PIE A LA APPLE

Apple pie baked in an apple? Genius. Here's what you need --

Pie A La Apple
4 large apples (Northern Spy, Golden Delicious, or Rome are the best banking apples)
1 (21 ounce) can apple pie filling OR from scratch (see below)
1 teaspoon cinnamon (or nutmeg, or allspice - whatever your taste preference)
1 store-bought pie crust - use just 1 of the 2 crusts in the box OR from scratch

1. Preheat oven to 400º F.
2. Slice the top off each of your apples and scoop out the inside of the apple. Paring knife and a spoon to hollow out the apple work best.
3. In a small bowl, mix the filling with the cinnamon. Spoon the filling into the well of each apple.
4. Unroll the pie crust and cut it into fourths; one for each apple. Then out of each quarter into 1/4-inch strips. 
5. Lay strips of the dough on top of the apple. Then take one new strip at a time and alternate weaving it over and under the pie strips already in place. Repeat until the top of the apple has been covered. Trim excess pie crust around the edges with a knife. For a nice golden brown crust you'll need to brush it with either milk or cream, or with an egg wash (mix 1 egg and 1 tbsp water). 
6. Place apples in a baking dish and fill with 1/4-inch of water. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Remove from baking dish. You can eat it plain,  drizzle salted caramel over the top, add whipped cream, or eat it with a scoop of your favorite icecream. Enjoy!

Apple Pie Filling from Scratch

2 small apples (Northern Spy, Golden Delicious, or Rome are the best banking apples)

1 teaspoon arrowroot (or cornstarch or 2 teaspoons flour)

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon (or nutmeg, or allspice - whatever your taste preference)

squeeze of lemon juice (optional)

1. Peel and finely dice apples.
2. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, cook the apples, arrowroot, sugar, and lemon juice. Stir constantly for 5 minutes. Switch to low heat and allow to simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool for 20 minutes. 

Tip: if you believe in the idiom 'waste not, want not' then you can always used the cored out apple for your filling. Just try to keep the chunks bite-sized if possible.

The original recipe is by Girl Who Ate Everything via Tablespoon but I came across it at thekitchn.