The BEST Apple Pie, a family recipe handed down from Alexa Hampton’s mother Duane Hampton

Crusts:

▢ 2 9-inch pie crusts

Filling:

▢ 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

▢ 2 cups apple cider (unfiltered recommended)

▢ 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

▢1 large egg (lightly beaten)

▢1 teaspoon water

▢ ⅓ cup sugar

▢ 3 tablespoons cornstarch

▢ 1 ¼ teaspoons pumpkin-pie spice

▢ 7 apples (peeled and and sliced into small pieces (about 3 pounds)

▢1 tablespoon sugar (decorator's sugar recommended)

To prepare the pie filling:

Bring cider to a boil in a large, heavy saucepan over medium high heat. Once it boils, reduce heat to maintain a simmer. Cook until reduced to ½ to ⅓ cup (about 20 minutes). You know it's done when you can scrape the bottom of the pan with a flat wooden spoon and it takes a second for the reduced cider to cover it back up. Cool the cider completely.

Preheat oven to 450° F and add a baking sheet on a rack that is in the lower third of the oven during preheat.

Combine cooled cider, vanilla, ⅓ cup sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice and pumpkin pie spice in a large bowl. Stir apple slices into the cooled cider mixture.

Fit dough into a 9-inch pie plate, allowing dough to extend over edge of plate. Add the apple mixture into crust. Place second pie crust on top. Dip finger into small bowl of water, rub along edges of pie crust, then gently press edges of dough together to seal.

Cut several slits into the top of pastry using a sharp knife to allow steam to escape during the cooking process. Combine egg and 1 teaspoon of water. Brush top and edges of pie with egg mixture and sprinkle with sugar.

Place the pie on a preheated baking sheet and bake at 450° for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350° (do not remove pie from oven), and bake an additional 45-60 minutes or until the top is golden brown. Cool on a wire rack before serving.