Senator Robert Dole's Apple Pie

This 1988 Ladies Home Journal first prize apple pie winner was from the senator's wife, Elizabeth Dole.

Filling
6 tart apples (Granny Smith, Jonathan
    or Pippin), peeled, cored, sliced
2/3 cup granulated sugar
Water
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch of nutmeg

Combine apples, sugar and 1/2 cup water in a large skillet. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, then cover and cook 5 minutes. Dissolve cornstarch in 1/4 cup water in a small bowl; stir into apple mixture. Bring to a boil, then cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in the butter, cinnamon and nutmeg. Cool.

Pastry
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Beat the butter and brown sugar in mixing bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. With mixer at low speed, beat in the flour and pecans. Press dough into a 10-inch pie plate and refrigerate 10 minutes.

Topping
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/8 teaspoon mace
1/4 cup cold butter, cut up

Combine flour, pecans, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger and mace in a medium bowl. With a pastry blender or 2 knives, cut in the butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Spoon filling into the pastry shell. Sprinkle topping evenly over apples. Bake for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees F. Bake for 30 minutes more or until apples are tender. If topping browns too quickly, cover loosely with foil. Cool on a wire rack.