Wednesday, November 20, 2013

The Best Apple Pie


I don't know if I have told you about my grandmother's pies. 




She was an amazing baker.

My favorite was her Lemon Meringue which I have never been able to replicate but 
I have been able to copy her style of apple pie.



It is just perfect for this time of year.




I couldn't get any of her recipes because she didn't have any. She was a little of this and a little of that type of baker. 

I have tweaked this recipe over the years to get it just how we like it. 

The final version of it happened quite by accident. 






One Thanksgiving eve I was making the pie. 

It slipped off of the rack in the oven and half of the apples and most of the crumb topping fell off. 
I quickly grabbed more apples out of the fridge. They just happened to be Honey Crisp apples our favorite snacking apple at the time. 
I par boiled them so they would be at about the same level of doneness as the apples still in the pie. I made more crumb topping and stuck the pie back in the oven.
It was a hit and I have been making it that way ever since.




The Best Apple Pie
(Granny's Apple Pie)
Sprinkle your favorite 9 inch pie crust with 
Sugar In The Raw and prick with a fork. 



As you can see, I don't do anything fancy to the edge of my pie crusts.




Filling:
3 large Honey Crisp (or similar) apples 
4 medium Granny Smith apples
Peel, core and slice apples into pie the shell.
Cut up  and dot 2 Tablespoons  butter onto apples.
Sprinkle with 1/8 cup sugar.
and 1/2 tsp. cinnamon. 

In a bowl combine 

1 cup flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 white sugar
1/4 powdered sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup butter
Cut in the butter until mixture is crumbly 
The little crumbs should be about the size of a pea or smaller.
Bake at 400 for about 45 minutes.
Cover edges of the crust and bake about 
10 minutes more until apples are tender but not mushy.
I will slip one out under the crumb topping and test it.
Okay. 



Even though I added sugar, I think their sweetness mellows the tartness of the Granny Smiths.
Tart and Sweet at the same time.

I love a crumb topping on apple pie rather than a crusts topping. 











Give it a try for your next gathering.






7 comments :

  1. I'm pinning this immediately! I agree that a crumb topping is the best topping. Most of all, I loved how this recipe came to be. It just goes to show ... don't cry over spilt milk...or pie. Send me a slice!

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  2. Oh my this sounds heavenly and looks devine. Your pictures are absolutely fabulous too. I need to try this recipe for sure. Thanks so much for linking to the Holiday Baking Party. Hugs, marty

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for hosting this new party, Marty. As if you didn't have enough to do. ;) Hugs back to you.

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  3. Thank you, Holly for hosting! How was your first party?

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