When you think about “America,” what comes to mind? Freedom? The Star Spangled Banner? Mel Gibson in the Patriot? I think of pie. Apple pie, to be exact. Nothing is more American to me than apple pie. I mean, the saying “as American as apple pie” exists for a reason…
The last time I made apple pie was, coincidentally, on a 4th of July…5-ish years ago. I really want pie when I got up that morning, so I rolled out some dough and made a fresh pie brimming with tangy-sweet apples and topped with a pretty lattice crust. It didn’t occur to me that this was the perfect Independence Day dessert until we went over to a friend’s place for a BBQ, and got in the elevator with a random girl. She saw the pie in my hands and immediately blurted out “OMG, is that an apple pie? Did you make that for the 4th? That is sooo American!”
And she was right — apple pie is super American. According to Wikipedia, apple pies have been a symbol of American prosperity and national pride since the 19th and 20th centuries, and “for Mom and apple pie” was a common answer of WWII soldiers whenever journalists asked why they were going to war. Pretty cool, huh? I love apple pie. To me, it’s the ultimate comfort dessert, and every time I eat it I think of happy families, fat babies, lazy dogs, and white picket fences — the American dream, as it were. And, apple pies are really freaking delicious. Buttery, flaky crust wrapped around juicy, tangy-sweet apples spiced with cinnamon…what could be better? American or not, when served with some freshly whipped cream and/or ice cream, it’s basically the perfect dessert.
Happy belated 4th, everyone! Hope it was a good one.
** Psst…if you like apple pie, check out my other favorite recipe: Cinnamon Apple Crunch Pie. Shortbread crust + crunchy sweet topping!
- 1 package pre-made store bought pie crust
- 5-6 Gala apples, peeled, cored and sliced
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- ⅓ cup flour
- 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
- 1 generous dash ground nutmeg
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 egg + 2 tbsp water, whisked together (this is your egg wash)
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
- Carefully roll out one of your store-bought pie crusts and gently press it into a greased pie dish, allowing excess to hang over the edge. Cover lightly with plastic wrap and stick it in the fridge to chill.
- In a large bowl, toss apple slices with lemon juice.
- Add sugars, flour, and spices to the bowl and toss to coat. Allow apples to sit for a while in this sugar/spice mixture, so that they release more juices.
- Spoon apple filling into chilled pie crust.
- Cut butter into very small pieces and sprinkle over the apples.
- Roll out the remaining pie crust. Cut into strips ½ inches to ¾ inches wide.
- Place one layer of strips across the pie, over the the apples, spacing strips about 1 inch apart. Do not press the edges down. (There will be overhang, don’t worry about it.)
- Put down another layer of strips across the pie, perpendicular to the first layer of strips. Weaving each strip over and under the first layer of strips to create a lattice effect. (Alternate your weaving from strip to strip — for example, if one strip starts the weaving pattern going under the first layer, the next strip should start going over. See unbaked pie picture above for explanation.)
- Press down on the edges of your pie crust to seal top and bottom layers together. Trim overhang, and crimp all around to make a stand-up edge. (If you want it to look extra pretty, you can press a few extra strips of crust around the rim of the pie - you should have plenty of strips leftover.)
- Brush egg wash lightly around the edge of the pie, and cover with a pie crust shield if you have one.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until top is golden brown and juices are bubbling.
- Cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes.
- Slice and serve with freshly whipped cream and caramel sauce or ice cream.
that’s one heck of a perfect apple pie!
xo
http://allykayler.blogspot.ca/
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Thanks! I’ll be sure to check it out 🙂
I just took them out of the oven. They sure smell good. I do notice a lot of liquid in the pie. Is that normal?
Totally normal – I get that too! I think it’s the added lemon juice that does it. Should taste nice and juicy though!
Are the apples in this pie crisp or slightly soft?
Umm, I would say slightly soft but with some bite to it, if that makes sense.
How thick should the dough be?
About 1/4-inch.
Do you have to use Gala apples for this recipe?
Nope! You can use any kind of apples you like – just keep in mind that some are more/less tart than others, so be sure to adjust the sugar/lemon juice amounts based on your preferred taste.
i have no juices… What did I do?
Hmm not sure! Did you add lemon juice?
we made this by the recipe and it cooked up too thick and dry.
Sorry this didn’t turn out well for you! When I make it it usually turns out very juicy (almost too-juicy sometimes) :/
Can you leave out the nutmeg?
Yes, definitely! If there is a spice you don’t love, you should feel free to leave it out.
Just made this pie (I should mention its the first homemade pie I’ve ever made) and it turned out perfectly! I couldn’t have asked for an easier recipe. Thanks for sharing!
I’m so glad the recipe turned out well for you! Thanks for reading the blog – hope you come back soon for more recipes 😀
Made your pie and it was wonderful. Didn’t do the lattice just two full crust. We like it because it was not to sweet and the spices were right on. I made a mistake by dropping a little to much flour in the mixture but it was perfect, not real juicy. Very easy to make. Thank you.
Awesome! So glad you liked the recipe 🙂
Thanks for the recipe, I can’t wait to give this a try this season!! I also linked this in my latest blog post, http://www.meshkomoments.com/fall-bucket-list/ where I hare 50 things to do this Fall. 🙂
Thanks for the shout out!
Made the pie today. It was very easy. Upon tasting wasn’t really juice. Followed the directions and just wayyyy to much cinnamon 1T spoon? Will make it again with less cinnamon. But how to get it juicier?
Yup, if you’re not as big a fan of cinnamon as we are in my family, definitely use less! I’ve never had issues with juiciness, but you can try adding a little more lemon juice, cooking the apples on the stove a little, or letting the apples sit in the sugar/cinnamon/juice mixture for a while before spooning it into the pie crust. Let me know if those work for you!
I am going to a thanksgiving dinner with some friends and I really don’t want to bring one of my nice pie dishes. Do you think this pie would cook well in one of those aluminum pie dishes?
Sorry for the late response – for some reason I’m not getting email notifications of comments anymore. Anyway, I think an aluminum pie dish would be fine – as long as it tastes good, no one will notice what it’s in! 🙂
Made this in a convection oven and checked it at 30 mins. Than left it for 10 mins more….
The apples were not fully cooked and had a lot of liquid.
Hi, I just used your recipe for an apple pie filling it was so amazing and delicious, thanks for sharing it, check out my blog.
Thank you for checking out my recipe! I will definitely check out your blog 🙂
Lovely recipe! My first time making an apple pie and it was excellent!
I’m so glad you liked it! 😀
Great pie but wasn’t cooked enough so reduced heat to 375 for another 20 minutes. Let it cool before serving and it was perfect
How long would you recommend to make sure the apples are cooked thoroughly?
I made this and it was the best apple pie I’ve ever had! Brought it to a family gathering and everyone was raving about it! Served it with old fashion vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce! It was a BIG hit!