Keep your eyes on the pies!

Recipes in order:

Perfect Pie Crust, Caramel Apple Pie, Juicy Cobbler Dough, Mixed Berry Cobbler
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Perfect Pie Crust

Ingredients:

• 2 sticks (8 ounces) very cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
• ¼ cup powdered sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp. cold water
• ½ tsp. salt 
• 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

Directions:

1. Put butter and powdered sugar in food processor fitted with metal blade. On pulse setting, mix for two minutes.
2. Add egg, water, and salt and pulse for another two minutes, until mixture is smooth.
3. Add flour gradually. Pulse for another minute, until mixture forms dough. Remove ball of dough from food processor, cover in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least one hour before use.

** A great dough for any pie. It is especially important not to overwork the dough while preparing it. Make sure that all your ingredients are cold, and turn off the food processor after each step.
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Caramel Apple Pie

Ingredients:

• ½ stick (2 ounces) of unsalted butter
• ½ cup sugar
• 6 Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored, and cut into ¼ inch cubes
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• Perfect pie crust dough (recipe above, or use store bought crust)
• ¼ cup apricot glaze
• 2 tbsp. water

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 375º F. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add butter and sugar. Cook until butter melts and sugar turns a light caramel color.
2. Add cubed apples and cinnamon and cook over low heat until the apples have soaked up the caramel liquid and are nearly dry. (30 to 40 minutes).
3. Set cooked apples aside to chill. They can be prepared a day in advance and refrigerated.
4. Working on a well-floured surface, roll out dough to a thickness of about ⅛ inch.
5. Carefully place sheet of dough into pie plate, using your fingers to gently press dough into bottom and up the sides. Trim excess edges of the dough, roll into balls, and put aside for making top crust.
6. Place cooked apple mixture on top of dough.
7. Working on a well-floured surface, roll out leftover dough to a thickness of about ⅛ inch. Place dough on top of cooked apple mixture. Using a sharp knife, trim excess edges of dough and gently crimp together the top and bottom layers of dough so that the pie is completely sealed. With a knife, make five small slits in the top layer of dough.
8. Bake for 35 minutes. Shortly before the end of the baking process, heat apricot glaze and water in a small saucepan over medium heat until mixture is smooth.
9. Transfer baked pie to a wire rack and immediately pour on glaze evenly. Let cool for 30 minutes and serve, or store in a sealed container at room temperature for up to two days.

**The larger the apples, the easier they are to peel. If you find big apples, cut down the number down to five. You can sprinkle a little sugar on top just before baking for a crispier, more gold pie.

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Juicy Cobbler Dough

Ingredients:

• 1 stick (4 ounces) of unsalted butter, cut into cubes. 
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup all-purpose flour 
• 1 tbsp. baking powder
• 1 tbsp. pure vanilla extract
• ½ tsp. salt
• 1 cup whole milk

Directions:

1. Using a hand or stand mixer, mix together butter and sugar on a low speed until creamy.
2. In a separate bowl, mix together flour and baking powder.
3. Add the vanilla extract, salt, milk, and half the flour mixture to mixer, continuing to mix on low speed.
4. Add remaining flour mixture and mix until well blended.
5. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes before using.
6. To use juicy cobbler dough in a recipe, scoop out with a large spoon and use according to instructions.

** This cobbler works great in recipes that call for baking fruit without cooking it first. Use this for any baked fruit pie or cobbler.

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Mixed Berry Cobbler

Ingredients:

• ½ lb. frozen mixed berries, thawed and drained of excess water
• 2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and cut into  ½ inch cubes
• ¾ cup sugar
• 1 tbsp. cornstarch
• ½ tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tbsp. brandy
• Cobbler dough (recipe above, or use store bought dough)
• 1 tbsp. butter, softened
• One 12 x 8 inch baking dish

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375ºF.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the berries, apples, sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, and brandy. Set aside for 30 minutes.
3. Butter the baking dish and fill evenly with half the cobbler dough.
4. Fill baking dish ¾ full with berry and apple mixture, then fill the rest of the dish with remaining cobbler dough.
5. Bake for 35 minutes. Serve immediately.

** During berry season in the summer months, replace the frozen berries with your favorite fresh ones.