I am obsessed with pie, anyone else? Recently I ordered The Book on Pie by Erin Jeanne McDowell filled with some pretty incredible and unique pie recipes. There were so many great options, but I chose to start with my all time favorite: apple pie. This recipe features a unique gingerbread crust packed with buttery, flaky deliciousness. With Thanksgiving this week, pies are at the top of my list for treats I’m excited about eating. Baking a pie from scratch is definitely a process, but nothing beats a homemade pie baked with extra love.
Apples take center stage in this recipe but my biggest struggle with any homemade fruit pie is the time it takes to peel, core, and slice the fruit. I’m thankful for a tool that helps me prep my fruit for pies and tarts in seconds and cuts them evenly every time. The apples came out in a perfect spiral and then I cut them into fourths to easily spread through the pie. I’ve also used this tool to cut through potatoes to make homemade curly fries in half the time it would take for me to hand chop each potato! This pie was a major pregnancy craving so waiting to hand peel each apple was not an option lol! The next step in this process was to sprinkle kortinje cinnamon (like normal cinnamon but packed with a more intense flavor) and lemon juice over the apples then let the flavors marinate for a while. A special part of this recipe is using boiled apple cider in the apple mixture which I had never done for a pie before. The process was easy, I boiled ¾ cup down of apple cider until it reduced into 2 tablespoons. The rest of the filling was also cooked on the stovetop which really helped the mixture thicken and allowed all the yummy flavors to cook together.
Next up: the All Buttah Pie Crust. The name alone is enough to make me drool! If I can see the flakes of butter in the recipe, I just KNOW it’s going to be divine! In the recipe, McDowell kicks it up a notch by adding all kinds of delicious spices including kortinje cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and cloves. I cut all those spices in with the flour and butter then chilled the dough in the fridge. To quickly measure ingredients and make sure that the proportions were just right, I used my digital kitchen scale! I love having this in my kitchen to keep my measurements exact and weigh each ingredient out quickly. Rolling out dough is almost always a guessing game when it comes to size and shape. This pastry mat that I have helped me get my crust to the exact size I needed to get that crimp just right.The weight of my marble rolling pin was also helpful to get the crust rolled out super fast and the pie in the oven asap!
The final step in the great pie adventure was to put all the buttery and appley goodness together in my deep dish pie plate. I brushed the crust with an egg wash, and heavily (and I do mean heavily) sprinkled the top of the crust with sugar. The pie went in the oven and I wished that I could have traveled through time because I was so excited to dig in!
No apple pie is complete without vanilla ice cream, right? Right. Plus, I needed something to take my mind off of how badly I wanted that pie. So I set out to make some homemade ice cream. I poured 2 cups of heavy whipping cream, 1 cup of whole milk, 1 can of sweetened condensed milk, a pinch of salt, and a teaspoon of Madagascar double strength bourbon vanilla into a bowl and whisked them together. Next, I poured the mixture into my ice cream maker and 25 minutes later I had ice cream that could EASILY compete with Blue Bell! Quick and easy recipes are my favorite as a busy mom so I loved that I could give my family a treat made with love in such a short time.
I followed the pie recipe to a T which I will link down below! A funny story on making this, we were going to dinner at a friend’s house right after I finished baking. A couple hours before we were supposed to leave, the host texted and asked if someone could bring a dessert. The pie was ready to go and would have made a great dessert. But, our friends got box brownies as I selfishly wanted to eat the whole pie myself…. I know….yikes! Some things are just too good to share! Check out the recipe below!
The Recipes:
Apple Pie Filling
- 3 pounds of Honeycrisp or other good baking apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup all purpose flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
- 2 tablespoons boiled cider
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- In a large pan, toss apples, lemon juics, and light brown sugar together. Let sit for 30 to 45 minutes, tossing occasionally.
- Whisk the granulated sugar, flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt together to combine. Sprinkle this mixture over the apples and stir well to combine. Set the pot over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the apples are lightly softened and the juices have thickened, about 6 to 8 minutes.
- Add the boiled cider, if using, butter, and vanilla to the filling and stir to combine. Transfer the pie filling to a baking sheet or a large casserole dish and spread into an even layer to help the mixture cool faster.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Farenheit with a rack in the lower third.
- Roll out the top and bottom crusts.
- Transfer the filling to the prepared bottom crust, packing it in firmly and tightly to eliminate air pockets. Use the rolling pin to gently unroll the prepared top crust over the filling or make cutouts from the top crust. Press edges to seal. Trim the dough and tuck the excess dough under itself. Chill the pie in the fridge for 15 to 30 minutes.
- Brush the top with an egg wash, but don’t brush the edges. Sprinkle generously with sugar.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until top is golden brown.
- Enjoy your pie!
All-Buttah Pie Dough (with gingerbread spices)
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 1/4 cup ice water
- 1 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- Cut in ingredients until a dough forms.
- Assemble the pie.
Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 can sweetened condensed milk
- A pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Whisk all ingredients together.
- Pour into ice cream maker.
- Mix for 25 minutes.
Happy Baking!! ❤