Easy Flat Apple Pie

Since my daughter Abbi turned ten years old back in June, she has been asking to either bake or cook independently from me on a regular basis.  Part of my job as her mother is to allow her to grow in her abilities in a supportive way. The past several years I've taught her how to use several of my kitchen appliances and prefer to let her experiment in the kitchen with very little supervision. I'm trying to be intentional about not projecting my own expectations or techniques on how to cook or bake in order to allow her to develop her own sense of expertise.

To be honest, it has been both challenging and exciting to see her grow in her cooking abilities without much fear of failure. Oftentimes Abigail will go through my cookbooks and find a recipe she wants to create. I allow her to prepare her dish with very little help from me unless she asks.  Sometimes the dish turns out wonderful and at other times it's what I call a "learning experience".

When Abigail walked through the front door after school yesterday, the first thing she asked me was if I would let her bake something. Together, we worked on baking a very easy flat apple pie. I thought this would be a great opportunity to teach her a basic dish she could easily prepare again in the future without my help. The nice thing about this recipe is that it requires no pie pan and only makes 4 servings. After all, the downside of baking a whole dessert is having to eat it all.

Together we made this Easy Flat Apple Pie and I felt a sense of motherly pride knowing afterward I imparted the gift of cooking (knowledge) for Abigail to use in her own culinary journey long after she moves out of the house someday. But for right now I'm relishing in our time together as her confidence grows in the kitchen.