Apple Pie Recipe
Apple pies are my favorite autumn-inspired desserts. They bring memories of harvests and autumn farm visits, and are a very easy pie to make for beginner bakers.
Below is my personal recipe that I have been perfecting since I was thirteen years old. My great-grandmother used to make all sorts of pies and I grew up hearing how much everyone missed the desserts at family gatherings. So, I decided to experiment with making my own signature sweet crust pies, starting as a 4th of July tradition and then expanding out to Thanksgivings and other friend and family gatherings. Of course, I also learned how to add my own fun Halloween season twists to keep everything in line with my spooky interests.
Grab a pie pan, rolling pin, cookie cutters, and ingredients – let’s start baking!
Step-By-Step Apple Pie Recipe
- Add two cups flour to a medium bowl. Cut in 1 ⅓ cups butter and ¼ cup brown sugar with a pastry cutter or fork until particles are the size of small peas. Salted butter works best here, but if you use unsalted, be sure to add a pinch of salt to the flour).
- Sprinkle with cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with a fork (or mixing with a dough hook – if using a stand mixer) until all the flour is moistened and the pastry leaves the sides of the bowl. You may use up to ⅔ cup water here.
- Cut the dough in half and gather into two balls. Shape each into a flattened round on a lightly floured surface. Wrap the pastry round in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 45 minutes or until the dough is firm and cold, yet pliable. If you refrigerate too long and the dough becomes rock hard, let it soften before rolling.
- Roll one pastry round on a lightly floured surface, using a floured rolling pin. I sometimes use floured wax paper to keep the dough from sticking to my rolling pin. The dough circle should be 2-3 inches longer than your pie plate. Fold the dough in half and slide it over your plate. Unfold and ease it into the plate, pressing firmly against the bottom and side.
- Roll the second pastry round on a lightly floured surface and roll out again to about a ¼ inch thickness. Take a cookie cutter and cut out a variety of dough shapes. Set them aside. Combine any scraps, re-shape into a ball, and repeat the roll & cut process until you have used up all the dough.
- Heat your oven to 425°F.
- Peel 8-9 Granny Smith apples and slice them thinly.
- In a large bowl, mix ¾ cup brown sugar, 2 tablespoons nutmeg, 3 tablespoons cinnamon, and 2 tablespoons flour. Stir in the apples until they are fully coated with the sugar & spice mixture. Spoon the apples into a pastry-lined pie plate.
- Cover the top of the pie with the cut-out dough pieces to form a pattern as desired. Be sure that there are some holes or slits for the pie to vent while cooking.
- Crack and lightly beat one egg (or mix 1 tablespoon maple syrup with 1 tablespoon water for a vegan version). Brush the mixture onto the top of the crust. This will help the crust to brown while backing.
- Cover the pie crust edges with foil to prevent burning.
- Bake 40-50 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and juice begins to bubble through the slits in the crust.
- Cool on a wire rack at for least 2 hours.
Recipe
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Add flour to a medium bowl. Cut in butter and brown sugar with a pastry cutter or fork until particles are the size of small peas.
- Sprinkle with cold water, 1 tbsp at a time and toss until all the flour is moistened and the pastry leaves the sides of the bowl. (You may not use the entire ⅔ cup water).
- Cut the dough in half and gather into two balls. Shape each into a flattened round on a lightly floured surface. Wrap the pastry in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 45 minutes or until the dough is firm and cold, yet pliable. If refrigerated longer, let pastry soften before rolling.
- Roll one pastry round on a lightly floured surface, using a floured rolling pin. The dough circle should be 2-3 inches longer than your pie plate. Fold the dough in half and slid it over your plate. Unfold and ease it into the plate, pressing firmly against the bottom and side.
- Roll the second pastry round on a lightly floured surface and roll out again to about a ¼ inch thickness. Take a cookie cutter and cut out a variety of dough shapes. Set them aside. Combine any scraps, re-shape into a ball, and repeat the roll & cut process until you have used up all the dough.
- Heat oven to 425°F.
- Peel 8-9 Granny Smith apples and slice them thinly.
- In a large bowl, mix brown sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, and flour. Stir in the apples until they are fully coated with the sugar & spice mixture. Spoon the apples into a pastry-lined pie plate.
- Cover the top of the pie with the cut-out dough pieces to form a pattern as desired. Be sure that there are some holes or slits for the pie to vent while cooking.
- Crack and lightly beat one egg (or mix maple syrup with water for a vegan version). Brush the mixture onto the top of the crust.
- Cover the edges of the pie crust with foil to prevent burning.
- Bake 40-50 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and juice begins to bubble through the slits in the crust.
- Cool on a wire rack for at least 2 hours.
More Treats (and Possibly Tricks) from Emily
I hope you enjoy my apple pie recipe! Use it as a starting point and add your own spooky tricks to make it your own. If you enjoy this recipe, take a look at some of my other treats:
Vampire-Repelling Shrimp Scampi
Chocolate Coffee Halloween Cupcakes
Pumpkin Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
Have fun!
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