Old Fashioned Apple Pie

Old Fashioned Apple Pie with buttery brown sugar cinnamon apple filling and flaky crust is sure to be a favorite dessert.

Without a doubt, this homemade apple pie recipe makes the best apple pie. This old fashioned apple pie has a flaky, buttery crust and a perfectly spiced apple pie filling. It’s sure to be a family favorite.

What Are the Best Kinds of Apples to Use for Pies?

When making an old fashioned apple pie, you will get the best flavor with a combination of apples. By using more than one kind, you’ll get a homemade apple pie with a more complex, deeper flavor. Aim for a mix of sweet and tart apples and apples that cook up soft and firm. However, some apples are more suitable for pies than others.

Granny Smith – Green and tart with a wonderful flavor. However, this apple tends to lose its shape and turn a bit mushy when cooked. So don’t use more than two Grannies in your pie.

Golden Delicious – Sweet and yellow. Will retain its shape while baking.

Jonagold – A cross between a Jonathan and a Golden Delicious with a wonderful aromatic flavor. Jonagolds are sweet and sharp and hold their shape when baked. 

Fuji – A firm, crisp, juicy balance of sweet and tart that keeps its shape during baking.

Braeburn – Crisp and sweet and bakes up juicy and firm.

Cortland – Tart and juicy. This is a relatively soft, all-purpose apple variety.

Gala – Crisp and sweet and a great pick for baking.

Honey Crisp – Sweet, crisp, and juicy. Holds its shape when baked. 

Red Delicious – Not good for pies. This apple is ideal for snacking but doesn’t hold up to heat.

• Here’s a complete guide to a wide variety of apples (some you may never have heard of) and how to best use them.

Should You Cook the Apples Before Making a Pie?

You can make a homemade apple pie in two different ways. One involves cooking the apples first, and the second is baking with uncooked apples. The two methods create different kinds of pie.

If you like the apples in your pie to be falling apart, cooking them first helps achieve that goal. If you want firmer apples with some structure, it’s best not to cook them first. 

• Tip: Don’t just dump a pile of raw apples into the bottom crust. Stacking and packing them in neatly like a strudel gives you the most apple-y pie. 

Why Do You Put Lemon Juice in the Apples?

Tossing your sliced apples in lemon juice prevents oxidation of the apples, which means it stops them from turning brown. Lemon juice also adds extra tartness to a batch of not-too-tart apples for those who don’t like their pie to be too sweet.

• Click here for an interesting discussion on whether you really need to add lemon juice when baking with apples. Hint: Don’t panic if you don’t have a lemon!

Why Do You Put Flour in the Apples?

Flour tossed with fresh apples and spices thickens the juices from the apples during baking. You end up with a beautiful thickened, spiced sauce in your pie. 

Best Toppings for Homemade Apple Pie

• Enjoy this favorite fall pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. If you’re feeling adventurous, a scoop of strawberry, butter pecan, or maple walnut ice cream will make for a delicious alternative.
• Make caramel-pecan apple pie. Immediately after your pie comes out of the oven, drizzle it with caramel ice cream topping (about 1/3 cup). Then sprinkle with chopped pecans (2‑4 tablespoons).
• A dollop of fresh whipped cream is soft and light and strikes the perfect balance with the sweetness of the pie. 
• There’s an old expression, Apple pie without cheese is like a kiss without the squeeze! In New England, it’s traditional to serve apple pie with slices of Vermont sharp cheddar cheese. The salty tang of the cheese, paired with the pie’s buttery sweetness, is a match made in flavor heaven. Don’t knock it ’til you’ve tried it!

How to Store Your Old Fashioned Apple Pie

Homemade apple pie will be fine for a couple of days on your counter. Lightly cover it with aluminum foil or plastic wrap. (Keep the wrapping loose, so the crust can breathe and stay crisp.)

If there’s any pie left after a couple of days, it will keep for a few more days in the fridge. You can choose to warm the pie in a 350°F oven for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

To freeze a baked pie, allow it to cool completely, then wrap it tightly with plastic wrap to get as much air pressed out as possible and place in a 2-gallon freezer storage bag and seal. (You could also wrap the pie in a layer of foil.) Apple pie can be frozen for up to 4 months.

To reheat, thaw the pie in the refrigerator overnight. After removing the bag and plastic wrap, cover the pie with foil, and bake in a 350°F oven for 25 to 30 minutes.

Ingredients

Here’s a list of what you need:

• Red delicious or gala apples
• Lemon juice
• Sugar
• Brown sugar
• Cinnamon
• Nutmeg
• Ground cloves
• Salt
• Butter
• All-purpose flour
• Shortening
• Water
• Milk

How to Make Old Fashioned Apple Pie

1. Slice apples and discard the core and seeds.
2. Put the apple slices into a large bowl.
3. Add lemon juice and stir to coat the apple slices with lemon juice.
4. Blend flour, salt, and shortening until it feels like small peas.
5. Add cold water and mix until the dough starts sticking together.
   
6. Divide dough in half.
7. Place one half on a floured surface and roll it out for the bottom crust.
8. Place the rolled-out crust in the bottom of a pie plate.
9. To the sliced apples, add sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, and salt. Stir to coat apples with sugars and seasonings.
10. Place the apple slices into the crust.
11. Top with sliced butter.
    
12. Roll out the remainder of the dough and place it on top of the apples. Seal the edges.
13. Brush the top of the crust lightly with milk and sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on top
14. Cut slices in the top crust to vent while baking.
15. Bake at 400 degrees or 50 minutes or until done.

Love homemade pie? Try these recipes!

• Big Boy Strawberry Pie
• Blueberry Cream Cheese Pie
• Easy Lemon Meringue Pie
• Fruits of the Forest Pie
• Kool Aid Pie
• Million Dollar Pie
• Rhubarb Custard Pie
• Sugar Free Pie (Apple)
• Texas Pecan Pie

Favorite Apple Recipes

• Apple Spice Bread
• Cracker Barrel Apples
• Fried Apples
• McDonalds Apple Pie

Check out more of my easy pie recipes and the best Thanksgiving dessert recipes here on CopyKat!