Tasty Tuesday: Apple Butter Pumpkin Pie

Looking for something a little different this holiday season?  Why not make an apple butter pumpkin pie. It combines two of the season's favorite flavors and is still traditional enough to satisfy your pie fix. Plus, it's coated with a streusel topping. And we all know, streusel makes everything better!

We used our own homemade apple butter in this recipe. It adds a wonderful depth of flavor. You could also use a store-bought variety, but I highly recommend the homemade.

Just know, there aren't any spectacular pictures you can take for the making of this pie. Just a bunch of ingredients plopped into a bowl. 

Consider yourself warned.

 Appetizing?

 Mmm, looking better with each ingredient? 

 All mixed up, it looks like traditional pumpkin pie . . . but we know better. Ha!

We used the last of our brown sugar in the filling of the pie, so we had to make our own using white sugar and molasses, like we did HERE.

Technically, you're supposed to mix the two together by themselves (or mix the molasses with the wet ingredients.) I didn't want to take the extra time to do so, and it turned out just fine. See, sometimes shortcuts are ok!

We didn't add the pecans in the streusel because no one in our family would eat it then, and that would kind of defeat the purpose of making the pie in the first place. Nuts in desserts are starting to grow on me though. I think they would make a lovely addition to this one.

I've said it before, I don't care for pumpkin pie (even though I love any sort of pumpkin-y cake, cookie, or bread.) It doesn't even look like pumpkin though. It actually looks pretty good.

To me, it tastes very similar to a regular pumpkin pie - but better because of the topping. The texture is also a bit lighter. I think it needs more apple butter in order to get a better blend of flavors though. Or maybe I'm just trying to mask the pumpkin flavor altogether? It's possible. I love the addition of the streusel though. It adds a crunchiness to an otherwise creamy pie and gives it a good contrast.

Leighton's opinion is the one that truly matters. He agrees that it needs a stronger apple butter flavor to be called an "apple butter pumpkin pie." But put this pie in a match against a regular ol' pumpkin pie, and the tried-and-true traditional pumpkin is the winner.

Either one I make, one thing will always remain true: I steal the end crust off Leighton's slice(s). He could live without it, but it's my favorite part. We're like Jack Sprat and his wife, only instead of fat and lean, we're filling and crust.

Ah, such romantics we are.

Pie Crust
Ingredients:
1/2 cup vegetable shortening                                 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour                                   1/2 cups cold water

Directions:

1. Mix shortening, flour, and salt together with a fork or a pastry blender until very crumbly. Add as much water as needed to hold together, and mix lightly with a fork.
2. Roll gently on a floured pastry cloth to about an inch larger than pie plate. Fold carefully in half, lift to pie plate, and unfold. Press into pan. 

3. Don't forget to use up that excess pie dough!

Apple Butter Pumpkin Pie

Pie Ingredients:
1 cup canned pumpkin puree                                 1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup apple butter                                                   3 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup dark brown sugar                                       1 cup evaporated milk
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon                              1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Streusel Topping Ingredients:
3 tablespoons butter                                              1/3 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour                                        1/2 cup chopped pecans

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, combine pumpkin, apple butter, 1/4 cup brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Stir in eggs and evaporated milk. Pour into prepared pie shell.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 50 to 60 minutes, or until a knife inserted 2 inches from the center comes out clean.
4. To make the streusel topping: In a small bowl, combine butter, flour, and 1/3 cup brown sugar. Stir until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in pecans.
5. Sprinkle streusel topping over the pie, and bake for an additional 15 minutes.

Theory Thursday: Making Butter

I am just now getting around to posting last week's Theory Thursday. It's been a busy weekend for sure. Actually, the whole past week has been pretty crazy. Leighton worked 70+ hours Monday-Friday, with a couple of 19-hour days. He always works so hard to provide for us . . . just not usually that hard. So, I've been holding down the fort at home by myself. Needless to say, we're glad it's a new week. 

I was having a hard time finding something to do for Theory Thursday when I came across my old Brownie Girl Scout Handbook. Oh, the memories it brought back! Camping, cookies, crafts, among many others. I knew I could find something to do for science. And I was right.

Pour some heavy whipping cream into a glass jar.

Shake . . . shake . . . shake . . . for fifteen minutes.

After chilling in the fridge for one hour, pour off the buttermilk.

Rinse the butter pieces in cold water and enjoy!

I had them try to guess what we were making. As soon as they saw the whipping cream, they guessed ice cream. (You think we make enough of it?) They didn't realize it was butter until they tasted it. They LOVED shaking the cream! They jumped and shook and danced and wiggled . . . . for about a minute. Then Mommy had the chore privilege of shaking it for the remaining fourteen. 

After about seven minutes, it had gotten so thick that there was no more "thumping" sound. It was just a solid mass. At the ten minute mark, it broke up again as the cream was overworked and turning into butter. (You'll remember the process in Leighton's baking post.) My arms were thankful when the timer finally went off.

The kids and I sat down and watched Sleeping Beauty while the butter chilled. Does anyone else find that movie disturbing? The witch is downright terrifying. With a name like Maleficent, you know she's going to be evil. I had to distract Alyssa at certain parts because she's afraid of everything. Oh yeah, this post is about butter . . . 

 Alyssa really liked the butter on the crackers. Or on her fingers. She's not picky. She likes anything dippy. Jake is more like his daddy and could live without butter altogether.  

I'm just thankful I can buy butter in the store.

Tasty Tuesday: Apple Butter

Jake has been on a "field trip" to his grandparents' house the past couple of days. He has done his school work there, much to his disappointment. So, we didn't do anything yesterday for Make It Monday. I was able to do some deep cleaning in the bedrooms though, since he wasn't here to reclaim the toys I was taking. I guess yesterday was Make It Clean, which makes me very happy.

Today, Alyssa and I made apple butter. She enjoyed having Mommy all to herself.

Ingredients:
5 1/2 pounds apples - peeled, cored and chopped         2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 cups white sugar                                                          1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1 cup brown sugar                                                           1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:
1. Place the apples in a slow cooker. In a medium bowl, mix the sugar, cinnamon, cloves and salt. Pour the mixture over the apples in the slow cooker and mix well.

2. Cover and cook on high 1 hour.
3. Reduce heat to low and cook 9 to 11 hours, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is thickened and dark brown.

4. Uncover and continue cooking on low 1 hour. Stir with a whisk, if desired, to increase smoothness.

5. Spoon the mixture into sterile containers, cover and refrigerate or freeze.

After six hours of cooking, I made the mistake of trying it. Actually, the mistake was allowing Zac to see me try it. He insisted on having some himself, and when I say "some," I mean a bowl full. At this point, it tasted and smelled like apple pie. Good, but not apple butter.

When it was finally finished cooking, I poured it in the blender and pureed it until smooth. Finally, after 12 hours, we have apple butter! It was worth the wait!

It's great on toast, pb&j sandwiches, as a topping for ice cream or however else you can think of serving it. I had never been a fan of apple butter before, but I love this homemade version!

Linked to Savvy Slow-Cookin'