Bourbon Apple Pie for the ultimate Pi Day

Not only is it Pi Day this week, it is the ULTIMATE PI DAY! Every March 14th is Pi Day because the date matches up with the first 3 numbers of pi 3/14. But this year, the date matches up with the first 5 numbers! 3.1415 and 3/14/15! If that's not cool I don't know what is.

If you want to get really technical, we can go even further. Take pi in a less rounded form: 3.141592653. On 3/14/15 at 9:26:53 AM it will be precisely perfect pi time. Or, as I like to say, PIE TIME! Because anytime is pie time. But really, how cool is that? This is the most important pi day of our century! What would really be cool is if the year was 1592, because the date would match perfectly. But then we wouldn't be here reading about pie for pi day on the internet, would we? I guess this will just have to do.

Can you tell I enjoy math? I'm a nerd, I know.

And what better to go with math than pie? Bourbon? I thought that might be the case. Good thing thing I've got both covered.

Enter: Bourbon Apple Pie.

Take an amazingly delicious apple pie, add bourbon, and you have this. A super amazingly delicious bourbon apple pie. 

I thought about going for a caramel apple pie, but that would require making caramel sauce. And I'm still scarred from trying 3 times in one day a few years ago, and failing miserably. So no caramel sauce making here. Not until my emotional wounds have healed at least.

The bourbon gives it a really nice warmness. Almost caramel-y, a little bit oaky, and just plain delicious. If you're worried about the alcohol, a majority of it gets baked out in the oven. Just think of it like "bourbon extract", since vanilla extract has alcohol, and you use that in just about everything! This just gives a nice bourbon-y aftertaste, without the alcohol taste.

Warm, cinnamon-y, brown sugar-y, and distinctly bourbon-y. The filling gets so perfectly thick and gooey. No runny apple pies here. And the crust? Don't even get me started with the crust. The flakiest crust ever! So buttery, light, and flakey.

My pie crust tutorial can be found in this post, where I have lots of photos to show the steps!

Whether you make this pie for pi day or a different occasion- you will love it!

Bourbon Apple Pie

Ingredients

• 4-5 large granny smith apples
• 2 tea. lemon juice
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
• 2 tea. cinnamon
• 1/2 tea. nutmeg
• 3 T. bourbon, or preferred whiskey
• 4 T. flour
• 1 T. cornstarch
• 1 large egg, for eggwash
• 2 T. milk or heavy cream, for eggwash

Cooking Directions

1. Peel, core, and slice the apples.
2. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients and stir to evenly coat the apple slices.
3. Scoop the apple mixture into a prepared pie dish with bottom crust, and pour the excess juice over the apples.
4. Place the pie in the refrigerator while you roll out the top crust.
5. Cover with top crust, crimp edges, and slice vents into the top.
6. Coat with eggwash if prefered (1 egg + 2 T. milk or cream).
7. Bake at 400 F for 50-65 minutes, until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbling.
8. Let cool for at least 1 hour before cutting and serving.

*** If crust starts browning too quickly, cover loosely with foil to prevent burning.

Pie Crust

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 2 T. sugar
• 1/2 tea. salt
• 1 cup butter, COLD, cut into cubes
• 1/2 cup ice cold water

Cooking Directions

1. Mix flour, sugar, and salt together in a food processor.
2. Add in cold butter cubes and pulse for 20-30 seconds, until butter chunks are the size of peas.
3. Blend in ice cold water. Dough won't come together yet, but dump it out onto a sheet of plastic wrap.
4. Gently shape it together to form 2 discs of equal size.
5. Cover in plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least 1 hour before using.