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This classic apple pie will have you thinking of nothing but fall vibes! Full of fresh sliced apples, with a creamy and juicy filling. Topped with a beautiful lattice crust and my famous flaky pie crust! You will not be able to eat just one slice.

We have been on a pie-making quest lately. I have made cherry pie, blueberry pie, and blackberry pie, a triple berry cobbler-like pie with the bottom crust in the middle, and now we have finally conquered the classic Apple pie.

The apple pie filling in this pie features brown sugar which gives it that delicious warm flavor with each bite.

The Best Apples for a Classic Apple Pie Recipe:

This recipe for the apple pie filling features several apple varieties. You can use just straight Granny Smith which is what a lot of people do. But I find I like a mixture of all kinds of apples. Here are a few of my favorites!

• Granny Smith apples – firm, tart, and what most people use for baking
• Golden Delicious – equal sweet and tart flavor
• Jonagold – perfect sweetness for baking
• Honeycrisp apples – ultra-crisp and sweet
• Fuji– crisp and doesn’t get mushy
• Pink Lady – sweet and tart apples that hold their shape

Here is a list of simple ingredients you need to make a delicious apple pie.

For the pie filling

• 6-7 medium apples (Fuji, Honeycrisp, and Granny Smith)
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 8 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 Tbsp cornstarch
• 1/4 cup water
• 3/4 cup brown sugar

For the Pie Crust!

• 2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup cold unsalted butter (cut into cubes)
• 8 tablespoons ice cold water

For the Egg Wash!

• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon milk
• sugar (for sprinkling, optional)

A little trick I do before making my pie is to toss the apple slices with some lemon juice to keep them from turning brown.

Best Tools for Making Pie

You don't need a lot of tools for making pie. However, some help brings everything together quickly and easily.

A food processor will help you get your pie dough together quickly. It keeps you from having to knead and knead and knead. The quicker the dough comes together, the less you have to mess with it. This means your butter will not melt.

For the lattice top crust, you can do a whole slab of dough or you can do a lattice as I did.

For the Pie Filling

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the cornstarch and then simmer for 1 minute, whisking constantly. 

Whisk in 1/4 cup water, and the brown sugar and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and continue simmering for 3 minutes, whisking frequently then remove from heat.

Peel, remove cores, and thinly slice 7 cups of apples and place them in a large bowl. Sprinkle the top with 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon and toss to combine. Pour the sauce over the apples and stir to coat the apple slices. Set aside while you work on the crust.

To Make the Homemade Pie Crust

Place the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Add the cold butter cubes and use a pastry cutter to mix it all until the largest butter pieces are the size of small peas.

Add the ice-cold water and mix with a wooden spoon until the dough comes together.

Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and form it into a ball. Cut the ball in half and shape each half into a round disk. Wrap one of the disks in plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator.

On a lightly floured work surface, roll the second disk of dough out into a large circle and then transfer it to a pie plate. Use a knife to cut off excess dough and use your fingers to flute the edges around the pie. Cover the pie with plastic wrap and place it in the fridge for about an hour.

Assemble the Pie

Remove the pie crust from the fridge and pour the apple mixture into the pie crust.

Take the remaining dough disk out of the refrigerator and roll it out to a 12-inch round.

To make a lattice-top pie crust: Cut the second dough round into ¾-inch strips. Place the strips going one way on the pie. Then weave in the remaining strips of dough going in the opposite direction on the pie.

Pull back every other strip to create a weave. Then, on the next row, do the opposite strips. Continue doing this until you get to the end.

Beat the egg and milk together in a small bowl. Lightly brush the top and edges of the pie crust with the egg wash. Sprinkle coarse sugar over the top of the pie.

Place the pie in the refrigerator for 20 to 30 minutes before baking.

Bake the Pie

Preheat the oven to 400° F with a rack in the lower third of the oven.
Bake the pie at 400° for 20 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350° F and continue baking the pie for an additional 40 to 50 minutes more, until the filling is bubbly and the crust is golden brown. Make sure to place the pie on a baking sheet to catch any spillover.

Check on the pie about halfway through the baking time and tent it with aluminum foil as needed to prevent the crust from over-browning. You can also use a pie shield to keep it from browning.

Let the pie cool to room temperature for at least 2 hours before slicing with a sharp knife and serving to allow the apple filling to thicken.

Here's a tip: You can turn this into a caramel apple pie by drizzling caramel sauce across the top before serving.

Here are a few other tools that come in handy when making pie.

• adjustable pie crust shield
• Pie measurement silicone mat
• Pastry wheel for cutting lattice
• 9″ Pie Pan

Check Out these Other Fall Inspired Recipes

• Pumpkin Whoopie Pies
• Pecan Cinnamon Sugar Baked Apple Donuts
• Sweet Potato Cinnamon Roll Cake
• Old Fashioned Apple Dumplings
• Easy Fried Apple Pies