This Christmas, I decided to keep it simple with an apple pie for dessert. Granny Smith apples are my go to for pie – this recipe is not too sweet, blending granulated and light brown sugar, with lemon juice and zest, and the right touch of cinnamon. This pie was so good that I’ll be making it again for New Year’s!
The Crust:
- 2 2/3 cups of all purpose flour
- 2 sticks of very cold butter, cut up into small pieces
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup ice water
1. Put flour, butter, and salt in a food processor with a metal blade pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal.
2. Add ice water until the dough begins to clump together. Divide into three discs and place in separate plastic bags, and work dough into a flat disc. Refrigerate for an hour. (This recipe make 3 – 9″ pie shells, two for the pie and one for the freezer.)
The Filling:
- 6 – 7 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- zest of half a lemon
- 1 tablespoon butter, cut into 4 pieces
- 1 large egg + 1 teaspoon water – egg wash
- Preheat oven to 400º. In a large bowl, toss apples with both sugars, flour, cinnamon, lemon juice, and zest. Pour into prepared pie dish, dot with butter. Roll out top crust, place on top, and press the edges of the dough to seal. Cut a hole in the top to allow steam to escape.
- Brush the dough with the egg wash and place the pie on a baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes, turn the oven down to 375º for an additional 30 to 35 minutes until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.
