Apple Pie Recipe

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This ICONIC American dessert is so good when done right. Tender apples bursting with flavor get brightened up with a hit of lemon and are the perfect contrast to that crisp flakey butter crust.

Instead of adding lots of flour or cornstarch to thicken the filling I cook the juices down into an apple caramel, which holds all those apple pieced together and really amps up the flavor. 

Steps To Make Pie Crust

How Do You Make Pie Crust?

Just a heads up, you will want to make this pastry crust at least 30 minutes in advance. If you’re a pie making novice, OR want to know how to make it without a food processor head over to my Pie Crust Recipe post. It has a full how to video on making the PERFECT pie crust every time.

It’s best to make two separate batches of dough. One for the bottom and one for the lattice. Most processors aren’t big enough for a giant batch and when making it by hand it’s more manageable to have a smaller batch.

1. Start off by adding the all-purpose flour, sugar and salt in a food processor. Give it a few pulses before adding the butter.
2. Cut the COLD butter up into tablespoon sized pieces and add it to the flour mixture. Pulse a few times until the butter is in pea-sized clumps. In a small bowl mix together the ice water and vodka. Drizzle the mixture into the processor while pulsing. If you can squeeze the dough into a clump that stays together it’s done. If not, add in another tablespoon of ice water. P.S. The vodka will bake off so don’t worry about adding it in!
3. Transfer the dough onto a pastry mat or another floured surface and knead 2 to 3 times just to help it come together a bit. Gently flatten the dough into a one-inch thick disk and cover it in plastic wrap or a ziplock bag, then place it in the fridge to chill for about 30 minutes to an hour.

How To Make Apple Pie

• Peel and cut the apples’ flesh away from the core. Dice into piece an inch or less in size.
• Transfer diced apples into a large bowl and pour fresh squeezed lemon juice over them.

What are the best apples for apple pie?

Apples with a nice balance of acid and sweetness are best for baking pies. Honey crisps, granny smith, braeburn, golden delicious, and cortlans apples are all great choices. Use your favorite and enjoy! Never use red delicious…

• Toss the apples with sugar and cinnamon.
• Melt butter in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add apple mixture and cook until the apples soften a bit. While the apples are softening you can mix the corn starch in.

• Pour the mixture into a strainer over a bowl to separate the juices out. Pour the juice back into the pan and place the softened apples into a bowl.
• Cook the apple juices down until bubbly and thickened. It will become a delicious caramel with lots of apple and lemon flavor. Once thickened pour onto the apples and mix well to combine. Set aside to cool while you prepare the crust.

• Roll out your chilled pie crust into two disks about 1/4 inch thick. Place one into your pie dish leaving half an inch of overhang. Cut the other into strips. You can choose any thickness for them but I tend to like mine to be almost an inch thick.
• Add the apple filling into the pie shell and smooth the top. Any crevices can lead to pastry on top sagging.

• Construct your lattice top by placing one set of strips on the pie then fold every other strip over. Place a strip of dough perpendicular to the others just next to the place you folded the others. Fold down the strips and repeat the process with the alternating strips until the lattice is complete.
• Trim the strips and fold under the bottom layer of pie dough, pinch together to bind the layers together.

• Brush the lattice THOROUGHLY with the egg wash. Be gentle so as not to mar the lattice. The egg wash makes a huge difference in the pie’s appearance giving a golden shiny finish.
• Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and bake at 350f until golden brown in the center, about 45-50 minutes. I ALWAYS tent my pies. This means protecting the edge with a long sheet of foil folded in half. This way the pie’s edge stays golden when the center bakes instead of burning!

How do you make soft apples for apple pie?

1. Peel, core and slice your apples and place them in a large bowl.
2. Use a strainer to pour the lemon juice on top of the apple slices and give them a toss.
3. Once the apples are coated with the lemon juice, pour the sugar on them as well.
4. Give the apples a toss to make sure everything is evenly coated. Melt the butter in a pan over medium-high heat and add the apples. Cook them, stirring, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture begins to simmer. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low and cook until the apples soften. About 7 minutes.

PRO TIPS for making Apple Pie

• Adding vodka to your ice water will help bring the dough together but won’t toughen your crust by activating the gluten. The alchohol baked off so there’s no need to worry about taste being impacted.
• Try adding a teaspoon or two of cinnamon to the dry ingredients of your crust. You’ll end up with a nice depth or flavor and beautiful color.
• Give the egg wash a thorough mix for a nice even golden crust. Globs of egg whites will mar the look and texture.
• You can make the pie dough and filling a day or two in advance. Just assemble and bake the day of for a fresh out of the oven pie in a jiffy.
• This recipe makes enough filling and dough for an 8″ dish. If you’re using a deep dish or slightly larger size you need to DOUBLE the filling recipe.
• TENT that crust during baking. You need to cover the edge with foil so it doesn’t burn while you wait for the center to get nice and golden.

If you’ve tried this apple pie recipe then don’t forget to leave a rating and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!

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Apple Pie Recipe

The best apple pie recipe with a crisp butter crust surrounding a perfectly sweet, tender cinnamon apple filling busting with flavor.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 45 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Servings 10 Slices

Calories 715 kcal

Author John Kanell

Ingredients

For the Filling:

• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 3 lbs apples Honey crisp, Cortland, or Mitsu
• 2/3 cup sugar plus more for sprinkling on the pie
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 pinch ground nutmeg
• 1 tbsp corn starch

For the Pie Crust:

• 2 cups unsalted butter Very cold, 452g
• 5 cups all-purpose flour 600g
• 1/2 cup sugar 100g
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 cup vodka
• 6 tbsp ice water

For the Assembly

• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp cream
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Instructions

For the Pie Dough

1. It's easiest to make the pie dough in two batches. You can halve the ingredients above or head over to my pie crust recipe and make it twice. Allow at least 30 minutes of chill time for the dough.

2. Add the 2 1/2 cups pastry flour, 1/4 cup sugar, and 1/4 tsp salt into a food processor. Give it a few pulses.

3. Cut 1 cup of COLD butter into tbsp size pieces. Transfer to food processor and pulse until the butter is cut into small lentil-sized clumps.

4. Mix 3 tbsp ice water and 2 tbsp vodka together in a small cup and slowly drizzle into processor while pulsing. If the mixture doesn't hold together when you squeezer a clump in your hand then add a bit more water and pulse. 

5. Transfer dough onto a pastry mat or sheet of plastic wrap and knead 2-3 times just to help it come together a bit. Gently flatten into a one inch-thick disk, and cover in plastic wrap. Place in the fridge to chill for about 30 minutes to an hour.

6. Repeat above steps for second batch.

For the Filling

1. Peel, core and slice your apples, then toss with the lemon juice.

2. Add the sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg then toss to combine evenly.

3. In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the apples, and cook, stirring, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture begins to simmer, about 2 minutes. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook until the apples soften and release most of their juices, about 7 minutes. While the apples are cooking down you can mix in the corn starch.

4. Pour the apples into a strainer set over a large bowl. Set the apples aside and pour juice back into the pan. Cook at medium-high heat stirring frequently until the liquid bubbles vigorously and thickens.

5. In a medium bowl, toss the apples with the reduced juice and spices. Set aside to cool completely.

6. Roll out your both of your chilled pie dough batches into two disks about 1/4 inch thick. Place one into your pie dish leaving half an inch of overhang. Cut the other into strips. You can choose any thickness for them but I tend to like mine to be almost an inch thick.

7. Add your filling to the dish. smooth out surface with a spatula. Any voids can cause the lattice top to sag.

8. Construct your lattice top by placing one set of strips on the pie then fold every other strip over. Place a strip of dough perpendicular to the others just next to the place you folded the others. Fold down the strips and repeat the process with the alternating strips until the lattice is complete.

9. Trim the strips and fold under the bottom layer of pie dough. pinch together to bind the layers together.

10. In a small bowl add one egg and a tablespoon of cream or milk. Mix very well together. Brush the lattice THOROUGHLY with the egg wash. Be gentle so as not to mar the lattice. The egg wash makes a huge difference in the pie’s appearance giving a golden shiny finish.

11. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and bake at 350f until golden brown in the center, about 45-50 minutes. I ALWAYS tent my pies. This means protecting the edge with a long sheet of foil folded in half. This way the pie’s edge stays golden when the center bakes instead of burning!

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

• Adding vodka to your ice water will help bring the dough together but won't toughen your crust by activating the gluten. The alchohol baked off so there's no need to worry about taste being impacted.
• Try adding a teaspoon or two of cinnamon to the dry ingredients of your crust. You'll end up with a nice depth or flavor and beautiful color.
• Give the egg wash a thorough mix for a nice even golden crust. Globs of egg whites will mar the look and texture.
• You can make the pie dough and filling a day or two in advance. Just assemble and bake the day of for a fresh out of the oven pie in a jiffy.
• This recipe makes enough filling and dough for an 8" dish. If you're using a deep dish or slightly larger size you need to DOUBLE the filling recipe.
• TENT that crust during baking. You need to cover the edge with foil so it doesn't burn while you wait for the center to get nice and golden.

Nutrition Facts

Apple Pie Recipe

Amount Per Serving (125 g)

Calories 715 Calories from Fat 387

% Daily Value*

Fat 43g66%

Saturated Fat 27g135%

Cholesterol 128mg43%

Sodium 248mg10%

Potassium 229mg7%

Carbohydrates 94g31%

Fiber 5g20%

Sugar 41g46%

Protein 8g16%

Vitamin A 1395IU28%

Vitamin C 6.3mg8%

Calcium 35mg4%

Iron 3.2mg18%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.