5-Star Apple Pie Recipe
Pies are high on my favorite dessert list and fruit pies are at the top of my favorite pie list.
But ... when I pie recipe has such glowing recommendations from people who have actually made the pie and felt compelled to add another recommendation ... well, that is a pie to try!
So this is my pie a la Grandma Ople's recipe. Of course, I have altered it just a bit, based mostly on a couple of reviews I read on Allrecipes. I have no doubt the recipe, as written, is superb -- 8,000+ people don't take time to review and/or rate a recipe unless it is really, really good.
But you know how experienced cooks tend to be too -- good can be great and great can be greater with a little tweak here and there. Nothing personal, mind you, just creative expression.
So ... this is my personalization:
a well-vented top crust instead of a lattice top ... I like lots of crust
add 1 teaspoon cinnamon to the sauce mixture ... reduce to 1/2 teaspoon next time
add 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg to the sauce mixture ... good
add 1 teaspoon vanilla extract to the sauce mixture ... a little more depth of flavor
mix the sliced apples with most of the sauce mixture before pouring into crust ... definitely loved every apple slathered in the sauce mixture!
brush reserved sauce mixture over the top crust before baking ... also a good idea
place pie on large baking sheet (I hate even the threat of burned sugar glazing the interior of my oven) ... no mess at all
next time ... reduce the amount of water slightly ... too much liquid pooled after slicing ... probably from very fresh, moist apples
Results ... all of those pie-bakers/pie-eaters are right! It is an excellent apple pie. It is very easy to make. It is a delicious apple-y tasting pie with Granny Smith apples.
A true winner of an apple pie that will become my first choice for apple pie baking in the future.
5-Star Apple Pie
- adapted from Grandma Ople's Apple Pie - allrecipes.com
- pie dough for double crust 9-inch pie
- 1/2 cup butter
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2-4 tablespoons water
- 8-10 Granny Smith apples - peeled, cored, quartered, sliced crosswise
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Melt butter in a heavy saucepan. Stir in flour to form a paste. Add white sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and water. Bring sauce mixture to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Reserve a small amount of sauce mixture and set aside.
Place the bottom crust in glass pie plate.
In a large bowl, pour remaining sauce mixture in saucepan over apples and stir to coat evenly. Pour apples over crust in pie plate; distribute apples to mound slightly in the middle to fill evenly to sides.
Cover apples with top crust and crimp edges with fork. Make slits in top crust to vent pie. Brush top crust with reserved sauce mixture, being careful not to let it run over edges.
Place pie on large baking sheet, if desired. Bake 15 minutes at 425 degrees. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees, and continue baking for 40-45 minutes, or until top is nicely browned.
Cool slightly before serving, or serve at room temperature. Top with ice cream or whipped cream, if desired.