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Perfect Apple Pie

Secret Ingredient Apple Pie

Easy recipe for the best apple pie filling you have ever tasted bursting with appley goodness.

Course Dessert, Pies
Cuisine American
Tags Apple Cider Concentrate, Apple Pie, Apple Pie Filling, Best Apple Pie, Secret Ingredient Apple Pie
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Cool 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 20 minutes
Servings 8
Author Christoph

Ingredients

Filling

  • 8 cups apples mix of Granny Smith and Fuji, cored, peeled, and thinly sliced
  • ¼ cup dried cranberries (optional)
  • 2 tablespoons butter melted
  • ¼ cup apple cider syrup* see recipe above
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1 ¼ cup confectioners' sugar
  • ¼ cup flour
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ¼ teaspoon allspice
  • ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
  • ¼ teaspoon cardamom
  • ¼ teaspoon salt

Crust

  • Double Pie Crust made from scratch or packaged
  • Topping
  • Milk
  • Sanding sugar

Method

  1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat to 350°F.

Filling

  1. Microwave the sliced apples uncovered on a plate for 4 to 5 minutes, until they have softened a just a bit. Drain off any liquid then transfer to a large mixing bowl. Allow to cool to room temp and toss in the dried cranberries.

  2. Add melted butter, apple cider syrup, and vanilla. Toss to evenly coat.

  3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar, flour, spices, and salt. Add to apple slices and toss to combine.

Assemble

  1. Lightly grease the bottom of a 9” - 10” pie tin with shortening. (This help to brown the bottom crust)
  2. Roll out half of the dough to form the bottom crust. Spoon apple filling into the crust.
  3. Roll out the top crust and position it over the filling. Trim off any excess and seal and crimp the edges. Cut a slit in the center for steam to escape or cut the remaining crusts in strips to create a lattice.
  4. Brush the crust with milk and sprinkle with sanding white sugar.

Bake

  1. Place the pie on a parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes. Carefully lay a sheet of aluminum foil on top of the pie covering its entire surface and bake for an additional 80 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 10 minutes for a total of 2 hours or until the filling is bubbling and the crust is lightly browned.
  2. Remove the pie from the oven, and allow it to cool for several hours.
  3. You can store the pie for a day or two at room temperature or cover and refrigerate for up to 5 days.
  4. Apple pie also freezes well. Wrap chilled pie tightly with plastic wrap and foil.

Cooks Notes

Here is a Recipe for basic pie crust or use your own favorite.