his recipe is my great-grandmother’s recipe and it came with very few directions so, with my mother’s instruction, it’s modified a bit. My great-grandma wrote down her recipes as if someone should be able to read her mind, like how “1/2” obviously meant 1/2 cup if it was referring to cream, but 1/2 teaspoon if referencing salt.

This is what her pumpkin pie recipe looks like:

No baking instructions needed. Everyone should know how to bake a pie. Duh.

So anyway, back to the apple pie. I don’t know why she called it, “The ‘Big Apple’ Pie”, but I know it’s not because she went to NYC for the recipe. Regardless, this is the best apple pie I have ever had. In my lifetime. Bold phrases, I know, but I do not joke about this.

Grandma’s “The ‘Big Apple’ Pie”

This is what you need:

• 1 cup + 1/4 cup brown sugar, divided
• 1/4 cup + 1/2 cup flour, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 tablespoon vinegar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 tablespoons + 1/4 cup butter, divided
• 4 small-medium apples ( I used Jonathan apples, but my mom says that Granny Smith are good as well.)
• a few knocks of cinnamon (I know. I sound like my great-grandma now.)

This is how you make it:

1. Mix together 1 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup flour, salt, and a knock or two of cinnamon. Add water and vinegar and cook on the stovetop until it gets thick, stirring constantly.
2. Remove from heat, add vanilla and 2 tablespoons butter. Let cool.
3. I use an apple peeler, slicer, corer and then dice the apples into small chunks. Stir into pan of sauce that is cooling.
4. Combine 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup flour, 1/4 cup butter, and a little cinnamon for the crumb topping. It’s easiest to put this through a food processor, but you can also just combine ingredients until thoroughly mixed and crumbly.
5. Pour sauce/apple mixture into pie crust (see recipe below) and top with crumb mixture.
6. Bake at 375 F for 40 minutes.*

*My pie didn’t spill over, but just in case, I put a large pan on the oven shelf below the pie to catch any drippings.

Delicious Flaky Pie Crust

Since most people don’t have lard on hand at home, here’s a modified version of a pie crust. This is, in my opinion, the best pie crust recipe around. It can be used for any pie, not just this apple recipe.

This is what you need:

• 1 cup flour
• 1/2 cup Crisco
• 1/4 cup milk
• Pinch of salt

This is how you make it:

1. Mix flour, Crisco, and salt until crumbly.
2. Add milk and mix. Let set in bag for a while. (I don’t know the magic of the bag, but I just let mine set in the bowl.)
3. Roll out on floured surface. Do not flip crust when rolling it out. Lift and add flour on table if needed.
4. Place in a 9″ pan and flute edges. (Here’s a tutorial if you don’t know how to crimp pie shell edging.)

I was very impatient so I cut into this about 5 minutes after it came out of the oven. If you let it set (an hour or more), it will solidify. I couldn’t help myself though.