Flat Apple Pie

Oh my was this yummy. Let me start out by saying that this is NOT my recipe. Credit TOTALLY goes to  Ree Drummond aka The Pioneer Woman. (if you haven't checked out her book The Pioneer Woman Cooks, I HIGHLY recommend it!! Also this is NOT a typical pie crust. Totally different texture, but *I* quite like it. Also a word of warning here- bake this on a cookie sheet WITH SIDES. Let me repeat that for you. WITH SIDES!!! Some of you may already know that- but seeing as how 95% of my life was spent HATING pie with a passion- I didn't bake very many pies. So I didn't know that little but important tip. And almost had a VERY serious kitchen issue when the butter melted through and leaked off the pan and straight into the fire of the oven. Wow was that scary! Could have ended up so much worse. So, even though the recipe didn't tell me to use that kind of pan- I'M telling YOU. :) See? I'm looking out for you guys. OK, here it is.

 (Look at that flaky goodness!)

                                    FLAT APPLE PIE:

Pie Crust:

• 3 cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
• 1 egg
• 5 Tbsp cold water
• 1 Tbsp white vinegar

 1. Combine flour and salt in a large bowl. Using a pastry cutter, (I used two forks, instead) work the shortening into the flour until it resembles tiny pebbles. (takes about 3-4 minutes- but took me a good 7 or so using the forks

2. Lightly beat the egg with a fork, then add it to the flour mixture. Next add in the cold water and vinegar.

3. Stir the mixture together just til combined, then remove half of the dough from the bowl. Place it in a large Ziploc bag (do NOT seal) and slightly flatten with a rolling pin. After flattening, seal bag tightly.

4. Repeat with other half of dough and freeze for future use. (or stick in freezer for about 30 minutes if you are going to use them now.)

5.When you are ready to use the crust, take out of freezer (if frozen- allow to thaw on counter for about 20 minutes.) Remove from bag and place on a lightly floured surface. Roll out the dough from the center. Be patient and gentle- this can take a little bit of time. (if dough is really sticking to bottom surface- use a sharp spatula to loosen it and sprinkle more flour on top of dough. Flip and finish rolling . Again- from center and gently!!

PIES:

• 5 peeled and sliced granny smith apples
• 2 Tbsp all purpose flour
• juice of 1/2 a lemon
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 recipe pie crust
• 6 Tbsp (1/2 stick) butter

1. Roll pie crusts out into two large circles. Place on a large cookie sheet WITH SIDES! ;) Place half of apple mixture onto each crust.
2. Fold edges of crust over so it cover 2-3 inches of the apple mixture. Don't try and make it perfect- it should have a rustic look to it.
3. Dot the tops of each pie with the butter slices (make sure to get some on the crust, too! you'll thank me later!)
4. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until golden and bubbly. If the crust browns too quickly, cover edges with tin foil for the rest of the baking time.
5. Allow to cool slightly, slice into wedges and eat it up, baby!!! :)