This Easter was very quiet and the only function we had was meeting my mom for supper. As I wanted to leave her something as a treat, I decided to take an apple pie. This hit two birds with one stone, as I had some apples that really needed to get used up. I usually make a fruit cream pie, but didn’t want to worry about using milk products. This way I could have a slice without taking lactaid pills. So I guess a whole bevy of birds! I had read a trick from Anna Olson’s recipe to sprinkle a layer of rolled oats at the bottom of the pie, so decided to use oats as a thickening agent (vs. tapioca powder) and went with an apple oat pie.
My mom loved the pie, but it was kind of hard to go by her reaction, since she has such a sweet tooth. The Hubby thought the pie was good as well, but in a “solid basic pie recipe” sort of way. I myself found it a bit dry and wasn’t even going to post it, but the Hubby thought it was worth it. I think that having a juicier fruit mixed with the oats would actually be better. Peach oat pie? Raspberry Oat Pie? Sounds delicious! Not that apple oat pie sounds horrible, mind you.
For time and convenience, I used two of the store-bought pie crusts. My mother-in-law was a superb baker and her pie crust recipe was one of her pride and joys. When I first made a pie for her (a variation on her rhubarb cream pie), I used a store-bought crust. She not only loved the pie, but thought the crust was stellar. Ever since then I’ve never begrudged using Tenderflake crusts.
Some thoughts for next time: I had added 1/4 cup of oats to the apples, I’m thinking of lowering that to 1/8 cup. According to Anna Olson’s apple recipe, she cooked a portion of the apples down to get rid of the liquid. But my apples were super dry and there was actually no liquid in the pan! So it could be a balance between that 1/4 cup of oats and a juicier apple. I’ll still cook down 2 cups of the apples, and if I notice that the apples don’t produce much (or any) liquid, I’ll reduce the oats, if there is plenty of juice, I’ll keep the 1/4 cup.
APPLE OAT PIE
Ingredients
- 6 cups apples peeled, cored, sliced into rings
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/4 teaspoon allspice
- 1/4 cup rolled oats for mixing with apples
- 2 tablespoons rolled oats for sprinkling on pie crust
- 1 egg mixed with 2 tablespoons water
- 3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter cut into small cubes
- granulated sugar and cinnamon for sprinkling on top
- 2 deep dish pie crusts
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F.
- Take two cups of the apples and place in a non-stick frying pan, sprinkle lilghtly with brown sugar. As the soften, flip gently.
- Mix the oats, spices, and sugars and gently toss the uncooked apples in the mix.
- Once the cooked apples have softened, if there is liquid in a pan, use a slotted spoon to remove and add to the uncooked apples. Tossing gently to mix. Pull out about 6 nice slices and set aside.
- Sprinkle the two tablespoons over the bottom half of a deep dish pie crust.
- Add half the apples, flattening into layers, dot with half the butter.
- Add the remaining apples, flattening again, and dot with the rest of the butter.
- Top with the nice slices that you set aside.
- Brush the edge of the crust with your egg mixture, place the top crust on top, sealing the edge. Cut vents into the top of the pie.
- Give the top of the crust a brush with the egg, then sprinkle sugar and cinnamon on top.
- Place the pie plate on a parchment covered cookie sheet (this will capture any drippings). Bake at 400F for 10 minutes, then lower heat to 375 and bake an additional 40-50 minutes (until the crust is golden brown).