Apple Pie For a Crowd

A couple of months ago my daughter had her bridging ceremony, moving from Daisies to Brownies in Girl Scouts.  Personally, I was in Camp Fire as a kid and hadn't experienced this ceremony before- very neat!

Click to see the recipe at Allrecipes.com

After the ceremony there was plenty of food for everyone to enjoy.  This was when I was in the middle of trying to get rid of a ton of apples and was baking up a storm, so of course I didn't pass up an opportunity to get rid of a few more of them!

My go-to pie recipe (with a few seasoning changes) is Apple Pie by Grandma Ople from Allrecipes.com- always a winner!  It's absolutely delightful, every time.

It wasn't quite right for this setting, though- I wanted a bar.  Or at least something that was easy to transport and serve to a crowd.  I did a little digging and came across this recipe for Apple Slab Pie.  The crust is easy to make and after it's baked you just cut it into squares- which is perfect for a potluck or get together for a crowd.  Did I mention it's delicious?  Because it is.  :-) I'm sure I'll be making it again when my annual Fall apple craziness begins again.

The crust is easy to make-the recipe calls for rolling it out, but I found it actually had the perfect consistency to just pat down into the pan like you would with a graham cracker crust.  

The filling is pretty straightforward, though I did sub a little brown sugar and add nutmeg and clove.  Easy enough. 

All in all this recipe is definitely a winner, and one I'll be making again.  Easy to pull together, a great way to use up apples, and the perfect dessert for a crowd!  I even baked mine in a disposable metal pan that I could leave behind in the case of leftovers.

Apple Slab Pie

From Allrecipes.com

1 1/2 C all-purpose flour

1 1/2 Tbsp white sugar

1/2 C shortening

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking powder

2 egg yolks, beaten

4 Tbsp water

8 apples- peeled, cored, and cut into thin wedges

2 Tbsp lemon juice

2 Tbsp all-purpose flour

1 3/4 C white sugar

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground cloves

2 Tbsp butter

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp ground cinnamon

2/3 C brown sugar

2/3 C butter

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder.  Cut in shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Mix egg yolk and water together and mix in flour until it forms a ball.  Roll out to fit the bottom of a 10x15 pan.

2. In a large bowl, combine apples, lemon juice, 2 Tbsp flour, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.  Pour filling into pie crust and dot with 2 Tbsp butter.  

3. In a medium bowl, combine 1 C flour, 1 tsp cinnamon,  2/3 C brown sugar, and 2/3 C butter.  Cut in butter until crumbly, then sprinkle over apples.

4. Bake in the preheated oven for 60 minutes, or until topping is golden brown.