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Never Say Never to Dolce

A brand-new collection of 50 approachable homemade desserts – from iconic Cannoli to Dolci al Cucchiaio and more – that proves there’s always room for a little sweetness.

Manuela’s Sweet Temptations

A collection of 50 irresistible dessert recipes, from classic Italian treats to modern favorites—including gluten-free options.

The Complete Italian Cookbook: Essential Regional Cooking of Italy

A collection of 50 irresistible dessert recipes, from classic Italian treats to modern favorites—including gluten-free options.

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Step by Step Recipe – How to Make the best Apple Pie

All you need to know to make the most delicious apple pie

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Here it is: THE classic, THE most-loved and always welcomed at any table, any day of the year: The APPLE PIE!

With this classic recipe you will get a fruity and juicy, buttery and cinnamon-y apple pie. Every bite of this dessert will burst in your mouth with the classic holiday flavor of apples and cinnamon, sandwiched in a buttery and flaky, homemade pie crust. 

There’s nothing quite like it!

Here are all my tips and recommendations to make the best apple pie you could imagine. 

First of all:  I strongly recommend making the pie crust from scratch (please don’t go with store-bought crust!).
Your pie can only be as good as the crust you’re using. So if you have the time, please please pleaaaaase, make the pie dough from scratch.
Note: this dough can be made ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator!
Making pie crust is really not time-consuming, especially if you have and use a food processor.
If you haven’t made this pie dough before, it might just take a bit of practice.
Mostly,  the biggest issue is to find the right amount of water to make the dough come together, without being too dry and without mixing too much.

So, here is what you need to make the best pie crust:

1. Really cold butter. You can put it in the freezer for 10 minutes if you like, or use it straight from the refrigerator. The dough will need to have little pieces of butter at the end, which will yield an airy and flaky pastry when baking and melting in the oven.
2. Really cold water AND in the right amount. Place one cup of water in the freezer (Same idea of the butter – we need to keep the pieces of butter cold and not “overheat the dough). Use as much water as needed for the dough to come together. Not too much. Which brings us to the next tip.
3. Weight the flour if you can, or measure it correctly. It’s always a common mistake to pick up too much flour when packing your cup. More flour will require more water.
OR: remember to be flexible. Add more water than the recipe asks for if needed until you get the dough consistency just right!
4. Last but not least: do not overmix the dough. You need to be quick and just mix until needed. This is why I like to use a food processor. It takes only a few seconds to cut the butter into the flour and mix it all up. As I already mentioned, we want little pieces of butter in the dough to make a flaky pie crust. NOT the smooth dough we do for bread or pizza dough.

Now, let’s talk about the apple filling.

What I strongly recommend is to let the apple slices sit at room temperature in a colander for at least 30 minutes when coated with lemon juice, cinnamon, and sugar.

The apple slices will release a lot of their juice which means they will not shrink as much when baking. The result, the pie will be nice and filled with sliced apples, with no empty gap between the shell and the apple! And no soggy bottom crust. I know you can agree, that NO ONE likes a wet pie bottom that looks underbaked!

So: Collect the juice released by the apple and use it to make a delicious denser syrup: mix with a little butter and simmer until it gets thick and golden. Add it to the filling (all or just some of it). Note: I add corn starch to the apple to dense up all the juice when baking … again: no soggy bottom!

I know waiting for the apple to rest is time-consuming, but it’s really worth the extra step. You can play with the dough and make the lattice while you wait!

One last word of advice: serve warm with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream. THE best! Ready to try it too?!?

Here is my step-by-step easy apple pie recipe!

Other pie recipes or tart recipes you might like:

 

 

HOW TO MAKE THE LATTICE TOP CRUST:

Fold the edges
Flute the edges to seal

Step by Step Recipe – How to Make the best Apple Pie

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All you need to know to make the most delicious apple pie

Servings:

8

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Prep Time

45 min

Cook Time

50 min

Resting Time

1 hr

Total Time

2 hr, 35 min

Ingredients

For the crust

  • 3 cups (375 gr) all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 3 tablespoons (45 gr) sugar
  • 8 oz. (230 gr) unsalted butter, cold
  • about 1/2 cup (120 ml) chilled water

For the filling

  • 2 lb (950 gr) apples, about 6 medium (you can use fiji, granny smith, pink lady or any combination of these)
  • 1/4 cup (50 gr) brown sugar
  • 1/3 cup (65 gr) granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • juice of half lemon, about 1 tablespoon
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1 egg OR 1 tablespoon milk, for brushing
  • crystallized sugar (for decoration – optional)

Instructions

  1. In your food processor, add flour, salt and sugar. Pulse a couple of times so that the dry ingredients are mixed together. If not using a food processor, combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl.
  2. Add the cubed butter and pulse a few times until incorporated. You need the butter in little pea-size small clumps. If not using a food processor, cut the butter in small pieces with the tip of a knife or a pastry cutter, mixing with the flour, until you get a coarse mixture.
  3. Add about 4 tablespoons of chilled water. I placed the water in the freezer before starting with the recipe. Pulse only a few times, (or mix with a spoon if not using a food processor) and check the dough. Add more water as needed. You need to stop as soon as the dough comes together in a ball. Do not over-mix.
  4. If making a lattice top, divide the dough into three part (one bigger than the there two), or in two part if plain top. Make into discs, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour or longer. You can prepare the dough the day before too, and leave it in the refrigerator overnight.
  5. Peel the apples, remove the core, and cut in slices of about 1/4 of an inch (half cm). Place in a large bowl, and combine with lemon juice, brown sugar, granulated sugar, and cinnamon. Let the apples sit in a colander with a plate under for at least 30 minutes to collect the juices.
  6. Preheat the oven to 400° F (200° C).
  7. Roll the largest piece of dough into a 12 inches (30 cm) circle. Transfer to a 9 inch pie pan greased with butter, helping yourself with a rolling pin. Cover the pan with the dough, pushing down gently, without stretching. Prick the bottom of the pie crust with a fork
  8. Collect the juice from the apples, add to a pan and simmer with two tablespoons of butter, for a few minutes, until golden and slightly dense syrup.
  9. Add the cornstarch to the apple slices, and mix. Pour the fruit mixture onto the prepared pie crust. Pack it with your hand and even it out. Drizzle with the syrup that you just prepared.
  10. Roll out the remaining dough into two 10 inch circles. Cut into 6 1-inch strips. Weave the strips into a lattice and place on top of the pie. Fold the edges under and seal with a fluted pattern.
  11. Brush the top with beaten egg or a bit of milk. Sprinkle with crystallized sugar if you like.
  12. Bake at 400° F (200° C) for 30 minutes, in the lower third of the oven. After the 30 minutes, check the pie. Cover with a pie shield or with aluminum foil if the edges or top are starting to golden too soon. Lower the oven temperature to 350° F (175° C). Bake for an additional 20 minutes or so. Check the bottom, if cooked, and the top should be perfectly golden brown. Serve warm or a room temperature…. maybe with a scoop of vanilla ice-cream or whipped cream!

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