My great-grandmother Nellene (Nell) created this recipe. I never got to meet Nellene, but her pie has been the stuff of legends ever since. She was very careful who she shared the recipe with and kept it pretty much a secret recipe until it fell into my hands.
(Apparently, I have no gifting in the keep recipes secret department).
Nell’s pie is so much easier to make than a traditional 2 crust apple pie. And
everyone who tries it, is an immediate convert.
But. This pie is especially beloved by those of the
male persuasion.
Seriously. Young. Old. In da middle. Undying love is profusely pledged for this pie. It’s quite a spectacle.
When my dad was diagnosed with diabetes, I began making his with Splenda instead of sugar. Because, my dad? He insists he CANNOT LIVE WITHOUT THIS PIE.
So… are you convinced to try Nell’s recipe?
Start with a piecrust. I make mine ahead in
large batches and keep them in the freezer. But use whatever crust you like... From scratch or the grocer’s freezer.
Once the crust is in the pan and the edges crimped, dump 1/2 cup flour and 1/2 cup white sugar into the bottom of the crust. Mix gently with a fork until blended.
Mound up the pie with peeled, cored and thinly sliced apples. The original recipe calls for golden delicious apples. I’ve tried a few other apples, but always come back to the golden delicious variety. They seem to work the best and they’re easy to find at the store year round.
If your apples are a little tart, sprinkle the top with up to 1/2 cup more sugar. I almost always opt out of this step. They’re usually sweet enough.
Take a carton of whipping cream and start slowly pouring cream over the apples. Try to get a bit of cream on all the top apple slices.
Dust lightly with ground nutmeg. No, it’s not the usual apple pie spice, but trust me on this one. It just works.
Bake at 350 degrees for 40-50 minutes.
Nell’s Cream Apple Pie
1 prepared pie crust
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
4-5 golden delicious apples
1/4 to 1/2 cup additional sugar for dusting (optional)
1 to 1-1/2 cups whipping cream
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Place pie crust in a 9” pie plate and crimp edges. Mix 1/2 cup flour and 1/2 cup sugar in bottom of the crust. Peel, core and thinly slice apples and mound them on top of flour/sugar mixture. Dust with additional sugar, to taste. Sprinkle with nutmeg. Pour whipping cream over the apples. Try to get each apple covered with just a bit of cream. Bake at 350 degrees 40-50 minutes.
