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Mom's Favorite Apple Pie


Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword american dessert, apple pie, comfort food, crust, dessert
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
cooling 2 hours
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings 8
Author Si Foster, A Bountiful Kitchen

Ingredients

  • 6-8 large apples -I like Granny Smith the amount of apples will vary depending on how deep of a pie plate you use
  • ¾ cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • 3-4 tablespoon flour
  • 2-3 teaspoons lemon juice or about 1/2 fresh squeezed lemon
  • 2 teaspoon vanilla extract optional
  • 1-2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 beaten egg
  • sugar for top of pie

pie crust

  • 1 cup solid shortening (Crisco) 1/2 butter flavor, 1/2 regular
  • 2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt, preferably sea salt
  • 1/2 cup cold water ice water is best
  • 1 cup additional flour for rolling out and adjusting dough

Instructions

Prepare oven and preheat:

  1. Place the oven rack on the lowest or second to lowest setting in the oven. It is best to bake the pie on a thin cookie sheet to prevent any overflow of filling from the pie onto the oven. I use an old thin cookie sheet. You may also use a sheet of foil to cover the bottom of the pie plate. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 

pie filling:

  1. Peel, core and slice apples.

  2. Set peeled apples in a large bowl.

  3. Add sugar, spices, flour, and lemon juice.

  4. Place bottom crust in a 9-inch pie plate and fill crust with apple filling mixture. 

  5. Sprinkle apples with vanilla.

  6. Cut up butter into small pieces and place on top of apples in crust. 

  7. Top the apples with rolled out top crust. Seal edges of pie, and cut slits in crust to let steam escape. 

  8. Brush beaten egg on top of crust and sprinkle with sugar. 

  9. Bake at 375 for about 50-60 minutes. 

crust:

  1. Place flour and salt in a large bowl. Toss together. 

  2. Cut shortening into tablespoons and add to bowl of flour and salt. 

  3. Using a pastry cutter, cut shortening into flour mixture until mixture resembles small peas or small pea size pieces. 

  4. Add the water all at once, and gently fold the shortening and flour  together  with the water until the dough begins to form. At this point, the dough will be quite sticky. If needed, add a little flour so the dough is not sticky to the touch. 

  5. Flour the pastry mat or countertop generously. I use about 1/4-1/3 cup of flour. Split the dough in half and roll out half of the dough into a circle, about 2 inches larger than the edge of the pie plate. 

  6. Place the rolled out dough into the pie plate. I fold the dough in half and then transfer to the pie plate. After the dough is in the pie plate, unfold and evenly place in the plate. 

  7. Repeat with remaining dough. 

Recipe Notes

  • Dough may be easier to handle if chilled for an hour or so.
  • Try rolling the dough around the rolling pin and then unrolling right onto the plate.
  • Some people like to “cut” the flour in with their fingers.
  • Don’t cut the flour and shortening too much, the pieces of shortening are what make the crust flaky, you want to have pebble or pea size pieces of dough before adding the water.
  • If your pie is getting too brown on the edges, but not on top, take a piece of foil, fold in half to make a square then cut a half circle out of the middle. Unfold and put over your pie.
  • Do not stir the dough at any time. Remember, folding the dough is the best way to achieve a light flaky crust. 
  • One of the most important keys to apple pie that does not turn out runny is to let it COOL for at least 2 hours. 3-4 is better. It takes time for all of the filling to set up and solidify. If you cut into a pie while it is still hot, it will be juicy and runny. You can speed up the cooling process by placing the pie in the fridge on a cool cookie sheet for an hour.