Living in the Colorado high country is pure joy. Baking in it isn’t. High altitude makes cookies spread in the pan, cakes fall, and few baked goods turn out as they do at sea level. This twice-monthly column presents recipes and tips to make baking in the mountains successful. 

Want a dessert with a winning record? Consider pandowdy, an American dish that combines apples, spices and a rich crust. It’s a true classic that’s been popular since colonial times. In this version, I’ve flavored sliced apples, dried fruit and chopped pecans with a mixture of brown sugar, maple syrup and apricot preserves and then crowned them with a sugared pie crust. The essence of simplicity, combinations like this one have charmed fruit-dessert lovers for generations.

At high altitudes, tart apples soften slowly as they bake and often aren’t done when the rest of the dessert is ready to come out of the oven. So, be sure to select sweet baking apples. Slice them no thicker than one-quarter of an inch or they may not be fully baked when the rest of the pastry is done. A maple syrup with a strong taste, like those labelled dark or extra dark, will provide better flavor than the syrup we use on pancakes. Find the dark syrup at Whole Foods, other groceries or online. Use crust dough that is pleasing in both taste and texture; it contributes a lot to the overall success of the pandowdy. My favorites for this dessert are a flaky cream cheese pastry dough or a shortbread pastry dough. 

If you don’t want to make the crust with the cookie cutter cut-outs, simply roll the dough one-eighth of an inch thick and cut it into a square or circle about an inch larger than your pan. Lay it over the filling, tuck it into the pan between the pan sides and the apples, cut a few venting slits in the top, and glaze with the cream and sprinkle with sugar. 

Apple, cranberry, pecan pandowdy

Make in an 8-by-8 baking dish or an 8-inch round ceramic or glass baker with sides that are at least 2 inches high with your favorite crust for a single-crust pie or 9-inch tart

Filling

• 1/4 packed cup dark brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 cup maple syrup, preferably Dark or Extra Dark
• 3 tablespoons apricot preserves
• 5 cups peeled, cored and sliced 1/4-inch or thinner sweet baking apples
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup chopped toasted pecans 
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon cream 
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar, preferably demerara

Preparation: Make and refrigerate your crust. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, with a rack in the lower third position. Grease the baking pan and set it aside. 

Make the filling: Place the brown sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg in a large mixing bowl and whisk to combine well. Add the maple syrup and apricot preserves and whisk/stir until all the ingredients are blended and smooth. Peel, core and cut the apples into one-quarter inch or less slices. Halve the slices horizontally, put them in the bowl, and toss until all are well coated. Set this aside.

Cut the crust: Remove the dough from the refrigerator, let it stand until it is soft enough to work with, and then roll it to a thickness of one-eighth of an inch (no thinner or the cut-outs won’t hold their shape). Using a cookie cutter (or several cutters), cut out as many cookies as you need to cover the filling. If the dough softens, slide the cut-outs onto a baking sheet and freeze until firm enough to handle with ease. 

Put ingredients in pan: Pour the apple mixture and any liquid in the bowl, into the prepared baking pan and level them. Dot the mixture with the 2 tablespoons of butter, cut into small pieces. Place the dough cookies on top of the filling, gently pushing them into it so they stay in place. Leave some small spaces between them to vent steam from the filling as it bakes. Brush the crust lightly with the cream and sprinkle it with sugar. 

Bake: Place the baking pan on a cookie sheet to catch any drips and bake until the crust is golden brown, 20-30 minutes, depending on the size and thickness of your crust. Reduce the oven temperature to 350, tent the baking dish with a sheet of aluminum foil to prevent the crust from browning further, and bake until the apples are tender (check by sticking a toothpick through the vent holes into the fruit) and the liquid is bubbling thickly. This can take from 20-30 more minutes. Times will vary so determine when the dessert is done by the changes in crust and ingredients rather than by the time spent baking. 

Cool and serve: Remove the pandowdy from the oven and let it cool for at least twenty minutes before serving. Though best served on the day it’s made, it can cool completely, be stored in the refrigerator, covered loosely with foil, and reheated in a 325-degree oven until warm to the touch. Serve warm, with cinnamon or vanilla ice cream and, for adults, a drizzle of apple brandy or rum sauce. 

Vera Dawson’s column “High Country Baking” publishes biweekly in the Summit Daily News. Dawson is a high-elevation baking instructor and author of three high-altitude cookbooks. Her recipes have been tested in her kitchen in Frisco, where she’s lived since 1991, and altered until they work at elevation. Contact her at veradawson1@gmail.com.