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I had an apple-craving, yesterday. And while any normal person would just buy an apple and bite into it, I had to buy a lot of them and make a pie. The normal person would get instant satisfaction. I get sustained satisfaction for days and days.

I win.

I just love fresh-baked pies. Hell – I loved fresh-baked anything. And it really doesn’t take that much effort to do. Really.

I made the pie dough and wrapped it to set while I got the apples together. Letting the dough rest for 30 minutes or so really helps to make a better crust. The flour has a chance to properly absorb the liquid and it gives the gluten a chance to relax.

So… I made my favorite basic pie dough and set it aside while I worked on the apples.

I used a combination of granny smith and fuji apples. I like mixing apples and getting a few different textures and flavors in the pie. It’s a personal preference, for sure. Some apples are better eating out of hand and some are better cooked or baked. I find that if I use half granny smith, I can pretty much use any other apple that strikes my fancy. Fujis are a sweeter apple, so they balance the granny well.

And I know you’ll find this hard to believe, but I don’t really follow a recipe for the apple pie filling, but I’ll do my best to write down what I did. I cooked the apples a bit first, because fujis tend to not soften as much as others in the oven. And, since I didn’t allow the filling to cool before I put it in the pie shell, I had to work quickly to get the top crust on, crimped, and sealed. Had I let the filling cool, I would have had the time to make a prettier crimp. Not that it mattered, though – the end result tasted great – and I wasn’t entering it into a contest.

Apple Pie

  • 4 granny smith apples. peeled and sliced
  • 5 fuji apples, peeled and sliced
  • 6 tbsp butter
  • 1/3 cup flour
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 heaping tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp allspice
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp ginger
  • 1/2 tsp salt

In large skillet, melt butter. Add fuji apples and saute briefly. Add granny smith apples, sugar, flour, vanilla, and spices. Cook about 5-5 minutes until syrupy. If you’re smart, allow filling to cool to room temperature.

Roll out pie crusts and place first crust in pie plate. Fill pie plate completely. Top with second crust and crimp edges to seal.

Place on cookie sheet – it will boil over – and bake at 425° for about 45 minutes.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

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Do not refrigerate fruit pies! It will make the crust tough and soggy. Cover lightly and leave on the counter. Really.