American Apple Pie recipe.

This is the best American Apple Pie recipe! Easy, flavorful with a crisp crust and a generous filling of tender, cinnamon-flavored apples. This classic apple pie is the perfect way to start the fall dessert season.

THIS RECIPE

This fabulous recipe is for all apple dessert lovers! This is the best apple pie to make on cold days because it is a comforting dessert and full of flavor.

And when it’s the beginning of the apple season, it’s a good time to make this easy recipe that will bring the whole family together in a family moment.

This popular recipe is an American classic and is made all over the world. A pie made with a crisp, buttery pastry crust and a generous filling of melting apples flavored with cinnamon.

Made and baked in an pie pan, assembled like the traditional Apple pie recipes, which means that the crust is used to fully cover and decorate this dessert in a lattice pie crust that encloses this generous and tasty apple filling.

Apple pie call may seem intimidating if you are new to baking, but it is very simple and quick to make with only 2 preparations, a pie crust and an apple filling, follow my recipe, tips and video to make this delicious dessert.

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American Apple Pie recipe

Nov 10, 2022 by Fadela This post may contain affiliate links

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THIS RECIPE

This fabulous recipe is for all apple dessert lovers! This is the best apple pie to make on cold days because it is a comforting dessert and full of flavor.

And when it’s the beginning of the apple season, it’s a good time to make this easy recipe that will bring the whole family together in a family moment.

This popular recipe is an American classic and is made all over the world. A pie made with a crisp, buttery pastry crust and a generous filling of melting apples flavored with cinnamon.

>> See all the pies and tarts recipes of the blog

Best apples for Pie

There are several varieties of apples and some are more appropriate for homemade desserts and pies. The ones I use most often are the Royal Gala, the Pink lady or the Golden.

They are generous and have a juicy flesh that softens easily and gives a perfect filling for apple pies.

Remember to use seasonal apples, preferably those organic. Also it is strongly advised to remove the skin of the apples before making the filling.

Ingredients and substitutions

This Apple Pie recipe may seem intimidating, but it is very simple and easy to make. It is composed of only 2 preparations, a pie crust and a cinnamon-flavored apple filling.

Pie dough :

It is a crispy and buttery pastry that reminds a bit of puff pastry. It is different from other pastry recipes, such as shortcrust pastry or sweet shortbread pastry that is usually used in apple tarts.

It is made either by mixing all the ingredients together in a food processor. Or in the more traditional way by mixing the ingredients in a bowl with your hands.

Flour: white wheat all-purpose flour.
Sugar: white granulated sugar.
Salt: a small pinch of salt
Butter: soft, unsalted butter, which should be cut into pieces and very cold (you can put it in the freezer for 10 minutes before starting the recipe)
Water: use very cold or iced water.

Apple filling :

Apple: Use mature apples with a juicy and sweet flesh such as Royal Gala, Golden, Pink lady. I don’t recommend granny smith as they can be a bit too acidic and firm unless you mix them with another variety.
Sugar: Optionally, add white granulated sugar or unrefined sugar such as brown sugar.
Lemon: Fresh lemon juice is used to preserve the apples. You can also add lemon peel for flavor.
Spices: Ground cinnamon is most often used to flavor the apple filling. But you can add other spices like nutmeg, cloves or ginger as well.
Vanilla: Pure liquid vanilla extract or vanilla bean seeds for flavor.

⚠️ You will find the quantities and instructions in the recipe card at the end of the page

How to make American Apple Pie1 – Make the crust

This dough recipe is very easy and quick to prepare and the advantage is that you can use it immediately. It doesn’t need time to chill because it is made of cold butter and iced water.

It is also necessary to work the dough quickly because the heat of the hands can soften the butter.

If the weather is hot at your place, don’t hesitate to put the dough in the fridge for a few minutes to make it easier to handle.

Combine the dry ingredients, flour, granulated sugar and salt and place in the bowl of your food processor.
Add the chopped butter and mix on high speed for about 1 minute until you have a powdered mixture with tiny bits of butter still visible.
Add the ice water and mix again for 1 minute until the dough forms a ball and you can still see the butter pieces.

Also, the optimal way is to use a food processor to make the dough to avoid heating up the ingredients. But it is also possible to make the dough with your hands.

2 – Apple pie filling

Make the apple cinnamon filling. This is the part that takes the least amount of time as the apples need to soften over a slow heat. They should have a melted texture but be careful not to overcook them or you’ll end up with apple sauce.

Start by removing the skin and cutting your apples into medium sized pieces. I cut them in half and then slice them into thick slices to get large pieces.
Then place apple slices in a medium saucepan with the other ingredients, water, granulated sugar, lemon juice, ground cinnamon and vanilla extract.
Heat the pan over medium heat for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon.
The filling will be ready when the apples are melted and you can easily insert the tip of a knife.
Allow the apple filling to cool completely before using it in the pie.

Tip: The longer the apples are cooked, the more texture you will lose and the more you will have a puree-like apple mixture. Keep an eye on the apples as they cook.

3 – Fill the pie

First, divide the dough into 2 equal pieces to make 2 discs that will be used for the bottom of the pie and the other for the top crust.
Roll out the 2 pieces of dough with a rolling pin on a lightly floured work surface to a thickness of about 4 – 5 mm.
Keep one disk of dough in the refrigerator while preparing the base.
Place the first disk of rolled-out dough inside your pie plate. It should completely cover your mold and overhang or fall down to cover it completely.
Top the inside with the sliced apples filling, which should fill the pan at least ¾ of the way to a good thickness.
Then take out the second disc and you can decorate using my lattice method below or to go faster just cover the entire pie and decorate the edges with the excess dough using a decorative cookie cutter like small leaves for example.

Tip: Line the bottom of a large pie pan with parchment paper for easy removal and to prevent the dough from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

4 – Make lattice crust

With the second bottom crust, cut out long strips of dough using a pizza cutter.
Place each strip of dough on your apple filing all in the same direction horizontally.
Then, starting from the middle, lift up every other strip of dough (see photo), place a new strip vertically, and then fold the strips over.
Repeat this step until you have a nice lattice on the right side and then do the same for the left side.
Trim the edges of the dough until the edges of the pie dish are visible.
You can pinch the edges of the dough to form a nice border on your pie.
Place your pie in the freezer for 20 – 30 minutes before baking

5 – How to bake a pie

Preheat oven to a high temperature of 392°F / 200°C.
Prepare the egg wash by mixing an egg with a little milk in a container.
Using a pastry brush, apply a layer of beaten egg on the whole pie.
Then sprinkle the top of the pie with sugar mixture (cane sugar).
Take the pie out of the freezer and place it in the preheated oven on a baking sheet at half height.
Then lower the oven temperature to 350°F / 180°C and let the pie bake for about 30 – 45 minutes. The apple pie is ready when the dough has a golden brown color.
Let the apple pie cool completely at room temperature before covering it with plastic wrap and placing in the refrigerator.
Take it out 30 minutes before serving so that it comes to room temperature.

How to serve Apple Pie

Apple Pie is an absolutely delicious dessert that it would be shame not to pair it with a light, creamy topping to sweeten the crust and its apple filling.

It is usually served slightly warm with a choice of toppings: