I am still a novice when it comes to dessert. I started baking pies during the pandemic. Five years in, and I still haven’t ventured out of the handful of surefire recipes I am proud to say that I have perfected. One of which is this quick and easy apple pie recipe.
Borrowed from my favorite YouTuber John Kanell of Preppy Kitchen and adjusted a little, this recipe brings the warm fall flavors into every bite and makes it a perfect holiday dessert. The sweet and tangy flavor of fresh Granny Smith apples, paired with warm spices and snuggled between flaky, buttery pie crusts is my favorite go-to dessert during the cold months. If I am baking for 6-8 people, I use a 9/10-inch pie dish. When it is for one or two people, I use a 6-inch dish.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Active Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
Difficulty Level: Easy
Servings: 2
Ingredients:
- Homemade pie crust (or store-bought if you’re feeling lazy)
- 2 lbs Granny Smith apples (peeled, cored, and cubed)
- Juice of a lemon (about 2 tablespoons)
- One tablespoon of cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon of ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon of allspice
- One cup of granulated sugar
- 2 cubes of unsalted butter (or salted)
- Pinch of Salt
- Pinch of freshly ground pepper
Instructions:
- Prepare the ingredients: Preheat the oven to 220 degrees Celsius. Put the cubed apples into a large mixing bowl, add lemon juice, spices, and sugar, and stir until the apples are well-coated
- Roll the crust: Set the apple mixture aside and start preparing the crust. Roll two discs of the pie crust on a lightly floured surface. Keep the circles 2-inch larger than the diameter of your pie dish
- Fill and adorn: Line the dish with the larger pie disc. Let the excess dough hang over the sides. Pour the apple filling inside it and flatten it into an even layer. Add small butter slices between the filling. Take the second circle and cut it into one-inch strips to create a lettuce pattern. If you do not want to get into making a pattern, you can simply place the circle atop the filling, making a few embellishing cuts with a knife on top. You can trim the excess and crimp the circles together
- Bake: Place the pie tins on a rimmed oven rack and bake for 20 minutes at 220 degrees Celsius. Then reduce the heat to 180 degrees Celsius and let it cook for 50 minutes to an hour until the crust is golden brown and the filling bubbles over
- Rest and dig in: Take out the pie from the oven and let it cool down for a couple of hours before cutting it and serving with vanilla ice cream for a mind-blowing combination
Note: Before putting the pie in the oven, you can brush it with an eggwash to give the crust a rich golden brown shine and sprinkle with sugar. But that step is optional. You can also choose sweet and tart apples to balance the flavor, but I choose Granny Smith to keep the sweetness mild.
How to Make the Pie Crust at Home
People think making the pie crust at home is a difficult task and they couldn’t be more wrong. It hardly takes any time and the result is amazing.
Ingredients:
- Two and a half cups of all-purpose flour
- One teaspoon salt
- 3 oz. of unsalted butter (chilled and cubed)
- Ice cold water
Instructions:
- Sift your dry ingredients into a big bowl or kitchen countertop
- Add the butter cubes on top and start squeezing the butter with your hands, working it into the flour. You can use a food processor as well, but using your hands is a good exercise. Do this until the flour starts making pea-sized clumps
- Start adding spoonfuls of cold water to the flour and kneading it until it holds its shape into a ball (a few stragglers may fall, let them). The dough should be dry but solid
- Cut the dough into two pieces and form discs. Wrap these discs in plastic wrap and place them in the fridge for at least two hours before using or overnight
That is it. You will have a flaky, buttery pie crust. This crust is perfect for both savory and sweet dishes.
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