No Frills-Apple Pie

#vegetarian #family-friendly

By: Gill Renée

If you are looking for an apple pie recipe that uses advanced baking techniques or more specialized ingredients, then you won’t find that in this recipe. This No-Frills Apple-Pie recipe is the exact opposite of complicated and uses minimal ingredients to showcase the natural flavor of the apples. However, since this recipe is highly customizable, you can do whatever you like to make it your own. This recipe is extremely difficult to mess up and is essentially no-fail, so do whatever you like to it, even if that means adding some additional ingredients like walnuts or the more adventurous choice of chocolate. Give this recipe a try and let me know what you end up with! 

Prep Time: 10 mins.

Cook Time: 40-50 mins.  

Total Time: 50-60 mins.

Servings: 8

Ingredients

7 Medium apples

¼ cup brown sugar

¼ cup granulated white sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 Tbsp butter

1 pre-made pie crust

Optional: 1 Tbsp. flour

• I used Pink Lady or Cripps Pink apples for this recipe. I prefer the crisp and slightly sweet flavor they bring, but you may use whatever apples you have on hand. If you’re unsure, I would recommend using any apple that you like the taste of. I am a hater of McIntosh or Braeburn apples so I steer clear of those. Gala or Fuji apples are my next go-to’s if Pink Lady apples aren’t available.

• I use a lot less sugar in my apple pie recipe compared to other recipes to give room for the apples to bring in their natural sweetness. However, you may add more sugar if you like your pies sweeter or just aren’t interested in the reduced sugar life. Always adjust how much sugar you use to the sweetness of the apples you’re using. For instance, Granny Smith apples are notorious for being tart so if that was the apple I was using, I would add a little bit more of brown and white sugar.

• The sauce for this apple pie is quite thin, but if you want a saucier pie then you can add about 1 Tbsp of flour to the mixture. Adjust to fit your needs.

• I use a pre-made pie crust that you can find in the frozen section of any grocery store, however, you may use any pie crust that you like. It can even be homemade.

Note: This apple pie doesn’t have a top crust so only 1 pie crust will be needed.

Cooking Steps

Preheat Oven

Preheat oven to 450°F (220°C).

Slice Apples and Butter

Rinse and dry 7 medium apples. Cut apples into thin slices, about ¼ to ½ in slices. Cut 1 Tbsp butter into 1/8 in. slices. Reserve for later step.

Mix Ingredients

In a medium-sized, bowl add in sliced apples, 1 tsp cinnamon, and 1 tsp vanilla. Mix until combined. Once combined, add in ¼ cup of both brown and white sugar.

Optional: Add in 1 tbsp flour. Mix until sugar coats the sliced apples. (All of the sugar does not have to stick to the apple slices.)

Bake Apple Pie

Transfer the apple pie filling into a pre-made pie crust. Add the sliced butter on top of the apple filling. Place pie on a baking sheet to catch any possible spills. Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes.

After 10 mins, without opening the oven, reduce the temperature of the oven to 350°F (180°C) and cook for an additional 30-40 minutes.

Serve

Once finished baking and the apples are golden brown, remove from the oven and let rest for about 5 mins before serving. If you want to be fancy, add some whipped cream on top or ice-cream on the side for apple pie à la mode. Enjoy!

Searching for something sweet but for a dinner or lunch? Give my Mashed Sweet Potatoes a try. Not only is this recipe as easy as this one, but it can be used for more than just a side dish.

Nutrition Facts

(Per Serving)

Calories: 143

Fat: 3g

Net Carbs: 28g

Total Carbs: 32g

Fiber: 4g

The above nutrition facts are only estimates and may not be representative of your final product.