Classic Apple Pie

Dig into a slice of buttery, warm apple pie, made with a flaky crust and a perfectly sweetened & spiced apple filling, this classic apple pie recipe will be one you’ll return to again and again. 

On the last Thanksgiving with my dad before he passed, my daughter made him a homemade apple pie, as it was one of his favorite desserts. Instead of ice cream, my dad liked topping his apple pie with a slice of cheddar cheese. We just passed the 6th anniversary of his passing, and my daughter said she wanted to make an apple pie for him. Since I had store-bought pie crusts in the fridge, we used them, but a homemade crust would be amazing too. The two of us had fun collaborating on this dessert from Food Charlatan, which she deemed to be the best apple pie recipe, and I think she is right! I prepared the filling, and my daughter did a great job on the lattice crust. Although this recipe takes a lot of time & patience, it is worth it! My daughter and I shared the first slice topped with cheddar cheese in honor of my dad, and I know he was tickled. This delicious classic apple pie recipe is a keeper!

Classic Apple Pie

Ingredients:

• 2 store-bought pie crusts or homemade crusts
• ¼ tsp lemon zest
• Juice from half a lemon (about 2 tbsp)
• 5 lbs. apples, peeled, cored, and sliced thinly (I used a mix of Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, and Gala apples)   ***5 pounds before peeling and coring* (about 11 large apples)
• ¾ cup brown sugar, packed
• ¾ cup white sugar
• 5 tbsp all-purpose flour
• ¼ tsp kosher salt
• 1½ tsp cinnamon
• ¾ tsp nutmeg
• ½ tsp cardamom, optional
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tbsp milk, for brushing on the pie
• 1 tbsp beaten egg, optional, for brushing on the pie
• 1 tbsp raw sugar or turbinado sugar, for topping the pie

How to Make a Classic Apple Pie

Prepare the filling by combining the lemon zest and lemon juice in a large skillet.

Peel the apples and slice them into ⅛-inch pieces.   Side Note: Peeling and slicing one apple at a time, then tossing them in the lemon juice, so they don’t get brown, and then move on to peeling the next apple.  

Cook the apples in the large skillet over medium heat. Getnly stir in the brown and white sugars, flour, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom.

Once the mixture is all moistened and you don’t see patches of flour or cinnamon, set a timer for 20 minutes. Cover the mixture with a lid, and stir the mixture every 3-5 minutes, replacing the lid each time, adding water if the apples stick to the skillet. After 20 minutes, the apples should be fork-tender but still hold their shape.  Side Note: The apples will finish cooking while baking in the oven. 

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla.

Transfer the apple pie filling (including all the brown caramel gooeyness) to a rimmed baking sheet and spread the apples all the way to the edges. Completely cool the apple pie filling by placing it in the fridge or the freezer; it only takes 30 minutes.

Roll out your pie dough and place it in a deep 9-inch pie dish, with any excess hanging over the edges.

Use a rubber spatula to scrape up every last bit of the chilled apple pie filling into the pie dish.

Top your pie with the other pie crust, crimping the edges and cutting a few vents in the center.

To make a lattice top crust, roll out the second crust and cut out strips using a pizza cutter. You can make the strips as wide or as thin as you want.

Weave your lattice by taking every other strip of pie dough and laying it across your pie, with a little space in between each strip.

Peel back every other strip that is on your pie, all the way to the edge.

Lay an edge piece of dough perpendicular to the others, tucked up right against the edge. Replace the peeled-back strips of dough to lay flat on top of the pie.

Take the strips that are underneath and peel them back. Lay out your next strip of dough. Replace the peeled-back strips.

Continue until the pie is completely woven.   Side Note: If at ANY point your pie dough becomes soft, place everything in the refrigerator. If you have a strip that tears, use a tiny bit of ice water to patch it with your fingers.

Fold up and crimp the edges, if you have them. Our crust was not overhanging, so we tucked it in the best we could.

Place the whole pie in the refrigerator for  30 minutes for a really flaky crust.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place a baking sheet on the center rack of your oven while it preheats to make sure it’s really hot.

Right before putting the apple pie in the oven, mix the milk and egg well, then brush the top crust all over with it.

Sprinkle the whole pie with raw sugar, turbinado sugar, or white sugar.

Bake by placing the chilled pie on the heated baking sheet in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. The crust on the edge should be turning light brown.

Meanwhile, get a square of foil that is the same size as your pie. Fold it in half, then in half again. Cut out the center. Open it up again. You should have a square of foil with a circle cut out of the center.

Reduce the heat to 350 degrees. Remove the pie from the oven and place the foil on top.  Side Note: This helps prevent the crust from burning.

Place the pie back on the baking sheet in the oven and bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 more minutes.

You will know the pie is done when the edges are brown and the center is light golden brown. If you did a lattice crust, you should see the filling bubbling away nicely.

Let the pie cool on a wire cooling rack for about 4 hours.  Side Note: You must wait for it to cool to room temperature to achieve the right texture for the filling; if not, the filling will spill out. 

Slice and serve with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream.

Classic Apple Pie

Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate Recipe

Prep Time: 1 hour hour

Cook Time: 1 hour hour 20 minutes minutes

Refrigerating & Cooling Time:: 5 hours hours

Total Time: 7 hours hours 20 minutes minutes

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: 1 pie

Author: Pam - For the Love of Cooking

Equipment

• Large Skillet with Lid
• 9-Inch Pie Crust
• Baking Sheet

Ingredients

• 2 store-bought pie crusts
• ¼ tsp lemon zest
• Juice from half a lemon about 2 tbsp
• 5 lbs. apples, peeled, cored, and sliced thinly (about 11 large apples) (I used a mix of Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, and Gala apples) ***5 pounds before peeling and coring*
• ¾ cup brown sugar packed
• ¾ cup white sugar
• 5 tbsp all-purpose flour
• ¼ tsp kosher salt
• 1½ tsp cinnamon
• ¾ tsp nutmeg
• ½ tsp cardamom optional
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tbsp milk for brushing on the pie
• 1 tbsp beaten egg optional, for brushing on the pie
• 1 tbsp raw sugar or turbinado sugar for topping the pie

Instructions

• Prepare the filling by combining the lemon zest and lemon juice in a large skillet.
• Peel the apples and slice them into ⅛-inch pieces.   Side Note: Peeling and slicing one apple at a time, then tossing them in the lemon juice, so they don't get brown, and then move on to peeling the next apple.
• Cook the apples in the large skillet over medium heat. Getnly stir in the brown and white sugars, flour, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom.
• Once the mixture is all moistened and you don't see patches of flour or cinnamon, set a timer for 20 minutes. Cover the mixture with a lid, and stir the mixture every 3-5 minutes, replacing the lid each time, adding water if the apples stick to the skillet. After 20 minutes, the apples should be fork-tender but still hold their shape.  Side Note: The apples will finish cooking while baking in the oven. 
• Remove the pan from the heat and stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla.
• Transfer the apple pie filling (including all the brown caramel gooeyness) to a rimmed baking sheet and spread the apples all the way to the edges.
• Completely cool the apple pie filling by placing it in the fridge or the freezer; it only takes 30 minutes.
• Roll out your pie dough and place it in a deep 9-inch pie dish, with any excess hanging over the edges.
• Use a rubber spatula to scrape up every last bit of the chilled apple pie filling into the pie dish.
• Top your pie with the other pie crust, crimping the edges and cutting a few vents in the center.
• To make a lattice top crust, roll out the second crust and cut out strips using a pizza cutter. You can make the strips as wide or as thin as you want.
• Weave your lattice by taking every other strip of pie dough and laying it across your pie, with a little space in between each strip.
• Peel back every other strip that is on your pie, all the way to the edge.
• Lay an edge piece of dough perpendicular to the others, tucked up right against the edge. Replace the peeled-back strips of dough to lay flat on top of the pie.
• Take the strips that are underneath and peel them back. Lay out your next strip of dough. Replace the peeled-back strips.
• Continue until the pie is completely woven.   Side Note: If at ANY point your pie dough becomes soft, place everything in the refrigerator. If you have a strip that tears, use a tiny bit of ice water to patch it with your fingers.
• Fold up and crimp the edges, if you have them. Our crust was not overhanging, so we tucked it in the best we could.
• Place the whole pie in the refrigerator for  30 minutes for a really flaky crust.
• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place a baking sheet on the center rack of your oven while it preheats to make sure it’s really hot.
• Right before putting the apple pie in the oven, mix the milk and egg well, then brush the top crust all over with it.
• Sprinkle the whole pie with raw sugar, turbinado sugar, or white sugar.
• Bake by placing the chilled pie on the heated baking sheet in the oven and bake for 15 minutes. The crust on the edge should be turning light brown.
• Meanwhile, get a square of foil that is the same size as your pie. Fold it in half, then in half again. Cut out the center. Open it up again. You should have a square of foil with a circle cut out of the center.
• Reduce the heat to 350 degrees. Remove the pie from the oven and place the foil on top.  Side Note: This helps prevent the crust from burning.
• Place the pie back on the baking sheet in the oven and bake at 350 degrees for 40-45 more minutes. Side Note: You will know the pie is done when the edges are brown, and the center is light golden brown. If you did a lattice crust, you should see the filling bubbling away nicely.
• Let the pie cool on a wire cooling rack for about 4 hours.  Side Note: You must wait for it to cool to room temperature to achieve the right texture for the filling; if not, the filling will spill out.
• Slice and serve with vanilla ice cream and whipped cream.

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