Dutch Crumb Apple Pie

I am not a fan of long spiels before getting to the actual recipe on blogs. In my experience, people look at recipes for the recipe, not for a narration. So, without further ado, here is my recipe for Dutch Crumb Apple Pie!

Yields: Two Pies
Total Time: About 2 hours

Ingredients:

Flaky Pie Crust:

• 2 heaping cups of flour
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 Tbsp sugar
• 1 cup butter, softened
• About 1 cup cold water
• 2 pie tins 

Apple Filling:

• 18 Gold Delicious apples
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• Pinch of salt
• 4 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 cup heavy cream

Streusel Topping:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup light brown sugar
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 12 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Directions:

1. Flaky Pie Crust:

• Preheat oven at 375 degrees F.
• Mix together flour, salt, and sugar in a large bowl.
• After softening the butter (do not melt it all the way), cut in butter until there are pea-sized pieces of dough. I prefer to hand mix the dough to make it the perfect consistency.
• Slowly add cold water (you may not need the full cup, depending on how "heaping" your cups of flour were). Mix until the dough clumps together in one big ball. It may be slightly sticky, but you don't want the pie dough to be as wet and sticky as, say, roll or scone dough. 
• Sprinkle flour over the kitchen counter and roll out the dough (half of it per pie).
• Place rolled out dough in a pie tin. Cut extra dough that hangs off the edges of the pie tin (leave about a 1/4 inch hanging over the edge, it will shrink a little when cooked). Shape pie crust edges how you wish (I pinch the edge and give it a little twist for my design). 
• Using a fork, gently poke a few holes at the bottom of the crust. 
• Cover pie crust dough with tin foil, place beans (or some other type of weight) on top of the foil to stop the crust from bubbling up.
• Bake pie crust for about 20 minutes. Remove the weights and tin foil from the crusts. Bake the crusts again for another 5-10 minutes until it is fully cooked and lightly golden on the edges.
• Place pie tins on cooling rack.
• Increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees F. 

2. Apple Filling:

• Peel, core, and slice apples into pieces about 1/4 inch thick. 
• Toss the apples in a (very) large bowl with sugar, cinnamon, and salt. 
• Heat butter in a large pot, over high heat, until foaming subsides. 
• Add the apple mixture to the heated butter; toss to coat. 
• Reduce heat to medium-high. Cover pot, stir occasionally. Cook apple mix until apple slices are softened, about 10 minutes. 
• Set a large colander over a (very) large bowl; transfer the cooked apple mix to the colander. Drain off as much of the juice as possible. 
• Set cooked apples in a large bowl and set aside. Pour juice back into the heated pot. Add heavy cream to the juice mixture and bring to a boil over high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes, until thickened and spoon leaves a trail in the mixture.  
• Transfer the cooked apples into the pre-baked pie shells.
• Pour the juice and cream mixture over the apples and smooth.

3. Streusel Topping:

• Combine flour, brown sugar, and sugar in a medium bowl.
• Drizzle melted butter over the flour/sugar mixture. Mix with a fork (or by hand) until evenly combined and mixture forms small chunks. 
• Sprinkle the streusel mix evenly over the pie filling. 
• Bake pies (at 425 degrees F.) until the streusel topping is golden brown, about 10-15 minutes. 
• Cool on wire rack. 
• Serve and enjoy! 

In my most humblest of opinions, this apple pie is best served with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. Although, my husband would argue and say that it is actually best served in a bowl, smothered in milk. 

Enjoy,

JR

Crunchy Fresh Peach Pie

Crunchy Fresh Peach Pie. Because everyone loves peaches, pie, and a little bit of crunch. Have you ever tasted something that tickles your taste buds, floods your mouth with giggles? This pie will do just that.
One story my father-in-law always tells about his son dating me, is about my infamous peach pie. Before I was even engaged to Bobby, my now husband of three years, I was invited on a camping trip with his family. Baking has always been a passion of mine, so I offered to do the dessert. After discovering that peaches were, for the most part, the favorite fruit of the family, I decided to make a peach pie. This recipe, tweaked to my liking, is the result. And yes, it was a success. That peach pie was the magical key to becoming part of Bobby's family. Moral of the story, make this pie. Everyone will love you.

Ingredients:

Topping:

• 1 1/2 cups crushed vanilla wafers (equals about 40 wafers)
• 1 cup chopped almonds
• 6 Tbsp butter, melted

Filling:

• 4 eggs
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 12 fresh peaches, peeled and sliced
• 1 1/2 Tbsp flour

Flaky Pie Crust: 

• 2 heaping cups of flour
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 Tbsp sugar
• 1 cup shortening
• About 1 cup cold water
• 2 pie tins

Yields: 2 pies

Directions:

I find it easiest to make the topping first, then peel and slice peaches, make the crust, and finally, complete the filling. Read through all of the directions and decide whatever order suites you best! 

Preheat oven at 450 degrees.

Topping: 

• Place wafers in a ziplock bag and use a rolling pin to crush them into small pieces
• Pour crushed wafers into a bowl, add the chopped almonds, and stir until mixed well
• Add melted butter to the bowl, stir until butter is spread evenly through mix
• Set aside

Filling: 

• Peel and slice about 12 peaches and place in large mixing bowl
• In a smaller bowl, combine eggs, lemon juice, flour and sugar and stir until smooth
• Pour egg mixture over peaches and stir until peaches are well covered (I find it best to use my well-washed hands to avoid bruising or mashing the peaches)
• Set aside

Flaky Pie Crust:

• Mix together flour, salt and sugar in a good size bowl
• Cut in shortening, until there are pea-sized pieces of dough. I find it makes the best crust when I hand mix the shortening and flour mixture. 
• Add water slowly (because you may not need to use it all) to dough mixture. Stir until the dough clumps together in one big ball. It may be slightly sticky, but you don't want the pie dough to be too wet and sticky (like scone or roll dough is)
• Sprinkle flour over the kitchen counter and roll out the dough (half of it per pie), place dough in a pie tin
• Cut extra dough off of the edges (leave about a 1/4 inch hanging over the pie tin), shape pie crust edges how you wish

• Cover pie crust dough with tin foil, place beans on top of foil to stop crust from bubbling up, and bake for 5 minutes
• Remove tin foil (and beans), and bake pie crust for another 5 minutes

Baking the Pie:

• Heat oven to 375 degrees
• Place filling into baked pie crust, spread evenly
• Generously sprinkle topping mixture on top of the filling
• Cover pies with tin foil and bake for 20 minutes
• Remove foil and bake for 15 more minutes
• Cool on wire rack 

Enjoy with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, and watch everyone start drooling over how delicious your pie turned out! 

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to comment below or email me at jrlindzblog@gmail.com! 

JR

Mexican Wedding Cookies

These cookies are my absolute favorite. There is nothing like biting into a cookie that tastes like pecan heaven and melts in your mouth. In fact, my mouth is watering just writing this. No matter how many of these cookies I make, they are always gone by the end of the day. The fantastic thing about Mexican Wedding Cookies is how simple they are to make, and how deliciously elegant they look. They are perfect for homemade gifts, parties, or just to please those you love.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tsp water
• 2 cups white flour
• 1 cup chopped pecans*
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar

*Note: these cookies are also divine with almonds or walnuts. Pecans are my personal favorite.

Yields: about 3 dozen cookies

Directions:

• In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter and white sugar. 
• Slowly mix in the vanilla and water. 
• Add the flour and pecans, mix until well blended.

*If you want the cookies to stay a round ball shape, cover and chill the dough for three hours
Shape dough into balls and place on cookie sheet.

• Bake at: 325 degrees for 17 minutes

• Let them cool on wire racks for about 15 minutes. After they are cooled, roll the cookies in the powdered sugar. Store cookies in an airtight container.

And there you have it, ladies and gents. As always, enjoy!

JR