Apple Pie Spiced Apples (Print view)

Tender spiced apples baked in flaky crust, ideal warm with vanilla ice cream for a classic dessert.

# What You'll Need:

→ Pie Crust

01 - 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1 teaspoon salt
03 - 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
04 - 1 cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed
05 - 6 to 8 tablespoons ice water

→ Apple Filling

06 - 6 to 7 medium apples (Granny Smith and Honeycrisp blend recommended)
07 - 3/4 cup granulated sugar
08 - 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
09 - 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
10 - 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
11 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
12 - 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
13 - 1 tablespoon lemon juice
14 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

→ Assembly

15 - 1 egg, beaten
16 - 1 tablespoon milk
17 - 1 tablespoon coarse sugar (optional)

# Cooking Steps:

01 - In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, and sugar. Cut in cold butter using a pastry blender or fingertips until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Gradually add ice water, stirring until dough forms. Divide dough into two disks, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
02 - Peel, core, and slice apples into 1/4-inch thick pieces. In a large bowl, toss apples with granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, flour, and lemon juice. Set aside.
03 - Preheat oven to 400°F. Roll out one dough disk on a floured surface to fit a 9-inch pie dish. Fit crust into dish, fill with apple mixture, and dot with butter. Roll out second dough disk and cover filling. Trim excess dough, seal and crimp edges, and cut slits on top.
04 - Whisk egg and milk, brush over top crust, and sprinkle with coarse sugar if desired. Bake pie on the lower rack for 45 to 55 minutes until crust is golden and filling bubbles. Cover edges with foil if browning too quickly.
05 - Cool pie on a wire rack for at least 2 hours before slicing. Serve warm or at room temperature, optionally with vanilla ice cream.

# Expert Ideas:

01 -
  • The crust shatters like stained glass, crispy and buttery in every bite.
  • That perfect balance of sweet and spiced apples tastes like homemade comfort without feeling heavy.
  • It's impressive enough to serve guests, yet forgiving enough that mistakes somehow taste delicious anyway.
02 -
  • Never skip the chill time for the dough; warm dough becomes tough, and no amount of technique can fix that.
  • If your apples release too much liquid during baking, the filling will be soupy—the flour in the mixture helps thicken this, but some apples are naturally more watery than others, so taste your filling mixture beforehand.
  • The pie will continue to set as it cools, so resist slicing into it warm unless you want apple filling running all over your plate.
03 -
  • Keep all your ingredients and tools as cold as possible—some bakers even chill their mixing bowl and pastry blender beforehand.
  • If your dough cracks when rolling, don't panic; you can patch it with a scrap of dough, press it down, and no one will ever know.
  • Tent the pie with foil if the edges are browning too quickly, but wait until at least thirty minutes into baking so the bottom crust has time to set.
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