The Sweetest Apple Pie

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Fair warning - there is just about nothing healthy when it comes to this recipe. But, honestly, this was too good not to share. I actually made this last fall, so while it may seem a bit premature to be planning for apple season, keep this one in your back pocket for when the cooler weather descends upon us. Here in Upstate New York, I’ve already noticed just the slightest hint of orange kissing the edges of leaves on a few trees so fall will likely be here before we know it…

At any rate, last fall M and I were excited to host our first set of out of town visitors, having just recently moved in together after battling the woes of a long distance relationship for more than a year. His brother and sister in-law (AKA our Best Man and Matron of Honor at our recent wedding) and two of our groomsmen came to visit us and check out our new abode for a little Halloween gathering, minus the costumes and candy, but with the addition of great fall foods and timeless Halloween flicks. I mean, The Simpsons are totally timeless, are they not? So I had a whole bunch of apples still lying around from our fun apple-picking adventure a couple of weeks prior, which I had picked with the sole purpose of baking a pie. With visitors on the way I went on a hunt through my recipe box for my tried and true recipe…..only then to discover it was MIA.

So what’s a girl to do when her favorite recipe has somehow stolen out of the recipe box in the middle of the night and lost itself never to be found again? Especially when this girl is very picky about recipes and can spend literally hours reading reviews of recipes online before committing once her mind is set on a specific dish she’d like to prepare? Why I did what any self-respecting girl would do and I cut the crap and called up my girl Martha. Unfortunately, Martha had a prior dinner engagement and couldn’t take my call so I did the next best thing and headed to her website, found what I quickly deemed to be the best classic apple pie recipe and, in the words of Tim Gunn, I made it work. Oh boy, and work it did. Even my mother, who also joined us for the shindig, was raving and my mother is more than a little bit confident about her own pies…and, frankly, she’s not lying. The woman can bake up one hell of a pie.

Yes. Martha calls for tiny pads of butter atop the filling before closing the pie. I told you. No good will come from this recipe aside from your taste buds crying with happiness and gratitude.

All closed up, brushed with egg and ready for baking. You can see I waste about zero time on the pretty factor when I know the pie will be devoured in seconds.

Sadly, I never even got a picture of the pie baked and still intact.

Ooo, yum! A great shot of the apples and the flaky crust. Now that is heaven in a pie plate if I’ve ever seen it!

A few pointers if you want to try this recipe out for yourself…

I like to cut my apple slices to just about a 1/4″ thick. Too thin and the apples will be completely mushy and the pie too runny, too thick and you’ll end up with some apples that are cooked through and others that are still partially raw. Not fun. For all of the spice measurements I like to measure them heaping as opposed to level. This resulted in an incredibly flavorful pie rich in cinnamon, which I personally adore. If you prefer less cinnamon, you’ll just end up with a pie filling that’s not as dark in color from the spices. I also like to use two varieties of apples whenever possible, typically opting for one that is sweeter and one that is a bit more tart. It really enhances the flavor of the pie.

The best part about this pie? It was so good we were all arm wrestling each other to get at it and when I woke up the next morning the pie was nothing but a sweet memory. I don’t know about you, but the best dessert is one that is one that is not around taunting me for days. I assure you, this one will be gobbled up in an instant!