Our ultimate double-crust apple pie recipe checks every box: a shatteringly flaky pie crust, no soggy bottom, and a filling of thinly sliced apples enveloped in a glossy, spiced cider glaze, piled high in a deep dish pie plate.
Choose sweet-tart, firm baking apples, such as Pink Ladies, our favorites for this pie. Can’t find them? Honeycrisp, Braeburn, Jonagold, and Granny Smith apples are all fine alternatives—and using a mix of apple varieties will only make the flavor more dynamic. If you know you love the texture of the peel in your apple pie filling, feel free to leave the skins on.
To amp up the flavor of this homemade apple pie, you’ll reduce fresh cider with the juices released from the sugared and spiced apples. A vanilla bean brings an intoxicating aroma to the sauce, but if you prefer using vanilla extract, add 1 Tbsp. after removing the cider mixture from the heat. For a starry finish, you’ll shower the top of the pie with demerara sugar for sparkle and crunch.
As recipe developer and cookbook author Claire Saffitz notes, this pie is “something you can’t rush.” It needs time to chill, bake, and rest—so plan ahead, especially if it’s for Thanksgiving. The good news: like pumpkin or pecan pie, it can be in advance.
Craving more apple desserts? Try our apple crumb pie with a cinnamon-sugar streusel, Dutch apple pie with a nubby topping, or a cheesy apple pie with cheddar crust from ‘Gourmet.’
What you’ll need
Pyrex Deep 9.5" Glass Pie Dish, 3-pack
$55 At Amazon
India Tree Demerara Sugar, 1.75 lb.
$15 At Amazon
Organic Pink Lady Apples, 3-lb. bag
$7 At Amazon
Our Favorite Rolling Pin
Recipe information
Total Time
3 hours plus cooling
Yield
8 Servings
Ingredients
Dough
3½
2
1½
1½
2
Filling and Assembly
4
⅓
¼
2
2
½
¼
¼
1½
1
2
1
2
Special Equipment
Need to make a substitution?
Preparation
Dough
Step 1
Pulse 3½ (438 g) cups all-purpose flour, 2 Tbsp. granulated sugar, and 1½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1 tsp. Morton kosher salt in food processor to combine. Add 1½ cups (3 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces, and process until largest pieces of butter are pea-size. Transfer to a large bowl.
Step 2
Combine 2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar and ½ cup ice-cold water in a small bowl and drizzle over flour mixture, mixing with a fork to combine. Mix until shaggy pieces form, then knead in bowl a couple of times with your hands to bring together (dough will look very clumpy, dry, with loose bits). Transfer large clumps of dough to work surface, drizzle 1 Tbsp. cold water over remaining flour mixture in bowl and knead again to bring it together. Place on top of dough on work surface. Working with half of the dough, press into a single mass, incorporating dry bits, then pat down to make a ¾"-thick square. Using a bench scraper or knife, divide dough into 4 pieces. Stack pieces on top of one another, placing any unincorporated dry bits in between layers, and press down to combine. Form dough into a ¾"-thick disk and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Repeat with remaining dough. Chill at least 2 hours.
Do Ahead: Pie dough can be made 5 days ahead. Keep chilled, or freeze up to 1 month.
Filling and Assembly
Step 3
Toss 4 lb. Pink Lady or other firm, sweet-tart apples, peeled, cored, thinly sliced, ⅓ cup (packed; 68 g) dark brown sugar, ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar, 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice, 2 tsp. ground cinnamon, ½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp. + ⅛ tsp. Morton kosher salt, ¼ tsp. ground allspice, and ¼ tsp. ground cardamom in a large bowl to coat. Let apples sit until they start to release their juices, at least 1 hour and up to 3 hours.
Step 4
Let pie dough sit at room temperature 5 minutes to soften. Working one at a time, roll out disks of dough on a lightly floured surface ⅛" thick. Stack on a parchment-lined baking sheet, separating layers with a sheet of parchment, and chill while you prepare the filling.
Step 5
Place 1½ cups unfiltered apple cider in a medium saucepan and scrape in seeds from 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise; add pod. Bring to a boil and cook, whisking occasionally, until reduced by two-thirds. Pour off juices that have accumulated in bowl of apples and add to apple cider. Return to a boil and cook until reduced to about ½ cup; remove vanilla pod. Stir 2 Tbsp. cornstarch into 3 Tbsp. cold water in a small bowl to dissolve, then whisk into apple cider. Cook, whisking constantly, until cider mixture is very thick and bubbling, about 1 minute. Let cool slightly, then scrape over apples; toss to coat.
Step 6
Carefully transfer dough round to pie dish. Lift up edges and allow dough to slump down into dish (if too cold to be pliable, let it warm up slightly first). Press dough firmly against sides and bottom of plate. Trim, leaving about 1" overhang. Beat 1 large egg with 1 tsp. water in a small bowl and brush over edges of dough. Scrape apple mixture into bottom crust, creating a mound in the center; dot filling with 2 Tbsp. chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces. Place remaining dough round over filling. Trim edges of top round, leaving a ½" overhang. Fold edge of bottom round up and over; press together to seal. Crimp edge and brush top with remaining egg wash. Sprinkle with demerara sugar and use a sharp knife to cut a few vents in top. Place pie pan on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet and chill in freezer 10 minutes. Plack oven rack in lower third of oven; preheat oven to 375°.
Step 7
Bake pie until top crust is deep golden brown and juices are thick and bubbling, 1½–2 hours (yes: 2 hours!). Transfer pie to a wire rack; let pie cool at least 4 hours before serving. Serve slices with a dollop of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream (if using).
Do Ahead: Pie can be made 1 day ahead. Let cool; store covered with foil at room temperature.
Editor’s note: This recipe was first printed in our October 2016 issue as “BA’s Best Apple Pie.” Head this way for more of our favorite Thanksgiving desserts →