Grandma’s Apple Pie
This classic apple pie recipe has been perfected over generations, with the perfect balance of tender, spiced apples and buttery, flaky crust that’ll make your whole house smell like autumn happiness.
What makes this pie extra special is the combination of Meyer lemon brightness and three warming spices – cinnamon, nutmeg, and the secret weapon: mace. Plus, par-baking the bottom crust ensures you’ll never suffer from the dreaded “soggy bottom” that plagues so many fruit pies.
Ingredients
For the crust:
- 2 Pie Crusts (top cut into strips and bottom par baked)
For filling:
- 8-10 apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
- Juice of 2 small Meyer lemons (or 1 large)
- Zest of 1 small Meyer lemon (or 1/2 large)
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon mace
- 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste or extract
- 5 tablespoons butter
For egg wash:
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 tablespoon milk, cream, or water
- Extra sugar for sprinkling
Steps
- Preheat the oven to 375°F for par-baking the bottom crust
- Roll out bottom crust, place in 9″ pie pan, poke with fork (~10 times)
- Line with parchment, fill with pie weights, bake 20 minutes
- Remove weights, bake additional 15 minutes until golden, cool
- Increase oven temperature to 400°F
- Combine sliced apples with lemon juice, zest, sugar, salt, flour, and spices
- Fill par-baked crust with apple mixture, dot with butter
- Add top crust (lattice or solid with vent holes)
- Brush with egg wash, sprinkle with sugar
- Bake at 400°F for 30 minutes
- Reduce to 350°F, bake 45-60 minutes until center bubbles
- Tent with foil if top browns too quickly
Smart Swaps
- Use coconut sugar instead of regular sugar (1:1 ratio)
- Replace butter with coconut oil for dairy-free version
Make It Diabetes-Friendly
- Replace sugar with Monk Fruit sweetener (use ⅓ cup instead of ½ cup)
- Use Granny Smith apples (lower sugar content)
- Add ½ teaspoon xanthan gum to filling for thickening
- Reduce serving size to 10 slices (28g carbs per slice)
- Serve with sugar-free whipped cream
Pro Tips
- Slice apples uniformly (¼ inch) for even baking
- Chill all ingredients before making crust
- Let pie cool 3-4 hours before cutting for clean slices
