Tender Spiced Apples Dessert (Printable Version)

Tender spiced apples in a flaky double crust, best served warm with vanilla ice cream.

# What You'll Need:

→ Pie Crust

01 - 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 1 teaspoon salt
03 - 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
04 - 1 cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed
05 - 6 to 8 tablespoons ice water

→ Apple Filling

06 - 6 to 7 medium apples, peeled, cored and sliced 1/4 inch thick (mix of Granny Smith and Honeycrisp recommended)
07 - 3/4 cup granulated sugar
08 - 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
09 - 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
10 - 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
11 - 1/4 teaspoon salt
12 - 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
13 - 1 tablespoon lemon juice
14 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

→ Assembly

15 - 1 egg, beaten
16 - 1 tablespoon milk
17 - 1 tablespoon coarse sugar, optional for sprinkling

# Directions:

01 - Combine flour, salt, and sugar in a large bowl. Cut in cold butter using a pastry blender or fingertips until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Gradually add ice water, stirring just until the dough holds together. Divide into two disks, wrap in plastic, and chill for at least 1 hour.
02 - In a large bowl, toss sliced apples with granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, flour, and lemon juice. Set aside.
03 - Preheat oven to 400°F. Roll out one dough disk on a lightly floured surface to fit a 9-inch pie dish. Transfer crust to dish and fill with apple mixture, mounding slightly in the center. Dot filling evenly with butter pieces. Roll out second dough disk and place over filling. Trim excess, seal and crimp edges, and cut slits in the top crust for steam to escape.
04 - Whisk together egg and milk, and brush over top crust. Sprinkle with coarse sugar if desired. Bake on lower oven rack for 45 to 55 minutes until crust is golden and filling bubbles. Cover edges with foil if browning too quickly.
05 - Cool pie on a wire rack for at least 2 hours before slicing. Serve warm or at room temperature, optionally accompanied by vanilla ice cream.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The combination of Granny Smith and Honeycrisp apples strikes that perfect balance between tart and sweet without any last-minute adjusting.
  • A properly made crust shatters under your fork in the most satisfying way, and cold butter is the honest secret.
  • It's impressive enough to feel like you did something real, but forgiving enough that small mistakes never ruin the whole thing.
02 -
  • Cold ingredients and cold hands make the crust flaky; warm hands and warm butter make it tough and dense, and no amount of technique can fix that.
  • Those two hours of cooling time aren't optional—I learned this the hard way when I sliced too early and the filling poured out onto the plate like soup.
  • If you mix the apples more than an hour before baking, they'll release too much liquid and the filling becomes soggy, so prep them right before assembly.
03 -
  • The difference between a good crust and a great one is how cold everything stays from the moment you touch the butter until it hits the oven; keep your bowl and your hands cool.
  • Don't skip the lemon juice—it's invisible in the filling but it's the ingredient that makes people ask what you did differently.
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