Alright, alright...I took this photo several weeks ago. Before I realized that someone of my photography skills (negetive 20) needs to take at least 7,000 pictures of something to come up with a good 1 or 2. This, this is the doctored (though my doctoring skills are also at the remedial level) photo and it's the best I had.
Bad photography aside (I'm insecure about it, okay), this breakfast pie is simple, nutritious, tasty, and (naturally) cheap. It can be made in a pie pan, in ramekins, or in muffin cups. And if you add a dollop of whipped cream just for fun, your secret is safe with me.
Apple Breakfast Pie
Serves 6
First a note on apples. The best kind to use for pie are crispy, firm, and slightly tart--like Granny Smith. However, you can use whatever old apples you've got lying around and this recipe will be just fine. Also, apples will settle in baking, so even if your pan looks very full, it'll be smaller when all is said and done.
Second a note on flour. If you'd like to add a teaspoon or so to your sugar/cinnamon mixture, knock yourself out. I didn't and my pie turned out just fine (my pie was, however, in ramekins and perhaps that reduced the flow of juices you'd get in a larger pie). If your apples are juicy or if you just want to, darn it, add some flour to thicken the syrup as the pie cooks.
Third a note on simplicity. This recipe is very basic. If you are feeling funky, don't hesitate to add a bit of nutmeg, cloves (probably 1/4-1/2 tsp), cardamom, pecans, Elmo sprinkles, or whatever floats your boat. Next time, I plan to try it with a decent dose of nutmeg as I personally believe nutmeg is the body scrub of the angels.
1 whole wheat pie crust (2 if you want to top your pie with another)
6-9 medium apples, peeled and chopped--(how many you use depends on how full you want your pie)
1/4-1/3 C sugar
1 T cinnamon
1 tsp flour (optional)
Prepare pie crust. Mix sugar, cinnamon, and flour if using. Add chopped apples and coat with sugar mixture. Pour it all in pie crust. Bake at 375 for 25-30 minutes or until apples are tender.
This recipe concludes our jaunt with apples (for now). It also (for now) concludes our jaunt with things you can eat for breakfast or dessert or both. Coming soon we'll have some recipes that (gasp) can be eaten at different times of the day. I know, you were beginning to wonder if our family ever ate meals besides breakfast. On occasion, my friends, on occasion.
PRINTABLE RECIPE
I make almost exactly the same recipe except we LOVE to make hand-pies, or pie-lettes, instead. I roll little balls of dough into circles, plop a big spoonful of filling, fold them over and seal. Then I flash freeze them in the oven to be grabbed and popped in the toaster oven whenever the mood hits. And for my husband, that mood is every day until they are gone. Kids like how easy they are to eat, too. Pretty much, whenever I make Pielettes I am heralded as the mother-goddess of the Tri-state area, and I'm happy to bask in that title -- at least until Jeanie invites us over for chocolate cake and knocks me off my pedestal for a few days. ;)
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