A sweet and tart fresh apple pie! This combination is sure to become your new family favorite pie!
Ingredients
7-8Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced about 8 cups sliced
1 1/2cupsfresh cranberries, washed
1 1/4cupssugar
1/2cupall purpose flour
1teaspooncinnamon
1teaspoonalmond extract (optional but highly recommended)
juice from 1/2 of a lemon, about 2 tablespoons-no need for this if using Granny Smith apples
dash salt
1-2tablespoonsbutter, cut into small cubes about 8 total pieces
Crust:
2cupsall purpose flour
1teaspoonsea salt
1cupsolid shortening such as Crisco, I use 1/2 cup Butter flavor and 1/2 cup Regular (white) Crisco
1/2cupcold water (an additional tabelspoon or two may be needed)
1 egg, beaten +granulated sugar for top of crust
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place rack on lowest shelf in oven.
For crust:
Place flour and salt in medium sized bowl.
Cut in shortening with pastry cutter.
Add cold water all at once, fold with fork, just until all of the flour mixture is moistened. You may need to add a bit more water if baking in a dry climate.
Gather the dough together in a ball. Split the dough in to two parts.
Generously flour a clean surface and rolling pin. Roll out one half of dough to about 1/8 inch thickness into a circle. Continue to place flour under crust when rolling to prevent sticking to surface.
Fold dough in half. Lift onto a 9.5" pie plate. Open and shape to pan. Roll out the other half of dough, and set aside, or place in refrigerator while making filling.
For filling, assembly and baking:
Place sliced apples in large bowl and mix with cranberries. Add remaining filling ingredients and mix until apples are well coated.
Fill bottom crust with apple cranberry mixture. Mound the apple mixture in the center of the pie. Dot top of filling with 1-2 tablespoons of butter.
Place other half of rolled out dough on top of filling in pie plate.
Gather the pie dough around the edge of the pie, fold under to form a seal to keep all juices from escaping while baking.
Crimp and decorate edges and make slits on top of pie for steam to escape.
Brush with egg wash if desired, sprinkle with 2 tablespoons sugar.
Place pie onto foil-lined cookie sheet (important, this usually bubbles over a bit).
Bake for about 90 minutes. Cover loosely with foil if pie is getting too brown about half way through baking. Bake until pie is bubbly and golden.
Remove from oven, let cool for at least 2 hours before cutting, 3 hours is best!
Notes
Generally, I use a 9.5 inch pie plate that is about 1.5 inches deep (not considered deep dish). I am a huge fan of using Pyrex glass pie plates for baking pie.One of the biggest problems (especially beginner pie makers) experience is an under done bottom crust! The glass pie plate solves this problem because you can take a quick peek at the bottom crust to see if it is golden. Nothing is worse than making a pie and having the bottom crust turn out doughy!