Vegan Apple Pie Recipe!!

We’ve had an exciting week, my sister, Sam turned 25 years old today! She has been my best friend since I can remember, and she's always been the most supportive of my vegan lifestyle. When I want to try a new vegan restaurant, she joins me. When I try to make a traditional comfort food vegan, she's my taste-tester. I take her opinions to heart and she always gives it to me straight.

Sam is unique in every way. Even when she celebrates her birthday, she doesn't want a traditional birthday cake, she asks for pie. Apple pie.

For about 3 or 4 years now I've baked her an apple pie, and my mom also brings a store bought one to the party. Sam isn't shy about her opinions (BRUTALLY honest is putting it lightly), and in past years my pies have been not sweet enough, too crusty, and had ugly lattice work.

 

Last year's pie... the bottom crust was too thick!

Every year I try to perfect the recipe, so when she told me today that my apple pie recipe was the best she's ever tasted, I could have cried. When the rest of the family started complementing the taste, I started daydreaming about opening a bakery and serving vegan fruit pies nationwide.

Vegan Apple Pie

Ingredients

• 3-5 Granny Smith apples depending on size
• 3/4 cup plus 2 tbsp sugar, separated
• 3 1/2 cups plus 2 tbsp flour, separated
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• juice of 1 lemon
• dash of salt
• 3/4 cup shortening or coconut oil (I used Crisco today)
• 3/4 cup ice cold water

 

I already had everything but apples to make this

1.Peel and thinly slice the apples, set aside. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

     2. To make the pie crust dough, mix the 3 1/2 cups flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, and salt together in a medium bowl. Add the solid oil and mix until it has a crumbly consistency. Add the cold water, 1/4 cup at a time, until a flaky, dry dough ball forms. Try to make it as dry as possible while still staying together, because this makes a flakier crust.

3. Split the dough ball into two smaller dough balls, and roll them both out as thin as possible while remaining even. To do this, I flip my pie pan upside down and use it as a guide to make a circle, then roll the cut-out circle out a little larger than the top of the pie pan.

 

If there isn't flour all over your kitchen, you're doing it wrong.

4. To make the filling, combine the remaining 3/4 cup of sugar, 2 tablespoons of flour, 2 teaspoons of cinnamon, and juice of 1 lemon in a small bowl or cup. The lemon will clump the sugar mixture up, so be sure to combine well.

5. To assemble the pie, first lay one of the two dough circles inside your pie pan. Add about 1/3 of the apple slices to the pie, then top with about 1/3 of the filling mixture. Continue layering the apples and sugar mixture until you run out, with the remainder of the sugar mix on top. Cover all the filling with the second dough circle. Press together the edges of the pie crusts to seal, and I like to put a little design on top, so it doesn't steam inside.

 

Apples and filling.

 

I pressed the edges together with a fork and tried to make cuts resembling the inside of an apple... Looks more like a sand dollar!

6. Top with a vegan "egg wash" of choice (or don't). I'll admit this is something I forgot about while making my pie. I did top it with a little sugar water, but next time I may use maple syrup and see it that will brown a little nicer. Bake for about 30-40 minutes! My pie was a little brown around the edges, that could have been avoided by putting tin foil around the edge of the pie for the last 10 minutes.

 

Happy 25th Birthday Sam!!

 

Make a wish!

Shortly after she blew out the candles, we all dove right into the pie. It was delicious!

Do you guys celebrate your birthdays with something other than the traditional cake? Let me know in a comment!