Karen’s Apple Pie
It’s holiday time – the time of the year where you try to show your loved ones that they are special and mean the world to you. Thanksgiving, Christmas, holiday parties, family, friends. SANTA!!! This time of year is amazing, and adds a hop to all of our steps. But it can also be particularly hard for me as it brings back memories of my mom passing just before the holidays last year. Those memories get amplified by olfactory senses … that part of your brain hooked up directly to your nose that smells something and jolts back memories. We all have them … for me it brings back memories of playing Legos on the floor in St. Louis, running around the neighborhood playing kick-the-can or Laser Tag, and most of all cramming my face with every dish my mom put on the table. Holiday dinner was never about moderation – a mantra my mom always followed the rest of the year. I’m pretty sure my mom felt holiday dinners were about adding a layer of fat for the brutal midwestern winters 😉
My mom, Karen, was the person that inspired me to cook. She loved it, and watching her always amazed me. I guess that happens after raising three hungry boys! Here is her famous Apple Pie recipe. As long as I can remember, mom’s friends would ask her to make it for their holiday parties. It will blow you away. Don’t substitute any ingredients – keep it genuine.
Preheat oven to 425.
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 1/2 cups flour (scant)
- 1/2 cup Cristo (generous)
- 1 tsp salt
- 3 Tbls water
Mix the ingredients in a bowl with your hands, roll out on a wooden board using a rolling pin to the size of your pie dish. Don’t fret it being perfect, and it should be maybe 1/8″ thick. Place in the pie dish and press into the corners, fold over and ruffle the edges a bit. Remove any serious excess.
Filling
- 6 cups apples – halved and then thinly slides
- 3/4 cups sugar
- 1/3 cup flour
- 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
Prep the apples, add the ingredients in a large bowl and mix until well absorbed. Spread evenly into your pie dish.
Topping
- 1 cup flour
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1/2 cup brown sugar (packed)
- 3/4 cup chopped walnuts
Mix in a bowl, and spread topping evenly over the pie up to the edges of the crust.
Bake in the preheated 425 degree oven for 15 minutes. Turn down oven to 325 and continue baking for 30 minutes.