Apple Pie Tender Spiced Apples (Printable Version)

Tender spiced apples encased in flaky double crust. Ideal warm with vanilla ice cream.

# What You Need:

→ Pie Crust

01 - 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1 teaspoon salt
03 - 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
04 - 1 cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed
05 - 6 to 8 tablespoons ice water

→ Apple Filling

06 - 6 to 7 medium apples (mix of Granny Smith and Honeycrisp)
07 - 3/4 cup granulated sugar
08 - 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
09 - 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
10 - 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
11 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
12 - 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
13 - 1 tablespoon lemon juice
14 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

→ Assembly

15 - 1 egg, beaten
16 - 1 tablespoon milk
17 - 1 tablespoon coarse sugar (optional)

# How-To Steps:

01 - In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, and sugar. Cut in cold butter using a pastry blender or fingertips until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Gradually add ice water, stirring until dough forms. Divide in half, shape into disks, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate at least 1 hour.
02 - Peel, core, and slice apples into 1/4-inch thick pieces. Toss in a large bowl with sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, flour, and lemon juice; set aside.
03 - Preheat oven to 400°F. Roll one dough disk on a floured surface to fit a 9-inch pie dish. Place crust in dish, fill with apple mixture, and dot with butter pieces. Roll out second dough disk and place on top. Trim, seal, crimp edges, and cut vents for steam.
04 - Whisk egg with milk and brush over top crust. Sprinkle with coarse sugar if desired. Bake on lower rack for 45 to 55 minutes until crust is golden and filling bubbles. Cover edges with foil if browning too fast.
05 - Cool pie on wire rack for at least 2 hours before slicing. Serve warm or at room temperature, optionally with vanilla ice cream.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The crust actually stays crispy on the bottom because you bake it on the lower rack, a detail that changes everything.
  • You can mix Granny Smith and Honeycrisp apples and taste the difference—tart and sweet in the same bite.
  • It fills your kitchen with the kind of smell that makes people appear in doorways asking when it'll be done.
  • Two hours of cooling sounds long until you remember it gives you time to make ice cream or just sit with a cup of tea.
02 -
  • Warm hands and warm butter make tough pastry—chill your tools and your ingredients, and work quickly once you start combining them.
  • The filling will bubble out of the vents as it bakes, and that's exactly what should happen; it means the apples are cooking and the crust is baking fast enough to set before the filling escapes.
  • Don't slice into the pie until it's completely cool, no matter how impatient you feel—a warm pie will fall apart, but a cooled one will slice cleanly and hold its shape on the plate.
03 -
  • If you want a lattice crust instead of a solid top, cut the second dough disk into strips before placing them over the filling—it looks fancy and lets you see the apples bubbling underneath.
  • A handwritten recipe card tucked somewhere safe becomes more valuable with each pie you make from it.
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