Apple Pie Streusel

My Mom is known for her apple pies. People request them all the time. So, I thought I'd get the recipe and share it with you. Her recipe? It's simple. Use the tastiest apples you can find, tart ones and sweet ones combined. Then, mix with a little bit of sugar and bake. I've fiddled around with those directions and come up with some rough numbers so it's a little easier for me to make this great pie a second time. Also, remember all of those lovely apples from last fall? If you're like me, you might still have a few in your refrigerator, begging to be made into a pie. If not, you can easily pick some up from the store (where they've been stored in a larger storage facility refrigerator!)

Ingredients:

1 whole wheat pie crust

7-8 apples, peeled, cored, and sliced to make 8 cups
1/2 cup cranberries
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tbs flour
1 tsp cinnamon

for the Streusel Topping:

2/3 cup whole wheat flour
1/3 cup finely chopped pecans
1/2 cup brown sugar
4 Tbs butter, melted
1 tsp cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 F. Make the pie crust, and line the bottom of the pie plate making high fluted edges. I used a 10 inch deep dish for this pie. However, the amounts will still work for a very full 9 inch pie. Peel, core, and slice the apples. I used a combination of Golden Delicious, Gala, Fugi, Winesap, and Arkansas Black. Of course, other apple varieties can be substituted. The only type of apple I don't recommend for pies are Granny Smiths as they can become mushy when cooked. Mix the apples with the cranberries, sugar, flour and cinnamon, then keep the apples in the mixing bowl until the streusel topping is made. Make the streusel topping by mixing the ingredients together, either by hand or by pulsing in a food processor until well mixed. Mound the apple mixture into the pie crust, then top with the streusel mixture. Place the pie on a center rack in the oven and cook until the topping is is golden brown and the apples are tender, about 1 hour. Remove the pie and let cool on a rack. A deep dish pie makes more servings than a regular pie. This 10 inch deep dish pie easily serves 8 to 10.

Stealthy Cooking Tip: Fruit pies are a sweet way to eat a serving of fruit! This pie has slightly less sugar than most, as it depends on the sweeter varieties of apples for its sweet flavor. Golden Delicious, Fuji, and Gala apples are all high in natural sugars.