Classic Apple Pie with Buttery Crust

When Glamour reader Laura Wheeler made Engagement Chicken for her guy, she topped it off with a recipe she’d invented herself: Hook Him Apple Pie. The one-two punch worked: He proposed. We love Laura’s spicy, saucy, apple-packed filling (she prebakes it to thicken and draw out the flavors), and have added our own buttery, sugary crust. The pie’s charms work on aunts, landladies, and cubicle mates too—anyone you’re sweet on.

SERVES: 6

INGREDIENTS:

FILLING:

• 8 to 10 apples (Golden Delicious, Pink Lady, Granny Smith, and Fuji are good choices), peeled, cored, and sliced ¼-inch thick (8 cups)
• ½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon apple pie spice (or ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ⅛ teaspoon ground allspice, and ⅛ teaspoon ground cardamom)
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

PIE CRUST:

• 2½ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 sticks unsalted butter, cold
• 6 to 8 tablespoons cold water (it should be ice cold)
• 1 egg, beaten with 2 tablespoons water
• ½ teaspoon sugar, for dusting

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Make the filling: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Butter a 3-quart baking dish.
2. In a large bowl, combine the apples with the sugars, cornstarch, salt, and spices and stir to coat thoroughly. Stir in the melted butter and lemon juice.
3. Cover the baking dish with foil and cut large vents in the foil. Bake for 35 minutes. Remove the foil, stir the apples, and let cool to room temperature.
4. Make the pie crust: Combine the flour and salt in a food processor. Quickly cut the cold butter into small pieces, being careful not to warm it with your hands, and add it to the flour mixture.
5. Pulse the flour mixture in short blasts (5 seconds each) until the butter bits are about the size of peanuts or hazelnuts. Add 6 tablespoons ice water and continue to pulse in short blasts until incorporated. Check the consistency of the mixture by squeezing it in your hands. If it is floury and doesn’t hold together, drizzle in a bit more ice water and pulse again. As soon as the dough holds together, remove it from the processor and place on a lightly floured surface.
6. Divide the dough in half and roll each half into a ball, then press into a disc, cover with plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator to rest for an hour.
7. Remove the first ball of dough from the refrigerator (leave the second one in the refrigerator until you are ready for it) and roll out on a lightly floured surface until it’s 12 inches in diameter. Place the dough in a 9-inch pie pan, pressing gently along the base and sides of the pan. Add the cooled apple mixture. Then repeat the dough-rolling steps with the second ball of dough and place it over the apple filling. Trim the dough so only about ½ inch is hanging over, then turn the edges under and crimp them with your fingers.
8. Cut vents in the top crust. Brush some of the egg mixture over the center of the pie. Cover the edges with aluminum foil and dust the pie lightly with sugar.
9. Bake 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake until the crust is golden, 20 to 30 minutes more. Let cool to warm or room temperature before slicing