Delicious Homemade Apple Pie

Wow, this week has flown by! Has it for anyone else? I’m not sure if it is because I have 5,000 things going on or what, but I cannot believe that it is already Friday! Of course, that just means the beginning to an exciting and busy weekend that will lead into a busy week. Heck, might as well enjoy each day. They are limited after all.

On the subject of quickly passing time…It’s August ya’ll! August. This has been one of the quickest moving years I think I have ever experienced. My mom always told me that “after you turn 25, the years fly by”. So far, her statement has proven to be right. With the busy work life and having a family and small children, it seems like life passes by so quickly.

So how does that tie in to today’s recipe?

“Life is short – eat pie.”

I’m not a fan of pie. Frankly, I’m not a fan of cooked fruit. I like my fruit fresh or in something like a smoothie. Not warm and caramelized. I had someone tell me I was “un-American” once because I told them I didn’t like apple pie. [Insert eye-roll] But the only kind of pie I have ever been interested in was something cold & heavily involving chocolate. So when my husband had mentioned wanting an apple pie one day, I wasn’t exactly enthused. However, I took it as an opportunity to challenge my baking skills and try out something new. I love to cook, but baking is not my primary specialty. It seems to require more specifics and measurements & I’m prone to toss “a little of this” and “a dash of that” in when cooking. Doing that while baking seems a little risky to me, as though it could result in disastrous consequences. Nevertheless, I was bound to surprise him with pie. Apple Pie. So, I went online and randomly found a recipe for a traditional style apple pie and tried it out. And it was heavenly!

I LOVED IT! The spices and flavorings created a comforting fragrance throughout our home. The flavor was perfect, and I savored it until the last bite was gone! The apples were perfectly textured. The crust was the perfect mixture of crunchy and soft. Just absolutely delicious! Needless to say, I was quite proud of that pie. I have made it a couple of times since, and it has been a big hit each time. I will say that my KitchenAid mixer made all the difference in the world. It made mixing the crust so incredibly easy and I can have it mixing while I’m working on something else. I also have the attachment that peels, slices, and cores the apples for me. That was a huge time saver! I included some prep time in the noted time in the recipe, however that time will vary for everyone based on experience and tools used. I have varied how I had the outer crust several times. Either pinching it to form peaks or braiding it. The braiding is slightly more time consuming and tedious, but is beautifully presented. Especially if cooking for a holiday or such. The lattice topping of the crust was easy to achieve once I had that down. Initially, it seemed tricky, but was easier to accomplish that I expected. I am going to place two links here that show how to easily lattice a pie crust.

Learn how to lattice a pie crust from Gimme Some Oven or Inspired Taste.

• Time: 1hr 30min
• Difficulty: Easy
• Print

A yummy homemade pie that EVERYONE will love!

There is an ingredient list for the crust and pie filling. Make sure to make 2 separate servings of the crust to ensure that you have enough! Also, green apples make all the difference! They add the perfect bit of tart to pair with the sweetness!

Ingredients

Crust:
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1tsp sugar
• 1 1/2 sticks butter
• 1 1/4 + 2Tbsp ice water (approximately)

Pie:

• 2 batches crust
• 7 to 8 apples (peeled, sliced thin, cored)
• 1 stick butter
• 3Tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 1/4 tsp ntmeg
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla

Directions

Crust:
1. Mix flour and sugar well. Add 1/2 of the butter and mix well.
2. Add the rest of the butter. Mix. Slowly add ice water while mixing well
3. Flatten into two round discs and wrap with plastic wrap. Chill in fridge for at least 30 min before rolling.
4. After chilled well, take one batch and use to form the bottom crust by fitting it to the bottom and sides of a ceramic, or glass, pie pan. Make sure the pan is sprayed with a form of non-stick spray or oil!
5. Roll out second batch of dough for the top crust. If latticing, or braiding, be sure to cut into thin slices – approximately 1/2 inch each.

Pie:

6. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Put apples in bowl.
7. On medium heat, melt the butter. Add in flour and mix.
8. Add water, sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla. Boil for 1 minute, then simmer for 1 minute.
9. Remove 1/3 cup of the filling and put aside. Pour remaining filling over apples and toss to ensure all apples are coated well.
10. Pour the coated apples into the pan, filling the bottom crust. Make sure that there is a little mound-shape to the middle of the pie.
11. Use the second batch of dough and create top crust. Cover loosely with foil and bake 10-12 minutes.
12. Reduce head to 350 degrees and bake for 50 minutes. Remove the foil the last 10 minutes to brown crust. Make sure that dough is cooked and apples are soft to ensure that it is done.
13. Enjoy!

What is your favorite pie recipe?
-Shawna