Homemade Apple Pie

Homemade Apple Pie

“Homemade apple pie with tender, sweet and slightly tangy filling combined with a crispy, buttery pie crust; a must try recipe for holidays or even breakfast or snack!”

Apple pie is an all-time American favorite and becomes a Filipino favorite as well. This apple pie recipe is sweet, tender, and a little tangy; it’s loaded with fresh apples and some spices that perfectly complement the crispy, buttery crust. This is great for occasions and can even serve on regular days as breakfast or snacks. You can also make this at home following some easy steps with simple ingredients too.


What are the ingredients for the Apple Pie?

You’ll need the following in making a delicious apple pie.

Pie crust: This is the same dough I used for my baked chicken empanada recipe; I just lessen the sugar as the filling is already sweet. You can also use your favorite store-bought pie crust if you want to save time or make it ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator.

Apples: You’ll need about 7 cups, which is about 6-7 medium apples.

Brown sugar and granulated sugar: The combination of brown sugar will give apple pie a deep molasses flavor and the granulated sugar adds sweetness without overpowering it.

Cinnamon & Nutmeg: Apple pie is not complete without these spices.

Salt: It always brings out the flavors in baking.

Lemon juice/ apple cider vinegar: Not only does the lemon juice/apple cider vinegar add flavor and brightness, it also prevents the apples from browning.

Cornstarch/ Flour: Will serve as a thickener when we cook our filling.

Unsalted/ Salted butter: For added richness and flavor.

Egg wash: Made of egg and heavy cream or milk or plain water. Using cream or milk will give you a beautiful shiny golden brown color.

What are the Best Apples for Apple Pie?

Apples come in thousand different variations. Apple varieties are tart, sweet or sweet and tart. Some selections are best eaten as snacks and some are good for cooking or baking. So choose your apples wisely. It could make or break your apple pie.

Firm and dry apples usually work best in a pie because they soften up but don’t turn syrupy when baked. They also hold their form better than others, providing good structure to the pie. Good choices are Honeycrisp, Braeburn, Granny Smith, or Fuji.

If you like tart apple pies, Granny Smith is the way to go. If you like sweet apple pies use Honeycrisp, Braeburn, Fuji, Golden Delicious or Jonagold.  Choose a mix of tart and sweet apples to make the best flavor.

The reason some apples are tart/ sour, while others are sweet, is because of varying levels of acids in the fruit or its malic acid levels. This naturally occurring compound is often referred to as “apple acid” because it makes up 94% of the total acid in an apple. Due to high acid levels, tart apples are great for salads and baking apple pie as the flesh doesn’t brown and discolor quickly.

why precook the apple pie filling?

In this apple pie recipe, we will precook our apples. Precooking apple pie filling before baking is a sure way to maintain the right consistency and there is less chances of having undercooked apples.

Sometimes the filling shrinks after the dough has set, leaving a huge gap. Precooking the apple pie filling takes care of that.

Precooking the filling also prevent that dreaded mushy filling, get rid of extra moisture and ensure that the filling is perfectly thickened before going into the oven.

This also the best time to taste the sweetness of the apple and adjust the taste according to your preference.

To sum it up, precooking the filling is like a quality check before baking the apple pie. And if you know your apple pie filling tastes good, then you are confident that your pie will turn out good.

How long to bake an apple pie?

To bake, place the pie in a preheated 400 oF/ 200 oC oven and bake for 25 minutes, or until the top starts to lightly brown, then lower the temp to 375 oF / 190 oC and bake anywhere from 45 minutes to an hour or longer.

Pies always seem to take longer to cook than one expects. You will know that the apple pie is done when the juices are noticeably bubbling, which you should be able to see through the steam vents/ slits.

At any point during the baking that the top of the pie begins to brown too much, just put an aluminum foil on top of the pie in the oven. No need to wrap it around the pie, just place it on top. That will keep the top from browning further.

Let the pie cool for at least 3 hours before cutting it and its ready to serve.

additional tips on making apple pie

If you are making a homemade crust, you can make the dough a day ahead, and keep the dough chilled in the refrigerator. Before using, remove the dough from the refrigerator and let them sit for 10 to 15 minutes before rolling one out to 12-inch circles, about ¼ inch thick.

You can also make your filling ahead of time, just let it cool completely after cooking and transfer in an airtight container before placing in the refrigerator.

Sprinkle apples with the lemon juice or apple cider vinegar to keep them from browning after peeling/ cutting.

Place several slits on the top crust to create vents for the steam to escape.

Typically, 1 medium apple yields 1-1/3 cups sliced. For 7 cups of sliced apples, you will need about 6-7 medium apples.

So there you go! Time to grab your baking gear and let’s start making this delicious apple pie at home and enjoy baking! Happy tummy!

apple pie

Homemade Apple Pie Recipe

Julie
Homemade apple pie with tender, sweet and mildly tangy apple filling combined with a crispy, buttery piecrust; a must try recipe for holidays or even breakfast or snack!
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 25 minutes
Chill time 1 hour
Total Time 2 hours 45 minutes
Course Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine American, Filipino
Servings 8

Equipment

  • Oven
  • Mixing bowls
  • 9-inch round pie pan
  • Rolling Pin
  • Pastry brush

Ingredients
  

For making Crust:

  • 2 and ½ cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 200 grams unsalted/ salted butter, cold (cut into cubes)
  • 6 tablespoons cold water, or as needed

For making the filling:

  • 7 cups choice apples, peeled, cored, sliced (I used 2 Granny Smith and 5 Fuji) -– about 6-7 medium size apple
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter or salted butter, cold
  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • ¼ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoon cornstarch — or 3 tablespoons flour
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla essence/ extract

For making the eggwash:

  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tablespoon heavy cream or whole milk or water

Instructions
 

Make the pie crust:

  • Cut butter into cubes and put in the freezer for about 10 minutes.
  • In a mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar and salt and mix well. Cut in butter using a pastry cutter or by pinching the butter with hands into the flour mixture, until it looks like a coarse cornmeal, with a few pea-size pieces of butter remaining.
  • Slowly add water to the flour mixture, mix just until well combined. Mix until dough is no longer too crumbly and holds together when squeezed. If the dough is too crumbly and does not hold together,add more water.  It is important that you don’t add too much water and don’t over knead the dough.
  • Form the dough into a ball and divide in half. Cover using a plastic wrap and chill for about 1- 2 hours or overnight.
  • Before rolling, let it sit on the counter for 10-15 minutes to slightly soften.

Make the filling:

  • Peel apples and remove the core. Then cut into 1/4 inch slices. They should all be slice to the same size for even cooking. Tip: sprinkle lemon juice or apple cider vinegar to the apples to prevent them from browning.
  • In a large deep cooking pot, over medium heat, melt butter. Add the sliced apples,brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Mix well and add vanilla extract/ essence. Cook and occasionally stirring for about 10-15 minutes until apples have slightly softened but still firm (not lost their shape).
  • Sprinkle 1-2 tablespoons cornstarch/ flour and mix. Bring to a simmer and cook for an additional 3-5 minutes until juice thickens. If not thick enough, add more cornstarch/ flour little by little while stirring.
  • Set aside and let cool at room temperature. Tip: to speed up the cooling process, transfer the apple filling to a large shallow bowl or a large pan.

Assemble and bake the pie:

  • After the filling has cooled down, preheat oven to 400°F/ 200°C. Grease a 9-inch round pie pan.
  • Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough on a floured surface to make a 12-inch circle, about ¼ inches thick. Repeat for the second dough.
  • Transfer first dough to a 9-inch pie pan. Fill the panwith cooled apple pie filling and cover the pie with the second rolled outdough. Trim any overhang or excess dough. Seal edges with a fork or with yourfingers. Make a few slits at the top to let the steam escape.
  • Make the egg wash by whisking the egg with heavy cream or milk. Brush the pie dough with egg wash.
  • Bake for 25 minutes at 400°F/ 200°C.  Lower oven temperature to 375°F / 190°C and bake for an additional 45 minutes or more until golden brown and bubbly. Tip:put an aluminum foil on top of the pie if the crust is becoming too brown.
  • Let it cool on a wire rack for at least 3 hours before serving. If you cut into it before it has cooled down, it will fall apart.
  • Serve and enjoy!

Video

Notes

You can choose any good baking apples for this recipe. I used 5 Fuji apples and 2 Granny Smith apples. I like the sweet flavor of the Fuji apples combined with some tartness from Granny Smith.
 
You can make pie crust and filling a day ahead. You just need to refrigerate the dough after forming a ball. Let the filling cool completely and transfer in an airtight container before placing in the refrigerator.
 
Keyword apple pie recipe, delicious apple pie recipe, easy apple pie recipe, simple apple pie recipe

If you make something with Happy Tummy Recipes, please share it with me, and don’t forget to rate and comment on this recipe below!

For more recipe inspiration, please subscribe to our recipe newsletter and follow me on PinterestFacebookTumblr, and YouTube!

This post contains affiliate links. I make a commission from sales. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. For more information, read my disclosure policy.