Walnut Apple Pie Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Should you cook apples before putting in pie? ›

Should you cook the apples before baking apple pie? You don't have to pre-cook the filling before spooning it into the pie crust, but it's a quick step I recommend. Just 5 minutes on the stove begins the softening process, and also helps the flavors start to mingle.

Crunchy and sweet-tart, Jonagolds are a cross between Jonathan and Golden Delicious apples. They're one of pastry chef Paola Velez's favorite apples to use in pie along with Granny Smith and Honeycrisp.

The Spartan is an excellent cooking and dessert apple. Its firm flesh holds its shape, and maintains its sweet flavour when baked into pies and crisps. In addition to baking, the Spartan is also a great apple for juicing and eating fresh!

Braeburn or Granny Smith apples have the most balanced flavor. Pouring hot water over the apples and letting them sit for 10 minutes ensures perfect apple pie filling texture.

Crust dust is a 1:1 mixture of flour and granulated sugar. When baking a pie, especially a fruit pie, a couple of teaspoons of crust dust sprinkled into the bottom of the crust will help prevent the crust from becoming saturated with juicy filling as it bakes.

Which kind of apples are best for baking apple pie—and why? Ree Drummond's favorite is Granny Smith for her Caramel Apple Pie. Since the caramel sauce is ultra-sweet, she likes the fact that Granny Smiths have a bit of tartness. "They're firm and hold their integrity through the baking process.

One of the chief reasons bakers end up with apple soup under the crust is failure to bake their pie long enough. There's almost no such thing as over-baking an apple pie; I've baked apple pies for 2 hours and longer, and they turn out just fine.

For the best pies, crisps, and other baked treats, apples need to be firm enough to hold their own during the cooking process. We call these apples “baking apples” and to namedrop, they include Braeburn, Cortland, Honey Gold, Jonathan, Fuji, Gala, Granny Smith, Haralson, and Newtown Pippin.

The best way to thicken runny apple pie filling before baking it is to add some cornstarch, tapioca starch, or flour to your mix. To fix a runny pie that's already been baked, simply let it cool to see if it will congeal naturally. If not, you can stick it back in the oven for a bit longer.

In pie crust, you don't want gluten to form so you don't want to mix too much and overwork the dough. For a flaky crust, cut the butter so that chunks of butter about the size of walnut halves remain. The chunks of cold butter create the layers in the dough.

Why did my apples turn to applesauce in my pie? ›

The filling of the pie turned to mush because Granny Smith apples completely collapse and do turn to mush when fully cooked. (They are great for applesauce for that reason.) Many other apples will become soft but hold their apple shape - not Granny Smith.

In the late 20th century, Winesap apples faded from commercial production due to advancements in refrigeration, allowing an influx of other apple varieties to permeate the market.

Its firm flesh makes Paula Red a good fresh eating and cooking apple, especially good for a delicious, naturally pink applesauce and for pie making. It is an early season apple ripening in late August, and like most early apples, Paula Red does not keep for too long.

The original Spartan tree is no longer in existence, but Spartan apples have become an international symbol of the success of the breeding programs in Canada. Today Spartan apples have faded from commercial production due to the influx of improved modern varieties and have become specialty apples grown in home gardens.

Flour or cornstarch might seem like an odd addition to your pie filling, but it's there for a reason, people! These ingredients work to thicken the juices from the fruit, helping them gel together instead of staying thin and runny. For the love of all things delicious, do not forget them.

Any type of citrus juice—lemon, lime, or orange juice—will work here; pineapple juice will do the trick too. These fruit juices contain citric acid, which slows the chemical reaction and prevents browning. (You can also sprinkle the fruit with powdered citric acid, but it may leave a strong sour flavor.)

The brown apples and the fresh apples baked up equally tender and juicy and were similar in flavor, and—surprisingly—all had pretty much the same light golden color.

peel your apples. While the debate on whether or not to peel your apples seems never-ending, it really comes down to a matter of personal choice. Unpeeled apples will add a bit of color and texture to your pie, but they may prevent the apples from melding together when baked.