Homemade apple pie is about as seasonal as one can get during the month of October. Though pumpkin pie is certainly a close second. 

Having grown up with apple trees in our backyards, there always came a time when the kitchen counter was peppered with apples. Which of course meant apples were on the menu until, well, they were gone! Apple crumbles, apple sauce... the warm scent of cinnamon and baked apples filling the house... 

As a tip-of-the-hat to this seasonal memory, we felt inspired - or perhaps compelled! - by nostalgia to share one of our favourite recipes with you. But rather than share a traditional apple pie recipe, we reached out to our friend and brilliant baker Rebekah, who provided us with the most intoxicating apple pie recipe we're ever tried.

We hope you enjoy this Chai Spiced Apple Pie recipe as much as we have!

Ingredients

2 cups apple juice 

2 chai tea bags

2 pounds Honeycrisp apples

1 medium lemon, juiced

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

¼ teaspoon ground cardamom

2 pinches ground black pepper, or more to taste

½ cup brown sugar

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 tablespoon maple syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 (9 inch) frozen pie crusts, thawed* 

1 large egg, beaten

*the pie crust can be store-bought, or from scratch. You do you! 

Directions

Heat apple juice on the stove on a low setting until very warm, but not boiling. Add chai tea bags, cover, and let steep for 10 minutes. Discard tea bags.

Peel and chop the apples, tossing them in a bowl with lemon juice to keep from browning. 

In a small bowl, combine cinnamon, ginger, cloves, cardamom, and black pepper. Set aside. 

Combine apples, your apple chai juice blend, the spice blend, brown sugar, butter, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and salt in a large pot. Stir to combine. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the apples start to soften. This will take approximately 30 minutes. 

Transfer 1/4 cup of the warm apple mixture from the pot to a small bowl. Add cornstarch and whisk until the corn starch is completely dissolved into the liquid and no clumps remain. Stir mixture back into the pot. Continue cooking over medium heat, stirring often, until the mixture starts to thicken. This will take approximately 5 minutes. Pour the filling into a bowl and set aside to cool for about an hour. 

While your apple pie filling cools, preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C). 

For the Pie Crust

Option One: Simply Simple 

Roll out the first thawed pie crust, line the pie dish with it, and pour the filling in. Next, press the other rolled out crust dough over the top. Cut a small, shallow slit in the top with a sharp knife. Gently brush beaten egg over the top crust.

Cover the outer edges of the pie with aluminum foil to avoid burning. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Gently remove foil and continue to bake until golden and bubbly, about 15 minutes more. Allow to cool until the pie is warm, but not hot, before serving.

Option Two: Old Fashioned Lattice-Top 

Roll out the first thawed pie crust, line the pie dish with it, and pour the filling in. Roll out second dough disk on floured surface to 14-inch round. Cut into twelve approximately 1-inch-wide strips. Arrange 6 strips across pie. Form lattice by arranging 6 strips diagonally across first strips. Gently press ends into crust edges. Brush lattice with egg wash. 

Please note, you can cut the lattice strips to be wider or more narrow, depending on your preference. 

Cover the outer edges of the pie with aluminum foil to avoid burning. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Gently remove foil and continue to bake until golden and bubbly, about 15 minutes more. Allow to cool until the pie is warm, but not hot, before serving.

Notes

Our fluted stoneware pie dishes are on the deeper side - more room for heavenly chai apple filling! - so please keep that in mind when baking with these dishes - it may take longer to bake than in a more shallow pie dish. 

What is apple pie without a dollop of cream? We highly recommend serving with your favourite vanilla ice cream or homemade vanilla whipped cream.