How-To Make a Homemade Apple Pie with Splenda

This might not sound like it would be very good, but you’ll find that the addition of Splenda to a homemade crust in replacement of regular sugar makes all the difference; and that’s a good thing. I’ve tried this recipe with real sugar and found that the Splenda actually makes the crust flakier than plain sugar does. Even if you have never made a pie before, this recipe is a cinch to make for any occasion.

The pie crust recipe is:

2 cups flour

1 cup splenda

1 cup shortening or stick margarine

6 tbsp. of very cold water

The trick to making this pie crust is the way you put the ingredients together. This recipe will make a bottom and top crust; if you don’t want a top crust than cut all ingredients in half. Start by placing the flour and sugar in a medium sized mixing bowl. Cut in the shortening; you can actually use stick margarine, though it is a little tougher to work with. Make sure your shortening or margarine is as cold as it can be, and chop it up into smaller chunks with a knife. The next step is to use just your fingertips to rub the shortening or margarine into the flour; you want to make sure you are rolling it a little in your fingers to mix it. Be sure not to use your entire hand to mix; the colder you can maintain the pie crust the flakier it will be. After you have sufficiently mixed the shortening or margarine in, pour in the cold water one tablespoon at a time. The dough should just be moistened, but not overly sticky. Toss the dough as you would toss a salad, but with your hands instead of utensils; this will distribute the water without having to handle it too much. Pull out half of the dough and form it into a ball on a lightly floured counter. Make sure it is stuck together and wrap it in some plastic wrap, pressing it into a disk with your palm. Repeat with the other half of the dough and place them in the refrigerator. You can leave it in there overnight or just an hour; the longer you leave it in there the flakier your crust will be. You can also add a dash of spice into the crust when you mix the dry ingredients together. I use a pinch of nutmeg to bring the crust’s flavor out more.

Next is the apple pie filling:

4-5 Large Granny Smith apples (or 7 small ones)

1 cup Splenda
¼ tsp of nutmeg and cinnamon (you can just put ½ tsp of cinnamon if you don’t like nutmeg)

1 tbls. Flour

1 tbls. Lemon juice

Start by peeling, coring, and slicing the apples into very thin slices. You can place them in the same bowl you used for the dough to save yourself from another bowl to clean. Mix about 1 tablespoon of lemon juice into the apple slices and let sit while you make the topping and crust.

In a smaller bowl, mix the Splenda, flour, and desired spices together. Set this aside.

Preparing the Crust:

Preheat your oven to 450F while you prepare the next part.

Leave the disks of dough in the refrigerator as you prepare the counter for rolling them out. Take only one out, sprinkle the counter generously with flour, and have your rolling pin and the pie pan ready. Remove the wrapping and roll the crust out into a disk. It should be at least 1 inch larger than the bottom circumference of the pie pan you are using. To transport the finished bottom crust, fold the dough circle in half and pick it up. Drape the folded dough over one half of the pie pan and unfold it. Even if it tears you can easily fix it by pressing some extra dough into the tear. You will likely have some dough that is sticking out around the rim; cut this off with a sharp knife. Place the apple slices into the pie pan. You can either put a layer of apple slices into the pan and then sprinkle in some of the topping, or just put them all in and then evenly distribute the topping over the top. Prepare the top crust the same way as the bottom and place it on the top. You will want to wet the edges of the bottom crust with a little cold water and press down the edges of the top crust onto the bottom one. Make sure it is sealed by folding the top crust edges under the bottom crust edges. You can crimp the edges by using your fingers. Cut four vents in the top crust and place into preheated oven.

You will bake it at 450F for 15 minutes and reduce the heat to 325F for another 30-35 minutes. Check on the pie at intervals to make sure the edges aren’t cooking too quickly; if they are browning too fast than you can wrap a little aluminum foil over just the edges. The pie is done when the crust is stiff and golden brown and the filling is bubbly. Let cool for at least 30 minutes before serving. Top with some diet vanilla ice cream and enjoy a homemade treat.