Master Apple Pie Thread

[Tempest_too]

What's your favorite apple to bake a pie with? I used to have an apple tree in my back yard that was too tart to eat on it's own, but made the best pies. It spoiled me and since I've been buying pie-making apples in the store, they never seem as good.

FWIW, Braeburns and Fuji are my favorite snaking apples, but they're not as good in a pie. Anyone try the pink lady?

[emc05]

granny smith...they hold up well, and are not too sweet, in fact a little sour...so it balances all the sugar in the filling.

[EmilyZA]

Personally, I don't eat apple pies, and I don't make apple pies. But everyone LOVES my mom's apple pies. She uses MacIntosh apples, which most people don't use because they're very soft, but her pies are always a huge hit. Her mother grew up on a farm that grew Macs, so she always used Macs for her pies, and therefore my mom did too.

[thedoorchick]

My vote is for a combination of half Granny Smith and half Macintosh.

[dlj78]

Another vote for Granny Smith

[JennH]

I use MacIntosh or Cortland. FWIW: these are the apples the apple picking places suggest for pies.

[Reenie]

Granny Smith and one Royal Gala

[tlew12778]

I now use Granny SMith but I actually used to use a mix od GS and red delicious and ppl used to love that pie. I changed only bc I like this new recipe better.

[skyblu]

My son and I went apple picking and went a wee bit overboard, ending up with 2 large brown paper bags full of fruit!

So yesterday I made 2 caramel apple pies and 2 apple crumbles.

Here are a couple of questions/issues, since I am a fairly good cook but not a baker at all!


The apple pies came out soggy. I made them one-crusted, and the pie was literally full of juice, which made the bottoms soggy and not too appetizing. Why did that happen? (I did use cornstarch) Can I salvage the pies somehow?

The pies are a bit tart. I probably should add more sugar. Or maybe just toss them. :(

Can I freeze the already-cooked crumbles? It's basically apples and cranberries topped with a flour/brown sugar/butter topping and baked. How would I freeze/thaw them? (we can't eat 4 desserts at a time!)

Next time, maybe I should try those things called recipes, eh? I never use recipes for cooking, but I should know better when it comes to baking!

Thanks so much in advance for any tips!

[chefker]

Did you cook the apple filling first, or put them in raw? I have found that if you don't cook the filling first (unless you're able to slice your apples razor thin--which I do using one of those handy corer/slicer devices), it may sog up the pie crust. Unfortunately, after it's baked, I don't think there's anything you can do to salvage the pies. :(

Also, certain types of apples have a higher water content than others, and do not hold up well in a filling. Generally I use (for an uncooked filling), a combination of half Granny smith, and half golden delicious apples. For a cooked filling, I use wine sap or Rome apples along with the Granny Smith. Macintosh apples, though delicious, tend to fall apart in a pie filling, IMO.
What type of apples did you use?

[LittleFredPunkinHead]

I have a suggestion for salvaging the pies... Vanilla ice cream. ;) Put a piece in a bowl, warm it up for 30-45 seconds in the microwave, top it with a scoop or two of ice cream and nobody will notice or care if it's too soggy or tart.

[tlew12778]

What kind of apples were they? The apples could be soggy bc they were not baking apples.

[PG-rated]

I've never pre-cooked apples for a pie. I suspect you just used apples that weren't good for baking.

And I agree that serving it with vanilla ice cream will mask almost all shortcomings. :)

[eponymous]

I toss my (uncooked) apples with white and brown sugar and let them sit for a few minutes before putting them in the pan, and I find that a significant amount of water leechs out of them in that time (which is good!). Also, make sure that the pie is cool before cutting into it; that will allow the sauce to thicken. I don't use cornstarch and I haven't had a problem with soggy crusts. Was it baked at a high enough temperature? I've read several recommendations to put a pie in at a high temp, then turn it down, to cook the crust quickly to avoid sogginess.

[singerwife]

It might have been the caramel. I had this happen to a carmel-pear bread pudding I made this weekend. The pears juiced up and made soup at the bottom of the pudding.

I think you can freeze the crumbles.

Salvage the pie by spooning it over ice cream.

And I think it might have been the apples. Some have a higher water content than others. If its a squishier apple, maybe pre-cooking the filling is a good way to go. I usually use granny smiths...I like a tart apple pie.

The other suggestion might be to pre-bake the crust.

[skyblu]

Okay, I did several things wrong, I think:

1) We picked random apples, not reading the descriptions as to whether they were pie-able. Probably got some that were high in water, explaining the apple soup that resulted.

2) I didn't pre-bake the single shell

3) I didn't use a recipe, and just poured the caramel over the top, which may have made it hard for the moisture to evaporate in the oven

4) Fatal error: forgot that dogs do not care whether pies are soggy, and left both pies on the stove. Needless to say, the half-eaten, half-licked pies are now beyond salvaging. Not even ice cream could hide doggie drool! ;) (the dog's okay, he has an iron gut)

Thank you all for your replies! The crumbles turned out delicious and I did wrap one up tightly and froze it, so the apples were not a complete waste!

[tlew12778]

The Grandma Ople recipe calls for pouring the caramel over the top so I don't think that was it.

That's a hoot about your dogs!

[lady1297]

Oh no! Silly doggie! At least someone enjoyed it! I use Wealthy apples or Granny Smiths for pies and they taste wonderful. Single crusts need baked first too. And I turn my oven to 400 for 10 minutes then to 350 for 40 minutes on a double crust pie. Hope that helps!

[katmg]

4) Fatal error: forgot that dogs do not care whether pies are soggy, and left both pies on the stove. Needless to say, the half-eaten, half-licked pies are now beyond salvaging. Not even ice cream could hide doggie drool! ;) (the dog's okay, he has an iron gut)

We've had that problem in the past with our dog too - what is about Weims and counter-surfing?? Glad someone enjoyed the pies though! ;)

[lady1297]

We've had that problem in the past with our dog too - what is about Weims and counter-surfing?? Glad someone enjoyed the pies though!

Mine is a lab and does it constantly....very frustrating.

[skyblu]

Our Weim is really not bad, he doesn't usually counter-surf. But a long day alone (he's home alone for 12 hours one day a week, poor pup) means boredom and some passive--aggressive impulse to punish us for "abandoning" him, so buh-bye pies.

Mostly, he licked the caramel off. How bad is it when even your dog doesn't eat your baking? ;)

[lauren f s]

I'm trying to make the perfect apple pie this fall and my first attempt was really good. However, the recipe called for 6 Granny Smith apples, which I hate because they are so tart. I used 3 GS and 3 Macintosh and the pie turned out really well, but still more tart than I'd have liked.

What are some good, sweet apples for pies?

[KK812]

Here's a list of apples and whether they are better for snacking or for baking. Apples: For Snacking or Baking? (http://www.heb.com/mealtime/CT-apples.jsp)

[tlew12778]

What's your pie recipe? BC I hate GS as well but they are awesome in the Grandma Ople recipe. Not tart at all.

[kedzieb]

I find that if I have a good mix of apples the pie/crisp/cobbler turns out tastiest. I like empire, cortland, gala, ginger crisp, macs (although they get a bit too soft for me), golden delicious.

[lady1297]

You can add a bit more sugar to the recipe to cut the tartness. MIL and I make pies using Wealthy apples. Mine are sweet, her's tart all because of the amount of sugar added.

[lauren f s]

Thank you for all the suggestions! I especially love the website you shared KK812. I'd prefer to have the apples be sweet, and not have to add more sugar, and these suggestions really help :).

[Littlelamb11]

i love honey crisp apples. They're awesome for baking and snacking. good crisp apples with the perfect balance of sweet and tart.