Tart granny smith apples apples are baked into a flaky, savory cheddar cheese crust. Serve your Granny Smith apple pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

granny smith apple pie with ice cream on a plate

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Last week, as I helped Little Tot get ready for bed, I was overcome with the sudden craving for apple pie. Which is strange, because I’m not a huge apple pie fanatic. Sure, I like it well enough. But if given the choice between apple pie and something with chocolate, chocolate wins just about every time.

This craving just WOULD. NOT. GO. AWAY. As I sat down to make a grocery list for the week, I made sure I jotted down the ingredients for granny smith apple pie.

What Type of Apples Should I Use?

Not all apples are created equal. You want an apple that has a crisp texture that will hold up during baking. Some of the best varieties for pie are Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Jazz or Pink Lady. I think the tartness of a green Granny Smith apple provides the perfect balance when combined with sugar and spices. Therefore, it’s my preferred apple for pie.

How to Make the Pie Dough

In a medium mixing bowl, combine some flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cayenne pepper. Don’t worry, the cayenne adds a tiny touch of heat, but not enough to burn your mouth. My kids ate the crust with no problem.

Next, you want to add unsalted butter and shortening. You want little pieces spread throughout the pie dough. The easiest way I’ve found to do this is to grate frozen butter and shortening with a box grater. Stir in the butter, shortening and shredded cheese until well combined.

Slowly add some ice water, a little at a time. You only want to add just enough water so that the dough come together. Add a little at a time, mix, then add a little more.

Divide dough into two halves. Shape each into a flat disk. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Don’t skip this step! You need to allow the gluten in the crust time to rest and you want the butter and shortening to stay chilled so you have a flaky crust.

pie crust dough wrapped in plastic wrap sitting on a counter

When you are ready to roll out your dough, preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Remove one disk and roll out onto a floured work surface until the dough is about 13 inches wide and ⅛ inch thick. Carefully transfer the crust to a greased 9-inch pie plate.

I’ve found the easiest way to transfer a pie crust from the board to the plate is to coat your rolling with flour, sprinkle a little on the crust, then carefully roll the crust onto the rolling pin and unroll it over the plate. Once you have it positioned, trim off excess dough and crimp the edges.

using a rolling pin to roll the cheddar cheese crust into the pie plate

cheddar cheese pie crust rolled out into a pie plate

Prebaking your Pie Crust

We want to prebake the shell to ensure the bottom is crisp. The problem with prebaking a pie shell is that the dough tends to bubble up in the bottom. The solution is to line the crust with waxed paper, parchment paper or aluminum foil, then place a few pie weights into the center of the crust. You can also use dried beans or rice. Just remember, the beans or rice aren’t edible after they’ve been baked.

Bake the crust for about 8 minutes. Remove the weights, return to the oven, and bake for 3 additional minutes. Then, remove the crust from the oven and allow it to cool slightly.

How to Make Granny Smith Apple Pie with Cheddar Cheese Crust

You’ll need roughly two pounds of sliced and peeled Granny Smith apples for your pie filling. I’ve found that a Y vegetable peeler works best for peeling apples. Once you’ve peeled the apples, slice them into quarters, remove the core, then cut into ¼-inch slices.

sliced Granny Smith apples on a cutting board

Combine the apples with sugar, flour, lemon juice, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Spoon mixture into the prebaked pie shell.

Remove that last remaining pie dough disk from the refrigerator. Roll it out onto a lightly floured surface to a thickness of ⅛ inch. Carefully drape the crust over the apple filling. Crimp the edges. Slash holes in the top to vent the steam escaping from the pie.

granny smith apple pie right before going in the oven

cooked granny smith apple pie cooling on a rack

You might want to place your pie on a baking sheet just to catch any filling that might bubble out during baking. Bake the pie for 20 minutes at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. At this point, I recommend giving your pie a peek to see if the crust is browning too quickly. If so, you can cover the edges with a pie crust saver or wrap them with strips of aluminum foil.

Reduce the oven to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 20 minutes. Remove the pie from the oven and allow pie to cool slightly before serving. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream.

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Granny Smith Apple Pie with Cheddar Cheese Crust

Tart granny smith apples apples are baked into a flaky, savory cheddar cheese crust. Serve your Granny Smith apple pie with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

5 from 1 vote

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Course: Desserts

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 30

Cook Time: 55

Chill time/rest time: 2

Total Time: 3 25

Servings: people

Calories: 553kcal

Author: Lisa Bynum

Ingredients

For the crust

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
4 tablespoons cold solid vegetable shortening
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Up to ⅔ cup ice water

For the apple filling

2½ pounds Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
½ cup sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

Instructions

Make the crust

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and cayenne pepper.
Using the large holes of a box grater, grate the cold butter directly into the flour mixture. Using a pastry blender or fork, cut in the shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Stir in the shredded cheddar cheese until evenly combined.
Gradually add the ice water, a few tablespoons at a time, stirring just until the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl and holds together when pressed. You may not need the entire ⅔ cup. Do not overmix.
Divide the dough in half. Shape each half into a flat disk, wrap each disk in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 450°F.
Remove one disk of dough from the refrigerator. On a lightly floured work surface, roll the dough into a circle about 13 inches in diameter and ⅛ inch thick.
Carefully transfer the dough to a 9-inch pie plate. Gently press the dough into the bottom and sides of the plate. Trim any excess dough, leaving enough around the edge to seal with the top crust later.
Line the crust with parchment paper and fill with pie weights, dried beans, or uncooked rice. Bake for 8 minutes.
Carefully remove the parchment paper and pie weights. Return the crust to the oven and bake for an additional 3 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow the crust to cool slightly.

Make the pie

While the crust is cooling, combine the sliced apples, sugar, flour, lemon juice, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large mixing bowl. Toss until the apples are evenly coated.
Spoon the apple filling into the prebaked pie shell, spreading the apples into an even layer.
Remove the remaining disk of pie dough from the refrigerator. On a lightly floured work surface, roll the dough out to approximately ⅛ inch thick.
Carefully drape the dough over the apple filling. Trim any excess dough, then seal and crimp the edges of the top and bottom crusts together.
Cut several slits in the top crust to allow steam to escape.
Place the pie on a rimmed baking sheet to catch any drips. Bake at 450°F for 20 minutes.
Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F. Check the crust at this point. The cheddar cheese crust tends to brown more quickly than a traditional pie crust. If it is already nicely browned, loosely tent the entire pie with aluminum foil or cover the edges with a pie shield.
Continue baking for an additional 20–35 minutes, checking the crust periodically and covering it as needed to prevent overbrowning. The pie is done when the crust is golden brown, the apples are tender when pierced through one of the vents with a thin knife, and the filling is bubbling through the vents.
Transfer the pie to a wire rack and allow it to cool before slicing and serving.

Notes

Keep the butter cold. Cold butter helps create a flaky crust. Grating it with a box grater distributes small pieces throughout the flour without having to work the dough excessively.
Add the water gradually. Depending on the flour, cheese, and humidity, you may not need the entire ⅔ cup of ice water. Stop adding water as soon as the dough holds together when pressed.
Watch the crust closely. The cheddar cheese crust can brown faster than a traditional pie crust. Check it when you reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and cover it with aluminum foil or a pie shield once it reaches the desired color.
Look for bubbling filling. Don’t rely on the color of the crust alone to determine doneness. The apple filling should be bubbling through the vents and the apples should be tender.
Let the pie cool before slicing. Cooling gives the juices in the apple filling time to thicken and set, resulting in cleaner slices.