Sometimes a pie is just a pie. I need one for a special occasion, so I bake it and eat a slice or two. End of story. However, one day while I was coated in flour and cinnamon, I noticed a correlation between my stress level and baking habits and came to the following life-altering conclusion:

When I’m frazzled, I bake pies, and the higher the anxiety, the more complex the pie.

Profound, I know.

Cream pies represent a moderate stress level because they are are slightly less difficult to make. They don’t have a top crust and don’t require cutting fruit into uniform pieces. I’m particularly fond of black raspberry cream pie.

However, this pie probably shouldn’t be relegated to the less-complex category because of the sacrifice required to pick the berries. A gallon of bug spray and full-body armor are necessary tools if one wants to avoid bites and scratches while harvesting the key ingredient.

My go-to recipe is my family’s French apple pie. Because it takes approximately an hour to construct, it’s perfect for reducing high levels of stress. By the time I finish slicing, rolling, and stealing samples of the crumb topping, my worries ebb to minor annoyances.

Today, in preparation for Thanksgiving, I will be in the kitchen constructing my favorite stress-reducing pie. And in spirit of helping you lessen your holiday anxiety, I offer up my family recipe.

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

French Apple Pie

Single unbaked piecrust for a 9-inch pie

Mix together:

¾ cup of sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 tablespoons minute tapioca

6-7 cups of sliced apples

Let the apples stand for fifteen minutes. Then put in unbaked piecrust and dot with butter.

Cream together:

½ cup butter

½ cup brown sugar

Then cut 1 cup of flour into the butter and sugar mixture. Sprinkle the crumbs on top of the pie. Bake at 400 degrees for 45-50 minutes. Cover with foil halfway through baking time if the crumb topping becomes too brown.