There is just something about good apple pie that makes me happy.  Obviously, it’s delicious, but there’s a lot of nostalgia that comes with it, too.  The smells of baking apples, cinnamon and buttery pie crust take me back to my childhood and for a moment, I’m back in my Mom’s kitchen, or in one of my Grandma’s.  My Grandma used to sprinkle the leftover pie crust with butter, sugar and cinnamon and bake it – I can remember fighting over those little bites of pure heaven.  I can remember sneaking sugared apples out of the kitchen while Mom was baking.  (Ok, I still do that.)  Oh, and my other Grandma made the BEST apple cobbler I’ve ever had.  She’d serve it with a slice of ice-cream.  Yep, a slice.  She used to buy ice cream in the box, and because there were so many of us, she’d open the box and slice it with a knife.  Easier, I suppose.

Who knew apple pie could trigger such a trip down memory lane?   Food does that, I suppose.  Well, it does for me.  I’m not alone, am I?

This is one of those recipes that I make all of the time. It goes together in minutes, especially because I keep pie crusts in my freezer.   If I need a quick dessert for a pot-luck, family gatherings or just a weekend dinner, I frequently turn to this family favorite.  I love that it’s a one-dish dessert.  You make the filling on the stove top in the skillet, then you top with the crust and bake.  Easy-peasy.

I also like to use two pie crusts for an extra-thick topping.  I just roll out two 10-inch crusts and lay them over the cooked filling.  Sometimes I cut pretty designs out of the top crusts, sometimes I do a lattice design, and sometimes (as pictured above) I just lay it on there.  Once you lay the crusts on, use the end of a wooden spoon to kind of tuck it into the skillet.

Skillet Apple Pie
Yield:  8-12 servings
Prep Time:  20 minutes ♦ Bake Time:  30 minutes
Skillet Apple Pie Ingredients:
2 Pie Crusts
8 Tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, divided
2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
4 cups peeled and thinly sliced apples (or 2 cans apple pie filling, or 2 cups peeled apples, 1 can pie filling)
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.  In a 10 inch cast-iron skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat.  Add the brown sugar and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, and stir until bubbling.  Add the apples, and carefully combine the mixture.  Sprinkle the mixture with salt.  Remove from heat.

Cover the skillet with pie crust.  Push the edges of the crust into the skillet.  Do not pinch the pie crust on to the skillet, just kind of roll the edges down into the apple mixture.  Sprinkle the crust with the remaining sugar and cinnamon.  Put the skillet on a foil-lined baking sheet for easy clean-up and to protect your oven if (when) the pie boils over.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until the crust is golden brown – you might want to cover the crust with foil for the last 10 minutes in the oven.  Remove from oven and allow to cool for one hour before serving.
Enjoy!

Recipe inspiration and source:  Adapted from Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade Gatherings