Grandma’s No. 1 Most Delicious Butter Apple Pie
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This three-generation butter apple pie recipe was the most nostalgic recipe I could possibly think of to share with the world. I used to come home from college to Mom baking, with the incomparable smell of buttery apple wafting from the oven, and all was right with the world. When we visited Grandma, her version was giant sheet pies on a cookie sheet to feed our family of 6–how she managed to roll crusts that thin and big still baffles me! Of course, having 10 kids herself would give her a lot of practice on BIG PIES. You won’t regret a little practice that gives you such a delicious butter apple pie.
Why Make Butter Apple Pie from Scratch?
Because it’s worth it!! Premade crusts and canned filling will never ever approach the awesomeness of a fresh homemade butter crust pie. This will become family legend–it’s worth a little more work! Crisp tart apples on freshly made crust, bubbling with cinnamon, butter, and honey and topped with vanilla ice cream is a combination that will live on in your dreams for a very long time. Until you just HAVE to make another one, and then all is well with the world.
What Makes This Pie Stand Out?
Quality ingredients and a special process for making crust makes this recipe like none other I have ever tasted. Both Mom and Grandma ground their own fresh whole wheat flour for this pie, and it does make a big difference. Fresh flour, raw local honey, and a whole bunch of butter makes this pie like no other pie you have ever tasted. Mom says the magic ingredient is….BUTTER!!! Butter in the crust, butter cut onto the apples before closing the pie…the more the merrier!
Ingredient List:
- Grandma’s Butter Pie Crust (LINK)
- Apples
- Honey
- Flour
- Cinnamon
- Butter
Making the Crust:
Here are complete instructions for Grandma’s Very Best Butter Pie Crust!
It’s a bit tricky the first few times you make it, but once you practice rolling it out it will quickly become habit. Just make sure not to overhandle the dough after adding the water or it will become very tough. Rolling the crust between sheets of plastic makes it much easier to roll it out really thin. Don’t worry about this looking perfect. It’s a fragile and delicate crust that will produce a more rustic looking pie, but the taste is so much better than a shortening crust.
Mom and Grandma both substitute half cup of fresh ground whole wheat flour, but this is much fluffier and lighter than store bought whole wheat flour. If you do grind your own flour, make sure to grind it as close as possible to when you make the pie for ultimate freshness. We use golden winter wheat.
Also, we recommend you put a baking sheet on the rack below the one the pie is on, to catch any gooey apple leaks as the pie cooks. If it burns on your oven floor, the result is not pretty, and your kitchen will be very smoky.
Making the Filling:
Once you have reversed your lower crust out of the plastic and into the pie dish (see link to crust), it’s time to fill your butter apple pie!
First, mix the magic goo: in the bottom of a large mixing bowl, combine honey (sugar), flour, and cinnamon, mixing really well. Then, choose apples either tart or sweet or mix depending on preference, and peel and cut into thin slices. If you have a large mixing bowl, we fill about 3/4 full, and it’s a generous heaping above the edges of the pie plate. After it cooks down it’s usually a thick pie but in perfect proportion to crust.
Mix the apples and the cinnamon/honey/flour mixture really well, then pour the mix into your unbaked pie crust. Follow crust instructions to roll out and reverse your top crust onto the apples, then crimp the edges and cut steam vents into the top.
Place the pie on the middle rack of the oven at 350F, and put a cookie sheet on the lower rack to catch any drips as it bakes. Some people like a soft-apple pie crust, while others prefer to cook until the apples are still a bit firm. We are inclined to the soft apple version. Cook until golden brown and bubbling. It will have to cool enough to hold together when cut, about 60 min. Then serve this fantastic butter apple pie warm with vanilla ice cream! I love Breyers Natural Vanilla with its delicate vanilla flavor from real vanilla beans.
Mom’s Ultimate Butter Apple Pie
Ingredients
- 1/2 C Honey (or brown sugar)
- 1/4 C Flour
- 1 t Cinnamon
- Apples to fill pie crust to heaping (in large mixing bowl)
Instructions
- In large mixing bowl, mix cinnamon and flour very well; mix honey into dry mixture until blended
- Peel and slice apples into above large mixing bowl, filling to 3/4.
- Mix well and pour into pie crust
- Top with several TBS of butter, sliced thinly over the apples.
- Top with other half of crust and press edges into scallops.
- Cut four vent lines into the top before baking.
- Bake 350F for about 60 min.
