Sunday, December 7, 2014

No Sugar Apple Pie

In my continuing endeavors to make desserts without added sugar, or fake sugar, I have invented a new delicious version of apple pie. I had one honeycrisp apple that was sitting around getting old, so I peeled and cored it and diced it up into small cubes. Put half the apple in a small frying pan with water and bring it to a boil. Let the apple get really soft and then use a fork to mash it up. Add the rest of the apple, and a dash of cinnamon, ginger, and cloves to taste. Cook this until the whole apple cubes are soft, but don't mash them.

While this is happening, take some of the store-bought frozen puff pastry cups and bake them up according to the package directions. When they're done, cut off the tops, spoon in the filling, mine made three perfectly, and top with the top piece of the cup to serve. This was perfectly sweet and spiced and the pastries are crispy and crunchy. It hits all those flavor and texture elements you want from a baked good. I would imagine you could do this with regular puff pastry and turn it into a turnover. Or you could use phyllo dough or pie dough, I'm sure it's all great. You could probably even attempt this filling for an actual regular-sized pie, but I can't vouch for it. If you do try this for a whole pie, I would recommend skipping the cooking of the whole apple cubes and just let it cook in the oven while the crust bakes.

This was super easy and super delish. I highly recommend it!