When the warm summer nights turn crisp and clear, I find myself in an apple pie mood. And it can’t be just any apple pie; it has to be my favorite apple pie–a great mound of a pie crusted with cinnamon and sugar. Under that buttery crust will be sweet-tart apples infused with the richness of sour cream and quality cinnamon.

The apples have to be good apples, fresh and crisp and sweet. I like them on the tart side, maybe some pippins or jonathans. I love cranberries and so I’ll throw in a generous handful to become rubies in my sea of apples. At Thanksgiving time, I’ll use fresh cranberries. Now, dried ones will do.

I’ll serve that pie hot to family and friends and of course, save a too-large slice for myself. I’ll crown each slice with a scoop of vanilla ice cream drizzled with a little caramel. That’s the way fall is supposed to be. The autumn baking season has arrived.

Here’s the recipe for Simple Caramel Sauce.

And in case you missed it last year, here’s our Apple Chart to help you select the perfect apples for your favorite apple pie.

To make apple pies easier, check out this apple peeler, corer, and slicer.

My Favorite Apple Pie Recipe

We prefer a buttery crust for this pie but use your favorite pastry crust. If you use butter, be sure and keep the dough cold so that you have solid butter bits in the dough. If the dough gets too warm, the butter will melt and your crust will be soggy. Since you are baking a high-mounded, deep dish pie, you will need about 1 1/2 to two times a normal double crust recipe. You will also need a nine-inch, deep-dish pie pan for this recipe.

Ingredients

For the crust:

9-inch double crust

For the filling:

3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ginger
9 to 10 cups apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
1 cup dried, frozen, or fresh cranberries (optional)
4 tablespoons butter

For the topping:

1 large egg white
1 tablespoon water
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 to 3 tablespoons turbinado sugar

Use quality apples and other ingredients for this pie. You can purchase super cranberries, quality cinnamon, and turbinado sugar from The Prepared Pantry.

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

1. Prepare and press the pie crust into a deep-dish pie pan setting aside the dough for the top crust. Trim the crust. Do not bake the crust.
2. In a large bowl, mix the sugar, flour, sour cream, lemon juice, and spices together into a smooth paste. Add the apples and cranberries and mix until coated with the sour cream mixture. Scrape the apple mixture into the unbaked pie shell.
3. Roll out the top crust. Brush the top edge of the bottom crust around the rim with water to help the two crusts seal. Place the top crust over the pie. Trim the crust and seal the two crusts with the tines of a fork.
4. Mix the egg white, water and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon together. Brush the mixture over the top of the pie. Sprinkle the top with turbinado sugar.
5. Cover the edges of the pie with aluminum foil to keep it from burning. Bake for 25 minutes and then remove the foil. Bake for another 35 to 45 minutes or until the pie is bubbly and the crust is golden. Cool before serving.