Deliciously sweet apples are mounded in a flaky crust and topped with an irresistible nutty streusel. It’s homemade goodness at its very best in Mom’s Special Apple Pie!
Celebrating Apple Season!
Apple season is apparently off to an early start and I couldn’t be more excited to crunch on into one of the tastiest times of the year! Crates of apples in bright reds and greens were calling my name from the bins at our local market this week and I couldn’t resist.
When it comes to baking with apples, my family has three go-to recipes that we love to make and are always a hit at family gatherings: my Great Aunt Ina’s Apple Dumplings, my Great Aunt Ruthie’s Fresh Apple Cake recipe (my Apple Mug Cake satisfies the craving in a pinch!). And My Mom’s Special Apple Pie. Deliciously sweet apples are mounded in a flaky crust and topped with an irresistible nutty topping. It is homemade goodness at its very best!
This pie is so easy to make. The hardest part is peeling the apples!
Ingredients and Supplies
(see recipe card at the bottom of this post for measurements and details. To learn more about specific baking ingredients and how they function in baking recipes, reference my Complete Guide to Baking Ingredients)
Ingredients:
Crust
Filling
- McIntosh apples, peeled, cored and sliced
- All-purpose flour
- Granulated sugar
- Kosher salt
- Sour cream
- Vanilla extract
- Large egg
Streusel
- Walnuts, chopped
- Granulated sugar
- Ground cinnamon
- Unsalted butter, softened
- All-purpose flour
- Brown sugar
- Kosher salt
Supplies:
- Large mixing bowls
- Medium mixing bowl
- Pastry blender
- 10-inch pie plate
How to Make Mom’s Special Apple Pie
- Crust: In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt.
- Cut in butter using a pastry blender or two forks.
- Add water and toss with fork until evenly moistened.
- Form into a ball and place on a lightly floured surface.
- Roll the dough to about a 1/4-inch thickness.
- Place in a 10-inch pie plate. Cut off any excess dough and pinch around the edges. Set aside.
- Filling: Preheat oven to 450°F. In a large bowl, combine apples, sour cream, sugar, flour, egg, vanilla, and salt. Mix well.
- Spoon into pie crust. Bake 10 minutes. Reduce oven to 350°F and continue to bake for 40 minutes or until filling is golden and slightly puffed.
- Streusel: Meanwhile, combine nuts, flour, sugars, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl.
- Mix very well. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly.
- Spoon over top of pie and bake 15 minutes longer at 350°F.
- Serve warm by itself or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Happy Apple Season!
Storage
Storage: Allow the pie to cool completely, then cover tightly with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. This pie is delicious enjoyed chilled or warmed!
Freezing: For longer storage, wrap the cooled pie tightly in plastic wrap and aluminum foil, or place individual slices in freezer-safe containers. Freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
Reheating: To reheat, place the pie in a 325°F oven, loosely covered with foil, for 15–20 minutes for individual slices or 25–30 minutes for a whole pie, until warmed through. You can also microwave individual slices in 20-30 second intervals until warm.
More Picture Perfect Pies
As beautiful as they are delicious, these Picture Perfect Pie Recipes will make an impression at any dessert table!
If you make my Mom’s Special Apple Pie, be sure to snap a picture and share it with me or tag me on Instagram @thebakermama so I can see. If you’re on Facebook, be sure to join my Friends of The BakerMama group to connect and share all the fun and yummy recipes of mine that you make! 😍 I love seeing how inspired and creative y’all get with the recipes I share. Enjoy!
xoxo,
Mom’s Special Apple Pie
- Prep Time: 30 mins
- Cook Time: 65 mins
- Total Time: 1 hour 35 mins
- Yield: 12
- Category: Dessert
Description
Deliciously sweet apples are mounded in a flaky crust and topped with an irresistible nutty streusel. It is homemade goodness at its very best in Mom’s Special Apple Pie!
Ingredients
Crust:
- 1–3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 cup water
Filling:
- 8 McIntosh apples, peeled, cored and sliced
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1–2/3 cups sour cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- 1 egg
Streusel:
- 1 cup walnuts, chopped
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Crust: Combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Cut in butter using a pastry blender or two forks. Add water and toss with fork until evenly moistened. Form into a ball and place on a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough to about a 1/4-inch thickness and place in a 10-inch pie plate. Cut off any excess dough and pinch around the edges. Set aside.
- Filling: Preheat oven to 450°F. In a large bowl, combine apples, sour cream, sugar, flour, egg, vanilla, and salt. Mix well. Spoon into piecrust. Bake 10 minutes. Reduce oven to 350°F and continue to bake for 40 minutes or until filling is golden and slightly puffed.
- Streusel: Meanwhile, combine nuts, flour, sugars, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl. Mix very well. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Spoon over top of pie and bake 15 minutes longer at 350°F.
So funny! My mum has been making this for years and we call it Mum’s Special Apple Pie!! Truly the best pie recipe ever. The only difference is we use 1/4 cup sugar for the crust.
Hi, I am unable to find McIntosh apples anywhere near me, is there a close substitute I can use?
Hi Michelle! Granny Smith, Honeycrisp and Golden Delicious are all great apples to use for this recipe too. Enjoy!
My family has been this recipe for decades, but my mom and I always find it takes way longer to bake (enough to get a clean knife, as our copy says to) than the recipe says. Like over 2.5 hours instead of 40 minutes. We end up having to tent it early on to prevent the top from burning. Any thoughts of what we are doing wrong?!?
Hi Kimberley! Oh goodness, 2.5 hours is a long time for this pie to bake. Have you tried it in a different oven? Do you bake it on the upper racks? You won’t necessarily get a clean knife because of the ingredients in the filling, but the apples should be tender and the filling should look set. This pie bakes a total of 1 hour and 5 minutes with the 10 minutes at 450, 40 minutes at 350 and then 15 more minutes for the streusel. You could try covering your pie tightly with foil during the 40 minute session if you think the apples aren’t tender enough. Hope this helps!