If there’s a quintessential American dessert it’s the humble apple pie. The simple, yet delicious baked good is synonymous with summer cookouts, holiday dinners and year-round celebrations.
Baking a traditional apple pie is simple to learn, but there are endless variations and preparations to discover. It’s easy to order a homestyle pie online, but you don't need to be a seasoned baker to make an apple pie.
The flaky crust and sweet filling of an apple pie makes for a satisfying end to Thanksgiving dinner, a great host gift for a Christmas party or a day of celebration during National Apple Pie Day in May.
We’ve put together a few simple variations of our signature pie recipe that you can try at home when you’re having a craving as American as apple pie.
Making your own pie crust can be intimidating, so skip that step and pick up a package of pre-made dough for our easy apple hand pies. A handheld version of a more traditional recipe, apple hand pies are versatile and fun! Plus, they can be frozen after preparing so you can enjoy handheld apple pie anytime.
Apple Hand Pie Recipe
For the crust:
For the filling:
For hand pies, your apples need to be diced into roughly ½” cubes, which are a bit smaller than a traditional apple pie. Add your apple pieces, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg to a pot and set it on low heat for about 8-10 minutes, stirring consistently. Strain the excess liquid from the apples and set aside in a separate bowl to cool.
Preheat your oven to 375°.
Unwrap and unfold a sheet of your puff pastry onto a flour-dusted counter and roll it out. A sheet of puff pastry is typically 9” x 9” when initially unfolded, but can stretch to about 12” x 12” after rolling. Cut four 6” circles from each sheet of puff pastry which will make approximately eight hand pies.
Transfer cut circles of dough to a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and spoon about two tablespoons of the apple mixture to one half of each circle, leaving a ¼” border of dough. Once your filling has been placed, fold the dough over the filling. Use a fork to seal the top and bottom half of the pastry together. Repeat these steps with the second sheet of puff pastry.
In a small bowl, whisk the egg and brush onto the top of each hand pie. Cut a few slits into the tops to allow steam to escape. Bake your hand pies at 375° for about 30 – 40 minutes until the tops are golden brown. Let the hand pies cool for about 20 – 30 minutes before serving.
A sweet and savory variation of the classic recipe, the cheddar apple pie combines a traditional pie recipe with a regional tradition. Putting a slice of cheddar cheese on top of a piece of apple pie is common in parts of the country, prompting the saying “an apple pie without the cheese is like a kiss without a squeeze!”
Cheddar Apple Pie Recipe
For the crust:
For the filling:6 peeled and sliced Granny Smith apples
Combine dough ingredients together in a large mixing bowl with a dough cutter or pulse in a food processor until just combined. Add more ice water to the dough as needed until it comes together. Once a ball of dough is formed, divide into two equal parts and wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least a half hour.
While your pie dough is chilling, combine your filling ingredients in a pot and set the pot on low heat for about 8-10 minutes, stirring consistently. After the apples have cooked down, move the pot off the heat to cool.
Preheat your oven to 400°. Take one of the dough disks from the refrigerator and turn it out onto a kitchen counter dusted with flour. Roll out the dough until it’s about ¼” thick and place the dough into a 9” pie plate leaving enough dough to fall over the sides. Fill the bottom crust with your apple filling until it reaches the rim of the plate. Place your pie plate in the refrigerator to chill while you roll out the top crust.
For the top of your pie, the crust can be as ornate or as simple as you’d like. You should have enough dough for a full top crust; just roll out the remaining dough to the same ¼” thickness as the bottom crust and lay on top of the filling. Be sure to cut a few slits in the top crust to allow steam to come out. To create a lattice-top crust, cut 1/2” – 1” strips of the rolled-out dough. Place the horizontal strips first and fold back the odd-numbered strips. Place your first vertical strip and replace the horizontal strips overtop. Alternate the process with the even-numbered strips and repeat the pattern until all of your strips have been placed. (Hint: YouTube has a lot of great tutorials that help if you get stuck.)
Seal the top and bottom crusts together. Fold any bottom crust overhang on top of the top crust and crimp the sides shut, either with a fork or pinching the two crust layers together. In a small bowl, whisk the egg and brush the egg onto the top crust.
Bake your pie at 400° for 20 minutes and then lower the temperature to 350° and bake for another 30–40 minutes. When you lower the temperature, cover the top of your pie with aluminum foil to prevent the top from burning. Let the pie cool for about 20–30 minutes before serving.
So now you've got two great apple pie recipes at the ready! Best part of apple pie is it can be enjoyed all day, for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack or whenever.
If you need someone to do the baking for you, we'd be happy to help. You can order a homestyle pie online anytime for pickup or delivery.
