Believe it! This is the best classic apple pie with a perfectly sweet, perfectly thick filling and tender, delicious apples. It’s so good!
Taking notes from some very popular apple pie recipes, I’ve finally found the ultimate best apple pie recipe ever.
There’s no secrets. No gimmicks. No special ingredients. It’s straightforward and simple. And it’s bound to become a tried-and-true favorite.
How to Get the Best Apple Pie
I have a lot of variations of apple pie on my website. And one or two classic apple pie recipes.
However when I was introduced to this apple cranberry pie, my life changed forever. It is one of my favorite pies EVER ever ever. And I knew I wanted to get a perfect apple pie using the same method (i.e. cooking a thick buttery sweet sauce and pouring it over the apples prior to baking).
This isn’t a new concept when it comes to apple pies. It’s very popular in apple pie recipes, but many of the basic recipes I tried left me with soupy pies and soggy crusts.
No offense to this really good blue ribbon apple pie, but I also knew I wanted a go-to apple pie recipe that didn’t require pre-cooking the apples before baking the pie. The less work the better when it comes to apple pie!
The Famed Apple Pie Sauce
The sauce for this apple pie is the key to all successful deliciousness.
Butter and flour are cooked together in a simple roux before adding:
- water
- brown sugar
- granulated sugar
As it simmers for just a minute or so longer, it forms a magical, caramel sauce that not only sweetens the pie, but thickens it perfectly while baking.
The Best Apples for Apple Pie
The sweet buttery sauce is poured over the mass of thinly sliced apples.
I know the million dollar question is always: what kind of apples are best for apple pie?
For this pie, I almost always use a combination of Honeycrisp (or Envy) apples and Granny Smith apples. I love the pop of tartness the Granny Smith apples add.
You can definitely use all of one or the other – or use a different variety entirely, but stick with apples that are crisp and sweet-tart.
What to do with that top crust
While a top crust is necessary for the success of this apple pie, HOW you choose to employ the top crust is entirely up to you.
I love a classic lattice top even though I never get it quite right. I end up googling “lattice pie crust” tutorials and then give up halfway and do my own thing.
Honestly, once the pie is baked, most people will be none the wiser that it’s a faux-lattice top instead of an anxiety-inducing lattice top pie crust (like the one pictured below).
Or, you can ditch the lattice top altogether and go for a full top crust. Just remember to cut at least four slits with a sharp paring knife so the steam can escape.
Easy Homemade Pie Crust
You guys know by now that I’m going to assure you there is absolutely no shame in the game of storebought pie crust. None at all.
But if you are looking for a stellar pie crust recipe and have the time to go the homemade route, here are two of my favorite pie crust recipes that can’t be beat:
Both of these recipes are buttery, flaky and amazing.
The key to perfect apple pie
One tip for success is to make sure and bake the pie for long enough. If you cut short the baking time, the filling won’t be set up. Equally important is to let the pie cool completely.
I know this might seem an impossible request given the fact that WARM APPLE PIE IS THE FOOD OF THE GODS. I get it. I do. But I promise if you let the pie cool completely and then lightly and briefly warm individual slices up, as needed, the pie will not be soupy or soggy.
Instead, it will set up with the most deliciously sweet and perfectly thick apple pie filling, the likes of which will inspire eternities of ballads and poetry dedicated to apple pie.
In a lineup of epic holiday pies, I am powerless to resist the wiles of apple pie. And I am ecstatic that this apple pie is my new go-to for a classic, best-ever apple pie. Stop overthinking apple pie and make this one! You won’t be disappointed.
Recipe Source: inspired by this apple pie recipe as well as this one
