If There’s One Baked Good You Make this Fall, Let it Be This!
If I am going to take the time to bake a delicious fall treat, my favorite one of all time has got to be brown bag apple pie. Why cook the pie in a brown bag you ask? Because the brown bag seals in all the juices in the pie extremely well and makes the best crust ever. It seriously is such a game changer you will feel like you just had the best slice of pie you’ve ever had!
The bag seals in all the juices and flavors so the apples are still really juicy, yet not too tender, and the crust is really the exceptional part of the pie by baking in the brown bag. This particular recipe uses a crumble topping, but if you bake a regular apple pie with a regular second pie crust on top, it will turn a perfect golden brown with just the right texture, while the bottom crust cooks perfectly without getting soggy or underbaked. Basically, the brown bag helps everything to cook really evenly and just how it’s supposed to--now doesn’t that sound nice?
I’m sure you can find many brown bag pie recipes, but this particular apple pie one is my absolute favorite! I love to make homemade caramel sauce to drizzle over the pie and of course top it with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream. It is the best treat ever! And of course it is so wonderful to enjoy these flavors this time of year. You can use a couple different kinds of apples, but I like to use a mixture of Granny Smith apples and Honeycrisp, which is what the recipe calls for and it is a wonderful tart and sweet combo.
What Kind of Bag Should I Use?
While I have used a brown bag from Trader Joe’s before in a pinch, I would recommend trying to get a plain, large, thick food-grade bag to bake your pie in. You can staple it shut or use binder clips to clamp it shut. The dyes on the colorful Trader Joe’s give off an odor so it is probably best to use a plain thick brown bag whenever possible.
Will it Burn?
As long as you set the brown bag pie on the rack itself or even on a cookie sheet on the rack and the brown bag is not touching the sides or top of the oven, it shouldn’t burn at all. I, and many others, have been making pie like this for years and haven’t had that happen.
It’s All About Utility
Now, I have a funny and possibly polarizing thought. Guess what I am NOT going to make this pie for? Thanksgiving. That’s right--I am not going to take the time to make this exquisite favorite pie of mine for the biggest pie holiday of the year.
Have you ever heard of the concept of “utility” where if you have already filled your bucket and something isn’t already as amazing as when you first had it or tasted it. For example, the first bite of the most delicious piece of cheesecake will always be the best and you might feel like you want to keep eating more and more because it’s so good, but it simply will not be. You’ve already kind of maxed out the most amount of joy you can get from the cheesecake, so more is not always better. Another example of utility is this: I used to live near Salt Lake City, Utah with the gorgeous huge mountains all around. You get to the point where you don’t even notice these stunning snow-capped views all around, but now that I live in California and when I go back, I can barely keep my eyes on the road because I can’t stop staring at these gorgeous mountains. They are fresh and new again to me and I haven’t maxed out that initial joy of seeing them. Thanksgiving is so full of all sorts of delicious foods and flavors that I honestly feel that this pie wouldn’t get the glory and appreciation it deserves if it was served among all the other mediocre pies that day. I say leave it to Costco pumpkin pie and Marie Callender for your Thanksgiving pie needs and make this for your family for a random Sunday treat so you can really appreciate it in all its glory! :)
What do you think? Do you think it’s worth the time and effort to make the very best pies for Thanksgiving or is it okay to have store-bought kind of mediocre ones for the big day? I feel like my efforts should probably rather be spent trying to figure out how to make the dang turkey moist and I do love a good Marie Callender razzleberry pie :) Please share your thoughts in the comments below (even if you completely disagree with me and think this idea is preposterous!).
CRUST:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 cup oil
2 tablespoons cold milk
FILLING:
4 cups sliced apples
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup granulated sugar or brown sugar (could also do 1/2 each)
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
CRUMB TOPPING:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
Directions:
Add Recipe to Cook'n
The bag seals in all the juices and flavors so the apples are still really juicy, yet not too tender, and the crust is really the exceptional part of the pie by baking in the brown bag. This particular recipe uses a crumble topping, but if you bake a regular apple pie with a regular second pie crust on top, it will turn a perfect golden brown with just the right texture, while the bottom crust cooks perfectly without getting soggy or underbaked. Basically, the brown bag helps everything to cook really evenly and just how it’s supposed to--now doesn’t that sound nice?
I’m sure you can find many brown bag pie recipes, but this particular apple pie one is my absolute favorite! I love to make homemade caramel sauce to drizzle over the pie and of course top it with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream. It is the best treat ever! And of course it is so wonderful to enjoy these flavors this time of year. You can use a couple different kinds of apples, but I like to use a mixture of Granny Smith apples and Honeycrisp, which is what the recipe calls for and it is a wonderful tart and sweet combo.
What Kind of Bag Should I Use?
While I have used a brown bag from Trader Joe’s before in a pinch, I would recommend trying to get a plain, large, thick food-grade bag to bake your pie in. You can staple it shut or use binder clips to clamp it shut. The dyes on the colorful Trader Joe’s give off an odor so it is probably best to use a plain thick brown bag whenever possible.
Will it Burn?
As long as you set the brown bag pie on the rack itself or even on a cookie sheet on the rack and the brown bag is not touching the sides or top of the oven, it shouldn’t burn at all. I, and many others, have been making pie like this for years and haven’t had that happen.
It’s All About Utility
Now, I have a funny and possibly polarizing thought. Guess what I am NOT going to make this pie for? Thanksgiving. That’s right--I am not going to take the time to make this exquisite favorite pie of mine for the biggest pie holiday of the year.
Have you ever heard of the concept of “utility” where if you have already filled your bucket and something isn’t already as amazing as when you first had it or tasted it. For example, the first bite of the most delicious piece of cheesecake will always be the best and you might feel like you want to keep eating more and more because it’s so good, but it simply will not be. You’ve already kind of maxed out the most amount of joy you can get from the cheesecake, so more is not always better. Another example of utility is this: I used to live near Salt Lake City, Utah with the gorgeous huge mountains all around. You get to the point where you don’t even notice these stunning snow-capped views all around, but now that I live in California and when I go back, I can barely keep my eyes on the road because I can’t stop staring at these gorgeous mountains. They are fresh and new again to me and I haven’t maxed out that initial joy of seeing them. Thanksgiving is so full of all sorts of delicious foods and flavors that I honestly feel that this pie wouldn’t get the glory and appreciation it deserves if it was served among all the other mediocre pies that day. I say leave it to Costco pumpkin pie and Marie Callender for your Thanksgiving pie needs and make this for your family for a random Sunday treat so you can really appreciate it in all its glory! :)
What do you think? Do you think it’s worth the time and effort to make the very best pies for Thanksgiving or is it okay to have store-bought kind of mediocre ones for the big day? I feel like my efforts should probably rather be spent trying to figure out how to make the dang turkey moist and I do love a good Marie Callender razzleberry pie :) Please share your thoughts in the comments below (even if you completely disagree with me and think this idea is preposterous!).
Brown Bag Apple Pie
Easy brown bag apple pie with a delicious crumb topping and flaky pie crust. The brown bag helps seal in all of the delicious flavors and leaves you with the best apple pie you've ever tried. Author: Jamielyn Nye Recipe Type: American Total Time: 2 hrs
Prep time:
Serving size: 16
Calories per serving: 165
Ingredients:
Serving size: 16
Calories per serving: 165
CRUST:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 cup oil
2 tablespoons cold milk
FILLING:
4 cups sliced apples
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup granulated sugar or brown sugar (could also do 1/2 each)
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
CRUMB TOPPING:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Crust:
In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, salt, oil, and milk until well combined Pat mixture evenly into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie pan. Do not roll out. (To smooth it out, use the back of a hot metal spoon and gently push down to smooth evenly.)
Filling:
In another medium bowl, stir sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Toss lightly with sliced apples. Let sit 10 minutes for sugar mixture to melt onto the apples. Pour into the unbaked pie shell.
Crumb Topping:
In a small bowl, mix flour, butter, and sugar with your fingers or a fork until crumbly. Sprinkle over pie. You’ll want to bake soon before the butter mixture softens too much.
Place pie in brown paper bag and staple shut. Bake 1 1/2 hours. (If oven bakes hot, reduce to 325 degrees. No peeking.) Slit the bag open with sharp knife. Remove pie from oven and let cool completely so it thickens, about 4 hours.
Serve the pie with vanilla ice cream and caramel on top, if desired.
Source: iheartnaptime.net
Crust:
In a medium bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, salt, oil, and milk until well combined Pat mixture evenly into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie pan. Do not roll out. (To smooth it out, use the back of a hot metal spoon and gently push down to smooth evenly.)
Filling:
In another medium bowl, stir sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Toss lightly with sliced apples. Let sit 10 minutes for sugar mixture to melt onto the apples. Pour into the unbaked pie shell.
Crumb Topping:
In a small bowl, mix flour, butter, and sugar with your fingers or a fork until crumbly. Sprinkle over pie. You’ll want to bake soon before the butter mixture softens too much.
Place pie in brown paper bag and staple shut. Bake 1 1/2 hours. (If oven bakes hot, reduce to 325 degrees. No peeking.) Slit the bag open with sharp knife. Remove pie from oven and let cool completely so it thickens, about 4 hours.
Serve the pie with vanilla ice cream and caramel on top, if desired.
Source: iheartnaptime.net
Recipe formatted with the Cook'n Recipe Software from DVO Enterprises.
Mary Richardson
Weekly Newsletter Contributor since 2014
Email the author! mary@dvo.com
