Fall brings a lot of amazing things to mind: pumpkin-flavored everything, cozy sweaters, cute boots and – my personal favorite – my mom’s homemade apple pie. She’s been making it for as long as I can remember, and it has been without a doubt the thing I look forward to the most come autumn. I highly recommend going to a local orchard and picking your own apples to make the freshest and most delicious pie. Check out a pie I just made a week ago:
Now let’s get to the good part: the recipe!
First, you’ll need about 6 cups of peeled, sliced apples. The best apples for apple pie are Honeycrisp, which are available to pick starting in early September through October. When picking, remember to look for a reddish-pink flush to signify a ripe, sweet apple.
In a large bowl, mix the apples with 1 cup of sugar, 3 tablespoons of flour, 3/4 teaspoons of cinnamon and a dash of salt. I recommend mixing by hand for at least 5–10 minutes. You want to get the ingredients thoroughly mixed and the apples completely coated. Do not add any extra water to the mixture, because the juice from the apples provides enough moisture to make the coating. This is my favorite step, because even though your hands get covered in sugar, it starts to smell amazing!
Fill a 9-inch crust with the apple mixture. Your crust can be homemade or store bought. Be careful in placing the apples into the mixture in order to take advantage of the area of the crust. Do not stack the apples too high or your topping will not fit. Pour remaining mixture from the bowl across the top to add a delicious glaze to the pie!
Top the pie with either a crumble topping or a standard top crust. Personally, I love a good crumble! I make my crumble with brown sugar, flour, butter and water. But, you could use something else, like oats if that’s what floats your boat. Or a regular pie crust is always a good idea.
Finally, bake the pie in the oven for 40–45 minutes at 425°F! Congratulations on baking an amazing apple pie! It is at its best when served warm and with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.