Good Ole Old Fashioned Apple Pie
made with a sugared crust & granny smith apples
I have great memories when it comes to apple pie. It was the first thing I ever attempted to bake in my mother’s kitchen when I was 8 years old and something I have come to perfect now that I am in my thirties. This classic Americana dessert can be served either warm or cold, with whipped cream or a la mode, or even with some good ole flare that includes a slice of sharp cheddar cheese melted on top, proving that it is homemade goodness at its very best.
Making a pie from scratch takes a lot of time and patience, but watching your loved ones around you enjoy it is priceless. I have come to realize that family and friends are a great comfort in life and what better way to show those around you how special they are than ending a dinner right with some good ole old-fashioned apple pie.
Ingredients: recipe adapted from The Betty Crocker’s Cookbook
9-inch Two – Crust Pie:
- 2/3 c. shortening
- 2 c. All-Purpose Flour
- 1 tsp. Salt
- Zest of 1 Lemon
- 2 tbsp. Sugar
- 4-5 tbsp. Cold Water
Apple Pie Filling:
- ½ c. Sugar + extra for dusting on top of pie
- ½ c. Packed Brown Sugar
- ¼ c. All-Purpose Flour
- ½ tsp. Ground Nutmeg
- ½ tsp. Ground Cinnamon
- ½ tsp. Penzey’s Cake Spice
- Dash of Salt
- 6-7 c. Sliced Pared Granny Smith Apples (about 7 medium)
- 2 tbsp. butter
Egg Wash for Pie:
Mix 1 egg plus 1 tbsp. of cream in a small bowl with a fork until combined. Apply to the top of the pie crust before baking with a pastry brush.
Directions:
- Heat oven to 425 degrees.
- Make the pie crust by cutting shortening into flour, salt, lemon zest, and sugar until particles are size of small peas. Sprinkle in water, 1 tbsp. at a time, tossing with fork until all flour is moistened and pastry almost cleans side of the bowl (1-2 tsp. of water can be added if necessary).
- Gather pastry into a ball and shape into 2 flattened rounds. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 1 hour.
- While crust is chilling make the filling for the apple pie by mixing the sugar, flour, nutmeg, cinnamon, cake spice, and salt in a large bowl. Stir in the apples and blend until fully covered. Set aside and allow to rest for 1 hour.
- Remove pastry crust from the refrigerator along with the plastic wrap. On a light floured surface, roll pastries into desired thickness that allows a ½ inch overhang when placed in the pie dish.
- Turn in apple mixture on top of crust and dot with 2 tbsp. of butter. Cover with top crust that has slits cut in it; seal and flute edges with desired pattern (I opted for a lattice crust topping).
- Cover edge with a 3” strip of aluminum foil that gets removed the last 15 minutes of baking.
- Brush the remaining crust with egg wash and sprinkled the remaining sugar over the top.
- Bake at 425 degrees for the first 15 minutes of cooking and then reduce heat down to 350 degrees. Bake until crust is brown and juice begins to bubble through the slits, about 40-50 minutes.