This recipe came from a cookbook I received 34 years ago. I have no idea the name of the cookbook, or the author of the recipe, but whoever you are,
you have my eternal thanks.
A classic apple pie is just that – classic. It is Americana at its best. Whether enjoyed at a 4th of July summer picnic or the yearly Thanksgiving feast, it always imparts a sense of comfort, of nostalgia, of cheer. Recipe first! You can read the rest while the pie is baking. 🥧😉
Crust:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup Crisco
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp lemon peel
- ice water (approx 6 Tbsp)
Mix flour, salt and Crisco with a pastry blender. Stir in lemon peel. Add ice water, 1 or 2 Tbsp at a time, until the dough holds together. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour. While the dough is chilling, make the filling.
Filling:
- 3 lb. Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 2 Tbsp butter
Mix all ingredients together and let sit while dough is chilling, stirring occasionally.
Pie:
- 1 egg white, lightly beaten
- 3 Tbsp sugar
Preheat oven to 400 and grease pie pan. Roll out your crusts and assemble the pie. Cut a small hole in center of top crust and poke holes all over crust with a fork. Brush crust with beaten egg white and sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 45-50 minutes.
I’ve written about growing up learning to make pumpkin pies, (A Legacy of Pie | The Sunnydaze Diaries) but I don’t really remember any other homemade pies during my childhood. My college years in Washington state brought new friends, one of whom taught me to make a bumbleberry pie. The sweet complexity of blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries, with a touch of cinnamon is… mwah! chef’s kiss! Then Barry and I got married, and amongst the pile of wedding gifts was a small cookbook, filled with new ideas, kitchen experiments, and dishes I’d never even heard of. (What exactly IS Welsh rarebit??) I made many of the recipes in that little cookbook in those early years – some successfully, others not so much.
This apple pie is one that has stood the test of time, and the only piece of that cookbook I still carry with me. The crust, while different from my other pie crusts, is quite flaky, and has a nice crispy glaze from the egg wash and sugar. The filling has just the right amount of sweetness, and the apples are tender but still retain their shape. It has become so popular with our family and friends that my mom has requested it for her birthday some years instead of cake! (Hence the title of this blog post)😉 Our best friend’s dad asks me about it every time he sees me. It’s become a running gag – he doesn’t say “Hello!”, he says “Did you bring me some pie?”
There are as many apple pie recipes as there are bakers – variations with caramel or maple, traditional double crust or crumb toppings, and a myriad of apple options. Is it be topped with whipped cream, or ice cream, or a slice of cheddar cheese?
We all think our recipe is the best, and we’re not wrong. Because we are all making our world a little more beautiful. We are all making our world a little more delicious. It can be done, and if anything can do it, a homemade apple pie probably can.
“Freshly baked apple pie makes the world go round.”
-Anonymous
If you try this recipe, please tell me in the comments. Or if you have your own favorite apple pie, I’d love to hear about it. Us baking nerds have to stick together! 🥰
Til next time, shine bright friends!
~Dawn 🌻
I think you and Andy were the ones who originally bestowed on me the title of “Pie Goddess”! Thanks for letting me commandeer your kitchen a few days this month and do a little cooking and baking!
This recipe is far and above any others I have ever tried for Apple Pie. This is one of the many reasons you still remain dubbed, “The Pie Goddess” a title you did not bestow upon yourself but one that rings true with the admiration of all those who have had the delight of eating your pies and baked goods.