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Hamburger Patties that Hold Together!

Hamburger Patties that Hold Together!

The number one complaint I hear about using home-made hamburger patties is that they fall apart on the grill. I’ve solved that problem with a couple extra ingredients and some resting time in the fridge! My rule of thumb for helping burgers stick together on […]

Fruit Salad

Fruit Salad

Fruit Salad = Summer Rainbow Giddiness In Your Mouth Traditionally My family served this with dinner as a side salad, but I legitimately think of it as a dessert. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not as heavy as a Reese’s Cheesecake, but it is sweet, creamy […]

Veggie Loaded Red Beans and Rice

Veggie Loaded Red Beans and Rice

Red Beans and Rice is my favorite crock pot dinner: You don’t need to make any sides Veggies, whole grains, protein, legumes, all in one bowl Super for your gut health Unique creole flavors that we don’t experience on an every day basis Excellent for […]

Pantry Staple Marinara

Pantry Staple Marinara

Okay, this pantry staple marinara is seriously the easiest recipe on my site. I make it when I need a dipping sauce for my cheesy bread, or a simmering sauce for my tender turkey meatballs, and for a quick and simple pizza sauce. You could […]

Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

  In honor of Mother’s Day I’m sharing a decadent dessert with you that whole-heartedly reminds me of my own sweet mom: Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cheesecake. Anything and everything salted caramel brings her to mind, and since I can’t be home for this Mother’s […]

Caramel Apple Pie with No Chill Crust

Caramel Apple Pie with No Chill Crust

You can end your search for the best apple pie right here. I stumbled across this recipe by Audrey over at Audrey’s Apron a few years ago and have never made it any other way since. The apples, a mix of pink lady and granny […]

Carrot Cake Sugar Cookies

Carrot Cake Sugar Cookies

I love decorating sugar cookies for ALL the Holidays, but a plain vanilla sugar cookie just didn’t seem festive enough for this Easter. So I’m bringing you a twist on one of Easter’s most classic desserts: Carrot Cake! These carrot cake sugar cookies are complete […]

Classic and Comforting Chicken Noodle Soup

Classic and Comforting Chicken Noodle Soup

When a cold, rainy day comes along, a simple and comforting bowl of soup seems to always slide onto our menu. There’s something very meditative about peeling and chopping all of the vegetables and tossing them into an aromatic pot of boiling broth. It really […]

Tomato Basil Tortellini Soup – Pantry Staple Edition

Tomato Basil Tortellini Soup – Pantry Staple Edition

This is one of those light, spring-timey soups that warms you right up and leaves you feeling cozy and refreshed all at the same time. I titled this dish “Pantry Staple” Tomato Basil Tortellini Soup because it’s usually one of those recipes I fall back […]

Chicken Broccoli Alfredo with Penne

Chicken Broccoli Alfredo with Penne

I think we all need a little bit of this in our lives right now – a little creamy, garlic-smothered, pasta heaven that is still good to your body. Contrary to popular belief, you don’t need cream cheese or heavy cream to make a delicious […]


My Diary

Caramel Apple Pie with No Chill Crust

Caramel Apple Pie with No Chill Crust

You can end your search for the best apple pie right here. I stumbled across this recipe by Audrey over at Audrey’s Apron a few years ago and have never made it any other way since. The apples, a mix of pink lady and granny smith, are drenched in an ultra-smooth caramel sauce with just the right amount of cinnamon. Plus the crust is no-chill, buttery, flakey and holds up well when braiding or doing a lattice.

PIE FILLING TIPS:

  • My ingredients call for pink lady and granny smith apples, but you can use a combination of any of your favorite varieties. (I chose two tart apples, because the sauce is so decadently sweet.)
  • Make sure your apples are cut thin so they lay nicely in the pie pan. I usually cut my apples into about 16 slices each.
  • The original recipe calls for 1.5x the caramel sauce in order to have enough to coat the crust with as well. (I get why she does it, it’s delicious). But I decided to cut the caramel sauce down a little bit and leave it off the crust so I can braid and decorate my crusts with festive little cut outs and still have them shine through after baking
    • If you would like to cover the crust with the caramel sauce, multiply the ingredients by 1.5. Or you can find the original recipe HERE.

CRUST TIPS:

I always make home-made crust because I really believe it’s worth the extra time. Better yet, this crust has proven to be basically fool proof for me. You just have to make sure that the ingredients are very thoroughly combined.

  • If you don’t have a pastry blender, use your hands to mush the fats and flour together; you want the mixture to be pretty much homogenous (bean or pea sized butter chunks are preferred).
  • You only want to add enough water to make the dough hold together in a ball, too much water will lend to “chewy” crust.
  • I use a mix of butter and shortening because butter makes the crust more flavorful and shortening makes the crust more flakey. You can use all butter or all shortening and your crust will still turn out fine, I just prefer to combine the two.

  • The crust is flakiest if the fats are chilled before combining them. (I don’t always chill my shortening though, and it turns out fine.)
  • If you want to do more decorations than your standard closed, or lattice top, multiply the crust ingredients by 1.5. (I usually do this so I can add braids and other festive decorations without having to worry about running out of material to work with.)
  • Roll the crust out on a generously floured surface and decorate your heart out, no chilling required.

The beautiful thing about an apple pie is that it’s never really “out of season”. It’s perfect for a warm Fourth of July picnic or completing your Thanksgiving spread. So whatever season you’re in, pick up your favorite apples and tuck into the best apple pie you’ve ever eaten.



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