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When it comes to desserts, does it get any better than good old fashioned apple pie? I mean, really? As a child growing up in America, it is basically brainwashed into us that there is nothing better, there is no sweet treat that is more satisfying, there is no dish in the universe that symbolizes the love, honor and respect of country more than hot apple pie.. as if you could cram all of that American pride into a 9 inch pie pan. Homemade apple pie brings forth memories colored in red, white and blue.. surely, it has been served at every Fourth of July celebration you can lay your mind to and was always the ‘go-to’ dessert choice your mother picked when company was coming for dinner. Hot, sweet, somewhat crunchy, always flaky … mmmmmm….. top that old fashioned apple pie off with a scoop of ice cream or whipped topping or if you are an outside of the box thinker, a slice of cheese, that apple pie recipe is always going to take you back to happy times. So how do you improve homemade apple pie? Simple .. add walnuts!
In the times of convenience shopping and busy lives, it’s just common sense to pick up an apple pie at the local supermarket bakery and call it a day. Now, those apple pies are wonderful and if you have a local bakery that sells amazing goods, by all means consider yourself lucky. But for those times when you don’t want store bought or you have a special occasion or if its just the third Tuesday of the month and Mommy needs a break… consider taking the time to make yourself a homemade Apple Walnut Pie. It is ridiculously easy to make Apple Walnut Pie and it takes no time at all. The Apple Walnut Pie is thick and tangy with crisp apples, the crust is flaky and the walnuts give the apple pie a great soft crunch that you will absolutely love. Trust me, after making this Apple Walnut Pie, you will never want to buy a store bought apple pie again.
WHAT KIND OF APPLES ARE BEST FOR APPLE PIE?
For this recipe, I use one of the most popular baking apples, the classic Granny Smith apple. It’s tart and tangy with a firm flesh. Then I add in a couple of Honeycrisp apples for sweetness. Two together make up a perfect combination that you can use for any variety of apple pie.
HOW DO YOU TOP AN APPLE PIE?
You can top your Apple Walnut Pie in a few different ways. You can simply add a top layer of pie crust to your pie before you bake it so that it has a flaky topping. Using a cookie cutter in the shape of a heart or stars, you can cut out the shapes of a pie crust and place those shapes on the top of your pie to make it more decorative or you can make a streusel topping of butter, flour, and sugar baked on top of your apple pie to make a delicious sweet, crunchy twist.
HOW DO YOU MAKE APPLE WALNUT PIE?
Easy! To make Apple Walnut Pie, pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees. Wash, peel and core your apples. Slice them about 1/4 inch thick. You don’t want them too thin so that they won’t still hold their crunch but not too thick that they won’t cook through. Add them into a large mixing bowl and set aside for a couple of minutes. Prepare your crust (homemade or store bought) and add the bottom crust to your pie pan. Poke holes in the crust bottom with a fork and then beat together two egg whites and brush them on the bottom of the crust to prevent sogginess when baking.
In a saucepan over medium heat, melt your butter. Add in your flour and whisk together until if forms a loose paste. Add to this the spices, water and both sugars and continue whisking until the sugar dissolves and everything is incorporated. Add in your apple slices and stir to combine until all of your apples are lightly coated in the sauce and continue stirring until your apples are slightly cooked, about 5 minutes. You don’t want them too soggy but you want them a bit tender. Stir in your walnuts.
Remove from the heat and pour into your prepared pie crust.
Add the crust top to your Apple Walnut Pie and crimp the top and bottom together.
Make a few slices in the top of the pie crust and lightly brush the entire pie crust with the egg white. Place your Apple Walnut Pie on a sheet pan in case of sauce overflow and bake in your oven for 40 minutes. Remove Apple Walnut Pie and let sit out to cool completely before cutting.
One thing I learned by accident.. if you bake this Apple Walnut Pie the day before you need it and let it set up in your fridge, it comes out perfect. If you try to rush the process and you get impatient and cut into this before it’s 150% cool, you will have a runny, swimmy (yes, that is word) mess of sauce all over the pie pan. It will still taste amazing but it’s just not as pretty. I do believe that it is the Universe’s way of teaching us patience… or calling us out for eating Apple Walnut Pie in the middle of the week, I’m not really sure which.
That’s it!! Seriously, THAT’S how easy it is to make the best Apple Walnut Pie you will ever eat. Now go apologize to your supermarket bakery because you won’t be seeing them for a while. You have an Apple Walnut Pie to go make.
Enjoy!
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Apple Walnut Pie
Ingredients
- Top and bottom pie crust for 9" pie
- 1 egg white beaten
- 4 large Granny Smith apples peeled and cored
- 2 large Honeycrisp apples peeled and cored
- 1/2 cup butter
- 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/3 cup water
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar packed
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
Instructions
- Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees. Wash, peel and core your apples. Slice them about 1/4 inch thick. You don't want them too thin so that they won't still hold their crunch but not too thick that they won't cook through. Add them into a large mixing bowl and set aside for a couple of minutes.
- Prepare your crust (homemade or store bought) and add the bottom crust to your pie pan. Poke holes in the crust bottom with a fork and then beat together two egg whites and brush them on the bottom of the crust to prevent sogginess when baking.
- In a saucepan over medium heat, melt your butter. Add in your flour and whisk together until if forms a loose paste. Add to this the spices, water and both sugars and continue whisking until the sugar dissolves and everything is incorporated. Add in your apple slices and stir to combine until all of your apples are lightly coated in the sauce and continue stirring until your apples are slightly cooked, about 5 minutes. You don't want them too soggy but you want them a bit tender. Remove from the heat and pour into your prepared pie crust. Stir in your walnuts.
- Remove from the heat and pour into your prepared pie crust. Add the crust top to your Apple Walnut Pie and crimp the top and bottom together. Make a few slices in the top of the pie crust and lightly brush the entire pie crust with the egg white. Place your Apple Walnut Pie on a sheet pan in case of sauce overflow and bake in your oven for 40 minutes. Remove Apple Walnut Pie and let sit out to cool completely before cutting.
I love apple pie but it’s been years since I’ve made my own. As a kid, I remember helping my mom and grandma in the kitchen and peeling the apple together. Next time I visit home, I’m going to bring this recipe with!
What an awesome upgrade from the traditional apple pie with just one small addition, walnuts! Can’t wait to make this.
That pie looks like perfection on a plate! I bet it is so delicious with the addition of the walnuts. Love that you cooked the apples a little bit first. I bet that makes the texture just right!
Apple pie has always been one of my favorites. The crust on this looks absolutely fabulous!
I’m not really big on walnuts, but everything else in this apple pie is screaming my name! The crust looks so beautiful, almost too good to eat. Saving this recipe for sure
We absolutely love apple pie and the addition of the walnuts puts this pie over the top, delicious! I love that you semi-cook the apples and it locks in flavor to the pie!
I’m swooning over that beautiful flaky crust! This apple pie looks fabulous! I wish I would have a slice right now ^_^
This pie is drop dead gorgeous! My father-in-law is a BIG fan of walnuts, and this looks like a fabulous way to use them. I’ll have to give this a try for a family gathering for sure!
I’ve never even heard of an apple walnut pie but sounds COMPLETELY amazing! I love apples and walnuts together.
I can just smell this apple pie through my computer screen! Yuuuuum. The crust looks just perfectly flakey. It’s seriously calling my name.
I have a pretty good apple pie recipe. I am not sure if it is the best ever, so I may want to try this one to see how it compares 😉
The taste of an Apple pie always brings my childhood memories back, such a classic. I love making my own from scratch, and your version looks so delicious! That perfectly golden pastry looks so tempting!