Autumn Harvest Brown Bag Apple Pie

We had an apple last year that was divine. Less crust and more like a sugar cookie topping. So, I set out to figure out how to make it at home. Pie crust on the bottom. Flavorful apple filling full of honey crisp and granny smith apples paired with Calicutts' French Toast or Autumn Harvest Spice Blends. Covered in a sugar cookie crust full of our dry-aged Vanilla Bean Sugar and Cinnamon Sugar Blends. Bake in a brown paper bag until you can’t handle the aroma any longer. It takes some willpower, trust me.

Ingredients

• Large Brown Bag

• For the crust (or use store bought crust)

  • 2 1/2 C All-purpose flour
  • 1 C Unsalted butter, very cold and cubed
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 1 tsp Sugar
  • 8-12 Tbsp Water, ice cold

• For the Top

  • 2 C Flour
  • 1 C Butter, softened
  • 3/4 C Sugar
  • 2 Tbsp Calicutts Vanilla Bean Sugar
  • 2 Tbsp Calicutts Cinnamon Sugar
  • Pinch of salt

• For the Filling

  • 4 C Granny smith apples, peeled & sliced about 1/4” thick
  • 4 C Honeycrisp apples, peeled & sliced about 1/4” thick
  • ½ C Sugar
  • 2 Tbsp Calicutts French Toast or Autumn Harvest Spice Blend
  • 3 Tbsp flour
  • 2 Tbsp lemon juice
  • Pinch of salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Make the Crust
   1. Place the flour, sugar and salt into a bowl and mix well. Add the butter and mix with your fingers in a snapping motion until the butter is pea sized.
   2. Add the ice water a few tablespoons at a time while stirring with a fork until the dough is just coming together but is still crumbly. It is ready when it holds after squeezing the dough in your hands. Smash the dough together completely and separate into two balls.
   3. Wrap in plastic wrap and rest in the fridge for about an hour. Remove one ball from refrigerator and allow to sit out for a few minutes.
   4. Roll out the half removed from the refrigerator, and place into the pie plate. Set pie plate in the fridge.
3. Make the Filling
   1. Combine all ingredients into a mixer with the paddle attachment to make your top crust. Mix on a medium speed for about 3 minutes to give the ingredients a chance to come together.
   2. Combine the apples with the remaining filling ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Let sit about 5 minutes.
   3. Roll your bottom pie crust out and place into the bottom of your pie plate. Pour the apple mixture into the pie shell and spread into an even layer. It will be heaping over the top. Then, take half of your top crust and work it in your hands to flatten it out. Place it on top of the apple mixture and repeat with the other half. Pull it and spread it around to ensure that all of your apples and top of the bottom crust are covered.
   4. Place pie in a large brown paper bag. Fold the opening closed tuck the opening end in the bottom works just fine. Place on a large baking sheet and put in the oven for 1 hour 20 minutes ensuring the bag isn’t touching the sides of the oven.
   5. Once the pie is done baking, pull it out of the oven and immediately cut open the top of the bag. Be careful not to burn yourself on the steam as you do this. I usually take a paring knife and cut a circle shape at the top and rip it away from the pie. Let it come to room temperature and then place in the fridge until ready to eat.