The Best Homemade Apple Pie

One of the most American foods I can think of is Apple pie. There is nothing quite like it, especially during the summer when everything seems so patriotic. If you love apple pie, you’ll be excited if not a little surprised to learn that making the best homemade apple pie is very easy. If you’ve been wanting to try your hand at baking a homemade pie, there is no better place to start than with this apple pie recipe right here. 

To make your homemade apple pie all you need are a few tips and some simple direction. Making apple pie is not complicated, but there are some helpful things to know. Not least among them is what apples you should use. Before we jump into the recipe, I have answers to some of the most common questions regarding homemade apple pie, including how to dot your filling with butter, how to prepare the crust and how to vent the crust, too. 

The Best Apples to Use for Apple Pie

Apple pie is just one of many incredible things you can make with apples. Like anything else pie will come out in a variety of different ways depending on which apples you choose. On one hand you have tart apples and on the other hand sweet. There are also crisp firm apples and soft apples. One of the things to look for when baking an apple pie is firm apples, because when you cook them down you don’t want applesauce. Firm and crisp apples hold up better overall when you are making a pie. 

Besides the flavor and the composition of the apples, you also have the important choice of which apples, or combinations of apples to use. You might only make a pie with one kind of apple. Personally I prefer to make apple pie with a blend of granny smith and golden delicious. I will also use Jonathan apples in place of golden delicious if I need to. Golden delicious add more sweetness and a touch of subtle spice to the tart granny smiths. Both are solid apples with crisp flesh so they pair up well in terms of consistency both before and after baking. 

Other delicious apples that are great choices are braeburn, jonagold, and honeycrisp also make the best apple pie recipe.

How to Prepare a Pie Crust

Pie crust is one of those things people don’t often make for themselves, but should. It’s incredibly easy to do and you probably already have the ingredients just sitting in your pantry. For whatever reason this sort of thing has become intimidating to would-be bakers who worry it will take too much time or effort to make homemade pie crust. It doesn’t and it’s so cheap that it really opens up avenues for you to do more pie baking than you normally would. Buying pie crust at the store may seem like a convenient trade-off if you only make one or two pies in the entire year, but you can do so much more if you just make your own. 

Either way you want to start with a pie crust that isn’t baked and you want to have a top for it, so just buying a pie shell in the freezer aisle won’t do you any good. To make your own crust all you need is flour, salt, ice cold water and maybe a little bit of sugar, plus some source of fat like butter or shortening. Each option has its benefits. It really depends on what kind of pie crust you are going for. I prefer unsalted butter for the best flavor. 

Once the dough is formed, divide it in half, make two balls, wrap in plastic wrap and place in the fridge for an hour to chill. Then you are ready to roll out the dough. 

What is Dotting?

Dotting is something you do when you make a pie. After the filling is in the pie crust, but before you apply the top crust, you should dot your filling with butter. All that means is that you should crumble the butter into bits and scatter it around the top. This is another instance in which it’s best to use cold butter because obviously, soft butter is not easy to crumble. You don’t have to be precise or measured as you do this and although it sounds like you need to use a piping bag and meticulously make a dotted pattern all over the pie, this is not the case. 

The so-called dots don’t need to be any shape or size in particular, just as long as you get consistent coverage over the filling of the apple pie. The reasons for dotting are unconfirmed. That’s just how it’s done. Some think it’s for flavor. Others say the fat traps bubbles that escape the filling as it cooks. Don’t mess with success! 

Venting Your Pie Crust

Unless you lattice your crust, you will need to vent it. Venting pie crust goes back to that topic of steaming and air pockets in the filling. There needs to be a place for that heat to escape the pie. That’s why you vent. Use a sharp knife to cut slits in the top of the pie crust. There should be about four or five 1-2 inch slits. One of the nice things about making your own pie and not working with a frozen one is that you can shape the crust as you need to, so you can widen the slits with your finger if you want to be able to let more air through. 

Cooling Your Pie

Finally when it comes time to cool the pie, place it in a well ventilated area where the air can circulate around the pie and cool it down faster and more evenly. A wire rack is best for cooling down all kinds of baked goods. If you don’t have one, you should get one. 

The apple pie filling for this recipe comes from a co-worker, Dawn, that I used to work with when I was working as a Hospice Admission RN. She had given me quite a few recipes, like the extremely popular cream cheese lemonade pie, which is one of the most popular recipe on the blog. I have been wanting an apple pie so I decided we’d make one using her apple pie filling. So good. 

This apple pie has the perfect consistency and the tartness of the apples tastes great. Who doesn’t love a homemade apple pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top?

Apple Pie Ingredients

• Granny Smith Apples
• Apple Juice
• Lemon Juice
• Granulated Sugar
• Brown Sugar
• Cinnamon
• Nutmeg
• Tapioca
• Vanilla
• Butter
• Pie Crust
• Egg
• Water

How to Make Homemade Apple Pie

How To Make Apple Pie Filling

1. Combine sliced apples, apple juice and lemon juice in a large saucepan.
2. Cook over high heat, stirring constantly for 5-8 minutes or until apples are slightly tender.
3. When tender, pour into a large shallow dish and place in the refrigerator, uncovered, until cool, about 20 minutes.
4. Preheat oven to 400°
5. Pour apples and any liquid into a large bowl.
6. Add granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, tapioca and vanilla. Toss to coat.
7. Allow to thicken for about 5-10 minutes.

How To Make A Homemade Pie Crust

1. Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl.
2. Using a pastry cutter, cut COLD butter into flour mixture until crumbly.
3. Add ice water and mix until a dough forms.
4. Knead dough until smooth.
5. Divide pie dough in half, shape each piece into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap.
6. Chill in fridge for an hour.
7. On a clean lightly floured surface, roll out bottom crust first to fit the pie dish with about a ½ inch overhang.
8. Spoon pie filling into unbaked pie crust and dot with 2 tablespoons of butter.
9. Roll out top crust. Lift onto filled pie.
10. Moisten crust edges with water.
11. Trim edges to ½ inch beyond pie plate.
12. Fold top edge under bottom crust.
13. Flute edges (press hard to seal).
14. Cut slits in top crust to vent.
15. Combine 1 egg and 1 tablespoon of water and brush egg wash on top crust.
16. Sprinkle with coarse sugar.
17. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes, then reduce oven to 350° and bake for 1 hour (place pie on a baking sheet to catch any spillage, if desired).
18. Cover edges of crust with foil if the edges get too brown.

Try This Delicious Classic Apple Pie Today

And, here are a few more delicious apple desserts that can be found on the blog:

• Apple Pecan Cake with Caramel Glaze
• Caramel Apple Pecan Cobbler
• Apple Pecan Monkey Bread
• Apple Pie Raviolis

And here’s some delicious Apple Cinnamon Hand Pies that can be found on Deliciously Seasoned.

Homemade Apple Pie

Great Grub, Delicious Treats

A delicious homemade apple pie loaded with fresh, juicy apples and cinnamon, baked in a homemade pie crust until golden brown, and is a family favorite apple pie recipe.

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 40 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Chill Time 1 hour hr

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 8 slices

Calories 0 kcal

Ingredients

  

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For the Apple Pie Filling

• 8 cups Granny Smith apples, peeled, sliced ¼ inch thick, about 7-8 medium apples.
• ¼ cup apple juice
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons plus 1½ teaspoons quick-cooking tapioca
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons butter, cubed
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon water
• course sugar

For The Homemade Pie Crusts

• 2½ cups all purpose flour
• 1 ½ teaspoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 sticks cold butter, cubed into small pieces
• ½ cup ice water

Instructions

 

For the Apple Pie Filling

• Combine apples, apple juice and lemon juice in a large saucepan.
• Cook over high heat, stirring constantly for 6-8 minutes or until apples are slightly tender.
• When tender, pour into a large shallow dish and place in the refrigerator, uncovered, until cool, about 20 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 400°
• Pour apples and any liquid into a large bowl.
• Add granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, tapioca and vanilla. Toss to coat.
• Allow to thicken for about 5-10 minutes.

For the Homemade Pie Crusts

• Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl.
• Using a pastry cutter, cut COLD butter into flour mixture until crumbly.
• Add ice water and mix until a dough forms.
• Knead dough until smooth.
• Divide dough in half, shape each piece into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap.
• Chill in fridge for an hour.
• On a clean, lightly floured surface, roll out bottom crust first to fit the pie dish with about a ½ inch overhang.
• Spoon pie filling into unbaked pie crust and dot with 2 tablespoons of butter.
• Roll out top crust. Lift onto filled pie.
• Moisten crust edges with water.
• Trim edges to ½ inch beyond pie plate.
• Fold top edge under bottom crust.
• Flute edges (press hard to seal).
• Cut slits in top crust to vent.
• Combine 1 egg and 1 tablespoon of water and brush egg wash on top crust.
• Sprinkle with coarse sugar.
• Bake at 400° for 15 minutes, then reduce oven to 350° and bake for 1 hour (place pie on a baking sheet to catch any spillage, if desired).
• Cover edges of crust with foil if the edges get too brown.
• Carefully remove from oven and enjoy warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Notes

Apple pie filling from my friend, Dawn. 

Nutrition

Serving: 0gCalories: 0kcalCarbohydrates: 0gProtein: 0gFat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0gMonounsaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 0mgPotassium: 0mgFiber: 0gSugar: 0gVitamin A: 0IUVitamin C: 0mgCalcium: 0mgIron: 0mg

Keyword American Apple Pie, Apple Pie, Homemade Apple Pie

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Here are a few pics that are the perfect size for pinning to Pinterest.

Enjoy, Terri

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