Lattice-Topped Honeycrisp Apple Pie

on
Monday, October 27, 2008


Lattice-Topped Honey Crisp Apple Pie

Ingredients:
Pie dough:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus additional for rolling
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup cold unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), cut into small pieces
2 tablespoons (trans-fat free) shortening
5-6 tablespoons ice water

2 1/2 lbs. Honey Crisp apples, peeled, cored, very thinly sliced
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (optional)
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon clove
2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, for dotting pie

Cream, for brushing
Turbinado sugar, for sprinkling

Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, stir together 2 1/4 cups flour, granulated sugar and salt. Work the butter and shortening in, using a pastry blender or your fingers, until pea-sized lumps form. Sprinkle in the water, 1 tbsp. at a time, stirring gently with a fork after each addition and adding only enough of the water to form a rough mass.

Using floured hands, divide the dough in half, and pat into 2 smooth, flattened disks. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together apples, lemon juice, brown sugar, 1/4 cup flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and clove until well combined.

Remove pie dough rounds from refrigerator, and allow to warm up a bit before you start rolling. Roll out one of your pie dough rounds, thinly, on a floured surface, and fit into a 9-inch pie plate; pour 1/2 of the apples into pie plate, and dot with remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Cover with remaining apples.
Roll out the second pie dough round and slice it into wide strips, using a pizza cutter. Weave strips into a lattice, covering pie. Trim away the excess dough, and make the crust look all pretty. Brush cream evenly over lattice-top, and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.

Bake pie for 1 hour and 10-20 minutes, or until crust is golden brown, and apples are bubbly. Do NOT underbake - you want the apples tender. If your crust starts to brown too quickly, cover with foil.

Cool pie on a wire rack, to room temperature (or still a little warm!), before slicing.

Yield: 8-10 slices

76 comments on "Lattice-Topped Honeycrisp Apple Pie"
  1. ooh, nice weave going on there. I keep thinking I should get round to making a lattice top but always bottle it!

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  2. To tell you the truth, I've never made an apple pie (the American style one). What about Granny Smiths? I honestly think you're being hard on yourelf..the pie looks great. I'm especially in love with your first picture!

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  3. Apple pie has always seemed like one o the most impressive desserts to me and your pretty weaved topping makes it even more so. I have no ideas on what kind of apples would work best in a pie - but I do know that Gala are my personal favs. :)

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  4. I think apple success rests in not using just one kind of apple. I used a mixture of Jonagolds and Galas last time I made pie, and it was good (although still not perfect, it was getting closer to that difficult tart/sweet/firm/saucy balance.)

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  5. OOoooohhhhhhhh.......I love apple pie. My favorite. I usually stick to crock pot apple sauce with a dash of some rum...but I may tackle pies this year.

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  6. I love Northern Spy and Pink Lady apples for pies -- but I try to use a mix of different apples, not just one kind. That way the flavor is more complex. But damn, girl! You must have rocked those art projects in elementary school because that lattice is PERFECT!

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    1. I totally agree that the best pies require more than one type of apples and I ALWAYS use Northern Spy - when I can find them.

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  7. I have never made a lattice topped pie. This is so gorgeous, Emiline!

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  8. I have a HUGE box of apples to bake with...I'm definitely going to give this recipe a go! Looks delicious!

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  9. Your apple pie looks amazing! I'm baking a cherry pie today, the weather is perfectly cool for baking.

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  10. Apple pies are the best. No matter how you feel your lattice crust looks perfect to me. I have been told to use a mixture of apples sweet and tart in my pies.McIntosh and Cortland apples turn mushy when baked...so perhaps Jongagold for texture, Granny Smith for tartness and Fuji for sweetness:D

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  11. Honeycrisps are my favorite eating apple. I wondered how they would be in a pie. My favorites for pie are gravensteins and braeburns. Add a granny smith or two if you have them. Using several varieties in a pie is the way to go.

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  12. This looks like a perfect pie. My secret is pillsbury for the crust:)
    (I stink at making them but know how to brush them with butter so it looks real:)

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  13. A beautiful apple pie!!! I have yet to try making a lattice top....I made my last pie with Fuji apples and those apples worked well.

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  14. Cortland apples!! They are just sweet enough and do not become overly mushy during the baking process.

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  15. i am definitely interested in making this! i made an apple pie last night that turned into a crusted gooey apple crisp, but it still tasted good. it was my first go around with apple pies so i'm hoping your version will be better!!

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  16. mmmm that looks good! i really like honeycrisp apples. I tried a lattice top pie once, but was not intelligent enough to perform the lattic-ing correctly. it looked more like an abstract paper maiche project ;)

    this one sounds tasty :)

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  17. my 3 favorite apples are ginger gold, cortland, and honey crisp. i think honey crisp was a great choice! i love the lattice top. your lucky you get to bake the pie for thanksgiving. my family only buys prepared desserts... and they won't budge. haha

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  18. Wow, this looks awesome! I've never been brave enough to try a lattice crust because I think I'll mess it up terribly. :)

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  19. sorry but I have no baking secrets to share with you :( I'm just new in the baking world... But your pictures are awesome!!!! I want to do this tart someday and by now you will have all the answers ;D

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  20. I've never had the patience for a weave. I can't even cut the strips evenly. I once did a little cheat though on a cherry pie and laid strips diagonally on top of each other.

    I always use granny smith apples and lots of sugar.

    My problem with apple pie is making sure that I don't have a soggy bottom crust and liquidy apples. I'm thinkig of investing in some of those gelatin strips or fruit thickeners you get from King Arthur baking company. I've also been told (and if I'm feeling to cheap to order new products I'll try it) that the apples should macerate in the sugar for a while and then the liquid should be drained off and cooked down with corn starch.

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  21. Beautiful pie, and I love that you use flour as thickening, which is my preference also. And your secrets for a great apple pie are excellent.

    I have used Braeburn apples with great success, as well as Granny Smith mixed with Pink Lady.

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  22. Your pie is gorgeous! The lattice top looks perfect. sometimes I mix my apples for fun.

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  23. Try a mixture of Granny Smiths and Pink Lady. You get that lovely crisp apple bite, but the lovely soft sweetness too. I think the key is to use two kinds of apple.

    Note: I've only done this with strudel, but I reckon the premise is the same.


    Your apple pie is the most beeeyootiful pie I've ever seen! I kind of want to make tiny ones with lattice tops now!

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  24. wow ou made a pie which usually is pretty hard to photograph look amazing. It shows you enjoyed doing it. It s perfect. Looks delicious :)

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  25. I think that pie is gorgeous!! Your weave looks so perfect - I always cheat and lay one strip one way, then one strip the other way, alternating, so it's a fake weave ;) Favorite apples for pies (I always make a mix): Granny Smith, McIntosh and either Rome Beauty, Gala or Macoun. But sometimes just the first 2.

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  26. Latticed topped pies take me back to family-run diners where Ma made the pies each day. Thanks for the memories.

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  27. You're my hero. I love that pie. I need that pie. Droool.

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  28. Oh wow, that looks awesome. I just made pie this weekend with my brother, but they didn't look anything like that. Gorgeous. I like Braeburns for cooking and eating. I often use cortlands too.

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  29. Can you send that to me so I can add it to my Thanksgiving pies? I'm sure it will stay nicely in the freezer. Thanks so much.

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  30. Your pie looks awesome!

    I know what you mean though, I'm never satisfied with the ones I make, there's always something wrong.

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  31. your pie looks beautiful!! here is a tip from Southern Living magazine- I haven't tried it out yet but I bookmarked the recipe so I'll let you know how it goes- add 2 tablespoons of apple jelly to the apple mixture to absorb the excess juices, it's supposed to work the same way 2 tablespoons of flour does but it has a nicer flavor and consistency.

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  32. Beautiful lattice skills! I hear you on the shrinkage (loved the Seinfeld reference). I would serve it saying that's a layer of apple air. For my apple pies I usually use Reineta apples. Do you know them? I think they're only from the Iberian Peninsula. They're sour cooking apples and perfect for pies. If not I'll use Granny Smiths. I like to do mine in small cubes, cooked. Ok, enough talking. Lest's eat pie!

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  33. I'm impressed. This pie really does look fabulous. I find myself sticking to apple crisps and cobblers... so I can totally appreciate the process that went into this. Looks like the perfect thing to snuggle up with on a cold autumn night.

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  34. You're probably too young to know about weaving chewing gum wrapper ropes. I could make one of those a mile long, but I can't make a decent lattice pie. Yours looks perfect. My vote is for gala apples. Honey Crisp are too expensive down here in Texas to make a pie (or I'm too cheap -- LOL).

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  35. Haha, I too loved the paper-weaving projects in art class :0)

    STOP IT!!! Honeycrisp apples are my all-time favorite apple variety - you and I totally need to meet up!! Oh, and bring that pie with you, please ;0)

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  36. oh, i'm a firm believer in mixing two firm apples - i usually do fuji and granny smith. i also always use sour cream, but that requires more corn starch (unless, of course, i forget it entirely!). i also think adding a bit of gruyere or cheddar is really tasty, too. but i agree. no pie is ever perfect... that's why you get to make another one :)

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  37. I'm the same way about apple pies. I love them but I'm convinced I just can't make a decent one. Sigh. Yours looks pretty good though. :)

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  38. I have always been very unsuccessful with apple pie for some reason. When I do make it I use a mix of Cortland and Granny Smith. Your pie looks picture perfect.

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  39. I like to use a blend of Granny Smith and Fuji- maybe 3 parts Grannys to 1 part Fuji. I like the firmness and tartness of the Granny Smiths, but the Fuji breaks down a bit and gives you some apple mush in there, too. I'm a filling cooker- I hate having an air bubble between filling and crust.

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  40. That's one sexy pie right there!

    I never made an apple pie the same way twice. I guess it takes a lifetime to master. Your pictures are always fantastic.

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  41. A few things: gala is a poor man's honeycrisp, but they really are good, and only about 1/3 of the price here.

    Also, we had to weave our own Valentine's Day card holders with pink and red construction paper in 1st grade, and I LOVED it. This pie brings back happy times.

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  42. This is really useful tips. I usually would use granny smith for apple pie but have yet to try out a lattice-top one.

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  43. Emily, it's gorgeous! I need to break down and make my own pie from scratch. It looks like a plate of total goodness!

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  44. I think granny smith works best for apple pies because they hold their shape so well in baking and don't get all mushy. I have always wanted to try the lattice top - yours looks so perfect!!

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  45. what the heck is that ice cream atop your stellar creation? it looks exceptional!
    the apples i use come from my grandpa's apple trees--they're a special hybrid and he's the only one who knows their history. i do know this--they make a darn good pie.

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  46. This looks great - although, I'm with you - I'm not sure w/the honeycrisp. I just had some recently - and although I love the taste - I'd probably not bake with them. BUT, this looks GREAT!

    -DTW
    www.everydaycookin.blogspot.com

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  47. That's just gorgeous! I love apple pie. My favorite eating apple is honeycrisp for sure. And at the risk of getting smacked, I like to use a combo of apples for baking, including golden delicious, granny smith and some pink ladies if I can get them.

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  48. There is not a single thing wrong with this pie....simply a work of art!!!!

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  49. Some of the apples you mention I've never heard them before or maybe I don't know their names in English. Your pie looks perfect. I loved paper weaving at school.

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  50. It's gorgeous! I always use Granny Smith for pies but it's probably because I love them in pie so I haven't bother tinkering too much.

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  51. Mmmmmm...pie. I love your anal retentive weaving job. Perfectly spaced!

    As far as apples, I'm not an expert, but I like using a combination of 2 different apples. I always use Granny Smith for one of them, and then something a little sweeter for the other. NEVER red delicious. That's just not done. Sometimes golden, but I like really gala or jonagold.

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  52. What a beautiful pie. The lattice looks really great. You take lovely photos.

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  53. That is some purty pie! I get fairly frustrated just rolling out a flat crust...

    I find that "baking" apples tend to stay a bit too crisp for my liking... I think a mushy pie filling is fine :)

    I just brought home a bag of honeycrisps today! Thought I would make an apple cheddar soup... but now I'm leaning toward pie (maybe I will just make it a stripey top rather than making myself cry by weaving).

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  54. I love the lattice weave, what a great pie!! Apple pie still remains one of our favourites in my household.

    Rosie x

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  55. That is a nice weave! Nothing wrong with taking basket weaving class in college, it has its purpose :)

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  56. Your weave job is fantastic! :)

    I prefer granny smith in my apple pies. I like the tartness of them to offset the sweetness of the other ingredients.

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  57. Beautiful pie! And I completely understand the paper weaving thing. It's soothing. Granny Smith or Pippin apples make the best pies, but I do also mix in some Braeburns sometimes. No need to smack me on the Golden or Red Delicious. I don't even like them uncooked. Mushy!

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  58. What a yummy, cozy dessert! The lattice turned out perfectly!

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  59. I feel like I came late to the party. Your pie looks beautiful. Very pretty. I am not a pie fan, & apples really don't turn me on, but I use granny smith for everything. Adam & I saw some hybrid apples at the farmer's market here last week. I don't remember what they were...(greeaaaat :( ) but when I go this week, I'll tell you.

    Wait, one was a Arkansas Black...

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  60. I never thought about pre cooking the apples but that's a great idea, I have given up on lattice toppings. I just can't do it right so I make a crumb topping . Your lattice looks perfect!

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  61. What a beautiful pie! Just my two cents regarding the apple question - McIntosh and Cortland are the two I avoid due to potential for mushy-ness (it's kind of hit or miss w/ Cortland but I've had them become mushy before so I just stay away). My favorite is a mix of Pink Lady and Granny Smith, as I think someone else mentioned. This mix gives apples that bake easily but retain their shape/texture and a hint of tartness. Hope this is helpful :) I'm a native New Yorker (upstate, not city) so I grew up eating and baking lots of apples!

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  62. My two favorites for baking apple pies are granny smith and roma. Roma are nice firm apples that don't get too soft and soggy when you bake them for an extended amount of time.

    Your lattice work is pretty impressive, I usually do the cop-out whole cover with decorative slits at the top. I tend to suck at lattice work.

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  63. I just put an apple pie in the oven and I used a mixture of Honey Crisp (my all-time favorite eating apple), Granny Smiths(my Mom's favorite) and tossed in two small unknown apples (probably Galas) I found in the fridge. I think mixing varieties is the way to go. I loved reading all the comments about your beautiful pie. Every pie is a new learning experience for me. Enjoy Thanksgiving! I have so much to be thankful for and all your support to Emily and helpful hints warms my heart. Best wishes, JKL

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  64. Happy Thanksgiving, JKL!
    Thanks for the nice comment.

    I'm getting ready to make another apple pie tomorrow (today). I bought fuji and granny smith, just cause they were the cheapest.

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  65. I use macantosh apples because they are great! The best recipie for apple pie is the one in the old Betty Crocker books.

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  66. Wow! What an awesome recipe! I cannot wait to make it again. I will add a few McIntosh apples along with the honey crisp next time.

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  67. Used this recipe for making my first (and second - made two) ever pie for our family Thanksgiving tomorrow. Due to the discussion in the comments on various apples, I decided on using a combination and ended up with Honeycrisp to stay true to the recipe, McIntosh for their tendency to bake down, and found an interesting apple akin to a Fuji in sweetness called an "Ambrosia" at my local supermarket. The combo was great, and your crust was wonderful - and you're right, the latticework is soothing (and fun for perfectionists like myself!) Thanks for helping me contribute to my family holiday with such a delicious and beautiful pie! Will trust and use your blog again.

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  68. Hi Drea,
    I'm so glad you liked the pie! Thanks for stopping by my blog.

    Mmm the Ambrosia apples sound delicious! I think using a combination of apples is the way to go. Good idea!

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  69. I let my 2 kids (ages almost 3 and 4.5) do the top of my pie (using your recipe). Should I send you pics? ;)

    Seriously though, love this recipe and I'm here again because I'm making your pie for dessert tonight.

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    1. I'd love to see pics! :) That's great that you're starting them out young! They're going to be great bakers. I'm glad you like the recipe! I'm going to have to make this one again. I love apple pie. I think using cameo apples in this might be good.

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  70. I've used your recipe to make two pies now, and they are some of the best pies I've made. I have to admit I cheated and used trader joe's crust (which got rave reviews), so I can't say anything about the crust recipe (I often make my own though). But the filling was perfect.

    The first time I used honeycrisp apples, and it was amazing. Today I made my own variation with Gala apples and rhubarb - sauteed the rhubarb in butter and sugar. The rhubarb must have some pectin in it because it has the perfect texture. Amazing! Thank you for posting a pie recipe specific to the apple.

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    1. I bet Trader Joe's makes a mean crust! I wish I could try it.

      Wow, that sounds good! I love rhubarb. I think it does have pectin... it always thickens up nicely when you cook it down with sugar. Thank YOU for trying the recipe, Liz!

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