Desserts à la Mariane

Fall has arrived and the cool air is swooping in.

There’s something about fall that makes me think of apple pie — to me, nothing complements the cool fall air and falling leaves like a tasty piece of apple pie.

So here’s a cinnamony apple pie recipe to whip up and savor for all of those cold fall days.

Crust Ingredients:

• 1 cup almonds
• 1/4 cup almond butter
• 2 cups oats (I use gluten-free)
• 1 cup pitted medjool dates (about 8 dates)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 cup water (if you like your pie crust to be a bit on the sweeter side, adjust this to 1/4 cup water and 1/4 cup maple syrup)

Pie ingredients:

• 6 medium-sized red apples of your choice
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 4 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 cup unsweetened applesauce

Crust Directions:

Put all ingredients into your food processor and process until almost smooth.

Lightly grease a 9-inch pie dish with coconut oil. Scoop the batter into your greased pie plate. Using your fingers, press the crust down as evenly as possible pushing the dough up the sides of the pie plate.

Bake in preheated 350 degree Fahrenheit oven for 10-12 minutes or until the edges are golden brown and the crust is no longer sticky to the touch.

Filling Directions:

Begin by washing the apples. Next cut the apples into quarters and remove the seeds/core. Chop the apple quarters lengthwise once more, and then into small cubes. (Removing the apple skin is optional. Keeping the skin might add a bit of texture that some people don’t like. Both with or without the skin is fair game!)

Put the apples into a large stove-top pot. Add 1 cup of water to the pot. Place the pot on the burner set to medium heat and place the lid on the pot. Let the apples stew for about 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally until they are very soft (the time here will depend on the type of apple you used as some soften faster than others).

Add the maple syrup, cinnamon, and applesauce to the pot and stir well.

Put the cornstarch in a mug and just cover it with water.  Mix it until the cornstarch is completely dissolved. Once dissolved, add the cornstarch + water mixture to the pot. Mix well.

Now that you’ve added the cornstarch, you’ll want to stir continuously. Cook until the batter returns to a slow boil and the batter thickens and darkens (this usually happens about 2-3 minutes after the filling begins to boil).

Once the filling has thickened, pour the contents of the pot over the pie crust smoothing it out as you go.

Let the pie cool on the counter and then transfer it to the fridge. Let cool in the fridge for 5-6 hours or overnight before serving (this gives it the time it needs to set).

Store leftovers in the fridge.

Enjoy!