This is my Go-To apple pie recipe during the holidays and pretty much year round. My family and friends can’t wait for the holidays because they know I’ll be bringing over one of my yummy pies. My version is based on a basic apple pie recipe that I found decades ago. Over the years I’ve modified it to include two types of apples, added brown sugar, and added more flour so the end result isn’t as runny.
This is one of the easiest apple pie recipes you’ll find. It incorporates brown sugar, which contains molasses, for that added flavor that makes it so unique. Brown sugar comes as both light and dark. On average light brown sugar contains 3.5% molasses. If you love molasses, dark brown sugar contains an average of 6.5%.
For this pie I use two different type of apples. Some bakers claim you should never use soft apples such as McIntosh. They swear you should use only crisp apples such as Granny Smith or Red Delicious. My recipe uses two different types of apples for an incredible flavor that leaves everyone wanting more.
This recipe is as much about ease as it is flavor. You’ll notice that I recommend using apple pie spice. I’m assuming everyone is like me and makes their own apple pie spice blend but I know that’s not the case. I trust McCormick. Their Apple Pie Spice has the perfect blend that never disappoints. If you have 5 minutes and want to make your own spice blend, check out our Article How To Make Your Own Apple Pie Spice.
What You’ll Need
Key Ingredients
- 6 large apples
- Granulated sugar
- Light brown sugar
- All purpose flour
- Apple pie spice
- Stick butter
- Lemon juice
- Pie crusts premade or homemade
Utensils & Equipment
- Small mixing bowl
- Large mixing bowl
- Apple slicer/corer
- Paring knife or vegetable peeler
- Measuring cup (graduated)
- Measuring spoons
- 9″ deep dish pie plate
- Wire whisk
- Wire cooling rack
Classic Apple Pie Recipe
Utensils & Equipment
- 1 small bowl
- 1 large mixing bowl
- 1 apple slicer
- 1 paring knife or vegetable peeler
- 2 measuring cup graduated
- 1 set of measuring spoons
- 1 9-inch deep dish pie plate
- 1 wire whisk
- 1 wire cooling rack
Ingredients List
- 3 MacIntosh apples or other type of soft apples
- 3 large Pink Lady apples or Empire, Cortland, Fuji
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 Tbsp apple pie spice
- 4-6 Tbsp butter evenly sliced
- 2-4 Tbsp lemon juice
- 2 Pillsbury pie crusts premade or homemade
Instructions
Preheat Oven
- Preheat oven to 425℉. Place a sheet of aluminum foil on the bottom rack of the oven, directly under where you'll be placing the pie. This will help catch any juices that come from the pie while baking.
Prepare The Pie Plate
- If refrigerated, the pie crust should stand at room temperature for 15-20 minutes as directed on the packaging.
- Place bottom pie crust in the pie plate. Arrange the crust so the edge drapes evenly over the top of the pie plate.
Mix Together The Dry Ingredients
- In a small mixing bowl whisk together the sugars, flour, and spices.
Prepare The Apples
- Peel, core, and slice the apples. Make sure the slices are not huge. Most apple slicers cut the apples in only 6 sections. If the sections are large, slice them in half lengthwise. Cut some of the sections into smaller pieces. This helps more evenly distribute the filling into the pie shell.
- In a large mixing bowl, toss the apples in 1-2 Tbsp of lemon juice. until the pieces are evenly coated.
Mix It Up
- Sprinkle the dry ingredients over the apples and mix thoroughly. Keep pulling the apples from the bottom of the bowl until they're evenly coated.
- If the mix seems too dry, add another tablespoon of the lemon juice. The apples must be evenly coated with the mixture.
Fill It Up
- Pour the mixture into the bottom pie crust. Pack the apples together as closely as you can. If there are any gaps, fill them with smaller pieces of apple.
- Place the slices of butter evenly spaced apart on top of the apple mixture.
Add The Top Crust
- Drape the top crust over the apples. To seal the two crusts together you can use one of two methods. 1) Press the two crusts together with a fork all the way around the crust. 2) Crimp the crusts together with your fingers. This will create a scalloped look around the edge.
- Cut 4-6 slots around the top crust. This will allow the steam to vent as the pie bakes.
Bake To Perfection
- Bake at 425℉ for 15 minutes then lower the oven temperature to 350℉ and bake for 40-45 minutes.
- The pie is done when the top crust is golden brown. Sometimes you can see the juices bubbling out of the top.
Cool Down
- Place on cooling rack and allow to cool for at least two hours.