I just baked a few special apple pies in the last few weeks, and posted them to instagram.  As I was looking over my recipes, I could see that I tend to favor apple pie, and there is no one way to bake it.

The latest pie is the Cranberry Apple Pie, perfect for Christmas time, but put a heart cuttout in this baby and you stretch it’s appeal (apple appeal).

I am still working on my varied lattice top. You can only really do this with a tool like this.

Holiday Apple Pie. You can use any kind of cookie cutters to make your pie. Sometimes I use a berry jelly for the apples, but for this I used leftover cranberry sauce. The addition of nutmeg and cinnamon ensures those holiday flavors.

Caramelized Apple Tart. This tart is probably my favorite when I really want to go all out. The apples are made stove top with lot of brown sugar.

Bourbon Caramelized Apple Hand Pies (Do I really need to sell these to you).

Apple Pie from Scratch with Cinnamon, Lemon and Love and a Video

Apple Sweet Potato Pie. This is the most unique of the apples pies is diabetic friendly.

Iron Skillet Apple Pie is a Heart Warming Presentation

Not a cake. Not really a pie Swedish Apple Dessert.

If making pie crust makes you nervous, this is the dessert where you can shine!

You can also make the Swedish Apple Dessert in a Jar!

You can order these jars here. 

Apple Rosemary Galette for a rustic approach.

Apple Berry Pie Dessert from my Favorite Chefs. We threw in freshly picked blueberries and strawberries.

Apple Grape Tart which ushers in Fall and stays through Winter. This is a favorite of my apple desserts when I want something elegant.

You can order small pie pans here.

You can order a tart pan here. 

Apple Galette with Rosemary is one of the best apple desserts when you want to go rustic.

Apple Hand Pies is one of the best apple desserts for kids. They love these.

You can order Apple pie cutouts here.

Apple Dutch Baby which is not really dessert, but more of a brunch item, but it’s also one of my most popular posts.

I have 13 cast iron pans. You can order my favorite here. 

For the Gluten Free crowd, we have  Pennsylvania Dutch Apple Pandowdy made with my gluten free pie crust recipe. This is one of my best apple desserts using a gluten free flour.

As I make more apple desserts, I’ll be back to add them in. Right now I’m working on a grain free apple custard pie. Stay tuned. I always post on instagram first and would love to see you there.

More Apple Recipes from Spinach Tiger

More Pie Recipes from Spinach Tiger

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The post My Best Apple Desserts with Decorative Pie Crusts appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

Unless, you’re familiar with Pennsylvania Dutch cooking you’ve probably not heard of Pennsylvania Dutch Apple Pandowdy?

It’s actually a dish that dates back to at least 1805, where it first appeared in a cookbook, and was a favorite of Abigale Adams. Some recipes use a biscuit dough, but that first recipe used pie dough and that’s how I know apple pandowdy best.

You may be asking yourself what is apple pandowdy?

It’s a sort of top-crust apple pie, as there is no bottom crust.  The pie is cut into squares, placed atop the apples and as it starts to bake into a pie crust, about halfway through baking, you press it into the juice.  It’s sort of genius, because the crust gets all that cinnamon, maple syrup flavor from the apple juices.

This is almost like an apple cobbler, southern style, where cobbler can mean baked fruit topped with pie crust. You don’t cut this into pie shapes (usually). You just scoop it out and in my world top it with ice cream.

Normally, I use gala apples for my baking because they’re sweet, but feel free to throw in some granny smith apples into the mix. Instead of sugar, I use real maple syrup, in addition to lemon juice and lots of cinnamon.

I cut the dough into squares, and that’s good news for some of you attempting your first gluten free pie crust. My recommendation is to roll it out on parchment paper, refrigerate for 20-30 minutes and then cut your squares.

It’s best to use a shallow pan, so the crust is nearest to the juices. If the apples are piled to high, pressing the crust won’t have the same effect.

You can watch the video to see how I make Pennsylvania Dutch Apple Pandowdy

You can make this into any shape. You can use a pie pan. You can use a cast iron pan. You can use a baking dish. Just adjust the amount of apples for your appropriate pan. The pie crust recipe will be enough for two pies or for one big slab pie, which is perfect for a party or your Thanksgiving table.

The Pandowdy Recipe below is made with all-purpose flour. See second recipe for gluten free pie crust.

More Apple Recipes

More Pennsylvania Dutch Recipes

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Pennsylvania Dutch Apple Pandowdy

Pennsylvania Dutch Apple Pan Dowdy is a very old recipe dating back to colonial times. Mid-way through baking, the crust is pressed down into the pie, making it wet with juices.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 45 minutes minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes minutes

Total Time 1 hour hour 35 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

Apple Pandowdy Ingredients

• 6 apples peeled, cored (Use Gala or a mix with some granny smith)
• 1 tablespoon high quality cinnamon use less if you like (order here)
• dash freshly ground nutmeg order here
• 1/4 cup maple syrup order here
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter order here

Pie Dough

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour order here
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 4 to 6 tablespoons iced cold water
• !Kitchen Tools
• Adjustable Pastry Cutter order here
• Cast Iron Pan order here
• Parchment Paper order here
• Nutmeg Grinder order here
• Food Processor order here
• Chef's Knife order here

Instructions

Apple Pandowdy

• Slice apple thins. Mix with cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice.Allow to sit at least 30 minutes. Do not drain off juices.
• Roll out pie dough onto floured parchment paper. Place in refrigerator for 15 minutes.
• Put in baking pan in a shallow layer, about two inches.
• Top with two tablespoons of butter, in small pieces.
• Take out pie dough.Cut pie dough into squares. Place on top of apples.
• Brush with milk. Sprinkle raw sugar or cinnamon sugar.
• Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.
• Take out of oven, press pie dough into the juices of the apples.
• Put back into oven for 15-20 more minutes.

Pie Dough Recipe Instructions

• Cut butter into cubes. Freeze for 15 minutes.
• Mix flour, sugar, salt together in food processor.
• Add butter, Pulse for 10 seconds.
• Add water, using just enough until a dough is formed.
• Put into plastic bag. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Gluten Free Pie Dough

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Gluten Free Pie Dough

This is my recipe for gluten free pie dough, more than enough for pan dowdy or double crusted pie dough.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

Gluten Free Pie Dough Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 gluten free flour order here.
• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter order here
• 1 tablespoon organic pure cane sugar order here
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 4 to 6 tablespoons ice cold water

Instructions

Gluten Free Pie Crust Instructions

• Cut butter into small pieces, freeze for 15 minutes.
• Place flour, salt, sugar in food processor.
• Mix well.
• Add in butter. Mix just until the butter is in pea sized pieces.
• Add eggs. Mix for about 5 seconds until eggs are incorporated.
• Add just enough water to bring together.
• Dough will be like a short bread dough, because there is no elastic.
• Refrigerate for 30 minutes before using.

The post Pennsylvania Dutch Apple Pandowdy Gluten Free Pie Dough appeared first on Spinach Tiger.

This is an inspired Swedish Apple Dessert. It’s not quite a cake, not quite a pie, and for this reason, I decided to bake it in mason jars. You may notice, I’m getting very comfortable baking in jars.

This special apple dessert is called apple cake over at  Delishhh,  published by Ewa who lives in Seattle, and is originally from Sweden. Ewa,  pronounced Eva, wrote a glowing post  about this apple cake which drew me in.

I chose this not quite apple pie,  because the recipe was very unusual. I bake a lot and I’ve never seen a recipe like this before. It’s not really a cake, because there is no cake batter, and it’s not a pie, because there is no pie dough. It’s not a cobbler and it’s not a crisp. The dough is butter, flour and sugar, but no liquid. It’s mixed together, refrigerated and rolled out and then placed as a topping over the apples.

As I was making the dough, I couldn’t figure out why there wasn’t any liquid added into the batter, but it works. It’s delicious and buttery. I’ve made it twice, the first time, sticking to the original recipe, which turned out to be too sweet for me, and the second time I put it in jars and cut the sugar by 2 tablespoons.

This is an easy dessert for anyone who is afraid to bake. You can make the recipe the way Ewa did and bake it one baking dish, or do it individually in jars. I used half pint jars.  I wrote about baking jars  in my red velvet in a jar post  I’m hooked. The recipe will make 8 half pint jars or one 9 inch cake pan.

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Swedish Apple Dessert in a Jar

A Swedish inspired apple dessert that isn't quite an apple cake, not quite an apple pie, baked in individual jars.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Swedish

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 8

Author Angela Roberts

Ingredients

• 9 tbsp 125g room temperature butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 3/4 cups and 2 tbsp 200 ml all purpose flour
• 3/4 tsp baking powder
• 4 medium sized granny smith apples
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tsp cinnamon

Instructions

• Mix together butter and sugar with a mixer or by hand. Mix together flour and baking power and add to butter and sugar mixture. Pull this mixture together to form a dough. It won't be a batter or a pie crust, but you can form it into a small dough. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.
• Peel and slice apples. Mix brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon together. Mix with apples. Squeeze lemon over apples. Mix again with hands.
• Take dough out of refrigerator and roll out. Place apples in 8 half-pint mason jars or in a large baking dish that fit the apples. Place dough over apples. It will not be perfect.
• If baking in jars, bake at 375 for 25 to 30 minutes. If baking in one baking pan, bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

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