Homemade Apple Face Pie

Mix the flour with the salt in a large bowl. Add the cold butter in small pieces and mix. Cut the butter with a pastry blender into pea-sized pieces. Mix the ice water with vinegar and add gradually to the bowl, mix until the dough starts coming together. Do not knead much, the dough should not be too wet or sticky – it should just hold together. Wrap in plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least 1 hour.

Roll out half of the dough on a floured surface to a round circle which is slightly larger than a 9 inches (23cm) pie dish – keeps the rest of the dough in the fridge. Transfer the dough to the pie dish and press to the bottom and sides – the dough should overlap slightly. Prick with a fork several times and place in the fridge for about 30 minutes.

Peel and core the apples. Cut into thin slices, add to a bowl and mix with the lemon juice so the apples won’t brown. Set aside. Add the butter to a large pot and bring to a boil. Add the flour and mix until you get a thick paste. Add the apple juice and mix in. Add both sugars, cinnamon, and salt and mix until well combined. Add the apples and mix. Reduce the heat and let simmer for 2-3 minutes. Take off the heat and let cool down a bit.

Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Take the remaining dough out of the fridge and keep a bit for the eyes and nose and roll out the rest on a floured surface to a circle with the size of the pie dish. Form the nose and place in the middle. Make rolls out of dough for the eyes and place them on the face. Forming and making the parts stick to the dough circle works best with a small spatula and a wooden skewer to get everything in shape.

Cut a hole where the mouth should be and form lips. Sprinkle the semolina on top of the dough in the pie dish and fill in the cooled apple filling, smooth out the top. Whisk the egg and brush the sides of the dough in the pie dish.

Carefully place the face on top of the apples and press down on the sides. Cut off excess dough and use a fork to press the edges together and to get a nice pattern around the pie. Brush the top (the face) with the egg wash and bake the pie for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350°F (180°C) and bake another 35-40 minutes until the pie got a nice golden color. If it gets too dark, cover with some aluminum foil.

Take out the dough and let cool down completely. To finish the pie, mix the food color with some water and give the face a nice “make up” by making the nostrils darker, the lips, eyes etc. so it looks even scarier 😉 Serve with your favorite ice cream or some blood sauce (raspberry sauce of course)!