Do you need an easy pie recipe that everyone will go wild over? Just look at that light, melt-in-your mouth, flaky-licious crust. And Kent will tell you, the apples in his Mom's pie are always done perfectly. There is NO ONE who makes apple pie better than my awesome mother in law, Mary Ellen, and this recipe is pretty simple and straightforward, too! (Click here to read about why I love her so much.)
Mary Ellen's Homemade Apple Pie
Best served warm with real whipped cream (never use the gross tubs of “Cool Whip”!) or homemade vanilla ice cream!
Servings: 2 10" pie pans
Ingredients
Crust--Note that this makes four crusts, one for the bottom and top of each pie:
- 5 cups flour — I use organic all-purpose flour
- 2 cups shortening — I use this shortening or you could also use leaf lard.
- 1 teaspoon vinegar
- 1 large egg
- Dash of salt-- this sea salt is my favorite
- Water
Filling (for two pies):
- 6 pounds Macintosh or Ida Red apples-- organic apples are best since apples are highly sprayed.
- 4 Tablespoons flour
- 1 cup sugar — I use organic cane sugar or organic palm sugar
- 4 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 10 thick pats of butter-- see why I love her?!
- Little bit of milk for moistening
Instructions
- Peel and thinly slice apples, about 1/8" thick. (Set aside the peels but don't toss them, they're so good to snack on by themselves or maybe with a little cinnamon. Organic apples are too valuable to waste any part of them!) Mix flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg together, then stir in the apples and toss around well. Set aside until your bottom crust is ready.
- Make your crust... Mary Ellen starts out with her pastry blender then uses her hands to bring it together, but I use my food processor. Mix flour and shortening together. Add vinegar, egg and salt and mix well. While it's still running, add 1/2 cup water and then keep drizzling a little more water at a time until a ball forms, probably another 1/4 cup or so. (It depends on which flour you're using.)
- Separate the dough equally into 4 pieces. Cover 3 pieces of dough with sprayed plastic wrap while you work with one at a time. Using a rolling pin (and more flour as needed to keep everything from sticking), roll out one crust at a time onto a floured surface until it's s a little bigger than your pie pan. Roll the crust carefully over the rolling pin, carry to your ungreased pie pan, and then unroll, being careful not to let it rip. (If it does, just smush it back together.) Carefully press the dough into the bottom and edges of the pan.
- Pour the filling over the top and place 5 thick pats of butter around the top of the filling.
- Repeat rolling with the top crust. Moisten the edges with a little milk, so your top crust will stick to the bottom. Move your top crust onto the filling, pinch the edges together and tuck the crust under all around the edges. It doesn't have to look perfect! Don't forget to make 4 slits in the top so it doesn't explode in your oven.
- Bake at 400* until a light golden brown (or a lower temp if your oven runs hot like mine does), start checking it after 40-50 minutes or so. If the edges start to get too brown, cover them with these edge protectors as the rest of the crust gets golden too.
- Once it's out of the oven, you'll want to let it cool so the filling sets up a bit, otherwise it'll be runny. You can make this a day ahead and just cover overnight. Enjoy!
Let me know what you think, and thanks Mary Ellen!
Here's a pie Kasey made recently using Grandma's pie crust recipe…
His looks much better than mine in the 2nd picture:
More posts you may want to check out:
- Ways to make hosting Thanksgiving easier (and a fudgy pumpkin bar recipe)
- If you'll be needing some ideas for turkey leftovers, click here to try some of these poultry recipes!
- Grain-free Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bars
- More real food dessert recipes
- Cranberry orange muffins
Holly Patiño says
This looks delicious!!!
Ann says
Any reason you wouldn’t use lard or tallow? Lard makes THE BEST pastry crust EVER!
KitchenKop says
Hi Ann,
I was just writing what Mary Ellen uses, but you’re right, I will go add that as an option, thanks!
Kelly
Ruthie Oliver says
Good recipe. I use fresh churned butter that I churn that day from our grass fed cows, and I use Lard from our milk fed pasture pigs instead of shortening.
Mark Mcafee says
But now…..I love the whipped raw cream that completely buries any apple pie that comes near our kitchen
KitchenKop says
Mark,
YES, that’s how apple pie is best, thanks for reminding me to add a link to real whipped cream (or ice cream!) to this post, DUH, what was I thinking?!!! 🙂
Kel
Mark Mcafee says
Kelly,
Few people know this….but I farmed organic apples for 10 years and I loved the apple sauce, apple pies and apple juice that we made every year. Yum!!!!
Jacquelyn Lindsey Hoag says
After 1000s ofpies, i think i will try the egg vinegar solution….but i wonder why you or mary ellen are not using coconut oil as shortening….or, half coconut oil and half butter?It is my understanding there is terrific habitat destruction from harvesting palm oil.
Kelly the Kitchen Kop says
I don’t think Mary Ellen uses this kind, but it’s what I use in a recipe about once a year — for the types of things that only shortening will work.
Kelly the Kitchen Kop says
Also Jacquelyn — I checked into it more and not all palm oil is a problem. For this one it says, “Dozens of small family farmers in Colombia cultivate and press the palm oil in an environmentally sustainable manner.”
Jill-David Boman says
Yum!
Flo LaDuke Richards says
This looks like something I might have to try this week — to go along with the home-grown pumpkin pie! Thanks, Kelly!
Lori says
I make a very similar pie except I use granny Smith apples (3 lbs.), 3/4- 1 cup of brown sugar (depends on how tart apples are), 1/4 cup unbleached flour, 2 tsps. cinnamon, and pats of butter over the top. Occasionally I will add 1/4 teaspoon of cloves to the pie, if made for adults (kids don’t seem to like as well). Your MIL’s sounds very similar. YUM!