Time to bake a pie!

If the thought of making a homemade pie makes you a bit nervous, take it from a cook who knows how to bake a great pie: Don’t be. 

 “I love scratch-made cooking,” says Brooke Burks, who writes The Buttered Home blog and is our partner for each month’s recipe pages. “That’s what I grew up doing. But I also work for a living. Making a pie crust can be a little anxiety-inducing, but with the ease of getting a store-bought crust, there’s no reason why you can’t experiment with making different kinds of pie at home.”

   Her apple pie recipe on these pages is an uncomplicated one, using either a homemade or purchased pie crust. “Lots of people don’t like doing pie because they feel it’s too complicated,” she says,  “but this recipe for apple pie is as clean as it gets.”

   When she does decide to make a homemade crust, Brooke will make two to four and put them in the freezer. “If I get pears or apples when they’re in season, I’ll sometimes make hand pies (individual small pies that can be baked or fried) using the same crust. Or you can use (canned) pie filling. You can make them sweet or savory.”

   Brooke will be making this month’s apple pie recipe in a video for her YouTube Channel this month, and we’ll be sharing it with our readers on Facebook.  For details on how to make a homemade pie crust, visit www.thebutteredhome.com/homemade-pie-crust.  — Lenore Vickrey

Homemade Apple Pie

1/2 cup sugar plus 1 teaspoon

3 tablespoons plain flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

6 cups green apples, peeled and sliced

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 pie crusts, one for bottom and one for top

1 tablespoon butter, cold and cubed

1 egg white

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a small bowl, mix brown sugar, 1/2 cup of white sugar, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg. Set aside.

   In a large bowl, mix peeled and sliced apples with lemon juice, taking care to coat each slice.  Sprinkle with sugar and spice mixture and mix well to coat again.

   Line a deep dish pie pan with one crust. Pour apple mixture into pie crust. Dot apples with cubes of butter evenly. Place second crust on top and seal edges with bottom crust. Using a knife, cut 1- inch slits in the center of the top to vent. 

   Beat egg whites until frothy. Using a brush, brush egg whites on top of crust. Sprinkle remaining 1 tablespoon white sugar evenly over the top.

   Taking a long strip of aluminum foil, tent edges of pie for first portion of cook time. Bake 25 minutes with edges tented. Remove pie from oven and remove foil.  Place back in oven and cook another 20-25 minutes until pie is browned. Cool for 15 minutes, slice and serve. Enjoy!

Cream Cheese Caramel Choc-o Nutty Pie

1 9-inch cookie pie crust

2 8-ounce packages cream cheese

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 can whipped cream

1 bottle caramel syrup

1 bottle chocolate syrup

1 chocolate bar

¼ cup whole pecans

Place cream cheese in a microwavable mixing bowl and microwave about 3 minutes to soften. Take out and stir until soft, add condensed milk, stirring until well combined. Pour mixture into cookie crust and spread. Spread whipped cream around edge of pie. Pour chocolate and caramel syrups over the top of pie. Chop chocolate bar and crumble over syrups. Drop the pecans over the top and around the pie. Cool and set before serving. 

Julia Fleming, Southern Pine EC

Coconut Pineapple Pie

1 9-inch pie shell, unbaked

1 cup sugar

3 tablespoons plain flour

1 cup light corn syrup

1 cup flaked coconut

1 8-ounce can crushed pineapple

3 eggs, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla

¼ cup butter, melted

In a bowl, combine sugar and flour. Add corn syrup, coconut, pineapple, eggs and vanilla, mix well. Pour into pie shell and drizzle with butter. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes or until knife inserted in middle comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Chill before cutting. Store in refrigerator.

Trudy F. Nelson, Central Alabama EC

Almost Too EasyLayered Lemon Pie

1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened

½ cup sugar

1 can lemon pie filling

1 8-ounce container Cool Whip, thawed

1 graham cracker crust

Beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Beat in ½ of lemon pie filling. Fold in Cool Whip. Spoon into pie shell. Spread with remaining pie filling. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Linda Lee, Cullman EC

Mama’s Sweet Potato Pie

2 eggs  

2 cups sweet potatoes 

1 teaspoon nutmeg or cinnamon 

1 teaspoon pure vanilla

1/2 cup milk

Bake sweet potatoes and let cool. Peel and cut up. Mash with fork or potato masher. Stir in all remaining ingredients and beat well. Pour into pie shell. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Take out and brush with melted butter over top, then sprinkle with nutmeg or cinnamon. Cinnamon works best.  

Christina Mechaw, Joe Wheeler EMC

La Pastiera Dolce (Sweet Spaghetti Pie)

3/4 pound spaghetti noodles, uncooked

1 15-ounce container ricotta cheese

3 eggs, slightly beaten

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 cup whole milk

1/4 stick butter

Cinnamon, for topping

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Break uncooked pasta into irregular-sized pieces. Cook pasta in boiling, salted water until al dente. Drain well and set aside. Put ricotta cheese in a large bowl and mix until smooth. Add slightly beaten eggs, sugar, Parmesan cheese and whole milk.  Mix well. Add cooked spaghetti and toss until well coated with cheese mixture. Pour into a well-buttered 9×13-inch baking dish. Dot with slices of butter and sprinkle with cinnamon. Bake for 30-45 minutes or until puffy and golden brown. Remove from oven and set in a warm place for at least an hour before serving or it can be kept in the refrigerator covered with foil for serving at a later time. Cut in squares with a sharp, wet knife. Cook’s note: For a sweeter pie, sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar before serving. This pie also makes a great lunch or snack and can be eaten either hot or cold.

Janice Bracewell, Covington EC

Yummy Pecan Pie

½ cup sugar

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 cup light Karo syrup

1 cup dark Karo syrup

3 eggs, room temperature

1 teaspoon white vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup pecans, chopped

1 9-inch pie crust, unbaked

Mix first 7 ingredients. Stir in pecans. Pour into crust. Cover edges with aluminum foil. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Remove foil and bake until filling is puffed and golden, about 35 more minutes. Cool on wire rack.

Linda Lee, Cullman EC

Coconut Pecan Pie

5 eggs, beaten well with mixer and set aside

2 cups sugar

1 stick butter or margarine, softened

1 14-ounce package Angel Flake coconut

1 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup chopped pecans

2 unbaked deep-dish pie crusts

Using electric mix, cream butter and sugar. Add beaten eggs and mix well. Add buttermilk, coconut and pecans. Pour into unbaked pie shells. Bake in a preheated 325-degree oven for 35 minutes or until pie is golden brown on top. Makes 2 pies.

Suzy Shepherd, Pioneer EC

Apple Cranberry Pie

1 pie crust

Filling:

¾ cup sugar

2 tablespoons flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon salt

5-6 cups apples, peeled and thinly sliced

1½ cups fresh or frozen cranberries

Topping:

1 cup rolled oats

2/3 cup brown sugar

2/3 cup flour

½ cup butter

Combine sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl and mix well. Add apples and cranberries and mix. Put crust into a deep-dish pie pan. Spoon the apple and cranberry mixture into the crust. Combine all topping ingredients and mix with fork until crumbly. Sprinkle topping over filling. Bake at 425 degrees for 35-45 minutes. Cover crust edges with foil and bake 15 minutes. Uncover and allow to brown.

Adria Joachim, South Alabama EC