Homemade Apple Pie
Apple pie is the recipe that made me love baking. There's something almost ceremonial about it — peeling the apples, the smell of cinnamon, the golden crust cooling on the counter while everyone circles like sharks. It's worth every minute.
The number one mistake is a soupy pie with a gap under the top crust, and the fix is precooking the apples just slightly. Tossing them with sugar and letting them release their juices — then thickening that juice — means the apples shrink before baking, not after, so no hollow dome and no runny filling.
Use a mix of apples: some tart like Granny Smith for flavor, some firm-sweet like Honeycrisp so they hold their shape. All one variety and you'll get either mush or sourness. The blend is what makes it taste like real pie.
Mia's tips
- •Mix tart and sweet-firm apples for the best flavor and texture.
- •Chill the assembled pie 15 minutes before baking so the crust stays flaky.
- •Brush the top with egg wash and sprinkle sugar for a bakery-shine finish.
Recipe
Homemade Apple Pie
A tall, flaky double-crust apple pie with tender cinnamon-spiced apples that hold their shape — the smell of home.
Ingredients
Crust
Filling
Instructions
- 1Toss the apples with sugar, lemon, cinnamon and nutmeg. Let sit 30 minutes, then drain the juices into a pan.
- 2Simmer the juices with the butter until syrupy, whisk in the cornstarch, then toss back with the apples. Cool.
- 3Heat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Line a pie dish with one dough round and fill with the apples.
- 4Top with the second round (or a lattice), crimp the edges, and cut a few steam vents.
- 5Brush with egg wash, sprinkle with sugar, and chill 15 minutes.
- 6Bake 50–55 minutes until deep golden and bubbling. Cool at least 2 hours before slicing.
Nutrition (per serving, estimated)
