'Tis the Season for Apple Cranberry Walnut Pie!

Put together this EASY and delicious pie concoction that will wow your family and friends or make your enemies hate you even more because your baking skills are better than theirs!

Disclaimer: While I embrace chaos, I try to avoid a chaotic kitchen as much as possible soooooo please note that the featured picture of the ingredients was staged by me but I am lazy so I use the least amount of 'need to be washed' items as possible when I am NOT creating a blog post for the recipe. But by all means, feel free to use as many bowls and spoons and WASH ME items as you'd like!

I haven't been baking lately with my hectic work schedule and general lack of energy in my free time, but it is my favorite time of year (Sept - Dec) & the dessert possibilities are endless. This is a family favorite, blast from the past and since we have so many new additions to our family and we are all in the same place at once for the first time in awhile, I decided to revive this baby!

There is a running joke in our household that if you like a meal or specific dish, you will likely never taste the exact same recipe ever again because my mother and I tend to eyeball and tweak recipes every time until we find our version of perfection. There was a bread pudding experimentation period that the men in the house loved but I swear we tried about 20 different batches of bread pudding that my mother made and they were different every time. They just got progressively better. That being said, this recipe has been repeated many a times and came out quite nicely today despite the lapse in time! This pie is the perfect combination of sweet and savory with a little dash of tartness from the Granny Smiths and cranberries. I hope you enjoy it!

---

Ingredients That You Will Need:

• (2) 9" Pie Crusts (I used Pillsbury's ready made out of shear laziness)

• (1/2 cup) Granulated Sugar

• (1/2 cup) Brown Sugar

• (1 teaspoon) Cinnamon

• (1/2 teaspoon) Nutmeg

• (7) Large Apples - Peeled & Cored (I used a mixture of Granny Smiths & Galas - Galas are a bit small so i used an extra one - I can count...Don't come for me in the comments!)

• (2 cups) Cranberries (Whole)

• (1/2 cup) Walnuts

• (1) Lemon worth of zest

• (1 tablespoon) Lemon Juice

• (2 tablespoons) Flour

• (2 tablespoons) Butter (Tiny Cubes)

• (1) Egg or Egg Whites (Beaten)

• (1 Sprinkle) Granulated Sugar

Phase 1: Dismember Some Apples!

• Peel your apples, core them and dice into small cubes or thin slices (I prefer cubes, but traditional apple pie recipes often use slices). Aggressively throw apple pieces into a large bowl. Add cranberries and walnuts.

Phase 2: Add Some Flava!

• Zest your lemon on top of the apple, cranberry and walnut mixture.

• Squeeze your lemon into a small bowl. Remove any seeds that try to infiltrate the recipe and avoid touching your eyes for the rest of eternity. (Side note: Lemon will bring out the flavor of your apples & also keep them from browning exponentially once peeled)

• Mix in your granulated sugar and brown sugar.

• Shake aggressively (if you have a cover for your bowl)

• Sprinkle cinnamon and nutmeg.

• Shake it like a spazz!

• Add flour (this is for thickening and takes time so don't be alarmed if it still looks a bit soupy at the bottom of your bowl)

Phase 3: Marinate That Bih!

Let your apples soak up all the sugary goodness

• If you just CANNOT wait to taste the decadence, you can skip this part

• My best results come from letting the mixture sit overnight or for a few hours prior to baking

  • I let it sit about two hours this time because we had a full house of my family because we like to be together when Mother Nature decides to throw a tantrum (Florida's latest hurricane)

Phase 4: Prepare For Baking

• Preheat your oven to 400°F

• Roll out your lazy pie crust into a pie dish (or google a recipe to make your own)

• Spoon your delicious mixture into your pie crust

• Roll out your second crust over the top

• Pinch the edges, connecting your two crusts together

• Create slits in the top of your top crust to allow ventilation during baking

• In a small bowl beat one egg & brush over the top of your crust (this will give you a nice crispy crust with a nice browning effect)

• Sprinkle your extra granulated sugar on top of your egg washed area

• Cover pie with a layer of foil (This helps prevent over-browning during first 25 minutes)

Phase 5: Bake It To Make It!

• Bake at 400°F for 25 minutes. (Phone timers are my best friend!)

• Lower heat to 375°F

• Remove foil

• Bake for additional 30-35 minutes or until golden brown & juices are bubbling

Phase 6: LEAVE IT ALONE!

• This phase is pretty self explanatory

  • But for clarification: Let it sit so that you don't burn your mouth top

Phase 7: Enjoy the Yum!

• Smell, cut, scoop your favorite vanilla ice cream to accompany and then cry because your tastebuds are so happy!

Sweet, Savory, Tart, YUM!

Let me know if you tried the recipe and whether you added an interesting twist of your own! We love to experiment with foods in our home so any suggestions are welcome!