Classic Apple Pie
Fall is almost here, and this Classic Apple Pie is the only pie recipe you need this year. It’s made with a simple all-butter crust and the most delicious apple filling that makes your whole house smell like heaven!
I collaborated with Serena and Lily on this pie project, and was inspired by their new Feather Wallpaper for this pie pattern. Pie crust is such a fun way to get creative in the kitchen, and this is one of my favorite recipes for it.
This pie dough is simple to make and the recipe makes two crusts-one for the bottom and one for the top. The best part about the dough is that you can make it ahead of time and refrigerate it up to 1 week or freeze it up to a few months!
I wrap my dough several times in plastic wrap and then stick it in a ziplock freezer bag if i’m planning on freezing it for a while. Simply let it thaw in the refrigerator overnight.
This apple filling will make your whole house smell like fall, and it’s truly heavenly. It’s made with simple ingredients that most people have in their pantry/fridge which makes it even better!
For more apple recipes, check out these Glazed Apple Pie Bars and this Apple Spice Cake!
Happy baking!
Classic Apple Pie
Ingredients:
- 1 cup ice cold water
- 2 teaspoons white or apple cider vinegar
- 3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 4 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 3 sticks (1 1/2 cups) unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 6-7 apples, peeled and thinly sliced (I used a mix of honeycrisp and granny smith)
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 large egg+ 1 tablespoon water for egg wash
- Course or regular sugar for sprinkling
Instructions:
- In a glass measuring cup, combine the cold water with vinegar and place in the freezer to get super cold while you prep the rest of the ingredients.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, sugar and salt until combined.
- Remove 3 sticks of butter from the fridge and slice it into cubes, add it to the flour mixture and toss so that the butter is coated in flour. Using a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the flour until it resembles small peas (this should take several minutes).
- Slowly add in the cold water and continue cutting the butter and flour until all the water is added and the dough is shaggy but holds together when you press it. If it's too dry, add 1-2 tablespoons of cold water.
- Pour the dough onto a floured surface and gently knead it several times until it begins to come together. Don't overwork the dough. Separate the dough and form 2 disks. Wrap each disk in plastic wrap and set it in the refrigerator to chill for at least one hour.
- Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat and then add the sliced apples and coat in butter. Lower heat and add in the brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and lemon juice and cook for 5-7 minutes until the apples are soft.
- Sprinkle the flour over the apples and continue cooking for 2-3 minutes or until thickened. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
- Preheat oven to 400°F and butter your pie dish. Set aside.
- Once the dough has been properly chilled, remove one disk from the refrigerator and roll it out on a lightly floured surface into a large circle. If it’s too hard to roll out, let it sit 10 minutes to soften a bit. You want the circle to be 1-2 inches larger than your pie dish. Carefully transfer the dough onto the buttered pie dish.
- Pour the cooled apple filling into the pie crust and set aside.
- Roll out the second dough on a lightly floured surface, adding more flour on top if it sticks to your rolling pin. You can either cover the whole pie in crust, make a lattice top, or make a feather pattern like I did. To make a feather pattern, use a measuring tape to cut equal sized strips and cut them at a diagonal. Lay them on top of the apples, following the pattern, trimming as you need.
- Fold the excess dough hanging on the edge over and pinch it with the other crust. Use your fingers to crimp the dough if you’d like.
- In a small bowl, whisk together 1 large egg with 1 tablespoon of water and use a pastry brush to brush on the dough. Sprinkle with course sugar.
- Bake for 25 minutes and then place a piece of aluminum foil on top and bake for another 20 minutes or until the crust is golden brown (45-55 minutes total).
- Remove from oven and serve warm with vanilla ice cream. Store in the refrigerator.