Homemade Apple Pie That Celebrates the Apple

What is it with boys and apples? I have a tradition in my household that started so long ago that I can’t even remember how it came to be. I’m not a huge fan of “things” or “stuff” so way back when, I told my kids that for their birthdays they could pick any dessert they wanted, and I’d make it. It didn’t matter how difficult or time consuming, or how hard it was to find the ingredients, or how complicated the process was. They loved it back then, and they love it today. That first year, one of my girls picked a 7-layer toasted coconut cream cake, another one picked strawberry pie, and the third picked pumpkin pie. (Yay for her! I could make that in my sleep!) My sons both picked homemade apple pie.

As the years went on, the girls varied all over the map – everything from cinnamon rolls to chocolate cake to baked Alaska. The boys??? Homemade apple pie. (Maybe it’s an Adam and Eve forbidden fruit kind of thing…) And to this day, even though the girls will opt for pretty much anything (brownies, pineapple upside down cake, sundae bars…), the boys stick with homemade apple pie. I’m not sure if it’s due to a lack of imagination or simply sticking to a good thing, but one thing is for sure, every single year since I implemented my I’m-not-buying-you-stuff-but-I’ll-spend-hours-in-the-kitchen-making-something-to-show-my-love birthday tradition, my boys have insisted on my homemade apple pie.

And who can blame them, really? It’s classic, fresh, a little sweet, a little tart, a little spicy, and bursting with flavor. I started baking homemade apple pies back when I lived in Minnesota. There’s nothing quite like heading out to the apple orchard on a sunny crisp fall day and coming home with a freshly picked basket of apples! Yum! I knew I needed to come up with a recipe that truly celebrated the apple. I didn’t want a squishy, overly sweet, cloying type of pie. I wanted something bright, light, and a little crisp. Something that screamed APPLES! A combination of tart Granny Smith, bake-able Gala, and sweet Honey Crisp (developed in Minnesota!) thinly sliced, with a light sugar, cinnamon, buttery coating did the trick! You can certainly use store bought pie crust, but I highly recommend making my homemade pie crust. It’s quite easy, and has never failed me!

Even though this homemade apple pie does take a fair amount of time to prepare, seeing the smiles on the boys’ faces and the way their eyes light up every time I bring it (full of glowing birthday candles) to the table makes it worth it every time! The boys do love their apples.

[wpurp-searchable-recipe]Homemade Apple Pie That Celebrates the Apple. And Birthdays – Fresh, sweet, and a little spicy homemade apple pie that truly showcases the apple. – Apples (Use 3 varieties such as Granny Smith, Honey Crisp, and Gala), Fresh Lemon Juice, Granulated Sugar, Packed Brown Sugar, salt, corn starch, Ground Cinnamon, butter (Cut into pieces), Whole Milk (To Brush on top of Pie), Coarse Sugar (To Sprinkle on top of PIe), Freshly Grated Nutmeg (To Sprinkle on top of Pie), Homemade Pie Crust (Previous Blog Post has this recipe – find link in post above), , Prepare homemade pie crust according to recipe (or use store bought). Roll out bottom crust between two pieces of parchment paper first (dust the dough with flour liberally before rolling), place in a 9 inch deep dish pie plate, prick bottom with a fork and place in freezer until pie filling is ready. Roll out top crust and place on a cookie sheet that will fit in your freezer. Place in freezer until ready to use. Turn on oven to 350 degrees and position rack in lower third of oven.; Peel, core, and slice apples into 1/4" slices. Sprinkle with lemon juice and mix well. Put into a large pot.; In a medium bowl, mix white sugar, brown sugar, salt, corn starch, and ground cinnamon. Add to the apples in the large pot over medium heat. Add butter pieces. Mix thoroughly and heat apples until slightly soft, approximately 7-10 minutes. ; Pour apple mixture into pie crust. It will be overflowing! Pack the apples down as much as possible to remove the majority of space between the apples. Top with top pie crust and crimp edges to seal. Slice the top crust two or three times to allow to vent. Brush with milk, then sprinkle with coarse sugar and nutmeg.; Place in oven for 30 minutes, then tent cover with aluminum foil (spraying the underneath side of foil with oil first to prevent sticking). Bake another 20-30 minutes until the crust is a nice golden-brown and the filling is bubbling. Let cool on a rack for 2-4 hours to let sit. Serve with ice cream and enjoy!; ; – – Dessert – American – Cooking for a Crowd – apple pie – dessert – fresh desserts – homemade apple pie – pie[/wpurp-searchable-recipe]