Mom’s Gluten Free Apple Pie

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The making of an apple pie, or any pie for that matter begins with a solid recipe for the crust. Oh sure, you could purchase a crust…..but don’t do it!! Homemade crust is soooooo much better and I’ve created a gluten free version that truly is easy as pie! Find it here.

The filling of an apple pie is simple; apples, sugar, cinnamon, cornstarch and a few pats of butter. My go-to apples for pie are Granny Smith since they bake up well (meaning they keep their shape and don’t go to mush), they’re tart, which I think makes a great pie and they’re pretty ubiquitous. But my favorite apple pies are usually made with a mixture of apple varieties. If you live in the Pacific Northwest, Upper Midwest the Northeast or perhaps other regions of the country, you may have access to lots of great pie making apples that are specific to your geographic area. My suggestion? Have fun experimenting! I mean, it’s apple pie….how bad could that experimenting go??

After you peel and core your apples of choice, slice them into thin slices, working to cut the slices as evenly as possible as this will aid in even cooking of the fruit. Toss the apples with sugar, cinnamon and cornstarch which will help thicken any of the oozing yummy apple juices.

Carefully turn the sugared apple slices into a pie plate lined with the bottom crust. You don’t need to do this, and I really can’t imagine my 30 something self having the patience for this….but these days I like to work in batches as I’m transferring the apple slices into the pie crust, arranging them in concentric circles around the base and then building up, continuing to arrange the apple slices, not always perfectly, but with more intentionality than simply dumping the apples into the crust. Dot apples with a couple tablespoons of butter cut into small pieces and you are ready to put the lid on the pie!

Carefully place the upper crust onto your pie. Trim the crust so that there is about 1-1 1/4 inches of overhang all the way around. Fold this overhang around and underneath the lower pie crust and then pinch the crust edges to create a decorative border that seals your pie. Oftentimes I find it hard to have the perfect amount of overhang all the way around the pie, so I just use the trimming scraps to piece into places where additional crust is needed. Once you fold under and pinch your crust nobody will know the difference and we can just keep this our little secret! Be sure to cut some slits or some type of design in the top of the crust to allow steam to escape. As long as I can remember I’ve cut an “A” into the top of my pie crust, and now it’s just kind of become my pie signature!

If desired, brush your crust with a lightly beaten egg white. This will create a pie with a lovely golden crust! Place your pie in the oven (either put it directly on a baking sheet or place a baking sheet on the rack beneath it to catch any of the bubbling juices) and plan on it baking at least an hour. Generally when the juices are bubbling the pie is done!

Let the pie cool at least a couple of hours and then ENJOY!!