This Apple Pie recipe is sweet, tangy, cinnamony, and loaded with Honeycrisp apples. It's wrapped in a delicious flaky crust made with soured milk and shortening.
Place the first crust on a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough out into a 12 inch circle.
Once your circle is rolled out, fold the dough in half and pick it up and place into a 9 inch pie plate. Unfold the dough and gently push the dough into the bottom and sides, working out all of the folds.
In a large saucepan, add in the butter. Place over medium heat until the butter is completely melted.
Add in the water, flour, and then the cornstarch on top of the flour. Adding the cornstarch on top of the flour prevents it from clumping so much. Whisk and let cook for 1 to 2 minutes while stirring constantly.
Add in the vanilla extract, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Whisk until combined. Reduce heat to low and whisk until combined.
Add in the sliced apples and stir until the slices are coated with the mixture. Let the apples cook for 15 to 20 minutes until fork tender if you like your apples softer in your pie. (I do this) Be sure to stir often.
While your apples are cooking, make the egg wash.
Egg Wash
In a small bowl, add in the egg and water. Using a fork or small whisk, mix until thoroughly combined.
Using a pastry brush or silicone brush, add the egg wash to the bottom pie crust. This will help prevent the filling from sinking into the pie crust and making it soggy.
Assemble the best Apple Pie
Pour the apple mixture into the pie crust. If your apples created too much juice for the crust to hold, scoop out the apple slices and save the juice.
Roll out the top pie crust on a lightly floured surface to be about 10 to 11 inches.
Once the apple mixture is cooled, add it into your egg wash. Using a pastry brush, brush the egg wash onto the bottom edge of the pie crust.
Fold the top layer of pie crust in half and lay it on top, lining it up so the crust crease is in the center. Unfold and gently press the top and bottom dough together around the edges. Cut off the excess dough using a paring knife, leaving about ½ inch overhang.
Fold the ½ inch of overhang dough underneath the bottom crust so the edges are all round and tiny.
Cut a few slits in the top of the crust for the steam to escape.
With your forefinger and thumb, crimp the pie crust together. I form a "U" with my forefinger and thumb on the inside of the edge. With my other forefinger, I push the dough between my thumb and forefinger resting on the inside.
With the pastry brush, brush the top layer with the egg wash.
Place in the preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes at 425 degrees F and reduce heat to 350 degrees F and continue baking for 50 minutes or until the crust is golden and the filling is bubbling out of the steam holes.
Let cool and serve!
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 to 5 days.
Notes
APPLES: You can use your favorite baking apples for this recipe or a variety of different baking apples. I just really love Honeycrisp so that’s my go-to.BAKING THE PIE: Line a large baking sheet with raised sides with aluminum foil and place the pie in the center to catch any filling that bubbles out. You can also just make a tin foil catch pan to place on the shelf underneath the pie to catch the filling.STORAGE: You can keep the apple pie covered with plastic wrap or aluminum foil out at room temperature for up to 2 days, but I would recommend storing it in the refrigerator to get the 4 to 5 days of shelf life out of it.FREEZING: You can freeze the whole baked pie for a make-ahead dessert. To do this, let the pie cool completely. Wrap tightly in two layers of plastic wrap, a layer of heavy-duty aluminum foil, and then in a freezer container. It will last up to 3 months in the freezer when wrapped correctly. Defrost the pie by unwrapping it, reuse either the foil or plastic wrap to cover the frozen pie, and let thaw overnight in the fridge.