My Best Ever Apple Pie!
What's the secret, you wonder?
It's all in the crust and the apple preparation!
Here's what my pies used to look like...
The famous birthday pie!
My earlier apple pies prior to this recipe looked like this! This specific pie was at the request of the birthday girl. My crust has come a long way from this version.
I've tried my hand at crafting apple pies on many occasions (as noted in the photo above) and although they taste good, the crust was never just right and the pies never looked as nice.
My daughter routinely requests pies for birthdays instead of cakes. This year her party was strictly pies...Chicken Pot Pie, Pumpkin Pie, Apple Pie and Gram's Marion Berry pie.
My mom is our family's pie queen. She's nailed the crust recipe and all who have sampled her Marion Berry pie call it their favorite...including the Hubs. I have a tough act to follow but I'm trying.
My mom's famous Marion Berry Pie is always served at family birthdays and summer celebrations.
Truly, the best apple pie ever!
But this recipe makes me proud...because of how it tasted (and it was a healthier version, to boot).
I may have mentioned that I am trying to cut out processed foods and to move towards swapping coconut oil anytime there calls for shortening (a.k.a. Crisco). Scared to lose that flakiness that comes from lard/shortening, I hestitantly made the swap to coconut oil. Would my family tell the difference? Would it burn the crust by cooking too quickly?
I am here to report success on all accounts.
I think it was my best apple pie yet.
So, what's the secret?
The apples for the filling.
This recipe called for cooking the apples first and then draining them in a colander. As a result, the filling had no "gaping holes" nor runny juices saturating the bottom crust.
I love this great pie bag for rolling dough.
I loved this new (to me) baking tool, called a "pie bag" for rolling out the dough. I found it at King Arthur Flour's website. It's perfect for getting the exact 14" rolled crust and it saves on having to get flour/dough everywhere!
The recipe required putting the dough to cool in the fridge.
The instructions guiding how to crimp the crust helped me considerably.
I learned how to crimp the crust!
And...using a combination of both tart (green Granny Smith) and sweet (red Honey Crisp) apples made a delicious filling!
You will have to try this winning recipe!
My Best-Ever Apple Pie -
Cook's Country Blue Ribbon Apple Pie
Ingredients:
1 recipe Double Crust Pie Dough
2 1/2 pounds firm TART apples (I used a mix of 5-7 Granny Smith apples), peeled, cored and cut into 1/4 inch slices
2 1/2 pounds firm SWEET apples (I used 5-7 Honey Crisp apples), peeled, cored and cut into 1/4 inch slices
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. grated lemon zest and 2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon
For the crust, topping, 1 egg white, lightly beaten and 1 Tab. granulated sugar
Instructions:
1. Roll one of the dough crusts and put it into a 9 inch pie plate. Refrigerate for 30 minutes, covered with plastic. Roll the other crust into a 12 inch circle and refrigerate for 30 minutes wrapped in plastic wrap.
2. Toss the apples, sugars, zest, salt and cinnamon together in a Dutch Oven or pot. Cover and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently until the apples are tender when pierced with a fork but still hold their shape for about 15-20 minutes. Transfer the apples and their juice to a baking sheet and let cool to room temperature for about 30 minutes. I let mine cool in the pot and just give the apples more time.
3. Place a rimmed baking sheet on the lowest rack in the oven and preheat oven to 425 degrees. Drain the cooled apples thoroughly in a colander set over a bowl, reserving 1/4 cup of the juice. Stir the lemon juice into the reserved apple juice.
4. Spread the apples in the dough-lined pie plate, mounding slightly in the middle and drizzle with the lemon juice mixture. Place the second crust on top, folding and crimping the crust and cutting four vent holes in the top. Brush the crust with the egg white and sprinkle with the reserved 1 Tab. of granulated sugar.
5. Place the pie on the heated baking sheet and bake until the crust is golden, about 20 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees, rotate the baking sheet and continue to bake until the juices are bubbling and the crust is deep golden brown, 25-30 minutes. Let the pie cool for at least 2 hours, until the filling is set. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.
You can add dried cranberries or dried cherries or even add Kraft caramels to the apples for a caramel apple version.
Serves 8 (if you are lucky!)
P.S. Did you know that more than one-third of Americans have eaten pie in bed! I'm going to have to try that!
