Apple Pie Recipe
Freshly baked, homemade apple pie is a from-scratch recipe that is made with warm spices, fresh apples, brown sugar, and a beautiful, flaky, lattice crust.
Ingredients
- 6 to 7 cups sliced apples from a combination of 3 large Granny Smith and 3 large Honeycrisp apples
- ¾ cup light brown sugar
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1½ teaspoons apple pie spice blend
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 14.1 ounces package Pillsbury ready-made pie crusts you will use both crusts
- ¼ to ⅓ cup cornstarch this amount will vary based on the amount of liquid your apples yield. I had 1 cup of liquid and used ⅓ cup cornstarch for this pie. If you have less liquid you can stick with the ¼ cup cornstarch
- 1½ tablespoons unsalted butter cold and cut into small cubes
- 1 egg
- 2 teaspoons water
- 1 tablespoon coarse sanding sugar optional
Instructions
- Peel, core, and slice the Granny Smith and Honeycrisp apples into ¼-inch slices. Cut those slices in half so you have smaller, bite-size pieces of apples. Place the apples into a large mixing bowl.
- Add the light brown sugar, granulated sugar, apple pie spice blend, salt, and lemon juice to the apple slices. Stir to evenly coat all the apple slices in the sugar and spices. Set aside for 1 hour to allow the juices to come out of the apples.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place a 9-inch pie plate on top of a parchment-lined rimmed baking tray. This will make sure that any juices that may bubble out from your pie do not spill into your oven and create a mess.
- While your oven is preheating, thaw and unroll both your pie crusts according to the package instructions.
- Place one of the unrolled pie crusts into the pie plate.
- Using a slotted spoon, transfer the apples into the pie crust. Spread them out into an even layer. Do not pack them in tight.
- Add the cornstarch to the bowl with the remaining juices and whisk to create a slurry. You do not want any lumps of cornstarch remaining. Pour the slurry evenly over the apples in the pie pan.
- Randomly place the little pieces of unsalted butter cubes over the top of the apples.
- Using a sharp paring knife, cut 1½-inch strips from the second unrolled pie crust. You will create a lattice topping and crimp the edges of the crust to seal.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and water to create an egg wash. Using a pastry brush, brush the egg wash over the lattice-topped apple pie.
- Sprinkle the coarse sanding sugar over the top of the lattice crust. The egg wash will help keep the sanding sugar adhered to the crust. This is an optional step but it does create a beautiful crust with a great little crunch to it.
- Bake for 30 minutes. At this point, you may want to tent your apple pie with aluminum foil to prevent your crust from over-browning. Bake for an additional 15 to 20 minutes.
- Allow your apple pie to cool completely before slicing and serving.
Notes
I like to make my apple pies the day before I want to serve them. This is to allow them to cool completely and have all the juices firm up so that you can get a nice beautiful slice for serving. You can heat up individual slices in the microwave for 30 to 45 seconds and then add a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
I love a lattice top crust for my apple pies. These are very easy to do and there are so many tutorials online that will give you step-by-step instructions. If they intimidate you, or you just prefer a solid top crust that is fine too. You just want to make sure you have at least 4-6 slits in the top crust as vents to allow the steam to escape while your apple pie is baking. If you do not have the vents then your top crust will expand and your juices will not be able to cook down as all the steam will be trapped.
Oven temperatures vary and may need to be recalibrated periodically to ensure they are accurate. Make sure to keep a close eye on your pie as the suggested baking time approaches.
Make sure you use a very sharp serrated knife to get a nice clean cut when slicing your apple pie.