Blueberry Buckle

Image via Google Images

I have a friend, Nancy, who is a bit of a baker.  In her past life, she was a cake decorator and now in her current life, she whips up yummy desserts whenever we have play dates with our kids.   Even her "failures" are eaten up with an intensity that borders on embarrassing.

So, when my friend said she was going to make a blueberry buckle, I was like "Wha? Huh?"  A buckle?  Never heard of one.  Turns out, it's sort of like a coffee cake with a crumble on top.  Not at all sure why it got a name like buckle.  Then again, how did an apple betty get called a betty? Why not Susy or Christine?  If the kids hadn't killed off my brain cells, I'd sit and ponder that for a minute....

I turned to the buckle when I needed to make a quick dessert for a family dinner.  The raves I got convinced me to keep making them.  This weekend alone, I have made 2.  A friend asked if the recipe was on my blog and I realized, sadly, no.  So, here it is!

Base recipe from Alton John at foodnetwork.com.

The measurements might look a bit strange.  The new trend in baking is to weigh your dry ingredients for more accuracy and better results.  Makes sense since baking is a science and your "level cup" might be more than mine.  If you have a food scale, use it (of course, zero out the container you're using).  If not, don't sweat it and just use the measurement.

The main recipe calls for blueberries, but I've used whatever berries I have at the house, even frozen mixed berries.  If you use frozen, make sure you drain the liquid off after they've defrosted.  You can also bake with the berries frozen, but sometimes I feel the cake gets too dry.  The spices can be anything like cinnamon, nutmeg or a combo.  The cake flour is good because it makes a very light cake; use all purpose if you don't have any.

Blueberry Buckle

For the cake: 

Nonstick cooking spray
9 ounces cake flour, approximately 2 cups
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
2 ounces unsalted butter, room temperature (4 tablespoons)
5 1/4 ounces sugar, approximately 3/4 cup
1 large egg
1/2 cup whole milk
15 ounces fresh whole blueberries, approximately 3 cups (or berries of your choice)

For the topping:

3 1/2 ounces sugar, approximately 1/2 cup
1 1/2 ounces cake flour, approximately 1/3 cup
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg (or cinnamon or apple pie spice or combo)
2 ounces unsalted butter, chilled and cubed (4 tablespoons)
  
Directions

For the cake:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Spray a 9 by 9-inch glass baking dish with nonstick spray and set aside.

In a medium mixing bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and ground ginger. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, approximately 1 minute. Add the egg and beat until well incorporated, approximately 30 seconds. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture and beat on low speed just until incorporated and then add 1/3 of the milk and beat until incorporated. Repeat, alternating flour and milk until everything has combined. Gently stir in the blueberries and pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish.

For the topping:

In a small bowl combine the sugar, flour and nutmeg. Add the butter and work into the dry ingredients using a fork to combine. Continue until the mixture has a crumb-like texture. Sprinkle the mixture on top of the cake.

Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 35 minutes or until golden in color. Cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.

Mini Apple Pie Tarts

My family's love of apple pie is something fierce.  It's amazing if they ever let me make any other pie or baked goods.  I fully blame them for my lack of baking expertise and recipes on this blog.

So, when I saw recipes using wonton wrappers to make quick little tarts, either sweet or savory, I was all over it.  It seemed like a perfect way to satisfy their cravings for apple goodness without having deal with crusts and all of that.

This recipe turned out quite nicely and made for a nice presentation for my in-laws.  The only changes I'd make is I would for sure add a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar to the wrappers before baking.

I will for sure be using the wontons for other little tarts.... savory especially.  I'm thinking something like leeks and cheese might be a good start.

Mini Apple Pie Tarts
Makes 16


1/2 cup of water
1/4 cup sugar (or less, if you don't like your pie filling super sweet)
1/2 tsp cinnamon or apple pie spice
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp flour
pinch of salt
4 small apples diced – about 2 cups
16 wonton wrappers


Preheat the oven to 375

In a small pot whisk the water, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and flour over medium hear. Add the apple. Stir to coat everything. The liquid should just boil and start to thicken.

Drop the heat down to medium low and cover. Cook for 12-15 minutes until the apple just softens.

Meanwhile, spray a mini muffin pan with non-stick cooking spray press the wonton wrappers in to form the crusts.  If you like your crusts sweet, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. 

Scoop the apple mixture evenly into the wontons. Bake for about 10 minutes until the edges start to brown and get crispy.

Base recipe from Greenlitebites.com.

Cinnamon Apple Streusel Muffins

What better thing to do on a cold post-Christmas day, but make muffins?  You know Adam's game.  He was pushing his chair up to the chopping block as soon as I asked "Do you want to bake muffins?"  That boy is going to be a chef by the time he's grown.

I wanted to make something with apples, so I adapted 2 recipes I got off of the net to make this apple strussel muffin. 

Adam loved eating the raw strussel topping while we baked so much that he muttered "Mmmm, yummy" with each fistful.  Only in childhood can you eat raw butter and sugar without guilt.

It's made with 1/2 white flour and 1/2 whole wheat flour.  I use a white whole wheat that is lighter than the average whole wheat.  If you're not interested in using whole wheat, you can just replace it with white flour.

Don't overfill the muffin tin, as the muffins will all meld together to make one massive streusel-topped apple muffin mess.  On the other hand, that might not be a terrible problem to have.....

Enjoy!

Cinnamon Apple Streusel Muffins
Makes 12 muffins

 3/4 cup sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup canola oil
2 large eggs
1 cup natural applesauce
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup lowfat buttermilk
 2 apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1/4-inch pieces (I used Granny Smith)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Coat a 12-capacity muffin pan with cooking spray.


In a medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose and whole-wheat flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.


In a large bowl, whisk the sugar and oil until combined. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, whisking well after each addition. Whisk in the applesauce and vanilla.


Whisk in the flour mixture in 2 batches, alternating with the buttermilk. Whisk just until combined. Gently stir in the apple chunks.


Pour the batter into the prepared muffin pan and tap the pan on the counter a few times to remove any air bubbles. Sprinkle with the steusel mixture (see recipe below).  Bake for 20 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center of 1 of the muffins comes out clean.


Let cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the muffins to loosen them and unmold. Cool completely on the rack.

Streusel Topping

3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup flour
1 tablespoon water
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 cup butter, softened  
Mix ingredients well together, either with a pastry cutter, fork or even you hand.

Thumbprint Cookies

I'm doing Christmas cookies for the first time this year.  I hadn't planned on doing it, but I got seduced by the cookie article in my Food Network magazine.  Damn.  Now I'm doing 3 types (well, 2 for sure.. not sure if I will have time to make the third one).  On top of cooking Christmas dinner.   With a toddler and infant in tow. 

Yeah, I'm a wee bit crazy.  But I was seduced, so I can't be blamed.

The dough for this one was pretty crumbly.  Not sure if it was supposed to be like that, but it still worked.  It just was a bit messier than I had expected.  The cookies came out well.  They are tiny, so you can enjoy a few without feeling too guilty.  I used apricot preserves and "superfruit" jam because that's what I had on hand.  Any jam or jelly would do just fine.

Enjoy!

Thumbprint Cookies
Makes 72 cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons butter, softened (1 and 1/2 sticks)
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Jelly, jam or preserves, any fruit flavors
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Sift together flour, salt and baking powder.  In a large bowl, cream sugar, butter and vanilla until light and fluffy.  In two batches, add flour mixture until just combined.  Knead a few times by hand to bring the dough together.

Roll teaspoons of the dough into balls and place 1/2 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets.  Make an indentation in the center of each ball with your thumb or small measuring spoon.  Fill each indentation with 1/8 teaspoon of jam.

Bake until the edges of the cookies are golden, 15 to 20 minutes.  Let cool 2 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.  Dust with confectioners' sugar, if desired.  Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week. 

Olive Oil Muffins

Today, the windchill is -1, so it's a stay-inside-make-muffins kind of day.  I was tired of making the typical banana muffins that Adam and I make, so I searched for a new recipe while drinking my morning coffee. 

Oh, and the one I found is delicious.  It's so delicious, in fact, that I suspect it's closer to a cupcake.  But, it being called a muffin makes me feel better about eating 2 (or 3) of them, so muffin it is!

Now, I know what you're thinking.  Olive oil muffin being that tasty?  And with balsamic vinegar??  Did I lose my mind?  I'll admit, the name of the recipe isn't the most appealing.  But I assure you, make them and you will not be a skeptic anymore.  Come back and let me know how wrong you were initially!

I didn't add the toasted almonds because Adam is being tested for a tree nut allergy.  So, I replaced them with raisins.  But if he passes the test, then I'm adding them the next time. 

I got the recipe from Foodnetwork.com.  Picture is mine.

Enjoy!

Olive Oil Muffins
Makes 12 muffins

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons orange zest
2 teaspoons lemon zest
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons whole milk
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted
Powdered sugar, for sifting

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place paper liners in a 12-cup muffin tin.


Blend together the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl to blend. Using an electric mixer beat the sugar, eggs, and zests in a large bowl until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the vinegar and milk. Gradually beat in the oil.

Add the flour mixture and stir just until blended. Crush the almonds with your hands as you add them to the batter and stir until mixed. Fill the muffin tin almost to the top of the paper liners. Bake until golden on top and a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out with moist crumbs attached, about 20 to 25 minutes.

Transfer to a wire rack and cool for 10 minutes. Remove the muffins onto a platter and let cool for 5 more minutes. Sift powdered sugar over the muffins and serve.

Eggnog Latte Cupcakes

 I was invited to a ladies brunch and white elephant exchange (love those!) with a group of good friends.   We were equally excited for the chance to all hang out sans kids and laugh, as well as the yummy foods that were going to be served.  And then there were the mimosas.....

I decided to bring a cupcake and set out to find a new recipe.  I decided to check out a site called The Cupcake Project, a website that was created by a woman who decided to make cupcakes for a friend's wedding, even though she didn't know how to bake.  She spent a 9 months making a new cupcake every week for them to try and then decide on 3 for their wedding.  She's gone on to do 2 more weddings and now is doing a charity project.  So, she's got a lot of cupcake recipes, needless to say.

My heart raced a bit when I saw the recipe for the Eggnog Latte cupcake.  The host of the party the host of our Monday morning Smelly Boys play dates.  Our routine is to rotate who brings the Starbucks lattes and Nancy loves her Eggnog Latte.  So, what could be more fitting?

I think they were delicious.  Abe had several of my leftovers.  The cupcake has a distinct eggnog flavor and the frosting is different than the average, but very scrumptious.   It probably not for kids with the amount of coffee in the frosting, so reserve it for your favorite adult people.

Coffee extract is something you can order online, but I made my own.  I made a VERY strong coffee and simmered it in a pot for 30 minutes.  Cool and refrigerate until use.  It's recommended to do at least the day before.  You probably could also take instant coffee and add a little bit of water as a substitute too.

Recipe and photo are from thecupcakeproject.com.

Enjoy!

Eggnog Latte Cupcakes
Makes 24 cupcakes

4 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 large eggs
1 3/4 cups eggnog
1/4 cup dark rum

Preheat oven to 350°F. and line twenty-four 1/2-cup muffin cups with paper liners.

Into a bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl with an electric mixer beat together butter and sugar until light and fluffy and beat in vanilla.

Add eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each addition, and with mixer on low speed beat in eggnog and rum until just combined.

Add flour mixture in 3 batches, beating until just combined after each addition.

Frosting:

1 cup chilled whipping cream
8 oz mascarpone
2 teaspoon coffee extract
1/4 cup ground coffee
2 to 3 cups confectioner's sugar (depending upon how thick you prefer frosting)

Whip up whipping cream in mixer until soft peaks begin to form. Fold in mascarpone, coffee extract, and coffee grinds. Then while mixing over low speed, slowly add the confectioner's sugar one cup at a time, being careful not to over whip frosting.

Strawberry-Banana Muffins

When you're a stay at home mom of a toddler, you end up baking a lot of muffins.  Well, at least I do.  It's a way to break up the day and give the little guy something fun to do with Mama.  He loves to push his chair up and help me stir the ingredients.  Here's a picture of him in action....

Usually I'm trying to use up old bananas, but today I realized our uber-large carton of Costco strawberries were going bad already.  There's something about being at Costco for too long that makes their ginormous container suddenly seem average size.  Until you get it home and you realize it's the size of your first apartment's bathroom.  Anyway, I digress.

So, off I went to search for a new muffin recipe for the two of us and came across a basic and healthy one.  We both loved it.  I'm thinking this would be a good candidate for a little sweet streusel topping next time.  Mmmmm.

It calls for whole wheat flour, which I know not everyone likes for their baked goods.  I use it because Adam is none the wiser right now.  I use a white whole wheat flour that uses a lighter whole wheat that has a more delicate flavor.  Don't get me wrong, it ain't no white flour.  But it's a big improvement on the standard whole wheat.  If you're not keen on the whole wheat, you can always use 1/2 whole wheat/white flour.  Or just use all white flour.  I won't judge.
 
I got this recipe from Allrecipes.com.

Enjoy!

Whole Wheat Strawberry Banana Muffins
Makes 12

2 eggs
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 bananas, mashed
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 cup sliced strawberries, fresh or frozen unsweetened

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease 12 large muffin cups, or line with paper liners.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, applesauce, oil, brown sugar, vanilla and bananas. Combine the flour, baking soda and cinnamon; Stir into the banana mixture until moistened. Stir in the strawberries until evenly distributed. Spoon batter into muffin cups until completely filled.
3. Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the tops of the muffins spring back when pressed lightly. Cool before removing from the muffin tins.

Cheesecake-Filled Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cinnamon Frosting

Cupcake are the new rage.  Cupcake shops are popping up on every corner.  Wedding receptions and 1st birthday parties everywhere have cupcake towers, filled with not just the average white cake and butter cream frosting varieties.  No, these cupcakes have names like Bumpalicious and flavors like Egg Nog and Peanut Butter and Jelly.  And, the biggest indicator of the fad's popularity.... a reality show called Cupcake Wars (yeah, I don't predict it to last).


I have a group of friends who meet every Monday morning for a play date with our toddler boys.  We call it the Smelly Boy group; 6 toddler boys, plus 2 infant boys and 2 infant girls, all pile into a play room to play, throw tantrums, smack a kid or two (that wouldn't be my son :::cough::::) and have a pretty good time, while the moms enjoy lattes and a homemade dessert.  My friend Nancy is usually the host and also usually the pastry chef.  But this week I wanted to pitch in.  And when I saw this recipe, I couldn't type "I'm making the treat this week!" fast enough.

And wow.  They were good.  Really, really good. And surprisingly easy.  Baking isn't my forte, but this came out pretty good.

I got the cupcake recipe from Rachael Ray magazine.  I originally was going to swap out their frosting recipe, which seemed to get poor ratings, for a cinnamon cream cheese frosting I've done before.  But a cooking misstep (me forgetting to add the dry ingredients to the wet) made me have to pitch a batch of cupcakes and therefore, have to use the cream cheese needed for the frosting.  So, I switched it to a cinnamon buttercream frosting.  I'm sure they'd taste good with the cream cheese frosting, too.   

Enjoy!

Cheesecake-Filled Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cinnamon Frosting
Makes 12 cupcakes

Cupcakes

One 8-ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
2 large eggs, plus 1 large egg whites
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2teaspoons salt
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil

1. Place a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 350°. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with baking liners. Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese and confectioners' sugar for 3 minutes. Beat in 1 egg white and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. 

2. In a bowl, whisk the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt. In another bowl, mix the pumpkin puree, 2 eggs, granulated sugar, oil and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Whisk in the flour mixture.  

Layer each muffin cup with some of the pumpkin batter, then the cream cheese mixture, then more of the batter. Bake until springy to the touch, 25 minutes. Let cool.  Frost and enjoy.

Cinnamon Buttercream Frosting


1 stick butter, at room temp.
3-3/4 C confectioners' sugar
3 Tbsp. milk (or more)
1 tsp. vanilla 
1 tsp. cinnamon

Place butter in large mixing bowl. Blend with an electric mixer on low until fluffy, 30 seconds. Add conf. sugar, 3 Tbsp.. milk and vanilla. Blend on low until sugar is incorporated, 1 min. Add cinnamon, increase speed to medium and beat until light and fluffy, 1 min. more. Blend in up to 1 tablespoon milk if the frosting seems too stiff.

Zucchini Muffins

Now that I have a bigger kid (11) and a littler kid (20 months), I realize that some recipes that little Adam loves might work great for him, but not for older kids or us adults.  Adam is such a good eater that he will eat most anything I serve him (how many toddlers do you know who eat radish salad and Brussel sprouts?)  But I know that the older kids have more complex taste buds, so to label something as "kid friendly" might be a bit misleading if Adam's the taster.

So, I came up with a new category: Toddler-Approved.  These recipes will be something that you can serve to older kids and even adults, but will be more geared toward our littlest ones.  Don't hesitate giving it a taste yourself to see if maybe you found a new favorite!

I wanted to find something to quickly serve Adam in the morning and had a zucchini to use up.  So, of course, zucchini muffins came to mind.  But the real recipe is usually filled with sugar and not that healthy.  So I went on a new favorite food blog, Weelicious.com, and found a healthy version.  Adam loves them so much, he ate 2 full sized ones this morning alone (as I type this, he came running over for another bite!).

The recipe calls for agave nectar, but can also use honey or maple syrup.  I'm assuming you can also use sugar, but regular sugar might not be sweet enough for the limited amount used.   I used maple syrup.

I was out of eggs when I made it, so I used flax seed and water as a substitute.  They came out nicely, but I'll be using eggs or bananas next time.

Hope you and your little ones enjoy!

Zucchini Muffins
Makes 12 muffins (or 24 mini muffins)

1 Cup All Purpose Flour
1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
1 Tsp Cinnamon
1/2 Tsp Baking Soda
2 Tsp Baking Powder
1/2 Tsp Salt
2 Eggs, whisked
1 Tsp Vanilla
1/3 Cup Vegetable or Canola Oil
2/3 Cup Agave Nectar (or honey or maple syrup)
1 1/2 Cups Zucchini, shredded (about 2 small zucchini)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place the first 6 ingredients in a large bowl and whisk to combine.
3. Place the remaining ingredients in a separate bowl and whisk to combine.
4. Pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture and stir just until the ingredients are combined.
5. Pour the zucchini mixture into large or small muffins cups.
6. Bake 15 minutes for small muffins and 20 minutes for large ones.
7. Cool and serve.

Apple Crisp

Abe and Jimi love apple pie.  It's their only requested dessert.  Sometimes I don't have the time (or desire) to make pie dough, so I will whip out an apple crisp instead.  It always hits the spot.  It also works really well when I have company... who isn't impressed by a warm dessert being pulled out of the oven?

I got this recipe from Allrecipes.com (along with the photo).

Serve with ice cream. Enjoy!

Apple Crisp
Serves 12

10 cups all-purpose apples, peeled, cored and sliced
1 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup water

1 cup quick-cooking oats
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup butter, melted

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degree C).
2. Place the sliced apples in a 9x13 inch pan. Mix the white sugar, 1 tablespoon flour and ground cinnamon together, and sprinkle over apples. Pour water evenly over all.
3. Combine the oats, 1 cup flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda and melted butter together. Crumble evenly over the apple mixture.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for about 45 minutes.

Apple Pie

Image via Google

Abe and Jimi love apple pie. They ask me to make it a lot and it's always the dessert I make when I want to show a little extra love. I've offered to make them different kinds of pie- pecan, lemon, blueberry, anything for a little variety.  All get shot down with a "No, can you make apple, please?"  Fine, apple it is.

Lots of different types of apples can be used, but I like a combo of Granny Smith and Macintosh.  The Granny Smiths add tartness and the Macs cook down to almost apple sauce and add a great texture.

The reason that the shortening is cold (or frozen) is so that it goes in hard and will melt while baking, making for a very fluffy crust. 

The tapioca makes the juice of the apples silky smooth and prevents a super watery pie.  It can be found in your baking aisle.

I like a lot of different recipes, but this one I go back to again and again.  I found it in our local newspaper. It won best apple pie. 

My Father's Apple Pie 
by Fred Burns

Crust:

2 cups flour
1/2 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup cold shortening (try freezing it first)
1/4 cup ice cold water
1/2 teaspoon white vinegar
1 large egg

Filling:

1 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
Dash of salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
2 tablespoons quick-cook tapioca
5 average-size apples, peeled, sliced about 1/4 inch thick
5 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces

For the crust, in a large bowl, combine flour, sugar and salt.  Cut in shortening with pastry blender until coarse crumbles form.

In a separate bowl, combine cold water, vinegar and egg and whip lightly, then add to the flour mixture, stirring lightly with a fork until it becomes a sticky dough; this dough is very soft and loose.  Refrigerate finished dough in a small covered container or in a plastic wrap for at least 2 hours or preferably overnight.

For the filling, in a large bowl combine all ingredients except for butter and apples.

Peel and slice the apples. Stir the apples thoroughly into the dry ingredients to coat all of the apple slices.  Let mixture sit for 15-30 minutes to develop a juice while you roll out the crust.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Take about two-thirds of refrigerated dough out and keep the rest chilled.  Lightly flour a clean work surface and roll out dough about 13 inches in diameter.  Carefully adjust the crust to fit a 10-inch deep-dish pie pan and trim edges.  Take the remaining dough and roll about 11 inches in diameter.

Add filling to crust in dish and place butter slices all over the top of filling.  Add the upper crust, roll the edges over the bottom crust and flute edges as desired.  Cut a few steam slits in a design of your choice.  You may also want to brush an egg wash (egg whites whisked with a bit of cold water) to the top to make for a shiny crust.

Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes and then reduce to 350 degrees for 40 to 50 minutes.

If the edges start to brown too quickly, cover with foil.  Remove from the oven and cool for at least 2 hours before slicing.

Enjoy!
Bake