, plump them up some by covering them with water and heating them for about 5-10 minutes. Of course, this dish is just asking for a scoop of vanilla ice cream, too! Since I used cranberries, it is a little tart. So if you like your dessert very sweet, increase the brown or white sugar.

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients:

• Single unbaked pie crust pastry for 10 inch pie
• 3 pounds apples, peeled, cored and sliced
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 3 Tbsp white sugar
• 1 ½-2 tsp apple pie spice
• 2 Tbsp minute tapioca
• 3 Tbsp water
• 2 cups or ½ bag of cranberries, fresh or frozen (or may use 1 cup dried craisins) 
Topping:
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• ¾ cup flour
• ¾ cup rolled oats
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 5 Tbsp butter
• 2 Tbsp oil
• 1/3 cup chopped nuts

Directions:

1. Roll out the pie crust to fit 8x8 or 9x9 inch pan and spread out in pan.
2. In a large bowl, combine apples, sugars, spice, tapioca, water and cranberries. Put mixture in pie crust.
3. Prepare topping by mixing dry ingredients and cutting in the butter, adding the oil until mixture clumps together. Put topping over the apples and fold the edges of the pie crust over top of the sides of the pie.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 40-50 minutes or until the pie is bubbling and apples are tender.
5. May drizzle with caramel sauce or glaze made of 1 cup powdered sugar, 2 Tbsp milk and 1/8 tsp cinnamon and/or top with whipped cream or ice cream.