As American as Apple Pie.

When I think of apple pie, my mind occasionally wanders to the pie scene in the movie, “American Pie”. It is one of the most hilarious yet shocking scenes involving pie that I’ve ever seen. But it was a waste of a good fruit pie. The movie is now a classic, just like the classic apple pie recipe I have here.

But guess what… apple pie actually didn’t originate in America! Shocking I know. It’s actually from England and dates back to the Chaucer era in 1381. This was news to me until I researched the origins. I thought apple pie was as American as McDonalds, Mickey Mouse and Walmart. Obviously not!

This classic apple pie recipe is one of the easiest fruit pies to make. Made with simple pantry ingredients, it is a show stopper when served warm with ice cream, vanilla custard or cream for dessert.

DID YOU KNOW… Apple pie with ice cream is called apple pie a la mode.

Winter is the perfect time to bring out hot desserts when entertaining. They’re soul-warming goodness which is why apple pie is honestly comfort food at its best. Besides, apple pie is a great family-friendly dessert for all.

This apple pie uses store-bought shortcrust pastry which is perfect for when you’re short on time. However, I do recommend you making your own pastry. This pie pastry recipe is easy if you want to give it a try. I made four small pies in this recipe with each pie cut in half to feed two people.

When putting pastry on top, go beyond just laying a sheet on top. That might be the easiest, but it’s not the prettiest. Try using cookie cutters to create a fun pattern on top. If you have small children, get them involved in cutting out shapes while you put the apple pie filling together. They’ll love helping out!

Classic Apple Pie

This classic apple pie is comfort food at it's best. Perfect for winter when a hot dessert is warming goodness. This recipe makes four small pies.

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 40 minutes mins

Servings 8 people

Ingredients

 

• 5 large cooking apples
• ½ cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon butter, cut up into small pieces, plus extra to grease pie dish
• 4 sheets shortcrust pastry
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 1 tablespoon sugar

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 175 degrees celsius.
• Peel, core, and cut the apples into 5mm thick slices. In a large mixing bowl, combine in sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Place the apple slices in the bowl and coat with lemon juice. With your hands, toss the apples around in the mixture and let stand for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to coat the apples.
• Grease four small 12cm diameter pie dishes. Cut out the bases from two shortcrust pastry sheets and place in each pie dish.
• Pour the apple filling into the pie crust, and dot the top with the small pieces of butter.
• Place the upper crust on top, trim, wave the edges with your fingers, and cut three small slits in the top. Alternatively, use a cookie cutter and cut out shapes from the second pastry sheet. Lay these on top in a pattern.
• Lightly brush the top crust and edges with milk and sprinkle the top with sugar.
• Slip a baking sheet under the pie and bake for 25 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 160 degrees, and continue baking for another 20 minutes. Let the pies cool for about 30 minutes before serving. One pie cut in half will feed two people.

Notes

• If your oven browns the top of the pies too quickly, add a sheet of tin foil on top when you turn the heat down to 160 degrees.
• Try adding either raisins or cranberries in with the apple mixture for something a little different.