"apple pie" news and stories

• The Holiday Cookie Bake-Off results are in! Which cookies made the top ten?
• Speaking of prize-winning, check out this apple pie. Breaking a few rules makes all the difference.
• For an entirely different pie experience, head to Beijing Pie House in Monterey Park. It's worth your while.
• Angelenos, looking to go out for your holiday meal? Here's a restaurant guide to who's working on Christmas and New Year's.

Happy National Apple Pie Day!

Said scribe Jane Austen, "Good apple pies are a considerable part of our domestic happiness." And arguably, there's nothing more American than a good old slice of apple pie.

The dish was first documented by British poet Robert Greene in 1590, but made its first recorded appearance in the United States in 1697, when Harvard alumni Samuel Sewell made note of it from a fruitful picnic trip. The American staple has since come a long way, with variations ranging from the cobbler, crisp, pandowdy or lattice apple pie, but the traditional variations featured by Flickr user Hakeber will eternally remain an American classic.

What's your favorite type of American pie? Argue your case and praise the iconic dessert in the comments!

Become a member of the Slashfood Flickr pool to get a shot at having your photos featured in Feast Your Eyes.

Whether you're running out of time or you just hate to bake, your dessert table doesn't have to be naked this holiday season. In addition to the fresh pies in your local bakery, there are tasty and budget-friendly options in the freezer section of your supermarket that, while probably not exactly rivaling a homemade version, come pretty close. But with so many brands to choose from, which one do you pick?

We tested six apple pies and three pumpkin pies, which we divided into four categories: Dutch apple, apple, pumpkin and an editor's pick. We chose our favorites, and tell you which ones are better left at the grocery store. All of these pies are available nationwide.

Unlike our Instant Stuffing Taste Test, no one brand dominated.

With chewy, uncooked dough, raw pie is, at first sight, no one's dream dessert. But if you radically rethink how it's made (no flour, no eggs, no butter), as raw-food guru Ani Phyo did in her Raw Food Desserts, it can be delicious. So says photographer Christaface, who submitted the image of her very own apple pie, above, and Phyo's recipe on her Flickr page (where the bonus is a recipe for raw ice cream).

So what's in that crust? Dates, ground almonds, sea salt. And the filling? Apples, cinnamon, raisins, date purée and an orange. The secret to giving it a softer, less than crunchy texture is to let it sit overnight.

Become a member of the Slashfood Flickr pool to get a shot of having your photos featured in Feast Your Eyes.

Talk about a Thanksgiving throwdown.

While there was no Bobby Flay, NBC's Meredith Vieira challenged celebrity domestic goddess Martha Stewart and her "Mile High Apple Pie" to an apple pie bake-off Wednesday morning on "The Today Show."

There were the obvious differences: Martha Stewart made her own pie crust while Meredith opted for a Flako pre-made version. Martha included lemon in her mile-high pie while Meredith did not. Meredith uses apple pie spice, Martha utilizes cinnamon.

One thing is similarly evident though between the rolling of the eyes and playful taunts, these two ladies were in it to win it.

Find out who won the Martha vs. Meredith apple pie bake-off and get the recipes after the jump.