My Favorite Szarlotka (Polish Apple Pie) with Shortcrust Pastry

As the title says, this is my favorite szarlotka (Polish apple pie). I love apple pies, and this one I could eat every single day. But I don't make it very often, because I can't control myself and I eat way too much of it. 🙂

If you already have applesauce on hand, it comes together quite quickly.

I usually add less sugar than the recipe calls for, but that's a matter of taste, so I'm giving you the original amounts.

The recipe comes from the cookbook "Kuchnia Polska" published by Reader's Digest.

Szarlotka (Polish apple pie)

Ingredients:

• 450 g all-purpose flour
• 300 g butter
• 150 g powdered sugar
• 4 egg yolks
• salt
• 1 kg tart apples, or applesauce plus half of the apples
• 100-150 g sugar (I add less, because I like it tart)
• 1 tsp cinnamon (I add more, because I love apples with cinnamon)
• 1 tbsp vanilla sugar
• 4 tbsp grated ladyfingers (biszkopty)

Knead the flour, butter, powdered sugar, egg yolks and a pinch of salt into a shortcrust dough. Once it has chilled, divide it into 2 parts. The recipe says to roll out one part into a rectangle 5 mm thick and line the baking pan with it. I prefer to simply press the dough into the pan, without rolling it out. Then prick the dough with a fork and bake for 10-15 minutes at 200°C (390°F).

Peel the apples. Cut half of them into pieces and cook them down with the sugar into a sort of marmalade. Grate the rest on the large holes of a grater and add them to the cooked apples. Add the cinnamon and vanilla sugar and mix (I use homemade applesauce and half of the apples).

Sprinkle the partially baked crust with 2 tbsp of the grated ladyfingers, spread the apple mixture over them, and sprinkle with the ladyfingers again. Here comes another change of mine. The recipe says to roll out the second part of the dough and lay it over the apples. I prefer to grate that dough on the large holes of a grater, right over the apples. In my opinion the pie is then even more tender.

If you use the rolled-out dough, prick it with a fork and bake for 45 minutes at 180°C (350°F). Sprinkle with powdered sugar while it's still hot and cut into squares.

Tips:

You can add raisins and orange zest to the apples.

The apples, or some of them, can be replaced with apricots and pears. I haven't tested that, though, because why would I, when it's perfect just the way it is?!

Enjoy!