Brown Sugar-Pecan Apple Pie Recipe

This recipe was in the November Woman's Day Magazine. This pie looked sooooo delicious I had to give it a try. The only thing I did different was add the spices... Apple pie isn't apple pie to me without cinnamon,  nutmeg, and allspice.... Yum!! I loved that this had apples and pecans... my two favorite pies... well I guess I should say two of my favorite pies, cuz I think I love them all. I had been craving apple pie since the weather turned colder and this pie hit the spot. Remember, if you don't want to take the time to cut out the leaves in the top crust, just skip that part, and just put the whole crust on top, I usually cut out a circle in the center or slits so air can escape. YUM!

Brown Sugar-Pecan Apple Pie Recipe
Active time: 1 hour 15 minutes
Total time: 2 hours 45 minutes
Serves 8

Recipe Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons butter
2 lb Jonagold, Ida Red or Golden Delicious apples (about 4 large), peeled and sliced thin ( 1/4 in. thick)
2 lb Granny Smith apples (about 4 large), peeled and sliced 1/4 in. thick
3/4 cup plus 1 Tbsp firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 Tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1 cup pecans, chopped
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 Basic Flaky Pie Crusts (see below)

1 large egg, beaten
1 Tablespoon Cinnamon Sugar

Directions:
Melt the butter in a large, skillet over medium high heat. Add the apples and 3/4 cup brown sugar and cook, tossing occasionally, until just tender, 10 to 15 minutes.
In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch and the remaining Tbsp brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and all spice. Sprinkle over the apples and cook until thickened, about 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat, add the pecans and vanilla and toss to combine. Let cool, tossing occasionally, to room temperature, about 40 minutes.
Heat oven to 375°F. On a lightly floured surface, roll one disk of dough into a 12-in. circle. Fit it into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-in. pie plate. Trim the overhang to 1/2 in. all the way around. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Working on a floured piece of parchment paper, roll the remaining disk of dough into a 12-in. circle. Using a 2-in. leaf cookie cutter  and starting 1 1/2 in. from the edge, cut out 1 row of 4 leaves directly in the center of the crust, spacing them 1/2 in. apart.
Cut out additional leaves around the first row, spacing them 1/2 in. apart and leaving a 1 1/2-in. border along the edge (figure on about 22 leaves total). Refrigerate the cutout dough. Using a wooden pick or knife, score lines into the leaves.
Spoon the cooled filling into the crust in the pie plate ...

and carefully place or slide the chilled cutout crust on top, being careful not to stretch the dough. Trim the top crust to 3/4 in. from the edge of the pie plate. Fold the top crust under the bottom crust to create a thicker crust to seal; crimp as desired.

Brush the entire pie with some of the egg and sprinkle with the Cinnamon Sugar. Brush the undersides of the leaf cutouts with some of the egg and place them around the edge of the pie, gently pressing to help them adhere. Brush the tops of the leaves with the remaining egg and bake until the crust is golden brown, 50 to 55 minutes. Let cool to room temperature before serving.


Basic Flaky Pie Crust Recipe
Recipe Ingredients
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon sugar
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 Tbsp white vinegar
 to 2 Tbsp ice-cold water

Directions:
In a food processor, combine the flour, sugar and salt. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Add the vinegar and 1 Tbsp of the cold water, pulsing until the dough is crumbly but holds together when squeezed (if necessary, add the remaining water, 1 tsp at a time). Do not overmix.
Transfer the dough to a piece of plastic wrap and shape into a 1-in.-thick disk. Wrap tightly and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour and up to 2 days.
Roll and fill as directed.
This recipe makes 1 pie crust (double if you are going to make a double crust pie)