Apple Chai Pie

What’s September without an apple pie? Not one I want to experience! I’ve been wanting to share an apple pie recipe for a while now, but I didn’t want it to be just another “Best Apple Pie” recipe that you see all over Pinterest. So I created this Apple Chai Pie made with real Chai Tea (don’t worry you’re not eating the tea bags)! The warm spices from chai (cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, and more) goes soooo well with apple pie! Trust me, you want to make this!

Masala Chai was created thousands of years ago either in India or Thailand. And it was made by a king looking for a healing beverage. It consisted of spices only and was used by royalty for medicinal purposes. However, with the British invasion of India in the early 1800’s, black tea was added to the original spice blend. Tea at the time was too expensive to local Indians to afford so they exported it. The flavor of Chai spread around the world and now it’s everywhere!

Just a warning before I burst the “as American as apple pie” bubble! Apples are not native to North America (well the crab apple is but they’re not very tasty). Apples are indigenous to Asia and were brought to Europe and eventually to America by early settlers. Also, the recipe for apple pie was actually created in England in 1381. The first known apple pie recipe had no sugar in it, featured a lot of other fruits and the crust was known as a “coffin”. Pie crust in the 14th century was not edible, it was just a vessel to hold pie fillings. Sugar was also extremely expensive in the 1300’s. However, by the 1500’s pies were a whole lot more edible. Crusts was meant to be eaten and sugar was readily available. By the 1700’s, Apple pie recipes started showing up more in cookbooks. And that’s how apple pie came about!

Apple Chai Pie

Pie Crust

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 cup unsalted butter, cut into a few pieces
• 1/3-1/2 cup ice water

1. In the bowl of a food processor, add flour, salt and sugar. Pulse for only a few seconds.
2. Add butter pieces and pulse for a few more seconds.                 
3. Pour water in and mix until a dough forms.                                    
4. Divide dough in half, press into a disk, wrap in plastic and refrigerate while you make the pie filling!

 

Apple Chai Pie Filling

• 8 apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1/4 inch wedges
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar (you can add more if you like your pie sweeter)
• 5 Chai teabags
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon cardamom
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Prep apples by peeling, coring and cutting them into 1/4 inch wedges.
2. Add apple slices to a medium saucepan. Add butter and sugar. Mix over medium heat. Cook apples for 5 minutes.                                                                    
3. Remove from heat, pour all the liquid in the pan into a small saucepan. Heat liquid only over medium heat until simmering. Remove from heat, add tea bags and let steep for 4 minutes.                                                                        
4. Remove teabags from apple liquid, add spices, salt and flour. Whisk until combined.
5. Pour liquid back into medium saucepan with the apples, toss until completely combined and turn heat to medium.                                             
6. Cook filling until apples are soft, but not mushy!! Remove pan from heat!
7. Roll one disk of dough out and place in a 9 inch pie plate.
8. Pour apple filling into pie crust.                                                       
9. Roll out the other pie shell (be creative!) and cover pie filling.                                               
10. Bake for 45 minutes or until crust is golden and filling is bubbling!

 

Look at this gorgeous pie!  Now you see why I combined chai tea with apple pie!