This apple pie recipe is dedicated to my great-grandmother, who would bake this pie in her Iowa farm house. She would rise early in the morning to start her chores and cook the midday meal for her husband, a farmer, and all of the farm workers. This recipe was passed down to her daughter, who consequently passed it down to her granddaughter, and then to me, her great-granddaughter.

Granny Smith Apples

I recommend Granny Smith apples for apple pie because of their naturally tart flavor. Mixed with brown sugar, the juice derived from these green apples provides the perfect combination of sweet and tart flavoring, exploding in the taste buds. In addition, Granny Smith also have a strong, crisp consistency that holds up during the cooking process, as opposed to other apple varieties such as Red Delicious or Gala, which become mushy when cooked.

The Spectacular Crust

There’s nothing like a buttery, flaky crust to accompany a sweet, tart apple filling. You don’t have to settle for a store-bought, preservative-saturated pie crust. Master the art of pie crusts by clicking here!

Country Apple Pie Recipe

Double Crust

2 ¼ Cups of All-Purpose Flour
1 tsp Salt
14 Tbsp of Butter (or ¾ Cups of Crisco)
12-17 Tbsp Ice-cold Water

Filling

7-8 large Granny Smith Apples
1 Cup Brown Sugar
1/3 Cup Flour
3 Tbsp Cinnamon
½ tsp Nutmeg
2 Tbsp Butter

Top Garnish

Brushed Milk on Top Crust
Sprinkled White Sugar

Filling Instructions

1. Peel and core apples. Cut into medium to large slices.

2. Cook in a pot with medium heat with sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and butter.

Apple Pie — Cook apples with sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and butter, adding flour after juicing

3. Thicken with flour after the apples have begun to juice from the sugar and the heat. Apples should be softened but still possess structure and crispness. (Don’t overcook!)

Crust Instructions

1. In a bowl, mix flour and salt.

2. Slice butter into small bits and cut into the flour and salt with a pastry cutter. (If you don’t have a pastry cutter, you can use your fingers to squish the butter into the flour. The result should look clumpy.)

3. Add in tablespoons of ice-cold water. Start with 7 tablespoons and begin to knead the dough with your hands softly and loosely. Continue to add tablespoons of water until the flour and butter have molded into a soft ball of dough. (Remember, DO NOT over-knead.)

4. Sprinkle parchment paper or a clean flat surface with flour.

5. Split the ball of dough in two.

6. Roll one ball of dough into a thin circular layer on top of the flour.

7. To transfer onto the pie pan, fold in half and lift onto the first half of the pie pan. Flip the folded portion over onto the rest of the pan.

Fold dough in half to transfer to the pie pan.

8. Poke the bottom layer with a fork to minimize the development of air bubbles.

9. Pour in the hot apple filling.

10. After the top dough layer has been rolled out, cut a simple design in the middle. This will allow the air to escape from the apple mixture as it bakes.

Cut a simple design in the middle of the top of the pie dough

11. To lift the dough from the surface onto the pie pan, fold in half and lift onto one half of the pie pan. Then flip the folded portion over onto the rest of the pan.