Baking Day

Yesterday was baking day. We're heading up to the lake early this Saturday morning. Before we leave, I like to freeze some baking to enjoy while we're away. I always make my husbands favourite chocolate chip cookies, and butter tarts - which are my favourite. I also like to make some scones and something else sweet, like sticky buns for with coffee on the dock in the early morning. I had apples that needed to be eaten and figured they would make perfect little apple pies. We couldn't resist splitting one already for dessert - they were just too tempting cooling on the counter! There are few things more homey than a warm, apple pie. My mother-in-law always insists that an apple pie warming in the oven at an open house practically sells the house itself. Whatever I end up making, it's aways appreciated with nothing but a few crumbs left for the cottage mice by the time we're ready to head home.

Here is my super easy pie crust recipe for buttery, flaky pie crust.

In a large bowl combine the following:

2 cups flour

2 tbsp. sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

Cut in 1 1/2 lbs. (or 12 tbsp.) of very cold butter until the mixture resembles small peas. Next, add 1/2 cup of ice water slowly and combine with a fork. The dough will begin to stick together loosely. When the happens, working quickly, turn loose dough out onto lightly floured surface and kneed just a couple times quickly to bring it to a rough ball. Wrap in plastic and chill for 1 hour. Once chilled, dough can be rolled out on a floured surface to desired thickness. This recipe generally makes one covered pie or 12 regular butter tart shells (when rolled out to about a 1/4 inch thickness). The most important thing to remember is to use very cold ingredients and to handle the dough as little as possible. This insures a fluffy, flaky dough. When the dough is handled to much, it becomes more tough.