Apple® Apple pie!! ♥ Look closely

For my friend Gordon's birthday I cut a Apple® logo in the
center a tribute to the most helpful friend and tech support.

Ingredients:
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cups white sugar
3 teaspoon salt
3 tsp of squeezed lemon
2 stick of butter
8-10 apples - peeled, cored and cut into thin wedges
pie crust recipe (x1.5)

Directions:
1. Peel and core the apples. Slice into 1/2-inch thick wedges. Toss all of the apples with 1/4
cup of the sugar, place in a colander set over a large bowl and allow to drain for approximately 1 1/2 hours.
2. Transfer the drained liquid to a small saucepan, place over medium heat and reduce to 2 tablespoons. Set aside to cool.
3.Toss the apples with the remaining sugar, flour, lemon juice, salt.
4. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
5.Place the apples into the unbaked pie shell in concentric circles starting around the edges, working towards the center and forming a slight mound in the center of the pie.
6. Pour over any liquid that remains in the bowl.
7. Roll out the second pie dough as the first.
8. Place this dough over the apples and press together the edges of the dough around the rim of the pie. 9. Brush the top crust with the reduced juice everywhere except around the edge of pie and trim any excess dough.
10. Place the pie on a half sheet pan and bake on the floor of the oven for 30 minutes.
11. Transfer to the lower rack of the oven and continue to bake another 20 minutes or until the apples are cooked through (but not mushy).
12. Remove to a rack and cool a minimum of 5 hours or until almost room temperature.
13. Serve and enjoy with a large family or  group of friends!

♥Baby Apple Pie♥

Adorable right? They look so cute and easy but it actually too my double the time of a normal pie to assemble these. Using my recipe for Good Old Fashioned Apple Pie ♥ I simply just use a coffee mug the twice the diameter of the cupcake tins for the bottom crust and either used a lattice top, crumble or a normal top. It's actually fairly easy, just a bit time consuming if you are making a lattice crust for each pie.

Chocolate Espresso Pecan Pie ♥ Deep Dish

Happy July 4th!! Where would I be if I didn't bake a Chocolate Espresso Pecan Pie for America's Birthday! And Deep Dish Mind you. Not the prettiest picture, but certainly delish! ♥

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups pecan halves, chopped
3 eggs
1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
1/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup corn syrup

1. Preheat oven to 375°F
2. Bake crust in preheated oven 5 minutes.
3. Remove to rack and cool completely before filling.
4. Sprinkle the pecans evenly on the bottom of the cooled pie shell and set aside.
5. Beat softened butter, sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy.
6. Add in cocoa and salt and espresso powder
7. Add eggs in one at a time, beating after each addition, until smooth.
8. Pour in corn syrup and mix until thick and custard-like.
9. Pour mixture over pecans in pie shell.
10. Let stand 5 minutes; clear any remaining air bubbles by running a fork though.
11. Bake in oven for 45-55min or until edges pie center still only gives slightly.
12. Remove from oven
13. Cool on rack before serving (apx. 15min).

Good Old Fashioned Apple Pie ♥

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 cups white sugar

1 tsp salt

2 tsp of cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

2 tsp of squeezed lemon

2/3 cup of butter

6 apples - peeled, cored and cut into thin wedges

Pie Crust Recipe

Directions:

1. Peel and core the apples. Slice into 1/2-inch thick wedges. Toss all of the apples with 1/4 cup of the sugar, place in a colander set over a large bowl and allow to drain for 1 1/2 hours.

2. Transfer the drained liquid to a small saucepan, place over medium heat and reduce to 2 tablespoons. Set aside to cool.

3.Toss the apples with the remaining sugar, flour, lemon juice, salt.

4. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

5.Place the apples into the unbaked pie shell in concentric circles starting around the edges, working towards the center and forming a slight mound in the center of the pie.

6. Pour over any liquid that remains in the bowl.

7. Roll out the second pie dough as the first.

8. Place this dough over the apples and press together the edges of the dough around the rim of the pie. 9. Brush the top crust with the reduced juice everywhere except around the edge of pie and trim any excess dough.

10. Place the pie on a half sheet pan and bake on the floor of the oven for 30 minutes.

11. Transfer to the lower rack of the oven and continue to bake another 20 minutes or until the apples are cooked through (but not mushy).

12. Remove to a rack and cool a minimum of 4 hours or until almost room temperature.