It’s February, and the weather has been weird all season long. One day the birds are chirping as if it was spring, and the next, we get a winding blizzard. As we are celebrating my birthday, yay, and Valentine’s this week, it’s a sublime time to do what makes us feel joy, and that is, in my case, turning my mind’s eye towards past summer warmth and the flavors of harvest. Sooner than later, the summer will come, and we get to enjoy the richness of it once more. But until then, I will unapologetically slumber in my vibrant world of green light and share one of my last summers’ food memories, which is all about apples! Juicy, red, sweet, and tangy. Crispy green. The Apple Harvest we got was plentiful, and although we enjoyed them, it was a lot of work. After picking apples for hours, we were exhausted and, I figured that the baking part ought to be easy. Balance is everything. That’s why my recipe for the cinnamon apple pie is straightforward.

Ingredients

• organic apples
• cinnamon
• all-purpose flour
• organic coconut sugar
• baking powder
• salt
• margarine
• oat milk

Apples not Oranges

Apple trees are familiar sight adorning Finnish national landscape and common fruit tree in every other backyard and garden. They look pretty when blossoming during May and June as well as the fall dresses up those gorgeous branches with a heavy cape of round blush cheeked fruit.

I used apples from Finnish apple fall cultivars called Jaspi and Samo. They sound round and juicy to me! Jaspi apples are a little bigger, sweet, and spicy with gorgeous white flesh, whereas Samo is refreshingly crisp and subtly sweet in flavor. Both perfect for my pie. Apple a day keeps numerous things at bay, they say, but a slice of a tart will do the same. Would you agree? My boyfriend seemed to do so. He sure fell for this dessert head over heels. And now that we have certainty that this recipe works, I will pass it to you to relish it!

Valentines day traditions

Here in Finland, Valentine’s Day is a day for loving connections and friendship rather than solely for romantic love.  In elementary school, we used to walk around school during recess heart-shaped red cardboard cards hanging around our necks and whoever we hugged, got to sign the papery heart. I thought that it was slightly silly and a tad intimidating to embrace people you didn’t know that well, let alone if that special someone, the one you have eyes for, would walk by and ended up giving you an embrace.

Nonetheless, we all were happy to feel the love via such a simple gesture. Maybe we could do more of that also as grown-ups? As a total modern age romantic, I like to think that caring is daring, and we could use a lot more of it. I want to cook for the people I care about, and it is a perfect time for celebration as it is my birthday, after all!

The significance of simple

One of the reasons I kept this recipe, so simple, is that sometimes I feel overwhelmed to start something that requires a lot of attention and time. Can you relate? Although I am passionate about the complexity of food and recipe development, this is something I want to start sharing more: quick and easy yet tasty recipes that are attainable in the midst of our busy lives. And if this is how we might be able to have a moment of that beneficial “me” time without a plan, it can make a difference in our well being. And as this recipe doesn’t require much effort, go ahead and take a book or lift your feet and let the oven take care of the rest.

Let’s bake

Go ahead and start with the Star of the pie. Choose your favorite organic apples for this pie and wash them thoroughly. It’ll take about eight to ten medium-sized ones, and you can fit a lot more if you prefer a more luscious dessert. Slice the chosen fruit to wedges, and in case your apples are not organic, I suggest you peel them to avoid consuming any nasty chemicals or pesticide residue getting into your system.

After finishing the chopping, set the oven to 200  Celcius and grab a medium-sized bowl for the dough.  Next, measure all dry ingredients into it and stir before adding the oat milk and vegan margarine. I usually use my wooden spoon for these types of things, and as long as you stir the dough together quickly (steer clear from over mixing).

Now that you have mixed the dough, there is only one thing to be done. Prepare a baking tray, about 40 times 35 centimeters, with a parchment paper and scoop the pie dough on it. Spread and then the fun part, place the apple slices on top, and go ahead, whatever formation that pleases your eye will do. I usually choose a systematic and even pattern, that soothes my mind and is visually appealing. It also makes cutting easier. To each his own!

Cinnamon Apple Pie

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Vegan Cinnamon Apple Pie is made for cozy summer afternoons. It’s for coffee breaks and surprise visitors. An absolute favorite because it’s quick, sweet and freezer-friendly. She charms with slightly crumbly crust topped with succulent apple slices and a generous sprinkle of cinnamon. This pie is not too much or too little, but just about right!

• Author: Emilia Järvelä
• Prep Time: 15
• Cook Time: 30
• Total Time: 45
• Yield: 12 slices 1x
• Category: Dessert
• Cuisine: Traditional Finnish

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 6 deciliters all-purpose flour
• 1,5 deciliters organic brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 0,75 teaspoons salt
• 4 tablespoons cinnamon
• 2 deciliters oat milk
• 2 deciliters runny plant margarine
• 8–10 small sliced organic apples
• 4 tablespoons cinnamon & sugar mix

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Instructions

1. Wash apples well and slice them into wedges.
2. Heat your oven to 200 degrees Celcius.
3. Mix dry ingredients; flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl.
4. Add oat milk and runny plant margarine.
5. Mix, avoid overdoing.
6. Cover a baking tray (40 x 35 centimeters) with parchment paper and spread the dough on it.
7. Lay apple wedges on the crust.
8. Sprinkle cinnamon & sugar mix on top of apples.
9. Bake in 200 degrees Celcius for 30 minutes or until beautifully golden brown.

Notes

• The amount of cinnamon in the crust might seem like a lot but it is not a typo. Trust me with this.
• Add some vanilla and cardamom into the crust to shake it up a little.