Cinnamon Apple Pie

Cinnamon apple pie gives you a double dose of cinnamon–it’s in both the filling and in the simple homemade cinnamon pie crust. It’s a dream dessert for fall!

Who’s ready for some pumpkin? I actually am ready—something about the stifling heat in Phoenix makes me crave fall. HOWEVER! I know some people are totes opposed to anything PSL or PSL-adjacent before October.

Since apple desserts bridge the summer-fall gap beautifully, I’m bringing one of those to the table today. This gorgeous cinnamon apple pie will prepare us for cool weather and warming spices. And pumpkin everything!

Confession: I have literally never in my life craved a slice of apple pie. Then I made this pie and while it was baking, all I wanted was to pull it out of the oven and devour a slice with my coffee. (I resisted ‘til I could get pics. But just barely.)

This apple pie gives you a double dose of cinnamon; it’s mixed in with the homemade cinnamon pie crust and also added to the filling to ensure it warms your bellies on even the nippiest days of autumn.

Why you’ll love this cinnamon apple pie:

• The pie crust is easy to make and ends up perfectly flaky and tender.
• The filling takes just minutes to mix together and ends up beautifully sweet-yet-tart.
• It will make your kitchen smell like heaven when it bakes. #truth

How to make cinnamon pie crust

For my pie crust, I (barely) adapted Ina Garten’s Perfect Pie Crust because I always have good luck with it. It’s easy, it’s quick, and it really is perfect.

First you need to cube COLD butter and COLD shortening, then pop them back in the fridge while you begin your crust. DO NOT leave them at room temp while you’re working; they need to stay cold or your crust will not turn out as flaky as it should.

Next combine flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, and orange zest in a food processor. (The orange zest is optional.) Pulse a few times to combine. Sprinkle the cubed butter over the dry ingredients and pulse again until the mixture forms coarse crumbs. At this point, stream 6 tablespoons of ice water down the feed tube while the processor runs.

After you add the water, the pastry will begin to form a ball. Stop processing, divide the dough into two equal pieces, and chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes (or up to 2 days).

Baker’s tip: as with making just about any pastry, the less you handle the dough the better. Work your dough just until it comes together in the food processor, and roll it out as quickly as you can so the pastry doesn’t warm up too much. This ensures a flaky crust.

How to make Cinnamon Apple Pie filling

You’ll need about 2 pounds of apples for this cinnamon apple pie; I like to use a combination of Granny Smith and Cortland, but use what you like.

For the filling, you’ll combine flour, sugar, and spices in a bowl. Add sliced, cored, and peeled apples and some lemon juice and vanilla, then stir until all the apples are evenly coated. 

Pour the apple filling into your pie shell, dot with butter, and top with crust.

I wove my top crust into a lattice but that’s optional. You can just roll out your crust and cut a few slits in the top to let out steam if you prefer. Here’s a lattice crust tutorial, though, if you want to go that route.

Bake your pie for about 45 minutes, then let the pie cool to room temp before you slice it. If you cut into it immediately (and believe me, that’s hard to resist) the filling will just run everywhere. It will still be delicious though!

And there you have it. Cinnamon apple pie is delicious any time of year, but it’s especially suited to fall’s chilly evenings. So go and get baking! Because the sooner your pie is done the sooner you get to have a slice 🙂

Did you make this cinnamon apple pie? That’s great! Let me know what you think with a comment and a rating below. And post a pic on Instagram too! Tag @theitsybitsykitchen so I can see your creations! Then like IBK on Facebook and follow on Pinterest for more delicious recipes.

5 from 14 votes

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Cinnamon Apple Pie

Prep Time

25 mins

Cook Time

45 mins

Total Time

1 hr 10 mins

 

Cinnamon apple pie is packed full of warming spices.  It's a dream dessert for cooler temps!

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: 5

Author: Kelsie

Ingredients

Cinnamon pie crust:

• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter very cold
• 1/3 cup vegetable shortening very cold*
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest optional
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 6 to 8 tablespoons ice water

Filling:

• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2/3 to 3/4 cup granulated sugar to taste
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 5 to 6 cups peeled cored, and sliced apples (2 pounds apples)**
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter cut into chunks

Instructions

Cinnamon pie crust:

1. Cut the butter and shortening into cubes and return them to the fridge while you begin your pie crust.
2. Combine the flour, sugar, salt, orange zest (if using), in the bowl of a food processor and pulse several times to combine.
3. Sprinkle the chunks of butter and shortening over the mixture and pulse about 10 times, until the mixture becomes coarse crumbs. With processor running, pour 6 tablespoons (1/4 + 2 tablespoons) ice water down the feed tube and continue processing until mixture just begins to form a ball. If necessary, add more water 1 tablespoon at a time. (Alternatively, you can do all this by hand and just cut in the butter and shortening with a pastry cutter.)
4. Shape dough into a ball, then divide the ball into 2 equal pieces and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes (or up to 2 days).
5. After the dough has chilled, roll out one portion of the dough into an 11-inch circle. Gently transfer to a 9-inch pie plate. Trim the dough to leave a 1-inch overhang. Stick pie plate in the fridge and make the filling.

Filling:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
2. Combine the flour, 2/3 cup sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a large mixing bowl and stir to combine. Add the apples, lemon juice, and vanilla and stir until apples are evenly coated in the mixture. Taste and add additional sugar if desired.
3. Pour filling into the refrigerated pie crust and dot the butter over the filling.
4. Roll out the top crust to an 11-inch circle and carefully transfer to the pie. Cut several vents in the crust to release steam, then crimp the top and bottom crusts together. (Alternatively, you can create a lattice crust.)
5. Set pie on a large baking sheet to catch any drips and bake 45 to 55 minutes, until the top of the pie is golden.
6. Cool pie on a wire rack, then serve.

Recipe Notes

*If you store your shortening at room temperature, refrigerate it for at least 4 hours (overnight is better) before starting on your pie crust

**I like to use a combination of Granny Smith and Cortland

If you don’t have a food processor, you can make the crust by hand by cutting the butter and shortening into the flour with a pastry cutter. However, I strongly recommend the food processor because it cuts the butter in so quickly. Speed is of the essence when making pastry because the more you handle pastry dough, the more the butter will warm up, resulting in a less-flaky crust.

Pie crust adapted from Food Network

Filling adapted from The New Good Housekeeping Cookbook