Last weekend the gang and I headed to Kuipers Family Farm for apple picking! It’s a great way to get the little ones outside, and *bonus* you don’t even have to bring snacks.

We helped ourselves to the variety of apples that weren’t roped off (and thought about sneaking over to get some Honeycrisp that were…) But we were on a mission specifically for the Empire, Ida Red, and Braeburn which are some of the best varieties for making pies. Let’s be honest, apples are really just vehicles for brown sugar, cinnamon, and butter. The fruit exterior is a clever disguise.

Below I have an Old-Fashioned Apple Pie recipe, courtesy of Martha Stewart herself. The recipe calls for Granny Smith, but we mixed it up with our freshly-picked Empire, Ida Red, and Braeburn which made for a slightly sweeter and more mildly tart taste. Keep in mind the lemon zest will still give it some extra tanginess, no matter the apples you use.

We also used the Trader Joes roll-out dough, which comes pre-packaged and is easy to just drape over the pie or cut into fall shapes and patterns (see below). I’ll definitely be keeping this recipe bookmarked as we head into the Thanksgiving season!

Ingredients:

• 1 Box Trader Joe Pie Crusts
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 12 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
• 3/4 cup sugar, plus additional for pie top
• Zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• Pinch ground cloves
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 large egg, beaten

Instructions:

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll out pie crust into two 1/8-inch-thick circles to a diameter slightly larger than that of an 11-inch plate. Press one pastry circle into the pie plate. Sprinkle flour on your countertop. Roll out second pie crust. Cut into varying sizes of stripes.
2. In a large bowl, combine apples, sugar, lemon zest and juice, spices, and flour. Toss well. Spoon apples into pie pan. Dot with butter, and cover with remaining pastry stripes weaving in and out of each other. Seal by crimping edges as desired. For extra detail use a small cookie cutter to create a leaft edge. Brush with beaten egg, and sprinkle with additional sugar.
3. Bake until crust is brown and juices are bubbling, about 1 hour. Let cool on wire rack before serving.

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