Apple, apple pie

I have to say that this is one of the hardest things that I have ever made. It took me about an hour to core all of the apples. But in the end it all payed off! They are so good.

First off I doubled the recipe. So I made 12 apples. I also decided to to add more sugar. So I used 1 cup of white sugar, and 2 heaping tablespoons brown sugar. I put in 2 teaspoons of cinnamon. I wouldn't use that much again. 

Step 1: Cut off the top of 4 apples off and discard. Remove the inside of each apple with a spoon or melon baller very carefully, as to not puncture the peel.

After I cored the apples, I put them into a mixture of lemon juice and water to keep them from browning.

This is what the apples look like without the 'apple' part in it. 

 This is the tool that I used to cut the pie crust. It is a fondant cutter. 

And this is the melon baller.

Step 2: Remove skin from remaining apple(s) and slice very thinly. These apple pieces will give you the additional filling needed to fill the four apples you are baking. I didn't need to use any extra apples, I just used the stuff that I scooped out. 

The apples with the cinnamon and the sugars

Step 3: Mix sliced apples with sugars and cinnamon in a bowl. If you prefer more or less cinnamon make adjustments as desired. Same goes for the sugar.

Scoop sliced apples into hollow apples.

What the mixture looks like after the sugars and the cinnamon have been mixed in. 

Step 4: Roll out pie crust and slice into 1/4 inch strips.  You can also add a strip of pastry inside the top of the apple almost like a liner to add a little more texture/sweetness to the pie.

Cover the top of the apple in a lattice pattern with pie crust strips.

The cut pie dough

Start with 3 strips of pie dough

Fold back the 1st and 3rd strips and lay a strip of pie dough horizontally. You want to do this every other time.
(There is a link at the bottom of the post showing you how to do a lattice pie dough top)  

This is what the apples will look like when the lattice is finished.  

Step 5: Place apples in an 8×8 pan.  Add just enough water to the cover the bottom of the pan. Cover the pan with foil and bake for 20-25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 20 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. 

Close to the end of the second time (about 10 minutes left) I put an egg wash on top of the pie dough and sprinkled it with some sugar. This just makes the crust golden brown and sweet!

Don't they look so good! Well they were delicious!! 

How to make a lattice pie crust. Click me!