Every year when autumn comes around, a craving for the perfect apple pie recipe is only natural! Dreaming of the tastiest warm apple pie, perhaps even topped with vanilla ice cream, is probably everyone’s idea of a perfect fall dessert!
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I keep my apple pie recipe simple and easy so that you can get that dreamy pie in your belly as quickly as possible!
When I think about apple pie; the smell and taste, it immediately brings me back to the wonder and joy of childhood when my mom used to bake it for the family. Somehow baking apple pie always brings with it warm, special and even nostalgic memories and feelings.
Recently, my family and I visited a wonderful orchard in Ellijay, Georgia not too far from where we live. Upon our arrival, I couldn’t help but admire how the orchard was filled with beautifully colored apples of yellow, green, red and pink. Seeing these spectacular sights of the orchard up in the mountains, with the sunshine peeking through the trees whose leaves are changing colors, of course made me want to come home and bake an apple pie for my family!
In my household, apple pie is an absolute must in the season of autumn! There’s something warm and fuzzy about an apple pie baking in the kitchen. That delicious fragrance of cinnamon and butter mixed with apples drifting throughout the house just can’t be beat!
Why You’ll Love This Apple Pie Recipe
It just doesn’t get more simple than this recipe! From straight forward ingredients to simple instructions, this apple pie recipe is so easy to follow along, and yet, the quality and taste are wonderful!
This country style apple pie recipe is the perfect dessert for the holiday season. Whether you are celebrating the Harvest season, baking for that Thanksgiving gathering or for the annual family Christmas party- this simple apple pie recipe really is the best, and is sure to please everyone around the table!
Some Helpful Tips
When making the apple pie crust dough, be careful not to add too much water into the dough, because this will cause stickiness. If dough is too sticky, it will be very difficult to roll out and work with.
If you find that your dough is too sticky, do not panic! Just add more flour, little by little, until the dough texture feels right.
My recipe uses Granny Smith Apples, these are just known for being more tart. But if you prefer more sweet apples, feel free to switch them out to Pink Lady or Golden Delicious.
Tools You May Need
- Food processor or blender (I use the Ninja blender, it has the “pulse” setting you will need)
- 9 inch pie plate
- Plastic wrap or food wrap to cover your dough (while chilling in the refrigerator)
- Bowl (to mix apple pie filling)
- Sauce pan (for apple filling)
- Whisk
Ingredients
Pie Crust:
- 2 1/2 cups of all purpose flour (I prefer King Arthur flour)
- 1/2 tbsp organic sugar
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 lb of cold unsalted butter (2 sticks, diced into 1/4 inch pieces)
- 7-8 tbsp ice water
Apple Filling:
- 8 tbsp unsalted butter
- 3 tbsp all purpose flour (I prefer King Arthur flour)
- 1/4 cup of water
- 1 cup organic sugar
- 2 1/4 lb Granny Smith Apples, peeled, cored (about 6-7 apples) thinly sliced
- 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
Butter Pie Crust Dough
- Place flour, sugar and salt into the blender or food processor and pulse several times until everything is combined.
- Put cold diced butter into the blender or food processor and pulse the mixture until coarse crumbs form with some pea-sized pieces. At first, the mixture will look dry and powdery.
- Add 7 tbsp of ice water into the mixture and pulse again, just until small clumps begin to form. To test dough, press a piece of dough between your fingertips. If the dough sticks together, you have added enough water. If not, add more water a teaspoon at a time. Be attentive not to add too much water or the dough will be too sticky to roll out.
- Transfer your dough to a clean work surface. Gather the dough together into a ball. Using the bench scraper, divide dough into half, form into 2 balls, and cover with plastic wrap. Place into the refrigerator to chill, while moving on to make the apple filling.
Apple Pie Filling:
- Melt the butter in a medium sauce pan over medium heat.
- Whisk in 3 tablespoons of flour and simmer for 1 minute, whisking constantly.
- Continuing to whisk, add in 1/4 cup of water, 1 cup of sugar and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat and simmer for 3 more minutes, whisking frequently.
- Remove from heat.
- Pre-heat oven to 425.
Next, it is time to prepare your apples for the filling.
- Peel and remove the cores from 6-7 apples.
- Then, dice the apples.
- Place the diced apples into a large bowl.
- Sprinkle 1 1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon and toss to combine.
- Pour the mixture you made in the saucepan, over the apples and mix well.
Arranging the Apple Pie
- Sprinkle your work surface with flour and roll out one of the apple pie crust dough balls to a 12 inch diameter circle.
- Wrap the dough around your rolling pin and and transfer it into the 9 inch pie plate.
- Add the apple pie filling, being careful not to let it touch the edges of the dough. This would make it difficult to seal the edges of the apple pie.
Braiding the Pie Step by Step
Roll out the second ball of dough into an 11 inch round, and cut into 9-10 evenly thick strips using a bench scraper or a pizza cutter. I use 9 strips on my pie, 4 strips on the first layer, and 5 on the next layer, as you will see in the upcoming instructions.
Arrange the strips into a woven (or braided) pattern, following my picture instructions below:
5. There should be a total of five strips of dough that you weave into the 4 strips that were already laid out previously. One in the center, and two on either side.
Once all of the dough strips have been placed, press the sides down with a fork.
6. Bake at 425 degrees F for 15 minutes.
7. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees F and continue baking for another 45 minutes, or until apples are soft and the filling is bubbling.
8. Let the apple pie cool for an hour before serving.
How To Serve
This simple country style apple pie is very delicious just on its own! But to make it even more so, be sure to serve after a wonderfully tasty dinner, as the grand finale of a splendid evening.
Adding some vanilla ice cream on top of a warm apple pie is another wonderful way to enjoy!
Now that you have found the best apple pie recipe, here’s to making new memories surrounding the dinner table with the ones you love, sharing food and breaking bread together!
The Best Apple Pie Recipe
Every year when autumn comes around, a craving for the perfect apple pie is only natural! Dreaming of the tastiest warm apple pie, perhaps even topped with vanilla ice cream, is probably everyone's idea of a perfect fall dessert!
Ingredients
- Pie Crust:
- 2 1/2 cups of all purpose flour (I prefer King Arthur flour)
- 1/2 tbsp organic sugar
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 lb of COLD unsalted butter (2 sticks, diced into 1/4 inch pieces)
- 7-8 tbsp ice water
- Apple Filling:
- 8 tbsp unsalted butter
- 3 tbsp all purpose flour (I prefer King Arthur flour)
- 1/4 cup of water
- 1 cup organic sugar
- 2 1/4 lb Granny Smith Apples, peeled, cored (about 6-7 apples) thinly sliced
- 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
Instructions
Butter Pie Crust Dough
- Place flour, sugar and salt into the blender or food processor and pulse several times until everything is combined.
- Put cold diced butter into the blender or food processor and pulse the mixture until coarse crumbs form with some pea-sized pieces. At first, the mixture will look dry and powdery.
- Add 7 tbsp of ice water into the mixture and pulse again, just until small clumps begin to form. To test dough, press a piece of dough between your fingertips. If the dough sticks together, you have added enough water. If not, add more water a teaspoon at a time. Be attentive not to add too much water or the dough will be too sticky to roll out.
- Transfer your dough to a clean work surface. Gather the dough together into a ball. Using the bench scraper, divide dough into half, form into 2 balls, and cover with plastic wrap. Place into the refrigerator to chill, while moving on to make the apple filling.
Apple Pie Filling:
- Melt the butter in a medium sauce pan over medium heat.
- Whisk in 3 tablespoons of flour and simmer for 1 minute, whisking constantly.
- Continuing to whisk, add in 1/4 cup of water, 1 cup of sugar and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat and simmer for 3 more minutes, whisking frequently.
- Remove from heat.
- Pre-heat oven to 425. Next, it is time to prepare your apples for the filling.
- Peel and remove the cores from 6-7 apples.
- Then dice the apples.
- Next, place the diced apples into a large bowl.
- Sprinkle 1 1/2 teaspoons of cinnamon and toss to combine.
- Pour the mixture you made in the saucepan, over the apples and mix well.
Arranging the Apple Pie
- Sprinkle your work surface with flour and roll out one of the apple pie crust dough balls to a 12 inch diameter circle.
- Wrap the dough around your rolling pin and and transfer it into the 9 inch pie plate.
- Add the apple pie filling, being careful not to let it touch the edges of the dough. This would make it difficult to seal the edges of the apple pie.
Braiding the Pie Step by Step
Roll out the second ball of dough into an 11 inch round, and cut into 9-10 evenly thick strips using a bench scraper or a pizza cutter. I use 9 strips on my pie, 4 strips on the first layer, and 5 on the next layer, as you will see in the upcoming instructions.
1. Place 4 strips of dough on top of the apple pie for your first layer.
2. Fold back every other strip, and place one strip down the middle, perpendicular to the rest.
3. Unfold the strips of dough that you pulled back previously, over the new strip.
4. Next, pull back the dough strips that are now running under the new strip and place a second strip of dough. Then, unfold the dough strips back over the new strip. Repeat until all strips of dough are used up on both sides of the apple pie.
5. There should be a total of five strips of dough that you weave into the 4 strips that were already laid out previously. One in the center, and two on either side.
6. Bake at 425 degrees F for 15 minutes.
7. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees F and continue baking for another 45 minutes, or until apples are soft and the filling is bubbling.
8. Let the apple pie cool for an hour before serving.
Notes
When making the apple pie crust dough, be careful not to add too much water into the dough, because this will cause stickiness. If dough is too sticky, it will be very difficult to roll out and work with.
If you find that your dough is too sticky, do not panic! Just add more flour, little by little, until the dough texture feels right.
My recipe uses Granny Smith Apples, these are just known for being more tart. But if you prefer more sweet apples, feel free to switch them out to Pink Lady or Golden Delicious.
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