Nothing tastes quite like a classic apple pie. Growing up, my Dad’s favorite dessert was always my Mom’s homemade version, and that marked it as pretty special in my mind. No pie crust was as flakey as hers, nor apples so sweet and tart, and I have so many memories of sitting around our kitchen table eating it fresh out of the oven with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Now that I’m starting my own family, I want apple pie to be just as much of a staple in our own home. I’ve been anxiously looking forward to autumn and the apple harvest, and this morning I was able to get a huge basket hand-picked by one of my friends from a tree in our backyard! My best friend came to visit, and we spent the afternoon cooking up this recipe.
This is my staple pie crust recipe, but I tried a more decorative cut-out top crust to mark the special occasion. The filling serves as the perfect marriage of sweet and tart, complementing the flakey crust perfectly. Remember to slice the apples thinly so that the sugar and cinnamon have more surface to coat as they cook down.
I had a wonderful afternoon baking with my friend and an even more wonderful dinner as we served the pie to a group of our friends and family, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream just like my mom did. It’s such a blessing to be able to carry on the traditions of your childhood even as you grow older.
Classic Apple Pie
Total Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes
Number of servings: 8
Ingredients
- Crust (Top and Bottom)
- 3 1/3 Cup Flour
- 1 tsp Salt
- 6 Tbsp Sugar optional
- 1 Stick Butter and 1/2 cup Crisco
- 4-6 Tbsp Ice Water
- Filling
- 10 medium-sized baking apples
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
- To make the crust: Add the flour, salt, and sugar if using to a large mixing bowl. Cut the butter into small cubes and add to the mixing bowl. Use clean dry hands to rub the butter into the flour until it is about the size of a pea. Spoon in a few tablespoons of ice water and mix the pastry with a knife. Form the dough into a ball and knead for 30 seconds on a floured surface until smooth.
- Wrap the pastry in plastic wrap and place it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to rest.
- When you are ready to roll out the pastry, remove it from the fridge and leave it for 5-10 minutes to warm up before rolling it out. Divide the dough in half and roll out the bottom shell, placing it in your pie pan.
- Peel the apples and remove the core. Slice into thin slices.
- Mix apples and the rest of the filling ingredients together. Pour mixture into pie shell.
- Roll out the top crust and place over the filling, crimping the edges. Cut ventilation holes in the top of the crust. For a prettier presentation, you can baste the top of the crust with an egg wash and sprinkle it with sugar.
- Bake at 375 degrees for 45-55 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the apples can be easily pierced with a fork.
