Ignore the measurements... pick the biggest apples!

If there's one pie Nicholas will devour - it's Apple Pie. He also loves to make it. All my life I've made the apple pie from the Betty Crocker Orange cookbook from the 1970's. Every time I make it - it's wet on the bottom. Time for something different. This pie recipe is a tad different, you cook the filling for a little bit - before it goes into the crust, get a jump start on things. Since Bronwyn has been our social butterfly lately - weekend nights out at parties and friends, we needed a Nicholas night in. He went and picked a big bowl of apples in prep for our pie. We picked the biggest - completely ignoring the weight and cups in the recipe - we did 8-9 of the biggest apples we had - which were really big. He peeled, I cut and cored. Teamwork! He latticed his first pie and egg washed it too. I even let him stay up late to see it come out of the oven. It was a giant masterpiece. A very tall pie. As it cooled it sank a bit - but the lattice stayed high and proud. We waited until the next day to cut into it - it's delicious, not wet at all, just all around great pie. I may have a new standard apple pie recipe and for sure an apple pie baker!

Apple Pie 
Store bought Pie Crust
8–9 large apples, cored, peeled, and sliced into 1/4-inch slices (11–12 cups, or 1375–1500g total)*
1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar (or packed brown sugar)
1/4 cup (31g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
1 Tablespoon (15ml) lemon juice
1 and 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon each: ground allspice & ground nutmeg
egg wash: 1 large egg beaten with 1 Tablespoon (15ml) milk
optional: coarse sugar for sprinkling on crust

Make the filling: In a large bowl, stir the apple slices, sugar, flour, lemon juice, cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg together until thoroughly combined.
Optional pre-cook: Pour the apple filling into a very large skillet, or dutch oven, and place over medium heat. Stir and cook for 5 minutes until the apples begin to soften. Remove from heat and set aside. This step is optional, but I’ve found it makes for a juicier, more flavorful filling because it helps begin to soften the apples. If you can, take the few extra minutes to do this, because the flavor is worth it!
Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C).
Roll out the chilled pie dough: On a floured work surface, roll out one of the discs of chilled dough (keep the other one in the refrigerator). Turn the dough about a quarter turn after every few rolls until you have a circle 12 inches in diameter. Carefully place the dough into a 9-inch pie dish that’s 1.5 to 2 inches deep. Tuck the dough in with your fingers, making sure it is smooth. Spoon the filling into the crust. It’s ok if it is still warm from the precooking step.
Finish assembling: Remove the other disc of chilled pie dough from the refrigerator. Roll the dough into a circle that is 12 inches diameter. Using a pastry wheel, sharp knife, or pizza cutter, cut strips of dough; in the pictured pie, I cut 12 1-inch-wide strips. Carefully thread the strips over and under one another, pulling back strips as necessary to weave. (Here’s a lattice pie crust tutorial if you need visuals.) Use a small paring knife or kitchen shears to trim off excess dough. Fold the overhang back towards the center of the pie, and pinch the edges to adhere the top and bottom crusts together. Crimp or flute the pie crust edges to seal.
Lightly brush the top of the pie crust with the egg wash. Sprinkle the top with coarse sugar, if using.
Place the pie onto a large baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes. Then, keeping the pie in the oven, reduce the oven temperature down to 375°F (190°C). Place a pie crust shield (see Note for homemade shield) on the edges to prevent them from over-browning. Continue baking the pie until the filling is bubbling around the edges, 35–40 more minutes. This sounds like a long time, but under-baking the pie means an unfinished filling with firm apples with paste-like flour. If you want to be precise, the internal temperature of the filling taken with an instant read thermometer should be around 200°F (93°C) when done. Tip: If needed towards the end of bake time, remove the pie crust shield and tent an entire piece of foil on top of the pie if the top looks like it’s getting too brown.
Remove pie from the oven, place on a cooling rack, and cool for at least 3 hours before slicing and serving. Filling will be too juicy if the pie is warm when you slice it.
​​Cover and store leftover pie at room temperature for up to 1 day or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.