Apple-less Apple Pie

I was searching for an apple pie recipe the other day, and I found a really interesting one. It didn't use any apples, but guaranteed that it tasted exactly the same. I tried it out, and they were right! You couldn't even tell that there weren't any apples in it! I tweaked the recipe a little to fit my taste and available materials, but you can find the original recipe here.

Ingredients:

• 168g (1.5c) almond flour
• 20g (1/4c) coconut flour
• 48g (1/4c) sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 127.5g (3/8c) butter
• 1 egg

Directions:

Pulse all the dry ingredients in a food processor. Add the butter, then the egg. Pulse until a dough forms. Wrap the dough in saran wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour.

You have to prepare your ingredients for the filling. I didn't, and let's just say it didn't go too well : /

Ingredients:

• 1 kg zucchini
• 1 Tbsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• pinch of salt

Direction:

Peel and dice your zucchini. Place it in a bowl. Measure all your spices into another bowl. It's fine if you combine them since we're going to anyway.

Note: When you're cooking the filling, make sure to watch over the pot and stir it occasionally. If you get bored and walk away like me, your filling will most likely over thicken. If it does over thicken, don't worry. It's still edible, just less photogenic (as you can see).

Ingredients:

• 56g (1/4 c) butter
• prepared zucchini
• prepared spices
• 43g (1/3c) sugar
• two packets of lemon powder (or two fresh lemon wedges)

Directions:

Simmer the butter until brown. Toss in your zucchini and spices into the pan. Add the sugar and lemon packets. Mix thoroughly. Simmer the mix covered for 15 minutes. Check the filling and taste it after 15 minutes. You'll probably need to add more lemon or sugar, depending on your preference. Simmer it for 10 more minutes, uncovered, and continue mixing it. Let it simmer until it thickens. Cool.

It's pretty simple to make the crust, but the first thing we'll have to do is prepare the pie pan. Cover the bottom of pan in parchment paper, and liberally spray your non-stick spray around the pan.

Take your crust dough from the fridge after it's done cooling, and split it into two separate pieces. Take the larger of the two pieces and place it on your pie pan. Simply flatten the dough to mimic the shape of the pan. It's best if you shape your dough to make high edges. You can use a special tool, but I just used my good 'ol fashioned hands.

Once you're satisfied with the crust, pour the filling into it. Preferably, we'll want the filling to be evenly spread out.

You can do any type of pie top you want, but if you need any ideas, visit Martha Stewart's website. I decided to go for a simple circular top with four slits cut around the center of the pie.

The first thing to do for all types of crust is to flatten the dough. I like to roll the dough between two pieces of parchment paper for less sticking. This dough is stickier though, so I also used non-stick spray on the parchment.

To place the top on the pie, I just flipped it over on top. There's probably a better way of doing it, but hey, it worked. If your dough is soft like mine, you'll probably get a lot of cracks in the dough. I just took the excess dough that spilled from the pan and used it to patch up the cracks. Don't worry if there are a lot of cracks since the egg wash will cover and hide those cracks later on, when we apply it.

Ingredients:

1 egg

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 390 degrees Fahrenheit. Lightly beat the egg in a small container. This is our egg wash. Brush it gently on top of our pie, making sure to cover and hide all the cracks that appeared in our last step.

You can place the pie pan in the oven, but I like to put another pan underneath it for easier grabbing. Basically, the extra pan keeps me from squashing the pie while I'm taking it in and out of the oven.

Bake the pie for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, check up on the pie. If it seems a little too light, brush some more egg wash on it. Bake again for 20-25 more minutes, or until golden brown.

Once the pie's done baking, we have to let it cool for at least 20 minutes (I know, more waiting. Ugh!). Don't complain too much though, because the longer we wait, the better your pie will taste (contradictory, right?).

I like to top my pie with whipped cream, but some other toppings I recommend are vanilla ice cream and caramel.

If you liked this instructable, please vote for it in the Kitchen Compromises Speed Challenge 2020.