Happy Thanksgiving!! Apple and Cranberry Streusel Pie

Thanksgiving is almost here! I for one am counting down for the day of tons of turkey, stuffing and PIE! 🙂

A few months back the wonderful folks at Bob’s Red Mill asked me to create a healthy Thanksgiving dessert featuring their products. I feel completely flattered that they asked me to do such a thing.

Here is the blog post and recipe that can also be found here on Bob’s Red Mill’s site! It is a healthy spin on the Cranberry Pear Pie from Sono Baking Company’s cookbook.

I love Thanksgiving. It is by far my favorite holiday. It is a full day spent cooking in the kitchen, eating lots of delicious food and enjoying time with friends and family.

But one thing is tough about Thanksgiving – how do you cram all of those calories into your body and not feel too guilty?

For starters, my motto is that if you are going to exercise only one day a year, Thanksgiving should be that day!  So typically I start off with a nice run in the chilly fall air with friends at the annual Turkey Trot.  It is a lot of fun, plus it usually raises money (or canned food) for those less fortunate.   It seems most cities have one, so check out what is available in your area!

Secondly, there are so many ways to make most Thanksgiving dishes a little more healthy and a little less calorie-rich.

Now don’t get freaked out. Thanksgiving is still Thanksgiving. Everything still has to taste great. I mean, what fun would it be if your cornbread stuffing was healthy but tasted like cardboard?

Well, don’t fear because this Apple and Cranberry Streusel Pie is both healthy AND delicious.

The most calorific part of a typical Thanksgiving dessert is the butter pie crust, so this pie substitutes in an oatmeal crust. Made with wonderful products from Bob’s Red Mill, this crust is full of whole grains and nutrient-rich oats. The granola-like flavor and texture stands up nicely against apple filling and is complemented beautifully by the brown sugar streusel topping. The crispy apple and cranberry sauce filling uses only a limited amount of sugar, relying mostly on the natural sweetness of fruit.

Served warm and topped with some light whipped cream, this dessert will surely be a winner and no one will ever know they were eating healthy on a day like Thanksgiving!

Apple and Cranberry Streusel Pie with Oatmeal Crust

Recipe adapted from the Sono Baking Company Cookbook

Hands-on time: 55 minutes; Total time: 2.5 hours

Time-saving tips: Make the cranberry sauce first, since it has to cool and thicken in the freezer; or prepare the day before and keep in the refrigerator. While the cranberry sauce is cooling, prepare the crust. Once you have the crust baking, start peeling and cutting the apples. The orange juice will help prevent the apples from browning if you have them ready before everything else.

Cranberry Sauce:

• ¼ cup Sugar
• ½ cup Water
• Juice from ½ Orange
• 6 ounces frozen or fresh Cranberries
• Pinch of Salt
• Zest of ½ Orange
• 1 Cinnamon Stick

1. In a medium saucepan, bring sugar, water and orange juice to a boil.
2. Add cranberries, salt, zest and cinnamon stick. Simmer over medium heat until cranberries break down (about 10 minutes).
3. Remove cinnamon stick and cover with plastic wrap. Place in the freezer for an hour (or in the refrigerator overnight if you plan ahead) so it can cool and thicken.

Oatmeal Crust:

• 1 cup Bob’s Red Mill Quick Cooking Rolled Oats
• ¼ cup packed Bob’s Red Mill Old Fashioned Brown Sugar
• ¼ cup Bob’s Red Mill Stone Ground Whole Wheat Flour
• ¼ cup ground Almonds (Place sliced almonds in a food processor for about one minute for easy ground almonds)
• ¼ tsp Salt
• 3 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
• 2 Tbsp Water

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. In a medium bowl, combine oats, sugar, flour, almonds and salt.
3. In a small bowl, mix together oil and water. Add to oat mixture and combine until holds together.
4. Press into 9” pie tin and bake for 8-10 minutes or until light brown.

Streusel Topping:

• 1/3 cup Bob’s Red Mill Stone Ground Whole Wheat Flour
• 1/3 cup Bob’s Red Mill Old Fashioned Brown Sugar
• ½ tsp Cinnamon
• Pinch of Salt
• 2.5 Tbsp chilled Butter, cut into small cubes

1. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt.
2. Add the butter using a pastry knife or fingers to blend into the flour mixture.

Filling:

• 2.5 pounds Apples (such as Granny Smith or Fuji), peeled cored and cut into 1” pieces
• Juice from ½ Orange
• 1.5 Tbsp Maple Syrup
• 2 Tbsp Bob’s Red Mill Stone Ground Whole Wheat Flour
• Prepared Cranberry Sauce (see above)

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. In a large bowl, toss together the apples, orange juice, maple syrup, flour and cranberry sauce.
3. Pour mixture into prepared pie shell.
4. Sprinkle streusel topping over the top.
5. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until golden brown and juices start to bubble.

Serve warm or at room temperature with fresh whipped cream.