It’s Fall, y’all. (OK, maybe it’s not technically Fall yet. But we’re back-to-school vibin’ hard over here.)
You know what that means — It’s Pie Season.
It’s not just pie in the sky — you can in fact use Big Heart Tea Co.’s tea to make apple pie even better.
Here’s how it works. Imagine BHT’s Chai. Imagine a delicious apple pie.
Now, mash them together into a spicy-sweet seasonal sensation: Chai Spiced Apple Pie.
This is the apple pie recipe you’ve been waiting for. Chai spices enliven and bold-ify the sweet, mellow flavor of baked apples — it makes for a new and novel flavor that somehow feels familiar from your very first bite.
Best of all, it’s easy as pie to make — you’ve gotta give it a chai!
Makes 1 pie
2 portions pie dough, homemade or store-bought (see recipe note)
6-8 medium apples, peeled, cored, and cut into approximately ½-inch chunks (see recipe note)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
¼ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup light brown sugar, packed
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon butter (salted or unsalted, whatever you have), melted and slightly cooled
4 bags Big Heart Tea Co. Chai
1 large egg, lightly beaten
- Make the filling. In a large bowl, combine the apples, lemon juice, flour, sugar, salt, and butter.
- Tear open the tea bags and pour the contents in the bowl. Stir everything together. Let the mixture sit for about 30 minutes before you proceed (this will really let all the flavors combine).
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Prep the bottom crust. Roll out one of the pie dough portions and place it in a 9-inch pie dish (if using a pre-made frozen pie crust, skip that). Trim and crimp the edges as you see fit.
- Give the filling a little taste. Does it taste spicy enough for ya? Great. Spoon the filling into the crust. Need a little more spice? Give it a shake of cinnamon and nutmeg (or pumpkin pie spice) or add the contents of another tea bag.
- Roll out the second portion of pie dough (if a frozen portion, roll it on a floured surface; you might need to bunch it together and re-roll to repair any cracks that result if you’re rolling out a portion that was already in a plate). Roll it into a circle with an approximately 12-inch diameter.
- From here, choose your adventure. For a full double crust, you can place the pie dough round on top of the filling, trim the edges, and vent the top in a few spots to let the pie release steam while it bakes. Or, you can make a lattice crust or decorative crust (for the pie pictured, I cut the dough into strips, rolled them snail-style, then placed them irregularly over the top surface of the pie).
- Brush the top crust with the egg mixture.
- Place the pie on top of a baking sheet, and bake for 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes, rotate the pie, turn down the heat to 375 degrees F, and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until browned to your liking (if you’re worried that the crust is baking too fast when you check and rotate at the 20-minute mark, place some foil on top).
- Remove from the oven, and let cool completely — it’ll take longer than you think, a couple of hours (otherwise it’ll be super goopy when you cut into it). Store leftovers in the fridge.
Recipe Notes
- Want to make your own pie dough? Bless you. Here’s a great recipe.
- Don’t want to make your own pie dough? You can purchase either frozen or refrigerated pie dough. If you purchase frozen dough, let the portion you’ll use for the top crust thaw to cool room temperature then roll it out before using.
- How do you like them apples? You can use whatever type of apples you like in this recipe: Granny Smith, Gala, Golden Delicious, Pink Lady, etc. Personally, I find McIntosh apples mealy so I don’t recommend them, but you do you.
More Recipes to Chai — Err, Try:
Here are a few more ways to enjoy Big Heart Tea Co.’s Chai:
About the author:
My name is Jessie Oleson Moore. I used to be a minor internet baking celebrity thanks to my former blog, CakeSpy. Now, I’m a freewheeling freelance writer, illustrator, and baking enthusiast. I’m also a new mom, and as such I’m particularly interested in recipes that are easy to make, easy to store, and that my kid will enjoy baking with me, enjo