Description

This homemade apple pie starts with macerated apples cooked gently with butter, sugar, and spices before baking in an all-butter crust. The result is a rich, flavorful filling and a perfectly flaky crust every time.

Ingredients

Scale

8 small apples, peeled, cored, and sliced

½ cup sugar

¼ cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

Juice of ½ lemon

2 tablespoons flour

1 tablespoon butter

Pinch of salt

Double crust, all-butter pie dough

1 egg + 1 tablespoon milk or water (for egg wash)

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Instructions

Prepare the crusts: Get your pie dough ready and refrigerate it while you make the filling.

Prepare fruit: Peel and slice the apples into thin slices.

Macerate the fruit: In a large bowl, combine the sliced apples with sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice, and salt. Let sit for 30 minutes to 1 hour to draw out the juices.

Preheat the oven to 400°F and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

Cook the filling: Pour the apple mixture and its juices into a large skillet. Cook over medium heat for about 7 minutes, until the apples begin to soften and the liquid starts to thicken. Stir in the flour and butter and cook for another 3 minutes, until the mixture looks glossy and lightly thickened. Remove from heat and let cool for about 15 minutes.

Assemble the pie: Place one crust in your 9-inch pie dish. Pour in the apple filling with all its juices. Top with the second crust or a lattice, and crimp the edges. Cut a few small slits for steam if using a full top crust.

Brush and bake: Brush the top crust with egg wash. Place on lined baking sheet and bake at 400°F for 25 minutes, then reduce the heat to 375°F and bake for another 35 minutes, until the crust is golden and the filling is bubbling.

Cool before slicing: Let the pie rest for at least an hour so the filling can set.

Notes

You must bake on a rimmed baking sheet to catch those delicious bubbling juices.

To tell if the pie is done, look for the juices to be bubbling throughout, and the crust to be a nice golden brown. If you did not macerate and prebake your apples, you’ll want to test for doneness with a skewer; the apples should be soft but not mushy.

If the pie crust is browning too quickly, you can use a pie shield or aluminum foil to cover the rim.

Prep Time: 1 hour 45
Cook Time: 1 hour