Ingredients for Gluten Free Pie Crust

Almond Flour

Almond flour is a naturally gluten free flour that taste amazing! Its perfect for all different types of desserts. It is light and fluffy and the flavor is nutty and sweet. However, sadly it is expensive, 2lbs is typically around $10 at Walmart and amazon.

Gluten Free All Purpose Flour

These recipe calls for both almond flour and all purpose flour. The almond flour can be a bit crumbly we do half almond and half all purpose flour to help hold things together. You can use any gluten free all purpose flour for this recipe.

Sugar

A little white sugar in this recipe helps flavor the crust by sweetening it just a little making it complementary to our sweet pie filling. A little sugar will go a long way for our pie crust so we don’t need a lot. You could also use Monk Fruit Sweetener or honey as a substitute if needed.

Cold Butter

Cold butter is extremely important. The colder the butter the better. I freeze my butter for pie crusts. Keeping the butter cold keeps the water that’s in the butter from absorbing into the flour too soon. We want the steam from the water in the butter to make lots of air pockets in order to create glorious flakes in our crust. If you let the butter get warm the flour will absorb the water and you will get a dense crust.

Apple Cider Vinegar

With regular flours the acids in apple cider vinegar slow down the gluten production and keep the dough from becoming elastic like. Because we are using gluten free flour already this ingredient isn’t as needed but I still like to add it. I think the ACV and the butter together create better air pockets and help make a soft and flaky crust. Remember to use COLD apple cider vinegar, if your liquid is cold your butter will also stay cold.

An Ice Cube (optional)

You can either place your ACV in the freezer for 20 minutes or so in order to get it cold or you can place an ice cube in it. I usually use an ice cube but its up to you. You will not be putting the ice cube in the dough. Its just to make your apple cider vinegar cold.

Salt

Enhance the flavor with good salt like Redmond Real Salt. If you are looking for a unrefined natural salt with multiple minerals and electrolytes harvested in the United States of America, then look no further. Redmond Real Salt is full of flavor and nutrients and harvested out of the ancient seabed deep beneath Central Utah.

How To Make Gluten Free Pie Crust

Mix Dry Ingredients

In a food processor (or by hand) mix together the almond flour, all purpose flour, sugar and salt. Pulse a few time to get them mixed together.

Add Cold Butter and Apple Cider Vinegar

Now cut the cold butter in cubes and add them into the flour, pulse in the food processor or use a fork or your hands to mix the cold butter in without it melting. Add a teaspoon at a time of the apple cider vinegar till the dough looks like little beads.

Form and Refrigerate

Dump the bead like dough onto a clean surface or parchment paper and form into two discs without overworking the dough. Cover in a air tight container or zip-lock bag and place in the refrigerator for1 hour.

Roll Out and Place in Pie Pan

Roll out on a piece of parchment paper or wax paper with a little bit of flour. The parchment paper will make it easier to place into the pan as the dough if very fragile. Roll our till to 9 to 10 inches round and place your pie pan on top. Flip the pie crust over with the pan underneath it. It will break a little. Because it has no gluten it will not hold together very well. Don’t work about that. Just take the pieces that fall of and mold them back into the pie pan till every crack is covered again.

Bake

Bake according to your pie filling recipe and enjoy!

Gluten Free Pie Crust

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Additional Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

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Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups almond flour
• 3/4 gluten free all purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 ice cube
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 4-6 tablespoons cold water
• 1/2 cup cold butter (1 stick)

Instructions

1. Combine, water, apple cider vinegar and ice cube in a small bowl to get cold.
2. Add almond flour and all purpose flour, sugar and salt to your food processor. Pulse to mix together.
3. Cut you cold or frozen butter in cubes and add to food processor. Pulse a few time till it it starts to combine with the flour mixture.
4. Add water/cider mixture 1 tablespoon at a time while continuing pulsing the food processor till you dough starts to look like little beads.
5. Place dough on floured surface and bring together and divide into two discs.
6. Wrap discs in plastic wrap or a zip-lock bag and place in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
7. Roll out dough and place in pie pan. Gluten free dough does not hold together very well. It will crack and that's okay. When you place it in the pan it will likely fall apart. Just piece it back together and fill in any cracks once its in the pan. Follow your pie recipes for baking instructions

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Ingredients for Cranberry Apple Pie

Cranberries

You can use fresh or frozen cranberries for this recipe. I used frozen and let thaw for a few minutes as I was peeling and cutting the apples but thawing is optional. Cranberries are a tart berry that are easily balance with just a bit of sugar for the perfect tart to sweet ratio.

Cranberries are typically a seasonal ingredient in the grocery stores but I have been able to find them year round at AzureStandard.com. (click here to learn more about Azure Standard)

Apples

Granny Smith Green Apples are the best apples for pie. When cooked they stay soft while still holding their form. Other apples, like fugi or gala apples often fall apart creating more of an applesauce type texture rather than our desired pie filling texture.

White Sugar & Brown Sugar

In this recipe we will use both white sugar and brown sugar. You could use 100% white or brown for this recipe if you want or if you are out of one or the other. If you are out of brown sugar you could add a little molasses to the recipe to add the brown sugar flavor. (read here to find out more about making brown sugar from scratch) You could also substitute the sugar in the recipe to honey or maple syrup of monk fruit sweetener.

Lemon Juice & Zest

Add a little more tart and zest with lemon juice and zest from 1 lemon. Lemon and cranberry are a beautiful flavor combination. The lemon helps the cranberry shine without overpowering the apple flavor.

Flour or Cornstarch

To help thicken the filling to avoid runny apple juice everywhere you can add either flour or cornstarch. The both do the job perfectly. Some people say they can taste the flour and so they prefer cornstarch… Some think the cornstarch doesn’t mix as well so they like flour… I’ve never had problem with either one and I believe its simple preference. If you are looking or a gluten free pie filling recipe use the cornstarch.

Vanilla

Vanilla provides warm undertones in our flavors adding another complementary layer to our apples and cranberries. Typically in an apple pie we have a heavy presence of spices with cinnamon and all-spice or cloves and ginger. This recipe we want the main flavor to be the cranberries and apples without the overwhelm of the spices. Vanilla helps us achieve this.

Cinnamon & Nutmeg

Although we don’t want the spices to overpower our cranberries I still add a little for well rounded flavors. We will not add the all-spice or clovers or ginger but only the cinnamon and nutmeg for our cranberry apple pie. These two spices add just enough spice to complement the apples but not to much to overpower the cranberries.

Salt

Enhance the flavor with good salt like Redmond Real Salt. If you are looking for a unrefined natural salt with multiple minerals and electrolytes harvested in the United States of America, then look no further. Redmond Real Salt is full of flavor and nutrients and harvested out of the ancient seabed deep beneath Central Utah.

How To Make Cranberry Apple Pie

Step One: Make your crust.

I always makes my crust the day or two before. You can make the crust the same day but be sure to let it refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

I personally really like the gingerbread pie crust recipe with the apple pie but a classic pie crust works better for our cranberry pie.

Step Two: Peel, Core and Cut Apples

Peel, core and slice about 5 large apples for your cranberry apple pie. I highly recommend getting an apple peeler to save so much time! You can peel and core and cut by hand, I’ve done that for years but I love my new apple peeler and never want to go back.

Step 3: Mix Pie Filling Ingredients

In a large pot combine the cranberries, apples, sugar, lemon juice and zest, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and vanilla powder all together.

Step 4: Cook Filling on Stove Top

Cook the filling in a large pot covered with a lid for 30-60 minutes. Cooking the apples before baking insures an even bake between the apples and the crust. This allows my to take the pie out of the oven as soon as the crust is done without having to guess if my filling is also done.

When you cook, make sure you cook to the exact texture you want your apples to be with your apple pie. The apples will not get any softer when you are baking it. Once cooked and cooled something happens to the apples and they don’t ‘cook’ any more after the first cook. So Don’t under cook your apples or they will be crunchy in your apple pie.

Step 5: Let the Apples Cool

Cool the cranberries and apples completely before adding them to your pie crust. If you’ve read my 5 tips on a perfect crust you will understand why. The butter in the crust needs to stay cool until its in the oven. You don’t want it to melt until its time for it to create the flaky air bubbles in the crust. So do not put warm apple pie filling in the crust or you might melt the butter too soon and the butter will absorb the flour and you will get a dense crust.

I have often made the filling the day before and let it sit in the fridge overnight before baking on Thanksgiving day.

Step 6: Bake Pie

Now its time to bake your cranberry apple pie. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes and then reduce the temperature to 325. We want the crust to get hot so that the butter can melt quickly and the steam can do its job in making a flaky crust, then we reduce the temperature so that we don’t burn the tops of the crust.

Step 7: Let Pie Cool and Enjoy

One the pie crust is completely cook your pie is done! Let cool on counter or refrigerator for at least 4 hours before cutting into. Enjoy with some homemade whipped cream!

Cranberry Apple Pie

Yield: 1, 9 inch pie

Addtional Time: 2 hours

Stove Cook Time: 30 minutes

Bake Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 3 hours 10 minutes

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Ingredients

• 2 Cups Flour
• 1 Cup Butter (Two Sticks)
• 1 Teaspoon Salt
• 2 Tablespoon Sugar
• 2-4 Tablespoons Water
• 2 Tablespoons
• 1 Ice Cube

Cranberry Apple Pie Filling

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• 1 1/2 Cup Cranberries (Fresh or Frozen)
• 5 Large Green Apples
• 1/2 Cup White Sugar
• 1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
• 2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
• 1 Teaspoon Lemon Zest
• 1/3 Cup Flour
• 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
• 1 Teaspoon Cinnamon
• 1 Teaspoon Nutmeg
• 1 Teaspoon Vanilla

Instructions

1. Make a pie crust and store in the refrigerator till ready to assemble.
2. Peel, core and cut all the apples.
3. Mix in a large pot the cut apples, cranberries, lemon juice and zest, white sugar, brown sugar, flour, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla. Cook the filling on the stove top for about 30 minutes or until apples are soft. To no UNDER cook. Cook until the apples are the desired texture for your finished pie.
4. Let the cranberry apple filling cool down completely.
5. Prepare your pan with your pie crust and pour in the filling. Place your top crust on the pie over the filling and bake!
6. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 325 degrees and bake for another 30 minutes. Let cool and enjoy with some fresh whipped cream!

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Ingredients For Whipped Cream

Heavy Whipping Cream

You need heavy whipping cream, not just cream, not half and half, not milk. The good thick heavy whipping cream. Its literally in the name whipping cream. That’s the one you want for whipped cream.

Powdered Sugar

Just a little powdered sugar. We don’t need to make our cream as sweet as our dessert we are putting it on, we just want to lighten it a little. If you don’t have powdered sugar you and make your own by added a cup of white sugar to you vita-mix blender, food processor or coffee grinder and blended till its powder.

Vanilla

I like to use vanilla powder in place of vanilla extract. The two are equal in flavor, I believe the price for the powder is cheaper then the extract, but mostly I feel more confident in measuring out the powder than extract so its a lot easier for me to write recipes out using the powder.

Tools for Whipping the Cream

I use my Kitchen Aid mixer with the whisk attachment. If you don’t have a kitchen aid you can also use a hand mixer, or you can whisk by hand. Whisking by hand take much longer and is a great arm workout as you have to whist fast. Its doable but I don’t really recommend…

How to Make Whipped Cream

Step One: Whip the Cream!

In your Kitchen Aid or a bowl and hand mixer or by hand whisk the cream by its self until it comes to a soft peak.

A soft peak is when the cream gets just thick enough to stand up yet still a little floppy, not firm enough to be molded.

Step Two: Add Powdered Sugar and Vanilla

Once your cream is at a soft peak add the powdered sugar and vanilla and whisk still the cream is firm. Don’t over whip your cream or it will start to separate the cream and the little bit of milk and start turning into butter. When firm you are done!

Storing Whipped Cream

Store you whipped cream in a air tight container with a little room on top. We don’t want to smash the cream down and lose its fluffiness. Keep in refrigerator.

You can keep your whipped cream in the fridge up until the expiration date on the whipping cream carton.

Whipped Cream

Yield: 3 Cups

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

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Ingredients

• 2 Cups Heavy Whipping Cream
• 3 Tablespoons Powdered Sugar
• 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Powder or Extract

Instructions

1. In a bowl with a hand mixer or whisk or in your Kitchen Aid mixer, pour 2 cups of heavy whipping cream. Whisk on the highest setting till the cream forms a soft peak.
2. Once the cream is at a soft peak add the powdered sugar and vanilla and continue whipping until the cream is firm.
3. Store in an air tight container in the refrigerator and enjoy!

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Ingredients For Pecan Pie

Pecans

You can use pecan pieces or pecan halves for this recipe. I use the pieces. The pieces make it easier to chew in my opinion. If you do use pecan halves I suggest dividing the the pecan and chopping half of them while keeping the rest to make a pretty design on the top of the pie.

Can you substitute pecans with other nuts?
Yes you can! I had a friend who was allergic to pecans and so she always made a walnut pie for the holidays. I’ve seen recipes for walnuts pie, sliced almonds pies, and even macadamia nut pies all with the same ingredients as pecan pie recipes.

Brown Sugar

You can use brown sugar or white sugar for your pie but I like the molasses flavor from the brown sugar. I think the brown sugar and pecans pairs so beautifully together, along with the honey of course.

Butter

Butter is important to both the texture and the flavor. One day I would like to try this recipe out with coconut oil. I think the texture would stay the same and the slightly nutty flavor form the coconut oil would fit right in with the other flavors. I have yet to try coconut oil as a substitute so if you try it let me know how it turns out in the comments.

Honey

I use honey instead of corn syrup for my pecan pie. I love the flavor of honey and it just so happens to be way healthier than corn syrup. I’ve seen recipes also use maple syrup, but I have yet to try it. I do think it would be wonderful.

Eggs

The eggs help keep the sugar and honey from caramelizing too much and making the nuts candy hard and un-chewable. They also help hold together the pie so that it not a crumbly mess.

Vanilla & Salt

Vanilla and salt for flavor! You don’t need much to enrich the flavor of the this pecan pie and you could add more of either on to make a bold statement. Maybe adding a little extra salt for a salted caramel pecan pie, or adding more vanilla for a sweeter undertone.

Flour OR Cornstarch

Just a tablespoon or so of some flour or cornstarch keeps the filling from becoming runny. Just a little goes a long way, we don’t want a cake like texture. I go back and forth all the time with using flour and cornstarch. They both do the job, as to which one you use is purely preference.

How To Make Honey Pecan Pie

Step One: Make Pie Crust

Make your pie crust! I usually make my crust a day or even a week before I’m making my pie. I keep the crust in the back of the fridge till I’m ready to make my pie.

Step Two: Melt Butter, Sugar and Honey

In a sauce pan heat up butter, honey and brown sugar until the sugar is melted and it starts to bubble. You don’t need to boil and caramelize you filling yet, this step is just so the these three ingredients are completely combined. Take off heat and let cool down.

Step Three: Prepare Pie Crust

While the hot filling is cooling is when I roll out my pie crust and mold it into the pan. Place your prepared pie pan in the refrigerator while you mix the other ingredients together. We want our pie crust to stay cold.

Step Four: Mix All Ingredients Together

Once the butter, sugar and honey mixture has cooled down add the eggs, flour, vanilla and salt and mix thoroughly. Add the pecans. Pour the filling mixture into your prepared pie pan and bake!

Step Five: Bake

Bake the pie at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. We want the crust to get hot quickly at a high temperature so that the butter can do its work in making a flaky crust. After the first 10 minutes reduce the temperature to 350 degrees and bake for another 30 minutes. At this time also place foil or a pie shield over the edge of the crust so that it doesn’t burn.

Step Six: Let Cool

Before you can enjoy your pie let it cool down for 4 hours before serving. During this time the filling is going to cool and settle. If you serve to early you will have a runny pie. Serve with some caramel syrup, whipped cream, eggnog or vanilla ice cream and enjoy!

Quick Tip! How to Make a Foil Crust Shield

Honey Pecan Pie

Yield: 1, 9 inch Pie

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Additional Time: 4 hours

Total Time: 4 hours 55 minutes

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Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter
• 3/4 cups brown sugar
• 1/2 cup honey
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 tablespoons flour or cornstarch
• 1 1/2 pecans

Instructions

1. Make Pie Crust. Classic Pie Crust - Gingerbread Pie Crust
2. Melt Butter, Sugar and Honey. In a sauce pan heat up butter, honey and brown sugar until the sugar is melted and it starts to bubble. You don't need to boil and caramelize you filling yet, this step is just so the these three ingredients are completely combined. Take off heat and let cool down.
3. Prepare Pie Crust. While the hot filling is cooling is when I roll out my pie crust and mold it into the pan. Place your prepared pie pan in the refrigerator while you mix the other ingredients together. We want our pie crust to stay cold.
4. Mix All Ingredients Together. Once the butter, sugar and honey mixture has cooled down add the eggs, flour, vanilla and salt and mix thoroughly. Add the pecans. Pour the filling mixture into your prepared pie pan and bake!
5. Bake. Bake the pie at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. We want the crust to get hot quickly at a high temperature so that the butter can do its work in making a flaky crust. After the first 10 minutes reduce the temperature to 350 degrees and bake for another 30 minutes. At this time also place foil or a pie shield over the edge of the crust so that it doesn't burn.
6. Let Cool.Before you can enjoy your pie let it cool down for 4 hours before serving. During this time the filling is going to cool and settle. If you serve to early you will have a runny pie. Serve with some caramel syrup, whipped cream, eggnog or vanilla ice cream and enjoy!

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Tips For Easy Pie Making

Buy An Apple Peeler

For the last couple years I have been making apple pie by peeling my apples by hand. I have enjoyed the slow peeling process and romanticized it a little so it never felt like a chore but a treat. This week I decided splurge and buy a $20 apple peeler, slicer and corer. Oh my word I was done so fast I didn’t know what to do with myself!

If you want to save time and energy this holiday season, especially if you make everything from scratch for Thanksgiving and Christmas I highly recommend buying a peeler. Its well worth it. Here’s the one I ordered.

Apple Peeler Corer, Long lasting Chrome Cast Magnesium Alloy Apple Peeler Slicer Corer with Stainless Steel Blades and Powerful Suction Base for Apples and Potato(White)

Make Your Crust The Day Before

The day before I want to make my pies I also make the crust. The crust turn our flakier and tender if the sit in the refrigerator for a least an hour before baking. You want the butter to stay as cold as possible when making your crust and storing it in the refrigerator for a day or 2 before baking with it helps tremendously. You can keep your crust in the refrigerator for up to 10 days if needed or you can freeze for 6 months.

Cook Your Filling Ahead of Time

My trick for not burning my crust while getting perfectly soft apples with thick syrup filling every time is to cook my apple pie filling ahead of time. This allows my to take the pie out of the oven as soon as the crust is done without having to guess if my filling is done.

When you cook, make sure you cook to the exact texture you want your apples to be with your apple pie. The apples will not get softer when you bake it. Once cooked and cooled something happens to the apples and they don’t ‘cook’ any more after the first cook. So Don’t under cook your apples or they will be crunchy in your apple pie.

Ingredients for Apple Pie Filling

Apples

Granny Smith Apples are the favorite for apple pies. They are firm in texture and cook to a tender soft apple while still keeping its form. They are more sour than a Fuji or Gala apples which adds a extra layer of flavor to our sweet apple pie.

Sugar

This recipe calls for both brown sugar and white sugar. Sugar is our sweetener of choice but honey, maple syrup or Monk Fruit sweetener is also a great alternatives. If you use the honey or maple syrup just be sure to cook for a long time at a medium to low temperature when you cook your filling on the stove top. Honey and maple syrup burn easier. They also have more liquid in them than cane sugar so you also might want to add another tablespoon of flour or cornstarch.

Cinnamon, All-Spice, Nutmeg & Salt

Our spices include cinnamon, nutmeg, and all-spice. These spices add so much flavor and you can easily adjust the amounts and create a whole new flavor. If you favor one flavor over the other you can experiment by adding a extra 1/4 teaspoon to the spice you want to stand out. Reduce another spice you want to be more subtle then the others.

I also really like freshly ground nutmeg. This is optional but if you have never tried grating your own nutmeg from whole cloves you are missing out. I love the taste of nutmeg and fresh nutmeg does not disappoint.

Vanilla Powder/Extract

You can use vanilla powder or vanilla extract. The vanilla is optional but I like the subtle background flavor it gives to my apple pies.

Flour/Cornstarch

The flour or cornstarch is what thickens the syrup of our filling. The sugar also makes it syrupy but because there is so much juice from the apples the flour or cornstarch thickens it up perfectly.

You can use either flour or cornstarch. I typically use flour because its quick and usually our already but If I’m making a gluten free apple pie I use cornstarch. Some people think the flour gives it a funny taste so they prefer the cornstarch but I have found that with apple pie I never taste the flour taste that you get in other pies like Raspberry Pie.

Lemon Juice & Lemon Zest

The lemon flavor is not strong but adds a balances the sweet and tangy flavors with the granny smith apples and the sweet sugar along with the warm spices.

How To Make Apple Pie

Step 1: Make a Crust

Like I mentioned before, I always makes my crust the day or two before. You can make the crust the same day but be sure to let it refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

I personally really like the gingerbread pie crust recipe with the apple pie but a classic pie crust works great too. I also have a gluten free pie crust recipe.

Step 2: Peel Apples

Peel, core and slice about 5lbs or 8 large apples for your apple pie. Again, I highly recommend getting an apple peeler to save so much time!

Step 3: Mix Pie Filling Ingredients

In a large pot combine the apples, sugar, lemon juice and zest, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, all-spice, salt and vanilla powder all together.

Step 4: Cook Filling on Stove Top

Cook the filling in a large pot covered with a lid for 30-60 minutes. Cooking the apples before baking insures an even bake between the apples and the crust. Get perfectly soft apples with thick syrup filling every time is to cook my apple pie filling ahead of time. This allows my to take the pie out of the oven as soon as the crust is done without having to guess if my filling is done. Do Not Under Cook The Apples.

Step 5: Let the Apples Cool

Cool the apples completely before adding them to your pie crust. If you’ve read my 5 tips on a perfect crust you will understand why. The butter in the crust needs to stay cool until its in the oven. You don’t want it to melt until its time for it to create the flaky air bubbles in the crust. So do not put warm apple pie filling in the crust or you might melt the butter too soon and the butter will absorb the flour and you will get a dense crust.

I have often made the filling the day before and let it sit in the fridge overnight before baking on Thanksgiving day.

Step 6: Bake Pie

Now its time to bake your apple pie. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes and then reduce the temperature to 325. We want the crust to get hot so that the butter can melt quickly and the steam can do its job in making a flaky crust, then we reduce the temperature so that we don’t burn the tops of the crust.

Step 7: Let Pie Cool and Enjoy

One the pie crust is completely cook your pie is done! Let cool on counter or refrigerator for at least 4 hours before cutting into. Enjoy with some ice cream, eggnog, whipped cream or caramel syrup!

Apple Pie Filling

Yield: 1, 9 inch pie

Prep Time: 1 hour

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Additional Time: 4 hours

Total Time: 5 hours 40 minutes

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Ingredients

• 5 lbs (8 Large) Granny Smith Apples
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup flour or cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon all-spice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
• 2 Tablespoons lemon juice

Instructions

1. Make pie crust dough (Gingerbread Crust, Classic Pie Crust) and refrigerate.
2. Peel, core and slice 8 large apples.
3. In a large pot mix together all filling ingredients, apples, lemon juice, lemon zest, brown sugar, white sugar, flour, salt, vanilla powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and all-spice.
4. On the stove, heat your apple filling mixture on medium high for about 40 minutes or until the apples are soft and syrup is thick.
5. Cool your filling down completely. I often will refrigerate it over night and assemble and bake the pie in the morning but 1 hour is typically enough time.
6. Assemble pie crust and pour the pie filling in. Add the top crust and bake for 10 minutes at 400 degrees and 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

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The Spice Way Nutmeg Whole – (4 oz)

Cook’s, Pure Vanilla Powder, World’s Finest Gourmet Fresh Premium Vanilla, 4.5 oz

Antenda Adjustable Silicone Pie Crust Shields – Baking Protectors Cover Ring Fits 8-11.4 Inch Pies

The post Simple Classic Apple Pie Recipe appeared first on Embracing The Home.

Ingredients For Gingerbread Pie Crust

Flour

Use All-Purpose flour for this gingerbread pie crust recipe. I do not suggest using any whole wheat for this crust recipe. You could substitute with an All-Purpose, 1:1 ratio of gluten free flour or almond flour.

Cold Butter

Cold butter is extremely important. The colder the butter the better. I freeze my butter for pie crusts. Keeping the butter cold keeps the water that’s in the butter from absorbing into the flour too soon. We want the steam from the water in the butter to make lots of air pockets in order to create glorious flakes in our crust. If you let the butter get warm the flour will absorb the water and you will get a dense crust.

Blackstrap Molasses

Molasses creates the texture and classic flavor of gingerbread, along with the ginger of course.

There are a couple different types of molasses. Blackstrap molasses is very strong so we don’t need a lot of it. If you add to much your crust will become bitter. For light molasses or regular molasses you might want to add a little bit more then this recipe calls for. I only ever use blackstrap so I’m not sure how much more you would want but probably not to much more. If anyone tries regular molasses let me know in the comments how much you use and if it turned out.

Blackstrap molasses can be difficult to find in stores but you can buy it from Azure Standard or Amazon online.

To Read more about why I always cook with blackstrap molasses read “The Benefits of Blackstrap Molasses“

Cinnamon, All-Spice, Ginger and Salt

To make this crust really taste like gingerbread we can’t forget our spices! Cinnamon, All-Spice and Ginger are the classic gingerbread flavors. You could also add Nutmeg or substitute All-Spice with Cloves at a 2:1 Ratio (1/2 the amount of cloves).

Sugar

Because our molasses is a strong and can be a little bitter I add a little extra sugar compared to my perfect classic pie crust recipe. The we don’t want the crust to be too sweet but just sweet enough to complement out pie filling.

I use organic cane sugar from Azure Standard for just about everything and it works just as well as regular granulated sugar. You could also substitute for Monk Fruit Sweetener at a 1:1 ratio.

Apple Cider Vinegar

The acids in apple cider vinegar slow down the gluten production and keep the dough from becoming elastic like. If your dough is worked too much the gluten molecules will activate and your dough will become tough. Apple cider vinegar will slow this down to insure a tender, flaky pie crust. Don’t worry, your crust will not taste like vinegar. Remember to use COLD apple cider vinegar, if your liquid is cold your butter will also stay cold.

An Ice Cube (optional)

You can either place your ACV in the freezer for 20 minutes or so in order to get it cold or you can place an ice cube in it. I usually use an ice cube but its up to you. You will not be putting the ice cube in the dough. Its just to make your apple cider vinegar cold.

5 Tips You Don’t Want to Skip

(Especially number 4)

Tip # 1: Cold butter.

The colder the butter the better. I freeze my butter for pie crusts. Often I cut the butter in cubes and then freeze before adding to my flour. Keeping the butter cold keeps the water that’s in the butter from absorbing into the flour too soon. We want the steam from the water in the butter to make lots of air pockets in order to create glorious flakes in our crust. If you let the butter get warm the flour will absorb the water and you will get a dense crust

Tip # 2: Cold Apple Cider Vinegar

The acids in apple cider vinegar slow down the gluten production and keep the dough from becoming elastic like. If your dough is worked too much the gluten molecules will activate and your dough will become tough. Apple cider vinegar will slow this down to insure a tender, flaky pie crust. Don’t worry, your crust will not taste like vinegar. Remember to use COLD apple cider vinegar, if your liquid is cold your butter will also stay cold.

Tip # 3. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

By now I hope you realize we want things to stay cold. After you mix all the ingredients making your dough but before you roll it out make sure you refrigerate for at least one hour. This will help solidify the butter again after it is worked into the flour. Don’t let your dough sit on the counter for too long, always put it back in the refrigerator.  Once I’ve rolled out my pie crust and placed it in the pie pan I always put them back in the refrigerator until I’m ready to put the filling in. If the filling is in the crust and the oven is not preheated yet, I put it all back in the refrigerator. Keep it cold.

Tip # 4: Do Not Overwork.

I believe this is the number one reason people have tough, dense pie crusts. When you overwork your dough the butter melts and the gluten actives. So if you remember anything from this post, remember this. Do No Overwork The Dough! This often happens when we try to make the fancy, pretty crust we see on Pinterest. But don’t worry, you can still make the pretty crust, I have a tip for that as well.

Tip # 5. Freeze Your Decorative Pie Crust

When making a fun decorative top for your pie we often work it too much, melting the butter and activating the gluten molecules resulting in a tough, dense pie crust. Follow these steps. Mix your dough according to the recipe, refrigerate the dough for 1 hour, roll out the dough on wax or parchment paper for easy transporting. Freeze for 10 minutes. Cut out your pretty shapes and place them back in the freezer till you are ready to assemble them on your pie.

If you have scraps from the cut outs that you want to use place them in the freezer as well for 10 minutes before working them again. Don’t combined them into a ball to roll out again but instead try to layer them on top of each other then roll out. Again, don’t overwork. The shapes you make with the scraps wont turn out as well as the first set. They have been worked more, so that is just how it is.

How To Make Gingerbread Pie Crust

Step One: Freeze or Refrigerate Ingredients.

First combine the apple cider and the ice cube in a small bowl. You want to use cold ingredients to make your pie crust. If you don’t have an ice cube you can simply place the bowl in the freezer for a few minutes till it is cold.

Step Two: Combine Dry Ingredients

Add flour, sugar, cinnamon, all-spice, ginger and salt to your food processor. Pulse to mix together.

Step Three: Add Cold Butter

Cut your cold or frozen butter in cubes and add to food processor. It can be hard to cut frozen butter so sometimes I cut the butter then place in the freezer for 10-20 minutes before adding to the flour mixture. I want the butter to be as cold as possible before this step because this is when it is most worked. Pulse a few time until it it starts to combine with the flour mixture.

Step 4: Add Molasses and ACV

Add molasses and the apple cider vinegar 1 tablespoon at a time while continuing pulsing
the food processor till you dough starts to look like little beads. Don’t overwork.

Step Five: Refrigerate Dough

Place the crumbly dough on floured surface and bring together into a disc. Again, don’t overwork. do not knead the dough. Just simply combine together and form into a disc.

Wrap dough in plastic wrap or a zip-lock bag and place in the refrigerator for at least an hour. I have also used a Pyrex glass container to store my dough but the zip-lock bag is my favorite to use. I often make my dough the day before I plan on making my pies. You can leave your dough in the refrigerator for up to a week and it will stay good. You can also place it in the freezer for up to 6 months.

Step Six: Make A Pie!

Unlike a classic pie crust we are not going to roll out the dough all the way. The molasses makes the dough a little sticky and easily fall apart when lifted up. So, roll the dough out. If the dough seems to be tear then go ahead and mold it up onto the sides with your hands. Try not to overwork.

Follow your pie filling recipe for baking instructions.

Side Story: So my daughter got upset when playing outside with her big brother and immediately, without any prompting, as shes is still crying, started helping me finish making my pumpkin pie. She was soon happy again. This just goes to show baking truly does make everything better!

Gingerbread Pie Crust

Yield: 2 Pie Crust

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Additional Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Print

Ingredients

• 2 Cups Flour
• 4 Tablespoons Sugar
• 1 Teaspoon Salt
• 1 Cup Butter
• 2 Tablespoons Blackstrap Molasses
• 1 Teaspoon Cinnamon
• 1/2 Teaspoon Ginger
• 1/2 Teaspoon All-Spice
• 2 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
• 1 Ice Cube (optional)

Instructions

1. Combine apple cider vinegar and ice cube in a small bowl to get cold.
2. Add flour, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, all-spice and salt to your food processor. Pulse to mix together.
3. Cut you cold or frozen butter in cubes and add to food processor. Pulse a
   few time till it it starts to combine with the flour mixture.
4. Add apple cider vinegar and molasses mixture 1 tablespoon at a time while continuing pulsing the food processor till you dough starts to look like little beads.
5. Place dough on floured surface and bring together and divide into two discs.
6. Wrap discs in plastic wrap or a zip-lock bag and place in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
7. Unlike Classic Pie Crust you will roll out dough just a little then use your hands to mold into pie pan. Follow your pie recipes for baking instructions

Shop This Recipe!

Golden Barrel Unsulfured Black Strap molasses, 32 oz

Monk Fruit In The Raw Sweetener Baker’s Bag, 16 oz., Keto Certified Monk Fruit Sweetener, Zero Calories, Zero Net Carbs, Non-GMO Project Verified

Hamilton Beach Food Processor & Vegetable Chopper for Slicing, Shredding, Mincing, and Puree, 8 Cup, Black

The post How to Make Gingerbread Pie Crust appeared first on Embracing The Home.

Ingredients For Raspberry Pie

Raspberries 

You can use fresh or frozen berries both are delicious. If you use frozen be sure to thaw the berries. This recipe calls for 5 cups of raspberries, I thaw out 7 cups and then measure them again once they are thawed. Thaw them out in a colander in the sink or with a bowl underneath them. They will release a lot of water and juice. Although you do want juicy raspberries, too much juice can cause your pie to be runny.

Sugar   

The recipe calls for 1 cup sugar, if you prefer your pie to be real tart you can reduce this amount by 1/2 or if you want a extra sweet pie you can up it by 1/2 a cup. Honey or maple syrup are also great alternatives sweeteners. 1/2 – 3/4 of a cup will do the trick for this pie. I actually prefer to sweeten my raspberries with honey.

Cornstarch

Cornstarch is our thickening agent. It will help thicken the juices, along with the sugar, to create more of a sturdy syrup like pie filling. You can also substitute cornstarch with all purpose flour. Flour has a little bit of undesired flavor to it that some people notice. You need a little more flour to accomplish the same result that cornstarch accomplishes with less.

Lemon Juice and Zest  

Zest one lemon and then use about 2 table spoons or 1/2 a lemon juice. The lemon juice and zest adds a subtle tangy but bright flavor. Making the raspberries taste fresh even after they are baked.

Honey (optional)   

I like to drizzle a little honey on top of the filling once I’ve poured it into the pie pan and then again on top of the crust. You don’t need much and it’s completely optional. I think it adds a little bit more of a richer sweet flavor to each bite.

How To Make A Raspberry Pie

1. If using frozen berries, thaw in a colander and remove excess juices. You don’t need to try to get rid of all the juice, frozen berries just hold on to a lot of extra water that can make your pie extra runny. We love the juice just not too much.
2. Once thawed and drained mix together with the sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice and zest. It helps to mix the sugar and cornstarch together first before adding the berries. This way the cornstarch doesn’t get too clumpy.
3. Pour into your prepared pie crust and drizzle your honey on.
4. Add the top pie crust. I like to use the lattice design giving lots of opportunity for steam to escape from the fruit. You don’t have to use that design just make sure you cut a few steam hole on top.
5. Bake in a preheated oven at 425 degrees for 10 minutes then reduce the heat to 375 degrees for another 35 minutes or until the top of the crust is golden brown. Baking the pie at a high temperature when you first put it it will help cook the bottom of the crust faster, creating lots of beautiful steam pockets from the quickly melting butter resulting in a flaky, tender crust. Be sure to reduce the heat, because if you don’t your crust will start to burn and it will be all for not.

Tip: If you are getting runny pies you can cook the filling on the stove top before baking it. Just mix together your filling ingredients and cook and simmer on your stove until it reaches you desired thickness. Let cook completely before adding it to your pie crust. If you put it in your pie crust hot it will melt the butter in the crust without getting it hot enough to create the steam pockets you need for a flaky crust.

Pie Crust

This recipe calls for 2 pie crusts, one for the bottom of the pan and one for the top of the pie. You can use a store bought pie crust for this recipe or you can make your own. You can find my favorite Perfect Pie Crust recipe and instructions here along with 5 tips on how to get a great crust every time.

Raspberry Pie

Yield: 1, 9-inch pie

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

Print

Ingredients

• 5 cups raspberries
• 1 cup sugar
• 4 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• Zest from 1 lemon.
• 2-3 tablespoons Honey for drizzling

Instructions

1. If using frozen berries, thaw in a colander and remove excess juices.
2. Once thawed and drained mix together with the sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice and zest.
3. Pour into your prepared pie crust
4. Drizzle a little honey and the top of the berries
5. Place pie crust on top and drizzle honey on the top of the crust as well.
6. Bake in a preheated oven at 425 degrees for 10 minutes then reduce
   the heat to 375 degrees for another 35 minutes or until the top of the
   crust is golden brown.

The post Sweet Raspberry Pie Recipe appeared first on Embracing The Home.

5 Tips You Don’t Want to Skip

(Especially number 4)

Tip # 1: Cold butter.

The colder the butter the better. I freeze my butter for pie crust. Often I cut the butter in cubes and then freeze before adding to my flour. Keeping the butter cold keeps the water that’s in the butter from absorbing into the flour too soon. We want the steam from the water in the butter to make lots of air pockets in order to create glorious flakes in our crust. If you let the butter get warm the flour will absorb the water and you will get a dense crust.

Tip # 2: Cold Apple Cider Vinegar

The acids in apple cider vinegar slow down the gluten production and keep the dough from becoming elastic like. If your dough is worked too much the gluten molecules will activate and your dough will become tough. Apple cider vinegar will slow this down to insure a tender, flaky pie crust. Don’t worry, your crust will not taste like vinegar. Remember to use COLD apple cider vinegar, if your liquid is cold your butter will also stay cold.

Tip # 3. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

By now I hope you realize we want things to stay cold. After you mix all the ingredients making your dough but before you roll it out make sure you refrigerate for at least one hour. This will help solidify the butter again after it is worked into the flour. Don’t let your dough sit on the counter for too long, always put it back in the refrigerator.  Once I’ve rolled out my pie crust and placed it in the pie pan I always put them back in the refrigerator until I’m ready to put the filling in. If the is filling the crust and the oven is not preheated yet, I put it all back in the refrigerator. Keep it cold.

Tip # 4: Do Not Overwork.

I believe this is the number one reason people have tough, dense pie crusts. When you overwork your dough the butter melts and the gluten actives. So if you remember anything from this post, remember this. Do No Overwork The Dough! This often happens when we try to make the fancy, pretty crust we see on Pinterest. But don’t worry, you can still make the pretty crust, I have a tip for that as well.

Tip # 5. Freeze Your Decorative Pie Crust

When making a fun decorative top for your pie we often work it too much, melting the butter and activating the gluten molecules resulting in a tough, dense pie crust. Follow these steps. Mix your dough according to the recipe, refrigerate the dough for 1 hour, roll out the dough on wax or parchment paper for easy transporting. Freeze for 10 minutes. Cut out your pretty shapes and place them back in the freezer till you are ready to assemble them on your pie.

If you have scraps from the cut outs that you want to use place them in the freezer as well for 10 minutes before working them again. Don’t combined them into a ball to roll out again but instead try to layer them on top of each other then roll out. Again, don’t overwork. The shapes you make with the scraps wont turn out as well as the first set. They have been worked more, so that is just how it is.

If you like Raspberry Pie…. Check our my Raspberry Pie Recipe Recipe here.

How To Make A Perfect Pie Crust

First you will need a food processor. I’ve personally never made pie crust without one and I do not know what I’d do without it. The food processor combines the butter and flour quickly with out overworking or melting the butter. You will also need a rolling pin, but that will come later.

Ingredients & Directions

• Flour
• Sugar
• Salt
• Cold Butter
• Apple Cider Vinegar
• Water
• & An Ice Cube

1. First combine the water, apple cider and the ice cube in a small bowl. You want to use cold ingredients to make your pie crust. If you don’t have an ice cube you can simple combine and place the bowl in the freezer for a few minutes till it is cold.
2. Add flour, sugar and salt to your food processor. Pulse to mix together.
3. Cut your cold or frozen butter in cubes and add to food processor. It can be hard to cut frozen butter so sometimes I cut the butter then place in the freezer for 10-20 minutes before adding to the flour mixture. I want the butter to be as cold as possible before this step because this is when it is most worked. Pulse a few time until it it starts to combine with the flour mixture.
4. Add the cold water/cider mixture 1 tablespoon at a time while continuing pulsing
   the food processor till you dough starts to look like little beads. Don’t overwork.
5. Place the crumbly dough on floured surface and bring together into a disc. Again, don’t overwork. do not knead the dough. Just simply combine together and form into a disc.
6. Wrap dough in plastic wrap or a zip-lock bag and place in the refrigerator for at least an hour. I have also used a Pyrex glass container to store my dough but the zip-lock bag is my favorite to use. I often make my dough the day before I plan on making my pies. You can leave your dough in the refrigerator for up to a week and it will stay good. You can also place it in the freezer for up to 6 months.
7. When you are ready to make your pie roll out the dough on a floured surface and place in pie pan. Follow your pie recipes for baking instructions. If you are making a decorative top for you pie don’t forget to remember the tips for decorative pie crust above.

Perfect Pie Crust

Yield: 2 Pie Crust

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Additional Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Print

Ingredients

• 2 cups flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup or 2 sticks of cold or frozen butter
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 6 tablespoons water
• 1 ice cube

Instructions

1. Combine, water, apple cider vinegar and ice cube in a small bowl to get cold.
2. Add flour, sugar and salt to your food processor. Pulse to mix together.
3. Cut you cold or frozen butter in cubes and add to food processor. Pulse a few time till it it starts to combine with the flour mixture.
4. Add water/cider mixture 1 tablespoon at a time while continuing pulsing the food processor till you dough starts to look like little beads.
5. Place dough on floured surface and bring together and divide into two discs.
6. Wrap discs in plastic wrap or a zip-lock bag and place in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
7. Roll out dough and place in pie pan. Follow your pie recipes for baking instructions

Shop This Post

Hamilton Beach Food Processor & Vegetable Chopper for Slicing, Shredding, Mincing, and Puree, 8 Cup, Black

Antenda Adjustable Silicone Pie Crust Shields – Baking Protectors Cover Ring Fits 8-11.4 Inch Pies

The post Pie Crust Recipe Made To Perfection appeared first on Embracing The Home.