Classic Apple Pie

November 30, 2023

You’d be hard pressed to find something more classic than a good old fashioned apple pie. It’s one of those desserts that you can feel confident bringing to any get together, because the odds of someone not enjoying a warm slice of apple pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream are slim to none.

Barring dietary restrictions, what is there not to like? Buttery crust filled to the brim with tender apples in a spiced caramel sauce. I mean, c’mon. It’s pretty much perfection and we are baking one up today.

Let’s get started…

Let’s start with the stars of the show. Technically you can you any apples, however some apples will work better than others. When it comes to baking, it is best to stick with crisp apples due to their ability to maintain some texture as they bake.

Baking tends to bring out an apples natural sweetness, so you don’t have to choose the sweetest apples available. Feel free to combine some sweet and some tart if you want balance things out.

Today, I am using honeycrisp apples, but pink lady, braeburn, jonathan and granny smith apples are also great choices.

Begin by placing 1/2 cup of butter into a saucepan placed over medium heat. As soon as the butter melts, whisk in 1/4 cup of all purpose flour and cook for about 60 seconds. Add 1/4 cup of apple cider, 1/2 cup of brown sugar, 1/2 cup of granulated sugar and 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract and bring to a simmer.

Let the sauce simmer for about 3 minutes, whisking occasionally, and then transfer the saucepan off of the heat while you prepare the apples.

While the sauce is cooling, peel and slice 8 large apples (about 2 1/2 pounds) and place them in a large bowl.

Sprinkle 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg and 1/4 teaspoon of cloves over the apples and toss until all of the slices are coated.

Pour the slightly cooled sauce over the spiced apple slices and mix until everything is evenly distributed.

Now that the apple pie filling is ready to go, slightly roll your pie dough out into an 11″ round. This will give you enough room to come up the sides of a 9″ pie dish enough to connect the sides to the top crust.

Carefully transfer the pie dough into your 9″ pie dish and make sure that the sides look fairly even.

Transfer the apple pie filling into the pie dough.

Try to arrange the apples evenly throughout the pie dish, so there are no empty areas and work any excess slices toward the center of the dish.

The bottom pie dough is in place and the filling is arranged, so it is time to add the top layer.

Now the way that you top your pie is a serious decision. You can opt for the traditionally single layer with pinched edges and a few little center cuts to allow the steam to escape or you can create a little lattice top. It’s easier than it sounds!

If you want to do a lattice top, I would first Google “lattice pie tutorial” because there are. so many wonderful, easy to follow step by step instructionals out there.

This lattice top is so easy to create! Simply slice your pie dough into medium to thin strips and braid them over your pie. Trim any excess off from the sides and pinch the ends of each strip into the sides of the base piece of pie dough. We aren’t really sealing anything up, we are simply securing the strips so they maintain their position as they bake.

I also used my leaf cookie cutter to cut out some cute leaves to press around the edge of the pie.

Now that this beautiful pie is fully assembled, brush the top with an egg wash and sprinkle the whole pie with some coarse grain sugar.

The egg wash will help the crust to turn a beautiful golden brown as the pie bakes and the sugar creates a little sparkle over the crust.

Bake your pie in a 425 degree oven for 15 minutes and then reduce your ovens temperature to 350 degrees and bake for another 45 minutes.

Note: If your crust is becoming too dark before the pie is finished baking, you can lightly cover the pie with foil as it finishes baking.

Look at that beautiful crust. It is so buttery and crisp. Let the pie cool on a cooling rack for a good long time before slicing into it. I know that is probable terribly disappointing to read, but if you want your slices to resemble apple pie then all of that super hot filling has to have time to set up and this usually takes about 4 hours.

Once your apple pie has fully cooled, use a sharp knife to cut it into generous slices and grab some vanilla ice cream. The ice cream is optional, but they really are BFF’s. A slice of apple pie and scoop of vanilla ice cream are like Ricky and Lucy, like Baby and Johnny, like Pam and Jim… they belong together.

The honeycrisp apples bake up perfectly tender, but still maintain their shape and that caramel sauce is downright drinkable. The spices are just enough to compliment the apples flavors and enhance their natural sweetness.

If you have ever been inspired to bake an apple pie either for a special occasion or just for your own enjoyment, I am here to tell you that you got this and you will not be disappointed that you did.

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