Apple Pie

I know, I know. Apple pie. I should've posted this in time for the 4th of July, but it was just a case of too many recipes, too little time. But hey, sometimes I have more than one birthday party; America's a big place...you can have more than one celebration! Have mini cheesecakes AND apple pie!


I love this recipe because it's simple and classic, something I imagine grandmas were making 150 years ago. Butter. Apples. Cinnamon. Sugar. Nutmeg. It just takes you back to a different place and time and a happy place at that. Let it cool down for as long as you can stand it and then cut a slice and add a scoop of vanilla ice cream. For breakfast. Because apple pie is totally breakfast food.


Now...if you've never used an Apple Master (or similar product), your life is not complete, especially if you cook with apples a couple times a year. Heck, if you have one, you'll look for excuses to cook with apples because it's just so amazing. AMAZING. It peels. It cores. It slices. It can even be used on potatoes. It's magic.
 

So slice all of those apples up and toss them with lemon juice. Then mix up all of your seasonings and flour.

Toss the mixture together with the apples

And pop them in the prepared pie crust.  Dot top of apples with butter

Easy as pie!  All that's left to do is place another crust on top.  If you're using a full crust, then make sure to slit the top for a vent.  Or you can follow the instructions shown here for a lattice crust like shown below:

If desired, brush the top of the crust with a little melted butter and sprinkle some sugar on top.

 Then pop it in the oven to bake.  Make sure to keep an eye on it (especially if you've sprinkled with sugar) and place a piece of foil on top if it starts to brown to early.

Apple Pie
Recipe by Our Best Bites


Pastry for double-crust pie
6 cups peeled, sliced Granny Smith apples (about 1 1/2 pounds)
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
2 Tbsp. butter, chopped



Roll half of the pastry to 1/8" thickness on a surface that's been sprayed with cooking spray. Gently place in a 9" pieplate; set aside.

Anyway. Preheat your oven to 450. Combine lemon juice and apples in a large bowl.. Combine 1/2 c. sugar and next four ingredients, mixing well. Spoon over apple mixture, tossing gently. Spoon filling evenly into pastry shell and dot with chopped butter.

Roll remaining pie crust 1/8" thick (see "Pie Crusts" for ideas on how to top your crust, including instructions on how to make a lattice crust). When your top is how you want it, bake at 450 for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 and bake 50 minutes more. Definitely keep an eye on the pie; you may need to make a shield if it starts getting too brown. If you get worried, go ahead and make a square of foil, cut a center out of the foil, and place it on the pie so the foil covers the edge of the pie.