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+ servings
Grandma's Apple Pie hot out of the oven golden brown and bubbly.
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5 from 9 votes

Grandma's Apple Pie

Our Grandma’s Apple Pie with a flaky lattice crust is made with delicious layers of sautéed apple cinnamon filling for the perfect award-winning recipe.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time1 hour 10 minutes
Total Time1 hour 40 minutes
Course: Desserts
Cuisine: American
Servings: 12
Calories: 400kcal
Author: HWC Magazine

Equipment

  • pie plate
  • oven

Ingredients

Lattice Crust (makes 2 crusts top and bottom) or use a store bought refrigerated pie crusts

  • 2.5 cups flour
    and extra for rolling
  • 1 cup butter
    (2 sticks or 8 ounces) unsalted butter, very-cold, cut into ½ inch cubes
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
    or sugar alternative
  • 6-8 tablespoon ice water

Apple Pie Filling

  • 8-10 granny apples
    large, peeled, core removed and sliced. We also used some gala apples too.
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
    to prevent apples from oxidizing and turning the apples brow
  • 2 teaspoons cinnamon
  • 1 cup brown sugar or sugar alternative
  • ½ teaspoon nutmeg
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 egg
    beaten
  • 1 teaspoon sugar or sugar alternative - optional

Instructions

  • Pre-heat oven to 425 F.

Homemade Crust - if using a store bought skip and proceed to apple filling

  • In a food processor or with a pastry dough knife blend flour and butter until crumbly. Then add salt, sugar and ice water until dough comes to a ball.
  • Remove dough from food processor or bowl and shape into one ball and then split the ball into 2 equal pieces. Place one ½ of the dough in the refrigerator to rest.
  • Clean and flour your working surface. Flatten ½ dough into a disk and roll out the dough with a rolling-pin so that it is about 2 inches larger in diameter than your pie pan.
  • Roll gently your pie crust onto your rolling-pin and lower gently over your pie pan. Gently allow the edges to comes to the bottom of the pan so that there is no gaps around the edges or bottom. Set aside.

Apple Filling

  • Wash and peel and remove the core and slice apples.
  • As soon as possible to prevent oxidation place the lemon juice on apples.
  • Add brown sugar, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla and flour to apples and mix well. In a large frying pan, add the butter and cook the mixed apples until the moisture is evaporated and the sauce around the apples is thick and not watery. The apples should be slightly softened but not all the way cooked through. (About 10 minutes)

Create the lattice crust (see step by step photos above in post)

  • Place one rolled out pie crust dough on the bottom of pie plate . Press flat on to the bottom and sides.
  • Add the cooked prepared apples on top of the bottom crust in the pie pan.
  • Take the other half of the dough out of fridge and place on floured surface and roll out dough to 1-2 inches larger in diameter than pie pan.
  • Measure and cut dough for crust lengthwise into strips about ½ to 1 inches (or about 15 slices)
  • Using every other one of the dough strips, lay dough about 1 inch apart on top of apple pie.
  • Start at one end. Carefully pick up every other dough strip and lay it back upon itself. Insert a dough strip horizontal to the vertical strips. Continue the process with the remaining strips. Make a weave so it looks like a basket.
  • With your thumb and index finger pinch the lattice crust to the rim of crust. Trim off excess crust but leave about a ¾ inch overhang.
  • Fold the edge of the top piece of dough over and under the edge of the bottom piece of dough, pressing together. Flute edges using thumb and forefinger.

Prepare for Baking

  • Brush pie crust with beaten egg wash and sprinkle with a little granulated sugar.
  • Place pie on top of a lined baking sheet to prevent a mess in your oven!!!
  • Place pie (on the baking sheet) in the oven initially at 425 F (218 degrees C) for ten minutes and then reduce heat to 350 F ( 176 degrees C) for 50 minutes or until crust is golden brown and apple pie is bubbly.
    Check on your pie at the 40 minute mark. BEFORE, your pie crust edges become too brown, cut a little piece of aluminum foil on the edges to prevent over browning. 9 times out of 10 we end up doing this.
  • Serve apple pie warm with a dollop of ice cream or whipped topping (Also great cold as a quick breakfast with a cup of coffee or tea. I have not idea why I would know about that....hmmm) - smiling

Notes

Serve warm or at room temperature. 
Baking Hacks!
  • Start your oven off at 425 degrees F (218 degrees C) for the first 10-15 minutes. This ensures that the crust gets extra flaky when the fat in the pie dough starts to melt. Then, decrease temperature down to 350 degrees F (176 Degrees C) to complete the baking process.
  • Line a baking tray and place under the pie pans! Don’t forget this step or you will have a mess on your hands. When the filling starts to bubble over in your oven, you can thank us later.
  • If your edges of the pie crust start to get too brown, take a thin sheet of aluminum foil and carefully wrap it around the edges of the cinnamon pie.
  • Brush egg wash on your lattice crust to make sure it gets golden brown during the baking process.
  • This recipe is for a standard sized pie – not a deep-dish pie. If using a deep-dish pie plate, you will need more apples, spices, and flour. You may even need to adjust the size of your crust diameter.
  • A regular pie plate uses about 4 pounds of apples. Whereas a deep-dish pie plate needs about 5 pounds or 2 cups more of sliced apples. The baking time will also need to be increased for a deep dish pie.
  • The standard sized pie pan is approximately 9 inches in diameter (22 cm) and 1.25 inches (3 cm) deep. However, a deep-dish pie pan is 9 inches in diameter but are between 1.5 to 2 inches (5cm) deep. Depending on where you are located around the world this can differ.
  • 5 pounds of apples is about 20 small apples, 15 medium sided apples or 10 large apples. Of course, this is also contingent on how well you peel and reduce waste when prepping your apples for the pie.
  • Depending on where you are living around the world, the size and types of apples can really differ.
  • Use a peeler so that you can keep waste down to a minimum.
  • Apples cook down. Make sure that you add enough apples to the pie crust, so it is mounded up a little. No one likes a concave pie.
  • Peel and slice apples. Do not cut into chunks as this can cause the pie to cook unevenly. It might end up lopsided and after all that work, you don’t want that. Nice slices so it has layers and layers of apples.
  • Use a mixture of different types of apples that are firm to produce a more interesting flavor profile.
Storage
An apple pie can sit out on the counter at room temperature for up to 2 days, if left whole and is covered, according to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). Once cut into, it should be stored in the refrigerator covered for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2-3 months.
Reheating Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (176 degrees C) Place previously baked apple pie in oven covered in aluminum foil for about 20 to 25 minutes or until toasty warm.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 400kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 59mg | Sodium: 353mg | Potassium: 175mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 28g | Vitamin A: 618IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 23mg | Iron: 2mg