Apple Pie Recipe
Mama’s Homemade Apple Pie
Follow our easy, step-by-step, photo illustrated recipe to learn how to make a delicious Homemade Apple Pie just like Mama made. Printable recipe included.
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Mama may not have ever set her Apple Pies on a window sill to cool, but she did make a great pie. Homemade pie crust and all.
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Mama’s Apple Pie. That’s about as Southern and as American as one can get. Smile. We do love our Apple Pies.
We’ve just had our first nights of temperatures dropping into the mid-fifties here in the heart of North Carolina this past week. Our Regional Fair is over, and the North Carolina State Fair is just a few weeks away. Fall itself is right around the corner. That means it’s time for some good old homemade Apple Pie.
Mama probably made Apple Pie mostly around Thanksgiving and Christmas. Most of the family loved Chocolate Pie or her Coconut Pies the best, so she cooked those more often. Still, she made a mean Apple Pie when she did bake them.
I have vivid memories of her rolling out pie dough on top of our kitchen table. She didn’t seem to fuss with everything having to be really cold, but her pies turned out awesome if you ask me.
Daddy had a produce stand out in the front of the house, next to the road, and he sold a lot of apples and other produce items from it. Once those North Carolina mountain apples started being picked, some fellow would show up with a truck loaded down with bushels of freshly picked apples. Daddy would buy several bushels and several different varieties of apples to resell in his produce stand.
Of course, that meant we almost always enjoyed a fresh homemade Apple Pie with some of them.
I would like to encourage you to make your own pie dough for the bottom and top crusts. It’s much easier than you might think and it makes the best pies you’ll ever sink your teeth into.
We don’t use a lot of sugar or spices in this recipe. That way, you get to enjoy the taste of the apples when you bite into it. Besides, you’re probably going to add a scoop of ice cream on top and that will make it even sweeter. Smile.
Ready to bake up an All American favorite? Alright then, let’s head on out to the kitchen, and… Let’s Get Cooking.
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Homemade Apple Pie Recipe – You’ll need these ingredients.
I’ve made two pie crusts using my Basic Pie Crust recipe posted here on Taste of Southern. These need to be made at least a day in advance, so it’s just one thing less to do when you go to assemble your pie. Smile.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator when you start working on the recipe so the dough will be easier to work with. Or, if you prefer, you can always use the ready-made pie crust dough sheets that are now available at most grocery stores.
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Begin by adding the Flour, Brown Sugar, and Granulated Sugar to a large mixing bowl.
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Add the Cinnamon.
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Add the Nutmeg.
Some folks don’t like the taste of nutmeg. You could leave it out if you prefer.
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Add a dash of Salt.
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Grab a whisk or fork, and mix all the dry ingredients together. Set this aside for now.
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Rinse the apples under cold running water.
Granny Smith Apples hold up the best for baking pies. I’m using those plus one Golden Delicious Apple. The yellow apple will offset some of the tartness from the Granny Smiths.
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Peel the apples.
I use to enjoy watching my Daddy peel an apple. He used his pocket knife, and could almost always get all the peeling off in one long length. I’m not that good, but I still like to try. Once peeled, I placed my apples in a bowl filled with cold water to help keep them from browning.
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Slice the apples into small wedges and remove the center core. I did this all by hand and tried to slice them into even slices so they would bake better. No need to obsess over it though.
I placed the slices back in the water as I went along until I got them all sliced up.
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Once I had them sliced, I poured all the slices into a colander to drain off the excess water. I’ll let these drain while I roll out my pie dough.
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Butter the inside bottom and edges of your pie plate.
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Next, I rolled out the pie dough to make the bottom crust for my pie.
I don’t know who came up with the idea of rolling dough out between layers of waxed paper, but it sure does work well. Makes it pretty easy to roll out the dough and to move it without tearing it – if you remember to still use a little flour on your surface.
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Place the dough in your pie plate and adjust it as needed. Center the dough as best you can, then lift up the edges to help press the dough down the inside edge of the pie plate so you don’t have air bubbles under the corner edge.
I also like to sprinkle the crust with a little bit of flour and sugar to help hold in the juice from the apples.
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Place the drained apples in the bowl with the sugar mixture. Give it a good stir to fully coat all the apple pieces.
Don’t be afraid to taste one of the slices. You might prefer a bit more sugar in your pies. Adjust it accordingly to make the recipe your own. Smile.
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Place the apples in the pie plate. Make sure you get apples out to the edges and pile it up fairly high in the center. The apples will cook down as the pie bakes in the oven. I’ve set the pie plate on a baking sheet to catch any spills that might occur while the pie is baking.
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Place the top crust over the apples. Center it as best you can. Use any extra dough hanging over the sides to patch any places that cracked or you might not have fully covered.
Trim off the excess dough from around the edges.
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Fold the edges of the top sheet of dough under the bottom sheet. Press the edges together to seal them all the way around the pie. Decorate the edges as desired.
Once the edges are sealed, use a pastry brush to lightly coat the dome of the pie with a Tablespoon or two of regular milk. Do NOT brush the milk on the outer edge of the pie. The milk will help the top brown nicely.
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Sprinkle some granulated sugar or sugar Sprinkles over the top dome of the pie. Again, do not sprinkle sugar on the edges. The edge will brown way too much if you do. Just saying.
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Finally, take a good sharp knife and cut about 8 vents in the top of the pie. Twist the knife slightly to open the vents up. The pie will produce a good amount of steam as it’s baking, and these vents are used to release that steam.
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READ CAREFULLY.
Place the pie on the bottom, or next to bottom rack in an oven that has been preheated to 450F degrees.
Once you close the oven door, REDUCE the heat to 350F degrees.
Let the pie bake at 350F degrees for 25 minutes, then lightly place a sheet of aluminum foil over the entire top of the pie. The edges of the pie will probably have already started to brown some, and the piece of foil will keep the edges from burning while the pie continues to bake.
The pie needs to bake for another 25-35 minutes, or until the pie is bubbling hot and the top is lightly browned. That’s a total of 50-60 minutes to fully bake the pie.
If needed, remove the foil and let the top of the pie brown for a few minutes longer before removing it from the oven.
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When the pie is done, carefully remove it from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool completely. This will take several hours.
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Enjoy!
The pie will cut much easier when it is completely cooled. Individual slices can be heated in the microwave for a few seconds if you prefer warm apple pie.
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Apple Pie Recipe
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 60 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American, Southern
Description
An old Southern favorite, this apple pie is made from scratch, just like Mama always made hers.
Ingredients
2 Sheets of pie crust dough
1/4 cup Brown Sugar
1/2 cup Granulated Sugar
1/4 cup All-Purpose Flour
1/4 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon Nutmeg
Dash of Salt
3 lbs. Granny Smith Apples, peeled, cored, thinly sliced
1 Golden Delicious Apple, peeled, cored, thinly sliced
2 Tablespoons Milk, for wash on top crust.
Instructions
Preheat oven to 450F degrees with oven rack in lowest position.
Place Brown Sugar in a large mixing bowl.
Add the Granulated Sugar.
Add Flour.
Add Cinnamon.
Add Nutmeg.
Add Dash of Salt.
Whisk dry ingredients together well. Set aside for now.
Peel the apples. Place in cold water to prevent browning.
Slice the apples into wedges, removing and discarding the center core.
Place the slices back in the water as you go.
When finished slicing, pour apples into a colander to drain while you prepare dough.
Lightly butter the inside of your pie plate.
Place one sheet of dough in pie plate and trim as needed.
Add sliced apples to the dry ingredients.
Toss apples until fully coated.
Spread apples into the pie plate.
Place second layer of pie dough on top of apples.
Seal edges and decorate as desired.
Brush milk over center of pie but not on the edges.
Sprinkle top with one Tablespoon of sugar, but not on edges.
Cut slits in top of dough to vent the pie as it bakes.
Place pie on baking sheet, and place in preheated oven.
IMMEDIATELY REDUCE heat to 350F degrees.
Bake pie for 25 minutes until crust is lightly browned.
Cover top lightly with aluminum foil to prevent over browning.
Let pie bake another 25-35 minutes until bubbling hot and top is lightly browned.
Remove to wire rack and let cool completely.
Enjoy!
Notes
Use our recipe for Basic Pie Crust dough to make the bottom and top crusts. Or, if you prefer, use the ready-made dough sheets available at your local grocery store. Granny Smith Apples hold up the best when baking pies. The addition of a Golden Delicious is to just add a bit of sweetness to offset the tartness in the Granny Smith apples. It’s optional of course.
Keywords: Apple Pie, Mama's Apple Pie, Mom's, homemade, made from scratch, granny smith, golden delicious, easy
Your Comments:
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Be Blessed!!!
Steve
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You might also like this: Peach Delight Cobbler
Or, maybe this: Mama’s Fresh Coconut Cake
How about this one? Sweet Potato Pie
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Category: Desserts
Thanks for the step by step instructions. I think I can make this and be proud to serve it to my husband. Wish me luck!
I have been searching for scottish short bread for years and wondered if you have one
Hi Minnie, I wish I could help you with a recipe, but I’m afraid I don’t have one. All we ever had was store bought. Perhaps one of our readers might be able to help. I hope you find one soon. Thank you for the question. I do appreciate your visits and hope you will stop by again… real soon. Be Blessed!!!
Steve
OK Steve, I’ll try this but quit teasing us. I want the punch bowl cake recipe. Can’t you please, just this once, print up a recipe without the extra added benefit of photos?
I’ll try it and let you know how it comes out….
Hi CJ, You’re not the first to ask about the Punch Bowl Cake. I’ve been surprised at that since I only mentioned it in the Newsletter. Guess I’m going to just have to go ahead and make it. Stay tuned. Thank you for being a subscriber to the Newsletter and for all of your support. I always appreciate your visits and hope you’ll stop by again… real soon. Be Blessed!!! -Steve
Hi Steve
I really love your sight. Wish you’d publish a cookbook!
That cooling trend was nice but it’s back up to near 90 here where I’m at in NC. But that PIE, oh my! Perfect! Nothing says Fall like pie. You make them exactly the way I make mine and they taste soo good. When it cools down hopefully, I’ll be making some of those pies very soon. Thank you for all you do! Peace & Love
★★★★★
Hi Patricia. Thank you for your kind words. I’d love to have a cookbook one day, it’s long been a dream of mine as well. Hang in there, cooler temps are just around the corner, then we’ll be begging for summer days again. Smile. I bet you make an awesome Apple Pie. Thank you for your visits and for your support. I hope you’ll visit with us again… real soon. Be Blessed!!! -Steve
My GOODNESS that looks GOOD!
Hi Dara, Thank you. I hope you might try it sometime. I thought it turned out well myself. Thank you for your visits. I do hope you’ll visit with us often. Be Blessed!!! -Steve
Your pie looks Fabulous! I really love apple pie! When my Grandma made hers, sometimes while it was baking, she would make my sister and me decent size turnovers with what was left-funny how she always seemed to have so much left over, just for us! Same with blueberry–really loved the blueberry turnovers! Thanks for sharing! C.
Hi Cheryl, Sounds like Grandma knew what she was doing from the get-go. I had a few apples left over, but not much dough. I love a good turnover as well. Thank you for sharing your memories with us. It’s greatly appreciated. I also appreciate all of your support and your visits. I do hope you’ll visit with us often. Be Blessed!!! -Steve
How about the punch bowl cake recipe?
Hi Bob, Guess I’m going to have to break down and turn loose of the money to do that pretty soon. You’re not the first to mention it from the Newsletter. Thank you for being a subscriber, and thank you for all of your visits and your support. It’s greatly appreciated. I hope you’ll stop by again… real soon. Be Blessed!!! -Steve