Best Ever Apple Pie – a classic recipe packed with Granny Smith apple cinnamon filling and flaky crust in a lattice pattern.
Good old fashioned apple pie – America’s most famous dessert. Today I’m sharing my version which was one of the first recipes I wrote down on a card as a kid. I wrote the date on the back – 1976. I was 10 years old. It comes from my great aunt Janet Dickson who used apples grown in her own backyard. We visited her and Uncle Doug that Summer at their home in Vienna, VA. She served us the best apple pie I’d ever tasted, so of course I had to get the recipe. Isn’t that what every 10 year old baking loving girl would do!
What’s the Secret to a Perfect Apple Pie
1) Start with a homemade crust made with cold butter. Use a food processor to make it quick and easy.
2) Adding a little bit of sugar to your pastry crust dough makes it soft and easy to work with.
3) Use tart apples such as Granny Smith green apples.
4) Sprinkle some lemon juice on the apples to keep them from turning brown.
5) Flour added to the filling helps to thicken it and bind it together.
6) Brush the finished crust with egg for a beautiful golden brown color when baked.
How to make Best Ever Apple Pie
1) First make your double crust in the food processor (recipe follows).
2) Roll half of the dough into a 12-inch disk, about 1/8″ thick. Gently place in 9-inch pie plate.
3) Make your apple filling with 5-7 peeled and sliced apples, plus lemon juice, sugar, flour, salt, cinnamon & nutmeg.
4) Pour filling into crust and dot with butter.
5) Top with the remaining dough, rolled into another disk or cut into strips to create a lattice pattern.
6) Fold over the extra dough and crimp the edges using your thumb on the inside edge and two fingers pressing the dough over your thumb on the other side (outside edge). Alternately, you could use a fork to crimp the edges to make it easier.
7) Brush the top of the crust with egg, sprinkle with sugar and bake as directed.
Here are a few step-by-step photos to give you a better idea of how to assemble the pie.
How to Make a Pastry Dough Braid
If you want to get fancy, make a braid!
1) Using a pizza cutter, cut the pie dough into 3 (1/4-inch) strips.
2) Squeeze the 3 strips together at one end, then braid.
3) Use the braid as one of the pie dough strips that you weave into your lattice pattern on top of the pie.
This Best Ever Apple Pie is delicious all year round and especially perfect for your holiday dessert table! It’s just so pretty. Impress your guests with your new found pie dough braiding skills.
I don’t even have to tell you that this pie is over the top good served with vanilla ice cream. I didn’t have any to add to the top for these photos but believe me, it’s a must have accoutrement. Trust me. I think you already knew that though. Pass the ice cream please.
I couldn’t post this recipe without sharing a photo of my sweet aunt and uncle. Janet is my grandmother’s youngest sister and the seventh child in her family. My grandmother was 19 when Janet was born in 1926 in the little town of Hartford, AL (I think). I’m happy to say that Uncle Doug and Aunt Janet are still with us, living in Virginia. Sending love and kisses to them and hoping they will read this little blog post of mine and remember our time together years ago, visiting, telling family stories and enjoying Janet’s famous pie. (I couldn’t find a photo from 1976, so this one from 2004 will have to do.)
I do still have my recipe card from 1976 (above), written in my 10 year old handwriting. I’ve since learned how to spell minutes. Excuse me while I have a pie break. Be back in a minute.
Happy Baking!
Lise
xo
Tools for success
Cuisinart Food Processor – Perfect for making pie crust
Glass Mixing Bowls – Set of 10 (I used the medium sized bowl to melt the chocolate in the microwave)
Note: The above items are affiliate links.
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Best Ever Apple Pie
Ingredients
For the crust
- 3 cups all purpose flour I used King Arthur unbleached
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 cup unsalted butter cold and cubed
- 8 tablespoons ice water
For the filling
- 7 medium tart apples, peeled and sliced I used 5 Granny Smith, 2 Gala
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar packed
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
For the crust topping
- 1 large egg beaten
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
Instructions
For the crust
- Place the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor. Close lid and pulse a few times. With the processor on, gradually add the cubed butter. Then add the ice water. As soon as a dough ball forms, turn off the machine. (If you don't have a food processor, you can cut the butter into the flour mixture in a bowl with a pastry blender or a fork. Then stir in the water until completely combined. Knead with hands to form the dough.)
- Roll out half of the dough on a lightly floured surface to create a 12-inch disk, about 1/8" thick. Gently place in pie plate. Next make the filling.
For the filling
- Preheat oven to 450°F.
- Place sliced apples in a large bowl. Sprinkle with lemon juice and toss together.
- In another bowl, stir together remaining filling ingredients (except butter). Pour over apples and stir to combine. Pour filling into prepared crust. Dot with 2 tablespoons butter.
For the lattice crust
- Roll out remaining dough as directed above. Use a pizza cutter to cut dough into 8 strips. Create a lattice pattern on top of pie. If desired, use one of the strips to cut into 3 pieces and make a braid. Use the braid as one of the strips to weave into the lattice. Fold the edges under then use your fingers to crimp edges or you can use a fork to press around the edges if that's easier. Brush with egg and sprinkle with sugar.
- Place pie on a cookie sheet with raised edges (I used a half sheet pan) and put in preheated 450°F oven for 10 minutes. Turn oven down to 350°F and continue baking for 40 minutes. Let cool slightly and serve with ice cream, if desired. Store covered in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Note: If you have extra pie dough, roll out and cut into circles with a biscuit cutter. Dip in cinnamon sugar and bake at 350°F. for 10 minutes.
Nutrition
You might also like Old Fashioned Dutch Apple Pie
Maybe you’re in a hurry and want to spice up a store bought pie, try this Apple Pie with Easy Pumpkin Caramel Sauce
Or if you would like a gluten free apple dessert recipe, try these Pumpkin Apple Cider Baked Donuts
Here are some great FALL dessert recipes from some of my blogging friends:
Cream Cheesed Stuffed Carrot Cake with Orange Glaze from Carlsbad Cravings
Pumpkin Pie Cupcakes from Kitchen Fun with my 3 Sons
Pumpkin Spice Sugar Cookie Bars from Delightful E Made
No Bake Pumpkin Lush Dessert from Kitchen Fun with my 3 Sons
Caramel Banana Cake Roll from Lady Behind the Curtain
Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars from Yummiest Food
Pumpkin Crumb Coffee Cake from Collecting Memories
Cinnamon Zucchini Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting from Six Sisters Stuff
Sea Salt Caramel Carrot Poke Cake from Sugar and Soul
Pumpkin Pie Crescents from Spend with Pennies
All text and images © Lise Ode for Mom Loves Baking. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words, or link back to this post for the recipe. Disclaimer: Nutrition information shown is not guaranteed to be accurate. This post may contain affiliate links.
Reena Bansal says
Could I use canned pie apple for this ? If so would one 400 gram can be enough & would i still need to cook the apple
Lise Ode says
If you made this with canned pie filling, then you only need to follow the instructions on this recipe for the crust. I’m not sure how many cans. Maybe buy 2 cans and see how much fills up your pie shell.