“No-Fry” Apple Pies

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Prepare a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

Heat the butter in a large skillet over medium heat until melted. Add the apples, sugar, cinnamon and lemon juice. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the apples are soft, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and let the filling cool, about 15 minutes.

Cut the Whole Wheat Pie Crust into 8 equal pieces. On a lightly floured surface, roll each piece into a 5-inch round. Spoon 2 tablespoons filling slightly off center of each round. Fold each round over the filling to make a half-moon shape. Seal by pressing the edges with the tines of a fork. Prick or slice the top of each pie 2 or 3 times to vent. Bake until golden, about 20 minutes. A little of the filling may bubble out. Cool on the baking sheet on a rack, about 5 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature and garnish with mint if desired.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, flaxseed meal, cinnamon, baking powder and salt. Place the mixture into a food processor and add the butter and lemon zest. Pulse until the butter and lemon zest begin to make the mixture crumbly. Drizzle in the water while you pulse the dough until it starts to pull away from the side of the bowl.

Divide the dough in half and shape each half into a disk. On a floured surface, roll each disk out until about 1-inch thick. Wrap the disks in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

When ready to use the dough, remove 1 disk from the fridge and let stand for 10 minutes. Reserve the other disk for another use.

Cook’s Note: To add more flavor and richness to this dough, you can grind up pecans or walnuts to a fine texture and sprinkle about 1 tablespoon over the center your dough as you are rolling it out. This will add a nice nutty and buttery flavor to the whole wheat crust. Yield: 2 doughs.