Old-Fashioned Apple Pie
Peeling apples always feels like the official announcement that pie season has arrived.
There are few desserts that feel more American than a homemade apple pie cooling on the kitchen counter. Whether it is baked for Thanksgiving, carried to a church supper, served after Sunday dinner, or simply made because the apples looked especially good at the market, apple pie has been part of family tables for generations. It is one of those recipes that connects us to the cooks who came before us, each one rolling out pie dough, peeling apples by hand, and hoping no one sneaks a slice before dessert.
Although apples are native to Central Asia, they found an ideal home in North America after European settlers brought apple seeds and young trees across the Atlantic during the seventeenth century. By the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, orchards stretched across much of the young United States, and apples became one of the country's most dependable fruits. Families dried them for winter, pressed them into cider, made applesauce, and baked countless pies as the harvest came in each fall.
Apple pie gradually became woven into American culture. By the late nineteenth century, recipes regularly appeared in community cookbooks, local newspapers, and household manuals. During the twentieth century, it became closely associated with home, hospitality, and family life. Even today, the phrase "as American as apple pie" remains one of the country's most familiar expressions.
Like so many heirloom recipes, every baker has a favorite way of making it. Some swear by an all-butter crust while others have long relied on shortening or lard. Some families prefer a solid top crust with a few steam vents, while others never make a pie without weaving a lattice. Those little differences become part of a family's own kitchen traditions, passed from one generation to the next.
For this pie, I like using a combination of Granny Smith and Jonagold apples. Granny Smith apples provide a bright tartness and hold their shape beautifully during baking. Jonagold apples bring natural sweetness and a softer texture that creates a rich filling without becoming mushy. Together they give the pie plenty of apple flavor with slices that remain distinct after nearly an hour in the oven.
The filling itself stays wonderfully simple. Fresh lemon juice brightens the apples, brown sugar adds a deeper caramel note, and cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg provide just enough warmth without overpowering the fruit. A little cornstarch thickens the juices so every slice holds together beautifully after cooling.
One small baking step is worth mentioning because it makes a noticeable difference. Setting the pie onto a preheated baking sheet gives the bottom crust an immediate burst of heat, helping it bake through before the apple juices have a chance to soak into the pastry. It is an old-fashioned trick that many experienced pie bakers have relied on for decades.
There is something deeply satisfying about making an apple pie from scratch. The rhythm of peeling apples, mixing the filling, rolling the dough, and crimping the edges has remained much the same for generations. Long before timers beeped and stand mixers filled countertops, home bakers were making pies exactly this way, filling their homes with the unmistakable aroma of apples, butter, cinnamon, and a flaky crust turning golden in the oven.
If you've never baked an old-fashioned apple pie before, I hope this becomes the recipe you reach for year after year. And if you've been making apple pie for decades, perhaps it will earn a place alongside the well-loved recipes already tucked inside your family cookbook.
Old-Fashioned Apple Pie
PREP TIME: 30 MINUTES
COOK TIME: 55 MINUTES
OVEN TEMPERATURE: 375°F
SERVINGS: 8
Ingredients:
6 cups peeled, cored, and thinly sliced apples (Use half Granny Smith & half Jonagold)
1 - 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus a little extra to sprinkle on top
1/2 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cubed
1 egg white + 1 teaspoon of water, whisk together to make an egg wash
1 prepared pastry for double-crust pie, 9-inch
Flour to roll out pie crust
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Place a cookie sheet lined with foil in the oven to preheat. You’ll place your prepared apple pie on this cookie sheet to bake.
- Peel, core, and thinly slice apples, place in a large mixing bowl and toss with lemon juice and lemon zest; set aside. In a separate bowl combine sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, salt, and cornstarch; mix until well combined. To the bowl of sliced apples add the sugar spice mixture and vanilla extract; mix well.
- Roll out the bottom pie crust on a lightly floured surface and gently place it into a 9-inch pie plate. Spoon the apples and their juices into the prepared crust, then dot with butter. Brush the edges of the bottom crust with egg wash. Roll out the top pie crust and either place it whole over the filling or cut it into 12 strips to arrange in a lattice design. Crimp the edges together to seal.
- Place on preheated cookie sheet and bake at 375°F for 45-55 minutes, or until crust is nicely browned and juices are bubbling. Cover pie crust edges with foil if they become dark too quickly while baking. Once finished, remove to a wire rack and cool just slightly before serving.w minutes before transferring them to wire racks to cool completely. Enjoy!
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about the AUTHOr
Stasia Wimmer Boschetti is an American culinary writer and the founder of American Country Living, where she writes about recipes, home, and the traditions that shape everyday American life. With more than thirty years of experience in the kitchen and a background in catering, she explores the history behind the foods we keep making and the customs that keep them in use. She is also the founder of the American Country Living General Store, offering homewares, baking goods, and provisions for everyday life at home. She lives in Texas with her husband, family, and five rescued animals, where she continues to cook, write, and keep a well-loved home.
