My Favorite Apple Pie

For the last few years, I have been in search of the perfect apple pie recipe. I don't have a family recipe to turn to, so over the years I've been experimenting trying new ones - and none have made the cut. Last year, however, I finally found the recipe. The crust is just pure perfection and everything you would imagine a pie crust to be - crunchy, flaky, and just the right amount of sweetness. And the flavor of the filling is pure fall perfection. You must try! I promise you won't be disappointed. And I forbid you to buy the pie crust. Seriously, you need to make this delicious pie dough. Although a bit intimidating, it's not difficult at all.

As part of my holiday recipes, I'm sharing this favorite apple pie.

Before baking this pie, I realized that my old pie dish was cracked - probably packed poorly from our recent move this summer. So before investing in a new dish, I did some research to learn about the different pie dishes and which are best. I found this great article at The Kitchn that described each different pie dish and their qualities. I hope you find the article as helpful as I did. In case you are wondering, I settled on the classic Pyrex, and eventually, I may invest in the Emily Henry pie dish.

Let me know if you give this recipe a try. Happy baking!

Baking Tools Required:9" pie dishRolling PinStand MixerScaleTruly Scrumptious Apple Pie Recipeserves 8Pie dough (makes enough for two double-crust pies)630 grams unbleached all-purpose flour (I use King Arthur; about 5 cups)2 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt11 ounces very cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes6 ounces very cold vegetable shortening, cut into chunksAbout 1/2 cup ice water1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, place flour and salt and blend on low speed.2. Add the butter and mix on low speed until the flour looks crumbly.3. Add the chunks of shortening and continue to mix on low speed.4. When clumps begin forming, and the dough holds together when you press some between your fingers, slowly pour the water in while the mixer is on low speed. Mix just until incorporated.5. Flour a work area and turn the dough out. Gather it into a ball. Cut it into 4 equal parts. Weigh them out to get even pieces, if you have a kitchen scale.6. Gently form each piece into a flat round disk and wrap in plastic wrap.6. Refrigerate at least two hours. Dough can be kept in the refrigerator for 5 days, or frozen for one month. Store in zipper freezer bags.Pie (makes one 9” double-crust pie)2 chilled pie dough disks, or 1 unbaked 9" pie shell with top crust3/4 cup granulated sugar, plus extra for decorating, if desired1/4 cup flour1/2 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon2 cups Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and sliced thin2 cups Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored and sliced thin2 cups Macintosh apples, peeled, cored and sliced thin3 wedges of fresh lemon2 tablespoons unsalted butter2 tablespoons cream or milk1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.2. Mix together the dry ingredients.3. Place Granny Smith apple slices in bowl, squeeze a wedge of lemon juice over and toss.4. In another bowl, place Golden Delicious apples, lemon juice and toss.5. And in a third bowl, place Macintosh, lemon juice and toss.6. Evenly distribute sugar mixture over apples in three separate bowls. Mix.7. If making the dough yourself, roll out one round of dough on a lightly floured surface into a circle about 11 inches across. Place crust into a 9-inch pie pan with 1-inch high sides.8. Roll another round of dough into a circle about 10 inches across. Make a lattice top, or with a knife or scissors, cut excess dough from bottom layer, keeping about a ½ inch overhang. Set aside scraps.9. Starting with the Granny Smith slices, place them in one layer into the bottom crust. 10. Next, layer the Golden Delicious slices over.11. And lastly, layer the Macintosh slices over.12. Dot with butter.13. Cover with top crust.14. Tuck overhang of top crust under the bottom crust edge. Flute edges with fingers, or however you like. Vent top, if necessary.15. Gather any leftover dough scraps, flatten out dough and cut out a few leaf shapes, if you want, with a knife.16. With the point of a knife, gently make vein indentations like on a real leaf. Brush top crust with cream.17. If you are making leaves, gently press on leaves and brush them with cream.18. Sprinkle sugar over the whole pie, if desired. Place pie on a parchment-lined sheet pan.19. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until juices bubble through vents. Check the pie after 20 minutes, and if you see the edges burning, take two long strips of aluminum foil and wrap edges of pie loosely.20. Let the pie cool on a rack for about a half an hour before cutting into it.Recipe via Food52