Is there anything better than a warm slice of apple pie on a cool winters day?  And a homemade pie at that!  Nope. I didn’t think so!

In honor of National Pie Day, I thought I would make Apple Pie – for the first time ever!  I know, how is that possible?!  With all the baking I do, I’m not sure how I’ve never made an apple pie.  Perhaps, I had a sense of the patience and time it required and just never felt confident enough to tackle it.

Despite the lack of an incredible wave of confidence, I felt inspired to whip up an apple pie this morning, so I went with it.

Because I like to go big or go home, I had originally intended to make a Salted Caramel Apple Pie, but after many attempts, I couldn’t get the caramel right, so I reluctantly gave up on that inspiration and decided traditional was the way to go.

A bit disappointed by the caramel fiasco, I thought I would challenge myself and impress my girlfriend who happened to be visiting, by creating a lattice topped pie – more work, definitely, but so pretty, no?

So if you’ve been too nervous to attempt an apple pie, I encourage you to give it a go!  It is worth it!  And really not that bad!  Would love to hear if you try this recipe and what you think!

Stay tuned for the Salted Caramel version, I haven’t given up entirely 😉

Ingredients

Pie Crust
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1/3 to 1/2 cup ice water

Pie Filling
12 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
3/4 cup sugar, plus additional for pie top
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
Pinch ground cloves
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large egg, beaten

Sugar for sprinkling

Directions

To make pie crust, pulse flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor until combined. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some pea-size pieces remaining. Drizzle with 1/3 cup ice water and pulse until mixture holds together when pinched. If dough is too crumbly, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time; do not over-process.

Divide dough in half. Transfer to 2 pieces of plastic wrap; knead once or twice. Form into disks and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate at least 1 hour and up to overnight, or freeze up to 3 months; thaw overnight in refrigerator before using.

In a large bowl, combine apples, sugar, lemon zest and juice, spices, and flour. Toss well.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees with a rack in center and a large sheet of foil on rack below. On a lightly floured surface, roll out one disk of dough to a 13-inch round, about 1/8-inch thick. Fit into a 9-inch pie dish. Pour filling into shell and dot with butter. Roll remaining disk of dough to a 1/8-inch thickness on a lightly floured surface. Cut into at least 16 1/2-inch-wide strips using a fluted pastry cutter.

Lay 8 strips across pie. Fold back every other strip, and lay a horizontal strip across the center of the pie. Unfold folded strips, then fold back remaining strips. Lay another horizontal strip across pie. Repeat folding and unfolding strips to weave a lattice pattern. Repeat on remaining side. Brush with egg and sprinkle with sugar. Freeze 20 minutes.

Bake until crust is golden on bottom and juices are bubbling in center, 1 hour, 20 minutes to 1 hour, 30 minutes. If browning too quickly, tent top or edges with foil. Let cool completely on a wire rack, about 4 hours. Serve slices with vanilla ice cream and enjoy!