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Nothing beats a homey apple pie for the holidays. We add a little bit of apple butter and quick-cooking tapioca to give the filling additional heft when the pie is cut. Be sure to use tart apples with plenty of structure for this recipe. Granny Smith or Honeycrisp are both great options (a mix of the two is even better!).
Ingredients:
- Double recipe Pie Crust, separated into two discs and chilled as directed
- 3 pounds granny smith and/or honeycrisp apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
- ½ cup granulated sugar or honey, plus more as needed
- 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca
- 1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg
- Pinch ground cloves
- 1½ tablespoons lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons apple butter (optional)
- Heavy cream or milk, as needed
Preparation
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out one of the pie disks into a 12-inch circle. Transfer to a 9-inch pie plate. Fold over any excess dough, trimming the edges, and crimp along the shape of the pie pan. Prick crust all over with a fork, then chill crust for 30 minutes or up to 24 hours.
- While dough chills, heat oven to 400 degrees. Line the chilled crust with foil or parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove foil and weights and bake until pale golden, 5 minutes more. Cool on rack until needed.
- Toss apples with the white and brown sugars, tapioca, spices, ½ teaspoon salt and the lemon juice. Gently mix in the apple butter. Transfer the apple mixture to the prepared crust, being sure to evenly distribute the apples.
- Roll out remaining pie disk to a 10-inch round. Using a sharp knife, cut it into strips 1¾ inches wide. Arrange strips over the filling in a lattice pattern. Brush the top of crust with heavy cream or milk and sprinkle with granulated sugar.
- Place pie on a rimmed baking sheet lined with foil. Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees and continue baking until crust is golden brown and juices are bubbling, about 1 hour and 15 minutes more.
- Let the pie cool on a wire rack for at least 2 hours. Serve with whipped cream, crème fraîche, vanilla ice cream, or slices of cheddar cheese (for a New England spin).
