Grandma Ople's Apple Pie

I've made this pie three times now, and it's always made a delicious pie. However, I had an epiphany before making it this last time that greatly improved the result. I've been adding a tbs of cinnamon as was recommended by other reviewers, but made the mistake of adding the cinnamon to the sauce. The pie tasted fine, but the presentation didn't seem as impressive as people raved about. It was dark brown and unappealing. This last time, it occured to me that the cinnamon was making the pie turn dark, so instead of mixing the cinnamon into the sauce, I mixed it into the apples in a bowl before pouring the apples into the crust. The sauce I prepared as stated in the recipe. The resulting pie was picture perfect in its presentation, and cinnamon taste was just as good. So remember, if you want to add cinnamon, add it to the apples, not the sauce.

OK, you've probably read many reviews as to how delicious this pie is (and it really is!). What you've also read is the submitter forgot to list the cinnamon in the recipe or how you should forgo the lattice crust and a few other suggestions. Let me strongly suggest that you try this recipe unaltered at least once. The point is that this is a small twist on traditional apple pie, so no cinnamon (or nutmeg or cloves or raisins etc.). The lattice crust is essential because it lets you pour the caramel mixture over the top and it drains into the fresh apples underneath while leaving a thin coat on the lattice crust. It really isn't hard to do...there's even a short video of a teenager making a lattice crust pie for a dinner in honor of his mom's visiting friend. Check it out if you need some pointers. I also saw comments suggesting to use 6 apples instead of 8. Another suggestion I saw several times said to just put the pie in at 350 degrees for 1 hour and it's fine. I would say if you are using an 8" pie dish, sure, reduce it down to 6 apples but for a 9" dish, 8 apples was just right (I could have probably squeezed in one more). I would also strongly suggest following the baking instructions because the higher temperature helps set the bottom of the crust. With fresh fruit pies, there is a chance the crust will not fully bake in the center as the fruit releases liquid. The high temperatures "temper" the crust during the first 15 minutes of baking. Finally,

There's no need to keep looking around for an apple pie recipe. This one is delicious. I modified it slightly based on other reviews. Use 6 apples (instead of 8) and you'll have plenty. Instead of pouring the sauce on top of the pie crust, I just mixed it in with the apples. Additionally, I added 1 tsp. cinnamon, 1/2 tsp. nutmeg and 1 tsp. vanilla to apples. To make my life easier, I used the Pilsbury ready-made pie crust and I didn't do the lattice top. Instead, I just made slits in the pie crust, brushed a thin coating of milk over the top and sprinkled with sugar. Don't forget to put a cookie sheet under the pie dish when baking--it will overflow! Lastly, I thought my apples turned out perfectly extending the cooking time at 350 to 50 minutes. Please enjoy this recipe!!!

Few notes to those having performance problems with this pie: Use a variety of apples, Granny Smith plus one or two sweeter types of apples (McIntosh is good)if you're finding it to be too tart or too firm. Makes it less tart if that's a problem, plus some apples break down more than G. Smiths. So end product should be not too tart, not too firm, and not too mushy. If your crust is turning out mushy on the bottom, you probably know to brush it with milk or egg first to prevent liquid from seeping into the dough, but another help is to place the pie into a (cool) cast iron skillet before putting in the oven. Putting the pie on the bottom rack (or floor of the oven itself if you have a gas oven) also helps bake the bottom crust. If it's too runny for you, use flour, potato or corn starch, ClearJel or some other thickener. No shame- it's pretty standard apple pie baking procedure! There are too many positive reviews to reject this as a "bad recipe" before doing some troubleshooting!

absolutely divine!!!! This is the recipe I will use from now on. The only mods. I made were to add a tsp of vanilla to the heated mixture, used a variety of different semi-crisp and crisp apples tossed in a tbsp. of lemon juice, and of course, cinnamon and nutmeg. I also added 1/2 tsp salt to the butter, as I think that salt does tend to bring out a little flavor in the apple and I only had unsalted butter. I am not good at lattice tops so I followed the others that just added the mixture to their apples and placed in pan followed by the top crust. Just superb!!! thanks so much for this recipe. It sure is a keeper with the addition of spices....can't have apple pie without the spice. **I am assuming this is a deep-dish pie? I purchased 7 very large apples of different varieties instead of one bag that are usually small in size, and I had to put this in my deep dish pieplate and it was mounded nicely. Keep in mind that apples do lose juice, therefore during baking there will be shrinking so always mound apples up nicely before putting on top crust.

This was my first time to make any kind of pie and it turned out great. I was so proud of it. I made it for my fiancee's family and everyone loved it...there wasn't any left! I did the lattice crust which was surprisingly really easy. I also added the cinnamon vanilla and a touch of nutmeg as recommended. I used 1 less apple than the recipe calls for..but probably could have fit it in if I really tried. I also brushed the bottom of the pie with egg whites before putting the apples in and cooked that for about 5 minutes so the bottom wouldn't get mushy. I used a "crust saver" that I got at the store to keep the pie from over flowing and the crust from burning. I also mixed the apples in the sauce and poured it all in together...then brushed the remaining 1/4th of the sauce on the top. I can't wait to make it tonight for our thanksgiving party at work.

My family hovers to see who can sit closest to this pie every Thanksgiving. To make it easier on yourself, use 1 less apple, pour most of the sauce over the apples before putting on the crust, then drizzle remaining sauce over the lattice, then cover crust edge with foil until last 20 min (trust me on this one). Cook on a cookie sheet as sauce will drip out! I don't have lots of time, so I use the refridgerator crusts & with the addition of the sauce it comes out great! For our tastes I add lots of cinnamon.

This pie was amazing. I did use the full recommended amount of apples as I was making a deep dish 9" pie. I did change some things, however. I cut the apples up into a bowl, added 2 tsp. cinnamon, about 1/4 tsp. nutmeg and a couple Tbs. flour and mixed it all together. Then I prepared the sauce as directed and poured almost all of that into the bowl of apples (reserving enough to brush onto the crust). I mixed the apples and the syrup together and then poured it into the prepared crust. (I did brush the bottom crust with egg white before filling to prevent a soggy bottom crust). I didn't do a lattice top, but a regular top, and brushed the remaining syrup over the crust. This was delicious!!!!

I've made the pie several times, and every time it's a winner. I've followed this recipe to the letter (the only exception being that 5 or 6 apples is plenty-- never been able to use 8), and it turns out great; I've also made some alterations to suit my tastes and had good results. Try adding cinnamon and a bit of ground clove to taste. Also, try using the "French Pastry Pie Crust" recipe (available on AllRecipes) rather than a standard pie crust recipe. I do think the lattice top is non-negotiable! When you pour the glaze over the pie, have a pastry brush ready to spread the thick syrup evenly over the top of the crust to make sure the top has a uniform look after baking. The final prodcut is a very good tasting and incredibly attractive pie.