Facebook
Pinterest
Email
Print- Recipe Index
- Desserts
- Pies & Tarts
- The Best Classic Apple Pie
The Best Classic Apple Pie
There is nothing better than a slice of buttery, warm apple pie à la mode. Made with a flaky, homemade pie crust and a perfectly spiced brown sugar apple filling, this classic apple pie recipe will become a staple recipe you come back to again and again.
Classic Apple Pie
Happy pie season to all those who celebrate. And if you’re going to make one pie this year, let it be this classic apple pie recipe. This apple pie is one of those recipes you’ll make once and immediately think, Oh. This is it. This is my pie. It has that perfect balance of sweetness and tartness, warm spices without being overwhelming, and a crust that’s flaky, but still sturdy enough to hold its shape. Simply put, she’s sheer perfection.
And absolutely perfect for your Thanksgiving dessert spread.
What ingredients will you need to make homemade apple pie?
One of the things I love most about apple pie is how simple it is. We’re talking butter, sugar, flour, spices, and some good, crisp apples. Put those all together and you’ll have a damn good pie on your hands. Here’s everything you’ll need to make it happen:
- All-purpose flour
- Granulated sugar
- Light brown sugar
- Ground cinnamon
- Ground ginger
- Ground nutmeg
- Salt
- Apples
- Lemon
- Unsalted butter
- Egg (for egg wash)
What kind of apples are best for apple pie?
We love many kinds of apples for eating, but they’re not all good for baking. Choosing the right variety of apple can make or break your pie and lucky for you, your girl group in apple country so I know my apples. We want apples that hold their shape so they don’t disintegrate into a mushy apple sauce situation but also have enough flavor and juiciness to give you that delicious taste.
I like to use a mix of different apples. You’ll get a complex depth of apple flavor by using a few tarter apples along with some sweeter apples to give your pie a complex flavor.
My favorite apple varieties to bake with are:
- Pink Lady
- Cosmic Crisp
- Honeycrisp
- Braeburn
- Granny Smith
If you can’t get your hand on any of these varieties we really just do not recommend baking with McIntosh (delicious to eat but tend to break down so quickly in baking) and Red Delicious (these apples were created to look pretty, not taste nice. They tend to have a dull, waxy flavor that I don’t ant anywhere near my pie).
Tips for making the perfect flaky pie crust
Now before you run for the hills, let me assure you that homemade pie crust doesn’t have to be hard and is *so* much tastier than store bought pie crust. We’ll walk you through it and you’ll be a pie crust pro in no time.
- Keep everything cold: Butter is delicious, but it melts quickly. Cold butter melts in the oven, creating steam and giving you those gorgeous flaky layers so you’ll want to keep your butter as cold as possible throughout the pie making process. If your dough starts to feel warm or it feels like the butter is melting, pop the crust back in the fridge or freezer for a minute or two. Butter melts fast but it also firms up fast so you can easily get it cold if things start heating up!
- Don’t overwork the dough: Ideally you see visible specks of butter throughout your dough. Mix only until the dough just comes together to preserve those flaky layers.
- Roll the dough out between parchment paper sheets: This is one of my favorite tips for working with pie dough. It makes clean up so much easier and also make transferring your pie crust to your pie pan way less scary.
- Chill again before baking: I like to pop my pie in the freezer for a fifteen minutes before baking to give the butter another chance to firm up before baking.
How to prep apple pie ahead of time
Here’s the thing about apple pie: it’s absolute best the day it’s baked. The crust is crisp, the filling is warm and jammy but still maintains a little crunch and the aroma? Unreal. But that doesn’t mean you have to do everything on one day. Here’s how I like to break up the work:
- Make the pie crusts ahead of time. You can make the pie crust up to 5 days in advance and keep it in the fridge, or up to 2 months in advance and keep it in the freezer!
- Cut up the apples ahead of time: You can peel and slice your apples ahead of time and toss them with the lemon juice. I like to wait to add the sugar until the day of because it causes the apples to release their moisture. The lemon juice will keep them from browning so if you do cut them ahead of time we recommend tossing with the lemon juice!
Then the day of all you have to do is roll the dough, fill the pie and assemble before baking and serving!
Grab a fork! Enjoy!
XXX
PrintThe Best Classic Apple Pie
- Prep Time 1 hour
- Cook Time 1 hour
- Total Time 3 hours
- Yield 16 servings
- Category dessert
- Method oven
- Cuisine american
The Best Classic Apple Pie
There is nothing better than a slice of buttery, warm apple pie à la mode. Made with a flaky, homemade pie crust and a perfectly spiced brown sugar apple filling, this classic apple pie recipe will become a staple recipe you come back to again and again.
- Prep Time 1 hour
- Cook Time 1 hour
- Total Time 3 hours
- Yield 16 servings
- Category dessert
- Method oven
- Cuisine american
Ingredients
For the pie crust:
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
- 3 to 4 tablespoons ice water (or chilled vodka)
- 1 large egg, for egg wash
- Coarse sugar, optional
For the apple filling
- 2 pounds apples (6 to 7 apples. I like to use a mix of Granny Smith and a sweeter, but still crisp apple like Pink Lady, Envy, or Cosmic )
- 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- First, make the pie dough. Add the flour, granulated sugar, and salt to a food processor and pulse to combine. Add the butter cubes and pulse until the mixture resembles wet sand and starts to clump together, about 20 seconds.
- Add 3 tablespoons of the ice water (or vodka), then pulse until a dough begins to form a ball around the blade, about 20 seconds. If your dough doesn’t come together, add another tablespoon of liquid and pulse again.
- Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface and divide it into two equal pieces. Flatten each piece into a 1-inch-thick oval disc, then wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (and up to 3 days).
- Next, make the apple filling. Peel and core the apples, then slice them into thin slices about ¼-inch thick. For a truly packed-in apple filling, cut the slices in half—this will help you be able to pack in more apples into your pie.
- Add the apples into a large mixing bowl along with the brown sugar, flour, lemon juice, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt. Toss to combine and set aside
- Remove both pie discs from the fridge and set on the counter to soften for 5 minutes. Lightly dust a clean work surface with flour, unwrap one dough disc, and place it onto the surface. Dust with more flour and use a rolling pin to roll out the dough into a roughly 12-inch circle, dusting the top and underside with more flour as needed. Carefully roll up the dough around your rolling pin like a scroll, then drape it into a 9-inch pie pan. Press the dough into the bottom and sides of the pie dish, then use scissors to trim around the edges of the pie crust, leaving a ½ inch overhang.
- Pour the apple filling into the pie pan, then set aside while you roll out your second dough disc. Dust your work surface with more flour and use a rolling pin to roll out the second dough disc into a roughly 12-inch circle, dusting the top and underside with more flour as needed. Carefully transfer the top pie crust over the apples and trim the excess crust to match the bottom pie crust. Use your fingers to smoosh the two crusts together, rolling them in and underneath like a scroll to form a thick edge around the rim of your pie dish. Use your index finger on one hand and your peace fingers on the other hand to create a crimp around the edge of the pie. Use a sharp knife to cut 5 vents into the top of the pie.
- In a small bowl, whisk the egg with 2 tablespoons of water. Use a pastry brush to brush the top of the pie with the egg wash. If desired, sprinkle all over with coarse sugar. Place the pie into the freezer to chill while your oven preheats (this will keep the pie dough from becoming too soft at room temperature).
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Once heated, remove the pie from the fridge and bake until the crust is golden brown and the apples are bubbling, about 1 hour. Remove the pie from the oven and allow it to cool on a cooling rack for at least 1 hour, then serve!
- Prep Time 1 hour
- Cook Time 1 hour
- Total Time 3 hours
- Yield 16 servings
- Category dessert
- Method oven
- Cuisine american
Leave a comment and rate this recipe!