Thanksgiving Pies

Thanksgiving is a day of celebrating a bountiful harvest, the fruits of the season.  No Thanksgiving meal is complete without a pie or two to finish off. Try an apple pie with a glazed lattice top, and a taste of the South with a classic pecan version.  Send guests home with mini-pumpkin loaves wrapped with pretty ribbon to carry the goodness of your Thanksgiving back home.  Add the recipes to your Thanksgiving decorations by downloading a printable version of the collection here!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

For a printable version of this week's recipes,  click here!

Glazed Lattice Apple Pie:  Original Recipe Yield 1 - 9 inch pie

Tired of ordinary old apple pie? Well this fabulous recipe adds a delicious twist to the apply classic. Sliced, unadorned apples are mounded into a pie crust and topped with a lattice crust. Then, just before baking, a sweet, thick sugar syrup is poured carefully onto the crust. An hour later, the apples are tender and fragrant and the crust a glistening brown.

Ingredients

• 1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter

• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

• 1/2 cup white sugar

• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar

• 1/4 cup water

• 8 Granny Smith apples - peeled, cored and sliced

Directions

1. Melt butter in a sauce pan. Stir in flour to form a paste. Add white sugar, brown sugar and water; bring to a boil. Reduce temperature, and simmer 5 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, place the bottom crust in your pan. Fill with apples, mounded slightly. Cover with a lattice work of crust. Gently pour the sugar and butter liquid over the crust. Pour slowly so that it does not run off.

3. Bake 15 minutes at 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C), and continue baking for 35 to 45 minutes.

Southern Pecan Pie:  Original Recipe Yield 1 - 9 inch pie

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

• 3 tablespoons white sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 cup butter, chilled and diced

• 1 egg yolk

• 3 tablespoons ice water

•1 1/2 cups pecan halves

• 3 eggs

• 1 cup light corn syrup

• 3/4 cup white sugar

• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

• 3 tablespoons milk

• 3 tablespoons butter, melted

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 3 tablespoons sugar and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Mix yolk with water and stir in until mixture forms a ball. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour or overnight. Roll out and place in a 9 inch pie plate.

2. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C.)

3. Place pecans in the bottom of pie crust. In a large bowl, Stir together 3/4 cup of sugar and flour. Mix in the eggs, corn syrup, milk, melted butter and vanilla. Blend well and pour over pecans in crust.

4. Bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) and bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until golden brown and filling is set.

Pumpkin Bread:  Make this bread in mini-loaves; wrap in holiday cellophane, tie with a pretty bow and nametag, and send home with your guests.

Ingredients

• 3 cups canned pumpkin puree

• 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil

• 4 cups white sugar

• 6 eggs

• 4 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt

• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground nutmeg

• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour three 9x5 inch loaf pans.

2. In a large bowl, mix together the pumpkin, oil, sugar, and eggs. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves; stir into the pumpkin mixture until well blended. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans.

3. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes to 1 hour. The top of the loaf should spring back when lightly pressed.

Variations: add raisins, mini chocolate chips (the best), pecans, or walnuts.