I love apple pies but find conventional recipes too sweet for me, so I adapted my favorite parts for something a little more to my taste. Thus far, it's met with the approval of all friends and family, even with the lower sugar content - it's now become something of a staple baked good for me now, particularly as the Fall season rolls around and my parents' little sour apple tree starts bearing fruit!
- 1 or 2 pastries for 9" double crust pie
- 1 deep-dish pie pan or 2 shallow pie pans
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp corn starch
- 1/4 cup water
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- dash of cinnamon
- dash of nutmeg
- 8 Granny Smith apples peeled, cored, sliced
- 1 egg (optional)
- This can make either 2 shallow pies or 1 deep dish pie. Adjust crust and apple preparations according to which number you are making.
- Place the bottom crust in your pan. Fill with apples, mounded slightly; they will soften and fall during baking. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
- Melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir the corn starch in the water. Stir the corn starch-water mixture and flour into the saucepan to form a paste (it may seem clumpy at first but don't worry, after everything is mixed together it will even out). Add the vanilla, white sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Bring to a boil, reduce temperature and stir while simmering, making sure everything has become uniform.
- Pour over the apples in the pie(s) - if you have two shallow pies, split the sauce evenly between them, if you have one deep-dish, use only about 2/3 of the sauce.
- Cover the pies with the top pastry crust. Make sure there is adequate ventilation by either making slits or using a lattice pattern. Make an egg wash by mixing one egg with a little water and brushing over the crust.
- Bake for 15 minutes in the preheated oven, then cover with foil to prevent the crust burning. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees F, and continue baking for 30-40 minutes, until apples are soft.
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