After making pie dough, you need something to put in it! Continuing with our pre-Thanksgiving pie theme, let’s talk about this classic apple pie.

Not every apple pie is created equal. This classic apple pie is simple, but lovely in its simplicity. The crust is flaky and rich, but it doesn’t overwhelm the filling. The filling is dense and spiced, but it’s freshened up with a touch of lemon. This version of classic apple pie is easy to add variations to, but it’s beautiful by itself. As my brother-in-law said, “Most apple pies need ice cream to eat them with, but this one is good enough to eat by himself.” Trust me, that’s high praise from him.

A few notes. These quantities make enough to fill one apple pie, but you can easily double it. As for what apples to use, you can use any firm apple. Honeycrisps are my gold standard, so I used them for this recipe, but you can also use Granny Smith, Golden Delicious, Pink Lady, etc. There are many possibilities, and your local store is sure to have at least one of them.

Please also note that I’m not going into the intricacies of making pie dough in this post; but I did in the previous post, which you can find at this link. Good luck!

Ingredients

For the pie crust:

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup cold butter, cut into small pieces
• 1/4 cup cold shortening, cut into small pieces
• 1/3 cup cold vodka
• 1/4 cup cold flour

For the apple pie filling

• 8 apples, cored and sliced
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 tablespoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon ginger
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• Zest of one lemon (approximately one tablespoon)

Instructions

Place your cored and sliced apples in a large pot. Add 1/2 cup sugar, the lemon juice, and 1/2 cup water, and cook for about 20 minutes. Add the salt, cornstarch, nutmeg, cinnamon, lemon zest, and 1/2 cup sugar, and stir. Cook until the mixture thickens.

While the filling is cooking, make and roll out your crust. Place one crust in the bottom of a 9-inch pie pan, and pour in your fresh apple filling. Roll out the top crust and place it on your pie, cutting off the excess and crimping the edges. Brush your pie with milk and sprinkle lightly with sugar. Make decorative cuts in the top to help vent the pie. Bake your pie at 450 degrees F for 15-20 minutes, then at 350 degrees F until brown (usually not longer than the 20 minutes). Enjoy!