Apples are everywhere. They can be found all year around at the grocer, but this time of year is when you will find apples at farmer’s markets, roadside stands and in your own backyard.

If you have an apple tree, I would suggest you take advantage of the free fruit! Apples store well in a cool, dark place and will remain fresh for some time. Apples also freeze well in the form of applesauce, pies and dumplings!

Since the holiday season is approaching, I thought I would start getting in the spirit by making an apple pie this week. The prep time is only about ten minutes, so you can have a hot apple pie in about an hour. I like Dutch Apple Pie with the crumb topping, probably because it seems like a special treat with the sweet crumbly top coating instead of a pastry crust.

Dutch Apple Pie

Ingredients:

1  pie crust for 9 inch pan
4 apples
1 tsp cinnamon
½ cup sugar
2 TB flour
½ cup raisins

Topping:

1/3 cup flour
8 TB butter
½ cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Place pie crust in the bottom of 9 inch pie pan. Peel and slice apples into a small bowl. Add raisins. Mix 1 tsp cinnamon, ½ cup sugar and 2 TB flour and toss with apples and raisins. Pour apple mixture in pie crust. To make the topping, melt the butter and mix in the flour, sugar and cinnamon. Stir until small lumps form. Sprinkle over apple mixture. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 55 minutes.

Make it a meal: Served with a glass of milk, cup of coffee or tea, this makes a great afternoon snack.

Approximate Nutritional Value per serving: Servings per Recipe: 6, Calories: 488, Fat: 18g, Cholesterol: 46mg, Sodium: 185mg, Total Carbs: 79g, Protein: 4g.

Variations: Add some chopped pecans or walnuts to the topping. Replace one apple with a pear. Leave out the raisins.

This pie is quite tasty as a breakfast food. If you need to, you can freeze this pie for up to 6 weeks. Thaw on the counter and warm in the oven before serving. Unbaked, you can place this pie in the oven and bake for one hour. This is a great way to enjoy the flavors of fall into the winter months.

You can make a couple of pies now and save them for the big dinners at Thanksgiving and Christmas. Talk about an easy way to lower the stress of those days! Make it now, bake it later and take it to dinner.

These pies also make a nice gift. You can make some smaller pies in a 7 or 8 inch pie pan and wrap them in aluminum foil. Freeze the pies, then when ready to give as a gift, wrap in a pretty dish towel and add a note with baking instructions. I will bet folks will appreciate that gift!

Noel Lizotte is breaking free of corporate stress with convenience cooking! This recipe is similar to ones printed in her cookbook Apron Free Cooking which is available here.

What is your favorite kind of pie?

Interested in one of the books pictured above? You can purchase on Amazon here.