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Ingredients:
½ cup apple butter
2 large eggs
½ cup white sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tsp cinnamon
2 cups whole milk
Pie crust pastry
Instructions:
First, beat your eggs in a medium bowl until the yolks and whites are thoroughly mixed. Add in sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon and *apple butter and mix well. Add in milk and whisk again. Make sure to use whole milk, another high fat milk, or even evaporated milk. If you do not have high fat milk available you can use equal parts milk and half and half or heavy whipping cream.
*To make your own homemade apple butter, you will need 3 apples, cored and cut into smaller pieces, and cook them in about one cup of water, covered, for 10-15 minutes or until the pieces are soft. You don’t need to peel them, the skin will not affect the texture and it will save you time if you don’t. Once the apples are soft, take them out of the water and blend them in a blender until smooth. Return them back into a saucepan with half a teaspoon of ground allspice, half a teaspoon of ground cinnamon, and one and a half cups of granulated sugar. Simmer, stirring constantly for about an hour and a half. Your apple butter will start to darken and thicken, that’s when you know it’s ready. For this recipe, thick apple butter is preferred because it gives a thicker, firmer texture, like pumpkin pie.
Spray a 9 inch pie plate with cooking spray and press your pastry into the pan. Pour your filling into the unbaked pie crust. Mix the filling in the pie pan with a spoon and make sure to distribute the filling evenly. Bake your pie at 375 degrees for 60-65 minutes or until the center is set. It will look a little jiggly in the center, if you put a knife or toothpick in the center it should come out clean.
Cool your apple butter pie on a metal cooling rack. Once it is cool, slice your pie and enjoy!
Commentary:
This time of year always brings out the fun family traditions. One of my favorite traditions is every year around this time my mom will make homemade apple butter. Sometimes she would even make them with the apples my grandparents grew in their garden. The rich taste of cinnamon, sugar and apples lives rent free in my mind to this day, so why not put it in a pie? This pie is great for those picky non pumpkin eaters (like me) because it makes a great alternative to pumpkin pie!
This apple butter pie is relatively easy to make but here are some tips to help you out! Use a milk with high fat content, I promise, you will regret it if you don’t. Also, check your pie after cooking for 55 minutes of baking, different ovens may cause the pie to cook faster and you don’t want to over cook it. If the edge of the crust on your pie is turning brown in the oven, cover it with foil to prevent burning.
