Thick Pumpkin Pie Filling (For Pie Pops)

Pumpkin Pie Pops
1.5 c pumpkin puree
1/2 c sugar
3 tbsp melted butter
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp salt
1/4-1/2 cup toasted pecans (optional)

In a bowl, mix everything. Mix well until incorporated. Pumpkin pie pops need to cook about 5 minutes longer than fruit filled pie pops.

Pie Pops - How to

• Pie Dough

• Filling
• Craft sticks or Lollipop Sticks
• 1 egg white, beaten
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/3 cup powdered sugar, if desired for drizzle
• 2 to 3 teaspoons milk, if desired for drizzle
• 3 inch round cutter**

Step 1: The dough
For premade dough dust counter with flour and unroll, for homemade dough make sure you roll it out thin.
Step 2: The filling
Make or buy your favorite pie filling.

Step 3: Roll, cut and fill

Using a 3 inch round cutter**, cut out 16 rounds (8 rounds per crust). Place 8 rounds on ungreased cookie sheet. Spoon a 1-2 teaspoons filling evenly onto each round to within 1/2 inch of edge. Place 1 craft stick or lollipop stick in filling of each.

Step 4: Top off the Pops

Flatten remaining rounds to 4 inches in diameter. Brush underside of each round with egg white; place over filling. Press edges together; seal with fork. Cut small slit on top of each. Brush tops with egg white; sprinkle with 1 teaspoon sugar, dividing evenly among pops.

Step 5: Bake

Bake at 400°F for 10 to 13 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack; cool 10 minutes before serving. Do not handle by the stick until completely cool and the filling has had time to set.

Step 6: Drizzle (Optional)

Mix powdered sugar and milk until smooth, adding milk until thin enough to drizzle. Drizzle over pops and let stand until set, about 30 minutes.

**Instead of 3 inch circles you can cut them into heart shapes or smaller circles, etc.

Cranberry Apple Pie

I have wanted to try this pie for a long time and finally got it done.  It did not disappoint.  Super yummy.  It will be on the yearly rotation for sure.  I love the tartness of the cranberries, it's such a nice balance to the sweet.

Cranberry Apple Pie
Recipe from A Bountiful Kitchen


Filling:
6-7 apples any type, peeled, cored and sliced (I used large granny smith apples and it only took 4 or 5 to fill my pie plate)
1 1/2 cups fresh cranberries, washed
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon almond extract (I also added 1/2 tsp vanilla extract)
dash salt

I used my crust recipe found Here.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Flour a surface and rolling pin. Mold half of the dough into a ball. Roll out from center to about 1/8 inch thickness. Fold dough in half. Lift onto a 9" pie plate. Open and shape to pan. Roll out the other half of dough, and set aside.

Place apples in large bowl and mix with cranberries. Add rest of filling ingredients and mix well. Fill bottom crust with apple cranberry mixture. Place other half of rolled out dough on top of filling in pie plate. Crimp edges. Make slits on top of pie for steam to escape. (I used a mini cookie cutter for the heart shapes) Brush with egg wash if desired (**I brush my crusts with milk, see picture below), sprinkle with 2 tablespoons sugar. Place pie onto cookie sheet (important, this usually bubbles over a bit. Bake for about 60 minutes. Cover loosely with foil if pie is getting too brown. Continue baking for about 10-15 minutes or until pie is bubbly and golden. Total baking time is usually 1 hour and 10 minutes.

I added a maple cream sauce as a garnish.

Apple Cranberry Galette

Dough:

1 1/2 cups flour

3 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

12 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) chilled butter + 2 tablespoons

2 tablespoons ice water (or more)

1 egg

1/2 tablespoon heavy cream (or milk)

sanding sugar

Filling:

4 large granny smith apples

2/3 cups fresh cranberries

5 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

3/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ginger

Directions:

Mix, flour, sugar and salt in food processor.  Add butter; pulse until course and crumbly.  Add water pulse until moist clumps form, add more water if needed.  Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk and wrap in plastic wrap.  Chill 2 hours.

While the dough is chilling make the filling.  Peel and cut the apples into very thin about 1/4 inch think, set aside. In a large saucepan, melt butter at medium heat.  Once the butter is melted add lemon juice, sugar and spices. Cook the cranberries first without the apples.  Wait until they start "popping" and then remove from pan leaving the juices. Next cook apples until they are easily sliced with little pressure from your wooden spoon.  Remove from heat and add cranberries. (I thought the filling needed to be a little thicker so next time I would add a little cornstarch.)

Roll out the dough on a floured surface.  The dough should be about 1/2 thick, cut into 8 inch diameter circles (should make 4 circles, I tried making 2 bigger galettes instead of the 4 smaller, the smaller worked better) and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Place about 1/3 cup filling in the center of the circle and fold up edges of the dough in one direction.  Place a 1/2 tablespoon butter on the filling.  Beat the egg and cream, using a pastry brush, paint the sides of the galette with an eggwash and sprinkle with sanding sugar.  Bake for 375 degrees for 15 minutes.

*Recipe adapted from CakeSpy

Easy as ... Pie

Pie Dough/Crust
1 c. Butter Crisco
2 c. Flour
2/3 c. water

Add crisco and flour in a bowl, use a fork or a pastry cutter and cut in the crisco with the flour. When it is mostly combined add the water. Use you hands and give it a couple kneads. This recipe makes 3 pie shells (bottoms only) or 2 bottoms and 1 top. If baking an empty shell (for banana or other cream pie) don't forget to take a fork and stab a few holes around dough (to avoid bubbles).

If you are first time pie maker, try this recipe:

Easy Banana Cream Pie

Make the crust recipe, bake 1 empty pie crust.
Mix 1 large box vanilla pudding (you can also use banana, but I think it tastes very artificial) using the instructions on the box for pie.
Layer the bottom of the cooked pie crust with sliced bananas, cover the bananas with pudding, do another layer of sliced bananas and cover with a thin layer of whipping cream.

You can dress this up as desired. Example: bananas, pudding, bananas, 1/2 pudding + 1/2 whipping cream (mixed), bananas, whipping cream, a few bananas around edges for garnish.

See you did it and now you know why it's Easy As Pie!