Easy as Pie
Easy as pie? Really? Last I checked, pie is not easy. The filling, sure. The crust? Mine is always too dry and rips in the middle when I move it.
I've found a sneaky little cheat to make this delicious "pie" with about 10 minutes of prep:
First, slice four apples, place them in the dish, and sprinkle with cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.
Wrap with foil and bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.
Remove foil, spread with topping (half stick of butter, 1/2 c flour, 1/3 c brown sugar, 1/4 c crushed walnuts cut with a pastry cutter). Bake uncovered for 30 minutes at 350 or until crust is golden brown and apples are bubbling.
It's so good and makes your house smell amazing. I made it again yesterday with peaches and it was equally delicious!
What makes this even faster is this:
No, not putting children to work. That apple-peeler-corer thing. It also helped us make this much applesauce in no time.
The peeling & coring just took a few minutes, then you just add water and boil until they are tender enough to mash. You do not need to add anything to a sauce made of sweet apples, and it is supposed to freeze very well. I put mine all in the freezer with the lids off until they were solid to make sure we had no explosive apple situations.