Illustration by Claire Yang

As the days grow shorter and the nights grow colder each week, I’m counting down until Thanksgiving, a much-needed break before the end of the semester. As I make plans to return home, my parents have tasked me with setting the menu and cooking for our family’s Thanksgiving. Although cooking for 15 people isn’t necessarily a leisurely break, I couldn’t be happier — as much as I enjoy the challenge of dorm cooking, cooking in a full kitchen is a nice change. 

While I equally enjoy cooking and baking, I can’t deny my favorite parts of Thanksgiving are the pies. They’re the epitome of fall baking. My grandmother, who comes from a long line of bakers, has one of the best apple pie recipes (I might be a little biased). Passed down through generations in her box of recipe cards, she was kind enough to share this treasured recipe with me. The rich, spiced apples are complemented by the light, flaky crust. And unlike other recipes, my grandma’s recipe has a crumbly streusel topping that adds the perfect amount of sweetness and caramelization. When I think of comforting recipes, I think of this pie. 

With break coming up next week already, I thought it was the perfect time to revisit this recipe. What’s great about this recipe is that it’s customizable enough to make a bunch of different variants (including a brown-butter apple tart, which I will be making once I get home). This week, I am making this pie dorm-style, so that my friends who aren’t going home for break can still have a Thanksgiving pie. So, the recipe I am sharing is my newest take on my grandmother’s classic: simple enough to make in a dorm, but still delicious. Whether you are staying here on campus, or if you are going home as well, I trust you’ll find this recipe just as inviting as I do. 

Apple Pie (Dorm-friendly version)

This pie has three components: the pie crust, the apple filling, and the crumble topping. For an easier variation, you can either buy the filling or the crust premade. But, if you’re up for the challenge, making all three parts yourself gives the tastiest results. To make this pie dorm friendly, the easiest way to bake it is either in a sheet pan (making a ‘slab’ pie) or a muffin tin (making individual pies). You can also omit the crumble topping and make hand pies — where you place the apple filling in small circles of pie crust and then fold the crust in half, crimping the edge together with a fork – this is the sheet pan method. In addition, both the pie crust and the crumble top are typically made using a pastry blender. Since this is a more specialized piece of equipment, using forks works perfectly fine. For the ingredients, Paws and Go has apples, flour, and sugar, so the only items you may need to buy from the grocery store are butter, cinnamon, and brown sugar. 

For the pie crust, you will need 1 stick (½ cup) of cold butter, 1 and 1/3 cups of flour, a pinch of salt, and a few spoonfuls of iced water. The key to making pie crust is keeping the butter very cold, so that the dough becomes flaky once you bake it. To make the pie crust, first slice your butter into small cubes, and then return it to the refrigerator, so that it is cold. In the meantime, measure out your flour and salt. 

Once the butter is chilled again, toss it in the flour mixture, using forks to break up the butter into smaller and smaller pieces. Keep doing this until the butter can’t be cut up any more (the mixture should look like very small crumbles of sand). To make the dough come together, add some cold water, spoonful by spoonful, just until the dough forms. Using any cylindrical object, roll the dough out in the shape of your pan, and place the dough inside it.  You do not need to grease the pan. Place your crust-lined pan in the refrigerator until all of the other parts of the recipe are ready. 

For the apple mixture you will need 2-3 apples of your choice, ¼ cup of sugar, 1 tablespoon of flour, 1 tablespoon of butter, some cinnamon, and any other fall spices you have. Start by coring, peeling (if desired), and thinly slicing your apples. Place the apples in a bowl, and add the flour, cinnamon, and sugar on top. Toss the apples until they are coated in this mixture, and spread them evenly in your sheet pan lined with crust. Cut the butter into small slices, and distribute them evenly on top of the apple mixture. Continue to refrigerate the sheet pan. 

For the crumble topping, you will need ½ cup of flour, ½ stick (¼ cup) of slightly softened butter, and ¼ cup of brown sugar. Measure out the flour and sugar into a bowl, and add the butter. You can add some rolled oats to the mixture for a little extra texture too, if desired. Using the same method as the pie crust, use a fork to break up the butter until the mixture forms small crumbles. Crumble the mixture on top of the apple filling and butter, and preheat the oven to 400 F. 

Once the oven is preheated, bake the pie for 15 minutes, then turn the heat down to 350 F, and bake for another 20-25 minutes, or until the top of the pie is golden brown and the apples are bubbling. Let the pie cool, and slice into squares. Top with vanilla ice cream and some extra cinnamon, if desired, and enjoy.