Apple Pie

Classic apple pie with a flaky, buttery double crust and a cinnamon-spiced Granny Smith filling. It’s the apple pie recipe I make every Thanksgiving.

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Some recipes don’t need reinventing. They just need a reason to be made again. This apple is one of those recipes. I come back to this pie every fall, and it’s one I’d definitely have on the menu if I had a bakery shop!

The secret isn’t a trick ingredient. It’s all about technique. Cold fat, minimal handling, and apples that are sliced (not diced). Serve warm with a scoop of ice cream and you’ve got the most comforting dessert on the table. I highly recommend trying with this homemade whiskey ice cream or pumpkin ice cream for the unlimited autumn treat.

Recipe Highlights

• Flaky double crust: This is made with a combination of butter and shortening to ensure easy handling and maximum flakiness. Double crust means a top and bottom crust encase the filling.
• Granny Smith apples: This variety holds their shape well after baking, so you end up with distinct apple slices instead of applesauce filling.
• Turbinado-cinnamon topping: adds crust and sparkle
• Make-ahead friendly: the dough (and even the fully assembled pie) can be made in advance, which is a lifesaver during the holidays.

Apple Pie Variations To Try: apple slab pie, fried apple hand pies, mini apple tarts, & apple pie ice cream.

Ingredient Notes

Apples: Granny Smith is the go-to for its tartness and firm texture, but Honeycrisp, Braeburn, and Pink Lady all hold their shape well and work as substitutes.

Butter + Shortening Combo: Using both in the crust gives you the flavor of an all-butter dough with the extra flakiness shortening provides. Shortening helps to keep the dough a bit easier to work with. If you’d rather go all-butter try this recipe. Or, so sweet and savory with this cheddar pie dough.

Cold ingredients matter. Keep your butter, shortening, and water as cold as possible. Warm fat is the #1 reason pie dough turns tough instead of flaky.

Vents are non-negotiable. The apples release a lot of steam as they bake. Without vents cut into the top crust, that steam has nowhere to go and the pie can burst or leak filling.

Tips for Success

Slice apples evenly (about ¼-inch thick) so they cook at the same rate and you don’t end up with a mix of mushy and underdone pieces.

Let it cool fully before cutting . I know it’s tempting to slice into a warm pie, but a fully cooled pie slices cleanly instead of falling apart.

Use a deep-dish pie plate if you have one. This recipe piles the apples high, and a standard shallow plate can overflow.

Storage & Make-Ahead

The pie dough can be made 2 days ahead and kept chilled (or frozen for longer storage). Once baked, store the pie loosely covered at room temperature for up to 24 hours. Refrigerate for longer storage, up to 4-5 days. Warm individual slices in the oven or gently microwave before serving.

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Apple Pie

By Maryanne Cabrera

A classic double-crust apple pie with tart Granny Smith apples, warm cinnamon spice, and a flaky crust. It's an essential Thanksgiving dessert!

Yield: 9-inch pie

Servings: 8 slices

Prep Time: 35 minutes mins

Cook Time: 1 hour hr

Chill Time: 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Total Time: 2 hours hrs 45 minutes mins

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Ingredients

Double Crust Pie Dough:

• ▢ 2 ¾ cup all-purpose flour, (358 g)
• ▢ 1 ¼ tsp kosher salt
• ▢ ¾ cup unsalted butter, (170 g), cut into small cubes or chunks
• ▢ ¼ cup vegetable shortening, (46 g), cut into small cubes
• ▢ ½ cup ice cold water

Apple Filling:

• ▢ ½ cup dark brown sugar, (100 g), packed
• ▢ ¼ cup all-purpose flour, (33 g)
• ▢ 1 ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ 7 medium Granny Smith apples, (2 pounds 5 oz cored, peeled, sliced)
• ▢ 2 Tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
• ▢ 4 Tablespoon unsalted butter, (57 g), cut into small cubes/chunks

Egg Wash and Topping:

• ▢ 1 large egg
• ▢ 1 Tablespoon whole milk
• ▢ 2 Tablespoon turbinado sugar
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions 

Dough:

• Place butter and shortening in the freezer 10 minutes before making pie dough.
•  In the bowl of a food processor, pulse together flour and salt. Add the chilled butter and shortening. Pulse until texture resembles coarse sand.
• Add ¼ cup cold water. Pulse. Continue to add water 1 Tbsp at a time until dough almost comes together. Turn dough out onto a clean working surface and push dough bits together into a cohesive mass.
• Divide the dough into two pieces, on slightly larger than the other. Flatten the two pieces and wrap separately in plastic wrap. Chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour, up to 2 days.

Assembly:

• Remove dough from fridge and let stand at room temperature for a couple minutes until pliable.
• Lightly dust work surface with flour. Roll out larger piece of dough to a circle ¼-inch thick and about 13-inches in diameter. Transfer dough to 9-inch pie plate. Press the dough to the sides and bottom of pie plate. Allow excess dough to hangover plate. Cover with plastic wrap and keep chilled in the fridge.
• Roll out smaller piece of dough to a circle ¼-inch thick and about 11-inches in diameter. Cover with plastic wrap and leave at room temperature while you prepare apples.
• Preheat oven to 425℉.
• Apple Filling: Whisk together brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
• Wash, peel, and core apples. Slice apples to about ¼-inch thick. Place sliced apples in a large bowl. Add lemon juice and toss to distribute. Add brown sugar mixture and fold to coat apple slices.
• Place apples in dough-lined pie plate, making a mound in the center. Distribute cubed butter over the apples.
  
• Place remaining rolled dough over apples. Cut vents in the center of the dough to allow steam to escape during baking.
  
• Trim excess dough, leaving about a 1-inch overhang. Fold overhang into the pie and flute the edges with a fork, or crimp with your fingers.
  
• To make egg wash: whisk together egg and milk. Lightly brush the top of the pie with egg wash. Sprinkle with topping.
• To making topping: whisk together turbinado sugar and ground cinnamon. Sprinkle over egg washed pie. 
• Plate pie plate on a baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350℉. Bake for another 40-45 minutes, rotating pie halfway through baking. Bake until top of pie is golden brown and apples are tender. Test to see if apples are done by piercing a knife through the vents. Let pie cool to room temperature on a wire rack. Serve at room temperature.

Notes

• Recommend Granny Smith. Honeycrisp, Braeburn, and Pink Lady are good substitutes.
• If you don’t want butter + shortening combo, try all butter pie dough or cheddar pie dough. 
• Let cool fully before slicing (to ensure clean slices!)
• Use deep dish plate to prevent filling from overflowing. 

Nutrition

Calories: 584kcal, Carbohydrates: 75g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 30g, Saturated Fat: 16g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 9g, Trans Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 73mg, Sodium: 452mg, Potassium: 259mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 33g, Vitamin A: 815IU, Vitamin C: 9mg, Calcium: 44mg, Iron: 3mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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