This is absolutely the best homemade apple pie you’ll ever make! It has a flaky, buttery crust and a tender, lightly-spiced apple pie filling. Use a combination of apples for best flavor, and bake until the top is golden and the filling is bubbly!
This apple pie is my family’s most requested pie during the holidays. I usually make two of them so we can enjoy one for leftovers. Nothing better than pie for breakfast, right?
What Are the Best Apples for Apple Pie?
It’s best to use a mix of different types of apples in your pie. Some apple varieties cook up faster than others. Some cook up firm, some more soft; some apples are more tart, some more sweet.
By combining them, you’ll get a more complex, deeper flavor. Look for a combination of tart and sweet apples, and a combination of apples that cook up firm and soft. That said, some apples are better for cooking into a pie than others. I like to use:
Also Read: Authentic Marinara Recipe
- Granny Smith – Green and tart, Granny Smith apples have wonderful flavor, but they they often lose their shape and turn mushy when cooked. So use no more than 2 Grannies in your pie, and combine with other varieties.
- Jonagold – A cross between a Golden Delicious and a Jonathan, Jonagolds have a lovely aromatic flavor, they’re both sweet and sharp, and they hold their shape with baking.
- Fuji – Crisp, firm, juicy, balance of sweet and tart, holds its shape in baking.
- Golden Delicious – Yellow and sweet, holds its shape after baking
- Braeburn – Sweet and crisp, bakes up firm and juicy
- Cortland – Juicy and tart, relatively soft, great all purpose apple for baking.
- Honey Crisp – Honey sweet and tart flavor, crisp and juicy, holds shape in baking.
- Avoid Red Delicious apples for pies, they don’t cook well.
Homemade Apple Pie Recipe
Course: MainCuisine: American, ItalianDifficulty: Difficult4
servings20
minutes1
hour467
kcalThis amazing apple pie recipe belonged to my grandmother. I have never seen another one quite like it! It will always be my favorite and has won several first place prizes in local competitions. It makes the perfect dessert for family dinners or during the holidays, topped with whipped cream or ice cream, or alongside a slice of Cheddar cheese.
Ingredients
Dough for double-crust pie
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
6 to 7 cups thinly sliced peeled tart apples
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon butter
1 large egg white
Optional: Turbinado or coarse sugar, ground cinnamon, vanilla bean ice cream and caramel sauce
Directions
- Preheat oven to 375°. On a lightly floured surface, roll half the dough to a 1/8-in.-thick circle; transfer to a 9-in. pie plate. Chill while preparing filling. In a small bowl, combine sugars, flour and spices. In a large bowl, toss apples with lemon juice. Add sugar mixture; toss to coat. Add filling to crust; dot with butter.
- Roll remaining dough to a 1/8-in.-thick circle. Place over filling. Trim, seal and flute edge. Cut slits in top. Beat egg white until foamy; brush over crust. If desired, sprinkle with turbinado sugar and ground cinnamon.
- Bake on the lowest rack 60-70 minutes, until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly, covering with foil halfway if crust begins to get too dark. Cool on a wire rack. If desired, serve with ice cream and caramel sauce.
Notes
- Pies always seem to take longer to cook than one expects. (Perhaps it’s because we’re always opening the oven to check on how the pie is doing?) The filling should be visibly bubbling, which you should be able to see through the steam vents.
- If you’re going to freeze your apple pie, it’s best to freeze it before baking—but you can freeze it after baking as well. Place either baked or unbaked pie uncovered in the freezer. Once it’s frozen solid, wrap the pie or store it in an airtight container and place it back into the freezer. Then, you can keep it frozen for 3 to 4 months. If unbaked, let the pie fully thaw before baking.
