How to Make Apple Pie - The Lazy and Tasty Way (Easiest Recipe Ever)

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Here's my simple apple pie recipe ... I don't really measure :)

When I make apple pie I don't want to make my life complicated. I want all the taste and none of the fuss. Whenever I make pie like this, it ALWAYS tastes good. And I never break a sweat. My only regret is that I actually need to peel apples. Maybe one day I'll figure out a shortcut for that!

"My crust once resembled a cracker. I blame the fact that my mom never made apple pie!"

The First Step to Easy Apple Pie is the Pie Crust 

For me, the crust is the biggest pain. It's what makes me not want to make pie in the first place.

What makes it more complicated is that I like two crust pie, which means I have twice the work cut out for me if I make the crust from scratch.
  • Buy Your Crust. You can purchase pie crust two basic ways - already in a disposable pie pan and the rolled out kind that you need to put in the pie pan. I buy both. That way I don't need to handle crust other than putting it on top of the apples.
  • Crust Mix. I've never used these. It's simply much easier to buy the crust already made. But I see a lot of people buying them in the store so it must work out pretty well for them.
  • From Scratch. I've made good pie crust, I've made terrible pie crust. The thing is - I never know which one it will be. One time, my crust came out like one giant cracker. It most definitely wasn't flaky!

Resources: 

Totally Pies Cookbook (Totally Cookbooks)

Amazon Price: $5.95 (as of 12/27/2009) Buy Now

Dealing with the Apples - A Crucial Step for Apple Pie 

I know. Peeling apples is a pain. But, it's a must. There are tools to help peel and core an apple. I have less patience for those tools than I do the old fashioned way. My reality is not perfectly represented by those infomercials!

The good news is you'll need anywhere from 6 to 8 apples, depending on the size of the pie crust. Today, I am going to use 8 apples. It's a 9 inch pie crust. And I have to use those apples - they're just sitting around.

Try These Apple Pie Tools: 

Even though I don't like to use these tools, you can go ahead and try them. Some people swear by them!

Apple Peeler/Corer/Slicer

Amazon Price: $16.99 (as of 12/28/2009) Buy Now

Peel-a-Meal Electric Peeler

Amazon Price: $28.85 (as of 12/28/2009) Buy Now

Apples Are Peeled. Now What? 

Follow these steps to assemble your pie.
  1. Slice the apples. Don't slice them too small, otherwise they will cook down into a mush. Happened to me once. I may as well have poured apple sauce into pie crust.
  2. Put apples in a mixing bowl. Add lemon juice (about a tablespoon). Stir in about one tablespoon flour.
  3. Throw in a few handfuls of sugar and some cinnamon. I don't measure. I don't know if I'll want a sweet pie that day, more cinnamon, less cinnamon. Shoot for about a 1/2 a cup sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon. (If you really must measure, those measurements will work).
  4. Stir it all together with a wooden spoon and pour it into the pie shell.
  5. Plop the top shell over the pie and close the ends with a fork (or just pinch it, it doesn't matter). Trim the excess dough off the edges.
  6. Poke at the pie with your fork all over the top so it can ventilate.
  7. Bake at 400 degrees until the pie crust is golden. This usually takes about 30 - 40 minutes.
  8. Take it out of the oven and let it cool for at least fifteen minutes before cutting into it. I usually let it cool down for longer. You can always reheat it it after you cut it!

"Chop a few caramels and add them to the apples for caramel apple pie."

Apple Pie Musings - Notes From My Kitchen 

Since I didn't grow up making apple pie, I have to make up ground during my adult life. I can pull off a flawless baklava. I have the confidence of knowing it will work because I've either observed the making of it or have made it myself for most of my life.

I don't have that kind of background with pie. Trying to make up ground as an adult has been quite rocky. I've had some successes. I've also had dramatic failures. And there are some in between - the delicious pies that had a slight error. Those are the pies I problem solved, and they were tasty.

December 11, 2008

My latest attempt at apple pie was one of the "in-betweens". The pie turned out well. However, I accidentally bought tart crust which is slightly different than pie crust. It caused me some stress but the crust had a nice flake to it.

I also cut the apples to thick and they didn't get entirely soft during the cooking process. Overall, it was tasty - but I don't feel compelled to write the exact recipe down for future preservation.

January 25, 2009

I made another apple pie today. I wouldn't say it was a disaster - it was very good. But I figured out why people put flour or cornstarch in the apple mixture - to make a nice sauce and prevent the apples from emitting a lot of liquid. I skipped this step and the pie was a bit of a soupy mess and the bottom crust was a little soggy. Believe it or not, I've made worse.

"Omit the top crust and try a crumble top."

How to Make Apple Pie Not Soupy 

I had a terrible disaster with an apple pie once. Not only was it soupy, but the juicy insides boiled while it was cooking and spilled over into the oven. Then when I tried to cook something a little while after that, I forgot that the apple pie was in there and I tried to cook something. The whole house smoked.

So what went wrong? It's an easy fix and I can't believe I forgot to do it. I didn't add flour! I don't measure the ingredients in the pie filling, but I really should have tossed the apples in about two tablespoons flour. This prevents the pie from getting soupy and spilling all over the oven.

How to Make Apple Pie - Best Cookbooks for Apple Pie! 

Mom n' Pop's Apple Pie 1950's Cookbook

Amazon Price: (as of 12/28/2009) Buy Now

As American As Apple Pie (Wings Great Cookbooks)

Amazon Price: (as of 12/28/2009) Buy Now

Can you make apple pie a day ahead? 

Of course! But if you do this, I recommend doing a few things.

1. Bake the bottom crust first. Put some dried beans on top of the crust so it doesn't pop up and bake at 350 until golden.

2. Let it cook down completely, uncovered. If you cover it while it's still even a little warm, the top crust will get soggy.

3. Bake it at 300 degrees the next day for about ten or fifteen minutes to give it that fresh-baked taste.

You can buy apples that are peeled and sliced

Then all you need to do is chop them! And even if you find only the slicked apples, taking the peels off is a cinch. This definitely saves you time.

Share your pie successes and failures! 

Come on. I dished! I would love to hear your successes and failures at making apple pie. Or just tell me that you liked the lens. :-)

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by kohuether

I'm making apple pie right now, and writing this lens as I do! (more)

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