Applesauce…
It’s easy to can or freeze, with backyard gardeners and food preservationists filling their pantry shelves with many healthy, tasty calories for the long winter months.
And while it is delicious simply as a snack right out of the jar, it has plenty of other sweet and savory uses…
Like Applesauce Custard Pie!
Applesauce Custard Pie
Ingredients
- 1 9- inch pie crust unbaked
- 2 organic or pastured eggs
- 2/3 cup maple syrup
- 1/2 cup grass-fed butter melted, or
- 1 cup unsweetened applesauce smooth
- 3 tablespoons sprouted pastry flour OR 1-1/2 tablespoons tapioca starch
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
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Whisk together eggs, maple syrup, melted butter, applesauce, and lemon juice until emulsified.
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Add flour or tapioca starch and whisk vigorously until thoroughly combined.
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Pour the filling into prepared pie crust.
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Bake 45 minutes or until the middle is set and the crust is golden brown.
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Allow to cool to room temperature before slicing.
Recipe Notes
- Applesauce is easy to can or freeze, with backyard gardeners and food preservationists filling their pantry shelves with many healthy, tasty calories for the long winter months.
A Few Notes
For this recipe, start with smooth, unsweetened applesauce. I happen to like chunky applesauce, so I simply whirl mine through a blender or food processor. Since this pie has additional maple syrup for sweetening, sweetened applesauce would likely make it too sweet.
Consider using a spiced applesauce if that’s what happens to be in your pantry!
Use your personal favorite pie crust for this recipe — any crust does the job. If you need some ideas, try a Coconut Flour Crust, Sprouted Pie Crust, or Sourdough Crust.
To make this gluten-free, thicken the filling with tapioca starch.
For a stronger apple flavor, use a light-colored A grade maple syrup. Or for more pronounced maple notes, use a darker grade B syrup. It’s all delightful — just use what’s on hand!
Once the pie crust is made, the filling whips up quickly. It’s a great choice for busy days or potlucks, since all it takes it the popping open of a jar — no peeling or slicing!
As winter carries on, and those jars of applesauce start to look not-quite-as-appealing when snack time rolls around, whip up an applesauce pie for a refreshing (and tasty) change!
This is a sweet dessert and can go a long way towards brightening up the long days of winter — and providing a delicious reminder for all the reasons we work so hard to put applesauce in our pantry in the first place.
Do you preserve applesauce? What is your favorite way to use it?
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This sounds delicious! However, I don’t have sprouted pastry flour. Will this work with regular whole wheat flour or do I need to wait to try it until I get grain or tapioca starch? Also, can the amount of syrup be reduced or is its current proportion essential to the success of the recipe?
In my experience, whole wheat flour will work in place of the sprouted flour just fine. As for adjusting the maple syrup, less liquid would probably need less flour for thickening but I don’t know how much. I didn’t test it with less syrup.
Thank you – I’m trying it tonight (a little late on Pi(e) Day) with whole wheat flour. Does it need to be kept in the fridge or can it be stored on the counter?
I’ve done both but I like the firmer texture of it after it’s been in the fridge. How did it turn out?
Thanks – it turned out pretty well. We didn’t bother making room in the fridge as it’s almost gone already ;). I used a pie crust recipe I hadn’t tried before (as I haven’t really made pies much) and it was super buttery – very tasty, but I did remove a bit of the butter puddle from the top of the custard :p. The texture of the pie is lovely – so smooth! Thanks for sharing this recipe. Do you happen to have one for a plain (not apple) custard pie? One of my kids is anti-applesauce, so she wouldn’t eat this one, which meant I “had” to eat more of it :P.
quick question: do you use both butter and applesauce? I’m not clear.
Thanks! (ps:former southwest Montana girl!)
You can use melted butter or coconut oil. Do use both melted butter / oil & applesauce.