The Mom’s Apple Pie to End All Mom’s Apple Pies

I’m an inveterate recipe clipper. I have folders and notebooks full of exciting new recipes I want to try. The majority of them languish in my cupboard for years, never seeing the light of day, but some become family favorites, like this recipe for apple pie.

When I made it a few weeks ago for the ladies in my November slipcover class, it was so much fun to see the blissful looks on their faces as they took that first bite. The rich homemade crust topped with cinnamon-y Granny Smith apples and a generous topping of spicy-sweet crumbs is enough to make anyone swoon. Last evening, as Fred and I were enjoying a piece of warm, fresh-from-the-oven pie, I said, “If I were stranded on a desert island, and could have only one food that I had to eat for the rest of my life, I think this quite possibly could be it!”

 The Mom’s Apple Pie to End All Mom’s Apple Pies

Filling:
1/3 c. granulated sugar
1/3 c. firmly packed light brown sugar
3 T. flour
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
6 large tart apples (Granny Smith or Rome Beauty),
     peeled & thinly sliced (about 6-7 cups)
10” unbaked pie shell (use my Perfect Pie Crust recipe)
2 T. butter

Topping:
1 c. lightly spooned flour
½ c. firmly packed light brown sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
½ c. butter or margarine

1. Filling: Combine sugar, brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl, pressing out any lumps. Add sliced apples and toss well to mix. Fill pastry shell with the mixture. Dot with the 2 T. of butter.

2. Topping: Combine flour, brown sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Scatter topping thickly over apple filling.

3. Bake in a hot oven (400 degrees) for 45-65 minutes or until the crust and topping are nicely browned and the pie is bubbly. (May cover pie with foil after the first 30 minutes to prevent over-browning.) Cool the pie on a wire rack before cutting. Dust with 10X sugar, if you wish.

4 Comments

  • Leslie,
    Thank you for taking the time to post this recipe. I actually have the little snippet of magazine article with the recipe. I wanted to add this one to my MasterCook files and decided to google it because I was too lazy today to enter it myself. I started looking for "Alice Bird" since it states it is her pie. Lo and behold it was right there for me to screen grab as The Mom's…

    I am going shopping for a hydrangea print in your shop now.

    Thanks again,
    Judy

    Reply
  • Hi Leslie,

    Thanks for preserving this recipe. I made this pie years ago, maybe in the 80’s? Everybody loved it, including me. I got it from McCall’s, Ladies Home Journal, some magazine that is probably not even published now. Even my wife said that it was better than any pie that she had ever made.

    Karl

    Reply
  • I have been baking this pie since the 1980’s when I found it in a magazine. My family wasn’t too fond of it when I used granny smith apples as they are to tart for our liking so I started using Jonathan apples. As they are a more juicy apple I add a little more flour. The ultimate is a mix of Johnathan, Winesap and McIntosh which I am able to get from a local apple farm. I have also made it with no crumbled top and a crust instead. This pie always gets rave reviews for family and friends. Your readers will not be sorry to try this recipe. So kind of you to take the time to post it.

    Reply

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I’m Leslie. A painter, teacher, and lover of all things creative. A sketchbook artist who captures everyday life on the pages of my illustrated journals. I love sharing, connecting, and encouraging people to find their creative voice through sketchbook journaling. Read more about me, my art, and my life HERE.

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