My Mom's Apple Pie Recipe

My Mom's Apple Pie Recipe is one of my childhood favorites! Tart and sweet apple, flaky pie crust, buttery, and all the fall pie flavors!

There is nothing more comforting than family recipes over the holidays. The predictability of knowing what dishes will be served year after year is full of comfort and love.

What recipes do you have that you look forward to every Thanksgiving? Is it your grandmother's green beans? Your aunt's broccoli casserole? Your mom's tender homemade rolls?

We all have that 1 dish (oh ok, several dishes ? ) that we all look forward to, and my mom's apple pie recipe is one of mine.

Actually, I think my husband is a bigger fan of this than I am now. He can't get enough of that flaky homemade pie crust and tart apples baked with all the fall spices.

Ingredients Needed for My Mom's Apple Pie Recipe

• Granny Smith Apples
• Sugar
• Brown Sugar
• Corn Starch
• Cinnamon
• Nutmeg
• Cloves
• Lots of butter!

Check out the full Web Story on how to make homemade apple pie!

How to You Make Apple Pie from Scratch?

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Peel and thinly slice all of the apples. A mandolin or food processor is the easiest and fastest way to do this. (affiliate links)
3. Add the peeled and sliced apples into a large bowl. Add in the rest of the filling ingredients and stir to coat the apples completely.
4. Carefully layer the apples into the pie shell. Tuck them tightly against the edges and on top of each other. 
5. Take a couple of tablespoons of butter and cut into dots. Dot the top of the apples with this butter (about 4-5 tablespoons cubed). This is very important! Do not skip this step.
6. Lay the second rolled out pie crust on top of the apples. Crimp the edges together and decorate the top as you wish. If leaving undecorated, cut a couple of slits at the top of the crust. 
7. Brush the top with milk and sprinkle with sugar (coarse or white sugar can be used).
8. Bake for 1 hour and until bubbly. If it is getting too brown on top before finished, lay a piece of foil loosely on top.
9. Let cool for about 30 minutes before serving.

PRO TIP - dotting the top of the apple pie with lots of butter before putting the top crust on is the SECRET to the best homemade apple pie recipe! It's my mom's tried and true tip and secret. Don't skip it. If you're going to eat this make it right. ?

How to Make Homemade Pie Crust

Homemade pie crust is a must for this recipe. My mom's pie crust recipe makes enough for 2 pie crusts which are perfect since we need a top and bottom crust for apple pie!

Homemade Pie Crust Ingredients

• 2 Cups Flour
• 6 Tablespoons Butter
• 6 Tablespoons Lard or Shortening
• 1 Teaspoon Salt
• 5 Tablespoons Ice Water  + more if needed

1. In a large bowl, add in flour, salt, cold butter, and lard.
2. Using a pastry cutter (*affiliate link), cut butter and lard into the flour until the mixture resembles small pea size shapes. If the butter and lard and gotten too warm in the process, pop into the freezer for 5 minutes to chill before continuing.
3. Fill a large glass with water and ice. Using a tablespoon measure, spoon in 5 tablespoons of the ice water into the flour and butter mixture. Using a fork or spatula, mix well. You may need to add in more water if still floury and not coming together. You want the dough to just begin to come together. It will still be a little crumbly but if you pick some up in your hands and squeeze, it should stick together. Do not add too much water.
4. Sprinkle flour out onto the counter and spoon out dough on top. Roll around flour so that all sides are covered and bring together into a ball shape. Cut the dough into 2 equal-sized balls.
5. Roll out each dough ball with a rolling pin until about a ¼  inch thick, or until it is slightly larger than your deep pie plate. NOTE – you want to have an excess dough that hangs over the sides of the pie plate so you can crimp the edges together, so make sure you roll out big enough for that.
6. Lay the bottom pie crust in the bottom of the pie plate. Make sure you tuck into the edges. Be gentle with the dough.
7. Roll out the second crust just as large as the first and reserve it until the filling is finished and inside.

What are the Best Apples for Apple Pie?

My mom always used Granny Smith apples for her apple pie. They are the best apples to use because they are tart and not too sweet and are firm enough to hold up when baking (no thank you mushy apples!).

Should I Cook Apples Before Making Pie?

Nope! Not for this recipe.

All you have to do it peel and thinly slice (I find using a mandolin or food processor the best way to do this) the granny smith apples.

Add them to a bowl and toss with the spices and sugars. Toss to evenly coat and then lay in a thin layer in the pie plate.

You want to make sure you hand-place every slice so that you can tightly tuck and pack all the apples down evenly in the pie crust. There are A LOT of apples in this recipe, and layering this way will help ensure that the apples bake evenly and are pretty.

How Long Can I Keep Leftover Homemade Apple Pie?

3-4 days in the fridge.

Just wrap any leftover tightly in plastic wrap and store in the fridge.

Honestly, cold apple pie is so good! Serve with homemade whipped cream or pop it in the microwave for a couple of seconds if you prefer it hot again. Leftovers are so good!

And just go ahead, eat it for breakfast. It's the holidays and no one cares! ?

More Pie, Apple, and Fall Desserts!

• Apple Hand Pies
• Pumpkin Pie
• Pecan Pie
• Carrot Cake Loaf with Maple Glaze
• Bourbon Pecan and Chocolate Slab Bars
• Super Soft Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting
• Pumpkin Cookies with Brown Butter Glaze

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Disclosure. Some of the links below are affiliate links, which means that if you click on a product link, I may receive compensation. This compensation comes at no additional cost to you, and as always I only recommend products I trust!  Heather Bilyeu is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.