A Stress-Free Apple Pie – The Secret? You Can Slice the Apples in Advance!

Do you have the winter food blues? We’re all looking for comfort foods now, and this delicious skillet apple pie can be assembled in minutes. This pie is stress-free because you can cook like a TV chef and have everything ready on the counter before you begin, including your sliced apples.

The secret? The Cosmic Crisp is a brand new apple variety that naturally does not brown—and is now in Canadian stores. They’re great for cooking and baking because they’re super sweet and crispy. Also, Cosmic Crisps are a cook’s best friend because you can slice and chop them before you start cooking and baking and they’ll be beautiful when it comes time to add them to your recipe. You might even say this apple is “out of this world!”

Apples are also the perfect snack. Since apples are mostly made up of water, they have a low calorie density, meaning there aren’t a lot of calories in apples, yet they are still filling. They’re fat, sodium, and cholesterol free, and carbs in apples boost blood sugar less rapidly than other foods. Apples are best stored at 32 °F (0 °C), in your refrigerator’s crisper inside a plastic bag with holes in it.

The Cosmic Crisp® was classically bred by the Washington State University tree fruit breeding program. Tree fruit breeders spent over 20 years cross-pollinating, tasting and testing, ensuring the Cosmic Crisp would be naturally developed into a delicious, non-GMO apple. These apples are orchard-grown in Washington State, near the Columbia River where days are warm and nights are cool. This climate permits the best apple growing region in the world. It was a long wait, but worth every minute!

These crispy, juicy, sweet apples are available across Canada at most major retailers. If you don’t see them, just ask for directions to the Cosmic Crisp display.

People say they “snap” when you bite into them—take a bite and you’ll see this variety was worth the wait! They’re a perfect snacking apple but be sure to buy extra to make this delicious skillet apple pie.

Layered Skillet Apple Pie

4-5 Cosmic Crisp apples, peeled, quartered, and thinly sliced
½ cup (125 mL) granulated sugar
4 tsp (20 mL) of ground cinnamon
A few gratings of fresh nutmeg
½ cup (125 mL) butter
½ cup (125 mL) brown sugar
2 or 3 (9 inch/23 cm) refrigerated pre-rolled pie crusts*
1 tsp (5 mL) water
1 egg white
1 tsp (5 mL) granulated sugar, for sprinkling on top of crust

Vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, for serving (optional)

*Can be made with either 2 or 3 crusts. If using only 2, use one apple less and place all apples on top of first pie crust.

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C).

2. Toss apples with granulated sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg.

3. Melt butter in a cast iron pan on top of stove. Add brown sugar and cook, stirring constantly until melted and thickening and all sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat.

4. Top with one pie crust and cover with half the apples; cover with second pie crust, top with remaining apples. Top with the third pie crust, if using.

5. Whisk egg white with water until foamy, and brush mixture onto top of pie. Sprinkle with 1 tsp (5 mL) of granulated sugar. Cut slits in top for steam to escape.

6. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until apples are tender and bubbly and crust is golden brown. Add aluminum foil to edges if they brown before apples are done. Cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes before serving.

Serve warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.