Apple Pie Bowl!

Fall is my absolute favorite time of year. The leaves turn, and the air is crisp, and clear. It's beautiful. One of the best parts is definitely the rich, warm flavors that come out to play. Nothing says cozy quite like the foods of fall. Pumpkin, squash, cinnamon, apples, cider, pie...it's all perfect.

My family and I always drive out East on Long Island to visit the pumpkin fields, and apple orchards. We've visited the same farms and orchards every year since my brothers and I were born. Every October we'd run through corn mazes, take hay rides, and climb apple trees. The car would be filled with pumpkins, barrels of apples, mums, and a bouquet of sunflowers. The trip was never complete without a stop at the pie shop. My brothers and I would play at the picnic area, while my parents bought their pies to go. One apple, and one pumpkin. They smelled amazing, but I could never eat them..."just in case."

Now that we're all adults, we can't always get home for pumpkin picking. I live on the other side of the world, and we don't really get fall. I can't get home for pumpkin picking, the leaves don't change, and just finding a pumpkin is a task.

I was really craving a taste of autumn last night, and I just so happened to be attending a little dinner shindig. I found some nice, plump apples at the supermarket and decided to get creative! I had seen cored apples used as a container for tasty mixin's, and decided to try my hand at mini-apple pies. They were amazing, and tasted just like fall. This recipe is nut-free, and egg-free!

Apple Pie Bowl

Ooey-gooey apple pie!

You Need:

Dough: this recipe makes one 9-in pie crust. 

-1 1/4 cups flour

-Dash of salt

-1/2 cup butter

-1/4 cup cold water

Combine flour and salt in a large bowl.

Using fingers, rub butter into flour mixture. (This is easy, just break off small chunks of butter with your fingers into the flour). Mix together with your hands until the mixture looks like crumbs. 

Add water, one tablespoon at a time, stirring together until the mixture forms a ball. Cover with plastic wrap, and place in fridge.

Apples Bowls & Filling: This recipe makes 3 apples.

Apples (How many people are you baking for? That's how many apples you need.)
Cinnamon
Cardamom
Nutmeg
1/2 cup Brown sugar
1/4 cup White sugar
1 tsp lemon juice

Wash apples, place on a cutting board and cut the top off. Easy! 

Next, using a melon baller or a spoon, scoop the inner core of the apple. Set aside the scooped out parts. Your apple should now look like a small bowl. 

Chop up the removed apple bits, and add a teaspoon of lemon juice. Add sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom. Stir together. 

Spoon filling into apple bowls, and set aside. 

Remove dough from fridge, and place onto a floured surface. Dust with extra flour, then press/roll out. Cut your dough into strips, and place onto filled apple bowls in a lattice pattern. Take one long piece of dough, and wrap around the edge to hold the latticed strips in place.

 Sprinkle cinnamon, and a dash of brown sugar on top.

Place apples in the pan, pop them in the oven for about 25 minutes, and you're all set!

Serve with vanilla ice cream, for extra smiles.