Dazzling Geometric Apple Pie
Few things are as quintessentially homey as fresh-baked pie. And among pies, apple is perhaps the most iconic in my book.
Pies are one of those classic desserts that fit seamlessly into any social setting. Thanksgiving? Pie runs the table. Housewarming party? Nothing says, “Welcome to the neighborhood” like pie. Birthday? Call me a rebel, but honestly, I’m in favor of normalizing birthday pie. (Viva la pie revolution, baby.)
Which is all suffice to say, you could show up virtually anywhere with this pie in tow and expect it to be well-received. Golden crust, juicy apples and toasty cinnamon sugar are an incredible combination on their own. Adding a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of some salted caramel sauce? Well, now we’re cookin’ with gas.
This traditional recipe gets a fancy twist thanks to some cleverly arranged popsicle sticks and parchment paper. If you’re like me and wildly overestimated the contents of your craft drawer (whoops), thick-cut skewers will serve as a viable alternative for popsicle sticks – but not an ideal one. Skewers won’t pull the cinnamon sugar away from the top crust quite as cleanly; the result is a less pristine stenciled pattern.
This pie’s geometric details are a show-stopper, but don’t let that intimidate you. Creating these angular patterns is as easy as, well, pie.
A note on the importance of blind baking (sometimes called pre-baking): bling baking is a critical step in the process any time we’re baking a pie when it will be filled with an unbaked filling. Blind baking the crust before adding your filling ensures the crust will stay firm.
PrintDazzling Geometric Apple Pie
Take your traditional pie to the next level with little more than the contents of your craft drawer! All that’s needed to create this striking design is parchment paper and popsicle sticks.
- Prep Time: 1 hour 10 min.
- Total Time: 3 hours
- Yield: 9-inch pie 1x
- Method: Oven
Ingredients
- 2 standard store bought pie crusts
- 6 assorted baking apples, such as Macoun, Granny Smith, Cortland, Jonagold, or Empire (use a variety!), peeled, cored, and cut into 1/4-inch slices
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus 1 tablespoon
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 large egg white, lightly beaten
- Popsicle sticks
Instructions
Ready your craft supplies:
- Using a 9-inch cake pan or plate, trace a circle on a piece of parchment paper; cut out inside of circle and reserve for another use. You’ll be left with a parchment paper collar, which will create a clean border for your pie’s design.
- Collect your popsicle sticks. (I sorely underestimated the craft supplies I had on hand and wound up using thick-cut skewers instead – a viable alternative, but far from an ideal one.)
Bake your pie:
- Preheat the oven at 400° F.
- In a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in apples, lemon juice, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and salt. Cover and cook until apples have softened but are not falling apart, about 8 minutes. Add flour and cook, uncovered, until juices have thickened, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a 9-by-13-inch baking dish; let cool.
- Grease a glass pie dish. Starting from the middle and working your way outwards, gently pat down one of your store-bought pie crusts so that it lies flat on the plate. (Leave your second crust in the fridge for now.) Use a fork to make 7-10 indentations in the bottom of the crust to prevent bubbles from forming.
- Line the crust with a piece of aluminum foil and fill the foil with dried rice or beans. (Or you can invest in pie weights, small ceramic balls that keep a pie crust from bubbling and shrinking away from the edge of the dish.)
- Blind bake for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, remove your 2nd pie crust from the fridge and lay flat onto a baking sheet or parchment paper. Using a small paring knife, cut a 1-inch hole in the center. Brush top with egg white and refrigerate until firm, about 20-30 minutes.
- Remove your blind-baked crust from the oven and fill with apple mixture.; spread in an even layer. in the interest of keeping a flat surface, I wound up using slightly less than the full mixture. lightly brush rim of bottom crust with water.
- In a small bowl, combine remaining 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and 1 tablespoon sugar.
- Remove your top dough from the fridge and lay it over your blind-baked pie. Center your parchment paper collar over your top dough. Place 4 popsicle sticks around center hole, at 90-degree angles. Starting at center and working outward, place sticks 1/2 inch apart, gently pressing to the dough to adhere, to create an arrow pattern toward center of dough.
- Using a small sieve, sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mixture.Brush excess off sticks; carefully remove sticks, then parchment collar.
- Trim dough, leaving a 1-inch overhang. Tuck overhang under edge of bottom dough, gently pinching to seal. Crimp as desired.
- Bake until crust is just beginning to brown, about 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375° F and bake until crust is golden brown and juices are bubbling in the center, about 30-40 minutes. If crust is growing too quickly, tent with foil.
- Transfer to a wire rack. Let cool completely.
Keywords: Apple pie, apple, pie, geometric pie
