Paula Deen's Apple Pie Recipe - Something Swanky Dessert Recipes (2024)

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Paula Deen’s Apple Pie

Paula Deen’s Apple Pie is a deliciously classic recipe with a buttery homemade lattice top crust and brown sugar apples.

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Paula Deen's Apple Pie Recipe - Something Swanky Dessert Recipes (1)

Who doesn’t love a juicy apple pie with that carmel-y sweet crunch of flaky crust. So perfect yet so difficult to achieve just the right balance of apples, sweetness and crunch.

Choosing your apples

Step one: select apples for apple pie. It is important to choose firm apples that are less likely to turn to mush when baked. The best apples for pies are crisp and crunchy with a low water content. These would inclue Honeycrisp, Cortland, Granny Smith and Pink Ladies.

As you’re shopping for apples, look for ones that feel firm and smell fragrant. And try to avoid apples that have ugly bruises or soft spots. Go for the freshest apples you can find. Even the highest quality apples can get mealy after being stored too long.

Ingredients for Paula Deen’s Apple Pie

  • brown sugar
  • flour
  • cinnamon
  • nutmeg
  • green apples, peeled and sliced
  • lemon juice
  • butter, cubed
  • unbaked pie crusts
  • egg wash for brushing on crust
Paula Deen's Apple Pie Recipe - Something Swanky Dessert Recipes (2)
Paula Deen's Apple Pie Recipe - Something Swanky Dessert Recipes (3)

Must-Read Tips

  1. First sweat your apple slices before using them in the pie filling. This will prevent a runny filling and a soggy crust bottom!Read this post to learn how.
  2. Using store-bought pie crust dough is fine. But if you want to make your own, here are my favorite recipes by comfort level with making pie crusts:

✓ Total Novice: No Rolling Press-in-the-Pan Pie Crust*
✓ Beginner: Easiest All-Butter Pie Crust
✓ Intermediate: Buttermilk Pastry Pie Crust
✓ Experienced: Classic 2-Pie Crust Recipe

*You’ll need to turn this recipe into a Dutch Apple Pie if you opt to use the Press-in-the-Pan pie crust, since this recipe does not make dough that rolls out easily.

Have no fear– it’s easy! Simply replace the second crust that goes on top with a yummy crumble (use the crumble from this recipe) and adjust the baking time and temperature to: 60 minutes at 350°F. Place foil over the crumble topping if it gets too brown during baking.

Paula Deen's Apple Pie Recipe - Something Swanky Dessert Recipes (4)

What does it mean to “Sweat” Apples?

The process of sweating apples simply means to reduce the amount of juice in the apple slices intended for pie. You can easily draw the juice out of the apple slices by coating them in sugar and lemon juice and allowing them to sit for at least an hour at room temperature. Then you’ll see the juice has gathered at the bottom of the bowl (you can use this juice later to make cider or syrup!) and you can proceed to use the slightly dehydrated apples for a pie filling using any recipe.

Paula Deen's Apple Pie Recipe - Something Swanky Dessert Recipes (5)
Paula Deen's Apple Pie Recipe - Something Swanky Dessert Recipes (6)

Paula Deen's Apple Pie

Paula Deen's classic Apple Pie with a buttery homemade lattice top crust and brown sugar apples.

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • pinch of nutmeg
  • 7 medium green apples, peeled and sliced
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 3 tbsp butter, cubed
  • 2 unbaked pie crusts
  • egg wash for brushing on crust

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375ºF.

Mix together the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

Place the apple slices in a large mixing bowl. Toss with the dry ingredients mixture to coat.

Press a pie crust into a 9-inch pie dish. Fill with the apple mixture.

Drizzle the lemon juice over the apples. Sprinkle the cubed butter over top as well.

Place the second pie crust over the filling (you can make a lattice top or simply cut slits to vent the steam). Press edges to seal.

Bake for 55-60 minutes. Let cool before slicing.

Helpful Related Posts

Paula Deen's Apple Pie Recipe - Something Swanky Dessert Recipes (10)

Paula Deen's Apple Pie Recipe - Something Swanky Dessert Recipes (11)

Why and How to Sweat Apples for Pie

Paula Deen's Apple Pie Recipe - Something Swanky Dessert Recipes (12)

Classic 2-Pie Crust Recipe

After years of struggle, I finally perfected the Classic 2-Pie Crust Recipe. I picked up a few tricks along the way, and I'm sharing them with you in this post!

Paula Deen's Apple Pie Recipe - Something Swanky Dessert Recipes (13)

Buttermilk Pastry Pie Crust

If you're like me, and the art of pie crust-making has eluded you... give this one a try! I like that it's a little softer to work with; I've found that it cracks less when I'm rolling it out. And I also like that I can skip the rolling part if I want and just use my hands to press it into the pie dish.

Paula Deen's Apple Pie Recipe - Something Swanky Dessert Recipes (14)

Easiest All Butter Pie Crust

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Paula Deen's Apple Pie Recipe - Something Swanky Dessert Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What apples are best for apple pie Paula Deen? ›

Of course, you're not here to get a non-answer, so we'll share Paula's favorite combination with you because Paula never steers us wrong when it comes to cooking and baking! She prefers to use crisp Granny Smith apples paired with either McIntosh apples or Jonagold apples.

Which apples make the best apple pie? ›

  • Which kind of apples are best for baking apple pie—and why? Ree Drummond's favorite is Granny Smith for her Caramel Apple Pie. ...
  • Crispin. This sweet, refreshing apple is also called Matsu. ...
  • Honey Crisp. ...
  • Granny Smith. ...
  • Envy. ...
  • Gala. ...
  • Braeburn. ...
  • Pink Lady.
Oct 30, 2023

Can you use Paula Red apples for apple pie? ›

Paula Red apples are suitable for both eating fresh and cooking, although they become extremely soft when cooked, which suits them to some dishes (applesauce) and not others (pies).

What apples not to use for apple pie? ›

There are a few apples that don't make the cut. While great for snacking, Gala, Fuji and Red Delicious are the most common apples that won't hold up in the oven and will give you a watery-mushy pie, tart or cake.

What is the sweetest apple for baking? ›

Honeycrisp. One of the sweetest apples around, this Midwestern favorite is good for anything—including baking. It boasts a distinctive juicy crispness and is firm enough that it won't cook down much. It complements just about any other apple variety to make a stellar pie.

What is the sweetest apple for apple pie? ›

The Honeycrisp apple is one of the sweeter varieties, so it definitely is not lacking in the flavor department. They stay relatively firm, although less so than the Granny Smiths, and this makes them a great combination of flavor and texture for your pies.

What are the best apples for applesauce and apple pie? ›

The following apples are great choices for your next batch of homemade applesauce.
  • Cortland.
  • Golden Delicious.
  • Gala.
  • McIntosh.
  • Granny Smith.
Nov 18, 2022

What 4 apples are best used for baking? ›

For the best pies, crisps, and other baked treats, apples need to be firm enough to hold their own during the cooking process. We call these apples “baking apples” and to namedrop, they include Braeburn, Cortland, Honey Gold, Jonathan, Fuji, Gala, Granny Smith, Haralson, and Newtown Pippin.

What is the best thickener for apple pie? ›

Cornstarch has thickening power similar to Instant ClearJel. Like flour, it lends a cloudy, semi-transparent look to filling. It can also give filling a starchy taste. For full effectiveness, make sure the pie filling is bubbling up through the crust before removing your pie from the oven.

What is one thing you should not do when making pie crust? ›

The Most Common Pie Crust Mistakes (And Ways To Avoid Them)
  1. The ingredients are too warm. ...
  2. The pie dough is overworked from excessive mixing or rolling. ...
  3. The pie dough isn't given enough time to relax and chill. ...
  4. The pie dough is shrinking down the sides of the pan.
Oct 18, 2022

What is the apple pie issue? ›

pertaining to or embodying values perceived as traditionally American, or, more broadly, as unassailable: apple-pie virtues of individualism and hard work;an apple-pie issue that no politician could vote against.

What are the three best apples for apple pie? ›

The best apples for making apple pie
  • Braeburn. This apple is a descendant of Granny Smith, but slightly sweeter. ...
  • Cortland. ...
  • Crispin (Mutsu). ...
  • Golden Delicious. ...
  • Granny Smith. ...
  • Honeycrisp. ...
  • Jonagold or Jonathan. ...
  • Northern Spy.
Oct 8, 2021

What are sunrise apples? ›

Taste: Sunrise is a yellow apple streaked with a rosy blush that almost seems to glow, like the golden sunrise of its name. It most closely resembles Gala, but the colors are brighter. The Sunrise has a pleasingly sweet crispness, floral quality and very low acid content, making it an excellent dessert apple.

Why should you use tart apples instead of sweet apples in a pie recipe? ›

They have a firm texture that softens slightly when baked, creating a deliciously tangy filling. Granny Smith: Granny Smith apples are known for their tartness and crisp texture, making them ideal for baking. They hold their shape well and provide a refreshing contrast to the sweetness of the pie crust and filling.

What are the best apples to use for apple pie or apple crisp? ›

What Makes A Good Apple For Apple Crisp? The best apples for baking keep their structure under heat, which prevents the chunks of fruit from turning into mush after baking. The firm and crisp Granny Smith and Honeycrisp varieties are popular apples to use in apple pies and apple crisps.

Are Paula apples good for baking? ›

Later in the season, Paula Red apples develop a mealy, softer consistency suitable for several cooked preparations. The apples can be incorporated into crisps, cobblers, and crumbles, baked into scones, muffins, granola bars, and pancakes, or combined with firmer apple varieties in fillings for pastries.

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