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A slice of best apple pie with apple filling being lifted from pie plate ready to serve.
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4.74 from 41 votes

The BEST Apple Pie Recipe

Perfectly tender, spiced apples hinted with cinnamon, freshly grated nutmeg and brown sugar are enveloped into a flakey, buttery cocoon of crust makes this the BEST Apple Pie recipe sure to please the whole family! It was meant to dance on the taste buds and fill the belly. Perfect for fall, holidays or all year round.
Prep Time45 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 15 minutes
Total Time2 hours
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 521.03kcal

Ingredients

For the Double Crust

  • 2 ⅔ cup unbleached all purpose flour spooned and leveled
  • 2 tsp granulated sugar to 2 tbsp if you level up
  • 1 tsp fine sea salt
  • ¼ tsp baking powder
  • 1 cup very cold unsalted butter cubed
  • ½ cup ice water
  • 1 tbsp red wine vinegar

For the Filling

  • 8 cups thinly sliced Honeycrisp Apples about 6 medium-size to large apples
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup light brown sugar
  • 1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
  • ¼ tsp fine sea salt
  • 4 tbsp cornstarch

Crust and Assembly

  • Nonstick cooking spray for pan
  • All purpose flour for dusting
  • 2 tsp unbleached all purpose flour
  • 2 tbsp granulated sugar divided
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tbsp water
  • Pinch of fine sea salt

Instructions

For the Double Crust

  • In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. Pulse a few times to blend. Sprinkle half of the butter pieces over the dry ingredients. Process until the mixture resembles cornmeal, about 15 seconds.
  • Add the remaining cold butter and pulse about 10 times, until this batch of butter cubes is broken down by about half.
  • In a measuring cup, combine the water and vinegar. Add about three quarters of the liquid to the bowl. Pulse about 10 times, or until the dough begins to form a few small clumps. Test the dough by squeezing a small amount in the palm of your hand. If it easily holds together and your palm isn't dusty with floury bits, it's done.
  • If not, add an additional 1/2 tablespoon of vinegared water and pulse 2 or 3 more times. Repeat this process as needed just until the dough holds together.
  • Turn out the mixture onto a work surface. With a few quick kneads, gather the dough into a mass. For double crust, divide the dough in half and shape into disks. For 2 slab crusts, shape each half of the dough into a 5x8 inch rectangle. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before rolling.

For the Filling

  • In a large bowl, combine all the filling ingredients, except the cornstarch. Toss to mix well. Let sit at room temperature for 1 hour.
  • Drain the filling over a 2 to 2 1/2 quart saucepan, pressing down on the fruit gently and catching the liquid- you should have at least 1/2 cup of liquid. Return the apples to their bowl. Set the pan over high heat and reduce the liquid to about 1/3 cup which will take about 5 minutes. You can swirl the pan occasionally, but avoid stirring. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside to cool for 5 minutes.
  • Add the cornstarch to the apples and toss to coat. Pour the apple syrup over the fruit and stir gently to blend.
  • Position a rack to the center of the oven and preheat it to 425 F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Spray a 9 inch glass pie plate with nonstick cooking spray and dust with flour, knocking out the excess. Place the pie plate on the lined baking sheet.
  • On a lightly floured surface, roll out 1 dough disk into a 12 inch circle. Place the dough in the prepared pie dish. In a small bowl, combine the flour and 2 teaspoons of the sugar. Scatter evenly across the bottom of the dough. Scrape the filling into the crust.
  • Roll out the second dough disk to a 12 inch circle. Drape the dough over the filling. With a thin, sharp knife, slice a few vents around the center of the pie. Press to seal the top and bottom crust edges together. Fold the overhand under; crimp decoratively. Freeze the pie until the top crust is firm, about 15 minutes.
  • In a small cup, whisk together the egg, water and salt. Brush lightly over the top crust, and sprinkle with remaining 4 teaspoons of sugar.
  • Bake the pie at 425 F for 15 minutes. Rotate the pie 180 degrees. Lower the oven temperature to 375 F. Bake for another 50 to 60 minutes, until the filling is bubbling (bubbling is key to indicate that the starch has begun to thicken the filling!) and the crust is deeply browned. If the pie's edges look as if they may burn at any point during the end of the baking time, simply roll the foil from the pan up over the pie's edges.
  • Allow the pie to cool completely at room temperature on a wire rack before slicing and serving, at least 3 hours.

Notes

Tip for Crust: Most double crust pie recipes have you baking for about an hour in total.  I like to take them quite a bit browner, as much as 20 minutes longer to really develop color and incredible flavor that comes from the marriage of deeply browned butter and flour.
Honeycrisps have become one of my favorite baking apples, and as it happens they're a midwestern invention, first cultivated at the University of Minnesota in 1974, and then finally released to the public in 1991.  
For more tips for making the best apple pie check the full post.
Store your pie at room temperature for up to two days. After that, it should be stored in the fridge for up to five days or the freezer for up to three months.

Nutrition

Calories: 521.03kcal | Carbohydrates: 72.98g | Protein: 5.63g | Fat: 24.19g | Saturated Fat: 14.87g | Cholesterol: 81.47mg | Sodium: 579.11mg | Potassium: 214.5mg | Fiber: 4.19g | Sugar: 36.31g | Vitamin A: 806.29IU | Vitamin C: 5.99mg | Calcium: 34.76mg | Iron: 2.25mg