If you’re looking for the perfect apple pie recipe this fall, look no further.
 
 
If there’s one classic you should list in your fall repertoire, it’s this one, an emblem of October and November. And by that, I mean the time of year when the sidewalks are scattered with leaves turning shades of yellow, brown and red, when the air is crisp, and those tall winter boots can be unearthed from winter storage. As the days get colder and more time is spent indoors, it’s smells of baked apples, cinnamon and nutmeg that really bring the warmth and cosiness to your home.
 
Perhaps especially in days like this, when we’re in the midst of a pandemic and are spending even more time at home, that you can really appreciate the wonder that is apple pie.
 
It’s simple. Soft apples coated in a sweet, cinnamon mixture, enclosed  in the flakiest crust you will ever try.
 
I’ve been making this classic apple pie recipe for a while now, although it’s been tweaked and touched up over the years. The filling recipe was actually given to me by my high school cross country coach, Mrs. Matter. When I was in the 9th grade she lead a UN day course on classic American desserts, and we made apple pie.
I remember a group of students huddled together in the teacher’s lounge, peeling apples by the dozen. I’ve reduced the sugar quite a bit since then, but feel free to use more if you prefer.
 
This recipe was my 16th birthday ‘cake,’ and as I write this, I can feel my stomach request a slice. This pie is delicious warm, or even cold. A fall favourite.
Here’s a very old video, you can watch it for a better visual version (but mind you it is one of the first videos I ever posted and is therefore not easily accessible on Youtube!)
Apple Pie

Apple Pie

If you’re looking for the perfect apple pie recipe this fall, look no further.

Ingredients

For the crust:

  • 1 quantity of pie crust, head over to my pumpkin pie recipe for my all-time favourite crust recipe! alternatively you can use store-bought crust (enough for base and filling)

For the filling:

  • 6 cups peeled apples, 4-6, chopped or sliced thinly (my new favourite way to do it)
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp nutmeg
  • 3 tbsp flour
  • ½ cup (around 120-175g) sugar* , brown or white or a combination work fine!
  • 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp unsalted butter, cold
  • 1 egg beaten with 1 tbsp water to glaze, 6omL heavy whipping cream
  • ¼ cup (60ml) heavy whipping cream
  • sugar for sprinkling the top

Instructions

To prepare the dough:

  • Preheat the oven to 425 F, or 200C.
  • I use the dough from this recipe, but you could also buy some from the store. You'll need to roll out two circles of dough. Make sure to sprinkle some flour onto your rolling pin, work surface and dough. The first dough circle should be 2 inches larger than the pie plate, on each side (just place the dish in the centre of the rolled dough, and make sure it's larger). The second one can be a bit smaller since it only needs to cover the top (feel free to get creative with this bit, either through a lattice or perhaps cutting out shapes with a cookie cutter, see here).
  • Gently place the larger rolled quantity of dough onto a 9 inch pie plate that has been greased with some butter. What I like to do here is actually roll the dough around the rolling pin, and then roll it out again onto the pie plate (does this make sense? Think I need to make a video for this!)

To prepare the filling:

  • Place the apples into a large bowl, and pour the lemon juice over the apples, stir to combine.
  • Toss over sugars, the spices and the flour, and mix to combine.
  • When everything is well incorporated, pour the apples evenly into the pie plate, dot the apples with small pieces of butter.
  • Then place the second rolled dough circle on top. Seal the edges together using the heavy cream or egg, and trim the edges to your liking.
  • Brush the surface of the pie with the heavy cream or beaten egg. Sprinkle the granulated sugar on top.
  • Finally, prick the surface of the pie with a fork, a few times is enough.
  • Bake for 45-50 minutes or until the crust is golden, and the filling is thick and bubbly, but make sure to check it every now and then.
  • If you notice that part of the to[ is browning too quickly, cover the bits with pieces of aluminium foil to prevent burning.
  • This should be eaten soon after serving and lasts a few days in the fridge. It's great warm from the oven, or even cold as a midnight snack.

Notes

*Mostly I like to reduce the  sugar for all my recipes, so I normally use 1/2 cup - the original called for almost a cup which was quite a lot!  If your apples aren't super sweet could be nice to add a bit more sugar.
 
Or try something new with apple pie cookies!

Post updated October 2020 for your reading pleasure!