Best Apple Pie Recipe

Isn’t it great when storybooks include recipes in the back?

My kids and I recently read Amelia Bedelia’s First Apple Pie, by Herman Parish. Cute book, and we had a lot of fun making apple pie together after story time.

I was not ambitious enough to make our own crust, so we just used Pillsbury pie crust, which turned out delicious! It sure makes making a pie much easier.

Really, I think you should know, this was the best apple pie I’ve ever had. Why is it the best apple pie recipe? First, the pie is perfect in every way, from the flaky crust to the soft perfectly sweetened (but not too sweet) apples. The apples were not drowning in liquid, nor were they too dry. Just right. You’ve got to try this one! Second, the recipe was easy. The pie came together quite quickly, using pre-made refrigerated pie crust. And last but not least, it was inspired by an Amelia Bedelia book. 🙂

Best Apple Pie Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 large Granny Smith apples and 3 large Gala apples (about 6 cups of chopped apples total)
• 1/2 C. all-purpose flour
• 1/2 C. granulated sugar
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• juice of half a lemon
• 2 Tbsp. butter (I used salted), chopped into small bits
• 1 box Pillsbury refrigerated pie crust (should include a top and bottom crust)

Instructions:

1. Remove pie crusts from refrigerator so they can soften a bit at room temperature.
2. Peel the apples. Cut each into 4 sections. Slice out the core parts. Cut each of the 4 sections into 4 slices, then cut those into 3-4 chunks each (the chunks instead of long slices make it easier for my kids to eat). Put all the little apple chunks into a large mixing bowl.
3. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Place a glass 9.5 inch pie dish on top of a baking sheet. Sprinkle a little flour on the pie dish.
4. Add flour, sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon and lemon juice to the apples. Mix together. 
5. Unwrap the crust and place one of the crust discs in the pie dish, pressing firmly onto the bottom and sides of the dish. Dump the apple filling into the crust and dot the top of the apples with the little bits of butter.                        
6. Place the second crust disc on top. Seal the edges of the two crusts. You can cut off any excess crust and make shapes to place on top of the pie. Make about 6 slits through the top pie crust with a sharp knife to let out steam while baking.
7. Bake for 15 minutes (on top of cookie sheet in case of any spills). Remove from oven. Use hot pads to gently press strips of foil around the edges of the pie crust so they don’t burn. Place back in oven and cook for another 30 minutes.
8. Remove from oven and let cool for several (maybe 4?) hours or overnight before eating. This is important. It’s hard waiting, but totally worth it! I think it tastes best at room temperature, or just very slightly warmer than room temperature. The texture is also better if you wait.

You can serve this pie with ice cream, whipped cream, or a glass of cold milk, but honestly, it was even amazingly perfect all by itself.

*Inspired by the recipe at the end of THIS book and also THIS recipe.

Summary

Recipe Name

Best Apple Pie

Published On

2015-10-06