Paper Bag Apple Pie

This recipe is from an old church cookbook, and it's a great little twist on traditional apple pie!

You'll need a regular brown paper grocery bag, plus the following ingredients:

1 9" unbaked pie shell
about 7 cups peeled & sliced apples (for a deep dish pie I use about 10 small apples)
2 T lemon juice
3 T flour
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 c sugar (I always include this because I use tart apples to make pie; if your apples are sweeter you won't need as much sugar)

Topping:
3/4 c sugar
3/4 c flour
3/4 c butter (1 1/2 sticks), softened

Combine apple slices in a large bowl, with lemon juice, flour, nutmeg, cinnamon, & 1/4 c sugar.  Toss to coat evenly.  Put into pie shell.  Combine topping ingredients, which makes almost like a sugar cookie or a shortbread dough, and spread/pat it evenly over the top of the apples. 

Slide pie carefully into a brown paper bag, on top of a large cookie sheet.  I always make sure to invert the side folds of the bag so they're poking OUT, so that the paper doesn't absorb the butter from the topping & crust.  Fold the end and secure with paper clips or staples.  Bake at 425* for 1 hour.

Using a paper bag allows the pie to bake evenly and it turns out just right every time!  Also, one little note: I have made this pie probably 10 times and I've never had the paper catch fire in the oven.  It often gives off a burnt paper odor as it's cooking, but it's never a very strong smell and it's only for the first little while of cooking time.

Give this recipe a try; the cookie-like topping on the pie and the paper bag technique make it a winner!