RECIPE: Cinnamon Dusted Apple Pie
Let’s make this “Easy” Summer Sweets Week — Apple Pie wins for one of the easiest desserts ever, that also looks fancy and is a guaranteed crowd pleaser. (Unless your crowd hates apples. Or pie. But if they do, you’re hangin’ with the wrong crowd! 
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The only thing that’s slightly tricky about this recipe is coordinating the filling with the crust. My recommendation would be to make the crust in advance, cover it to prevent drying, and then work quickly to mix the filling. Otherwise, if you prepare the filling first, the apples start to brown. (You can always sprinkle them with lemon juice, which also adds tartness, but I still think it’s easier to do the crust first.)
Ingredients:
2-2.5 lbs Granny Smith apples (about 6 large)
1 cup sugar (+ 1 tsp, set aside)
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
0.5-1 tsp cinnamon (+ 1 tsp, set aside)
Dash nutmeg
1 Tbsp butter
Double-crust pie pastry
Directions:
Peel, core and slice the apples. Personally, I like to use a counter-top apple peeler, corer and slicer. I’ve tried the kind that clamp around the edge of the counter (instead of using a suction cup on the surface), but my counters never seem to have the right size edges. If you do get a suction-based one, it helps to wet the bottom of the suction cup with a small amount of water before tightening it.
Combine one cup sugar, flour, nutmeg, and 0.5-1 tsp of the cinnamon. (For a very juicy pie, omit the flour.) Toss mixture with apples to thoroughly coat them. Pour into pastry-lined 9″ pie plate and dot with butter. Cover with top crust*, seal and flute edges. Mix “extra” teaspoons of sugar and cinnamon together, then sprinkle generously over top crust. Cover edges with a crust shield or aluminum foil (shiny side out). Bake for 25 minutes. Remove crust shield and bake an additional 20-25 minutes, or until crust is golden. Cool at least 30 minutes. Serve with ice cream or cheddar cheese, if desired.
* I like to do a lattice pattern (see crust recipe for details), but if you add a “solid” top crust, use a sharp knife to cut 6-8 slits in it, to release some of the steam during baking. Otherwise the juices will bubble over…more than they already will! 
Serving Notes:
The nutrition estimate above includes the crust (and assumes you make my crust recipe ). If you make a different basic crust, it shouldn’t change the nutrition significantly, but if your recipe is very unusual (using spelt flour, for example) of course it could. It also assumes a 9-inch pie, cut into eighths.
