Spiced Apple Pear Pie

This Apple Pear Pie makes for an incredible dessert for Fall. It's made with slices of sweet apples and pears mixed with warming spices and baked in an all-butter pie crust. It's the ultimate cosy twist on the American classic. Perfect for sharing on Thanksgiving or at your next Holiday gathering!

We've said goodbye to summer, and it's time to jump headlong into Fall Baking. And that means baking plenty of Pies & Tarts. My Caramel Apple Tart from my cookbook and my Pear Almond Cream Tart are favourites at home at this time of year.

This Apple Pear Pie celebrates apples and pears in all their glory. The delicate flavour of pears compliments the sweetness of apples perfectly. With seasonal spices mixed through, the filling is deliriously good, baked to perfection in the flaky all-butter pastry.

The dough is crazy simple to make in a food processor, but don't worry I also share how to make it by hand. I find making any type of dough, such as this all-butter pastry, sweet shortcrust pastry, sablée dough and choux pastry, so therapeutic. Is that just me?!

🧾 Ingredients Needed

Whilst the list of ingredients isn't huge, it's worth having a read of some notes regarding them.

All-Butter Pastry

• Flour - Use plain (all-purpose) flour for the pie crust.
• Butter - The key to a successful pie crust is using cold butter. Cut it into cubes and pop it back into the refrigerator whilst prepping the other ingredients. Also, I prefer unsalted butter.
• Salt - Without the salt, the pastry will taste bland. Omit it, though, if using salted butter.
• Water - Ice-cold water is best. Pop a couple of ice cubes into the water before making the dough.

Apple Pear Pie Filling

• Spices - Cinnamon, ground ginger and nutmeg are all you need. You can use pre-bought Apple Pie Spice if you have it available.
• Brown sugar - The caramel undertones from the molasses in the brown sugar melt into the fruit filling. The taste is unreal. Substitute for light brown sugar or white sugar (except this will alter the depth of flavour that brown sugar brings).
• Cornflour - a thickening agent is absolutely necessary if you don't want to cut into your pie and a deluge of juice rush out. There's nothing more disheartening after all that effort. The cornflour activates with the warm juices from the fruit and thickens it up. Substitute 1:1 for flour.

What type of apple is best to use?

You can use any of your favourite apples. I like to use a combination of Braeburn as they hold their shape once baked and Granny Smith for their tartness. But Lady Red, Honey Crisp, Jonagold and Gala apples are also great.

What type of pear is best to use?

I've used Conference pears in this recipe. Other varieties that you can use include Bosc, d'Anjou, Concord and Bartlett pears. Make sure when buying them that they are firm. If too ripe and soft, they turn to mush and won't hold their shape with the length of time the pie bakes.

👩🏻‍🍳 How to Make Apple and Pear Pie

Let's dive into making this delicious dessert with pears and apples. You'll need a food processor as it makes making the dough a synch. Plus, you'll need a 23cm x 4cm (9-in x 1.5-in) pie pan to bake the pie in. I was given this USA Pie Pan by a friend, and it's unbelievable to bake with. I use it all the time to bake pies.

*Be sure to see the recipe card below for the full ingredients list & instructions!*

Make the Pie Crust

The ultimate key to success when making any shortcrust pastry is to keep the ingredients cold and not overwork the dough. Keep these two pointers in mind when making your dough.

STEP 1. Process the butter with flour. Add the salt into the flour and give it a quick mix, then add the flour into the bowl of a food processor. Add in the cold, cubed butter and pulse until butter cubes have reduced to the size of peas (Images 1 & 2).

STEP 2. Add water to form a dough. Add in ⅓ of the water and pulse until the dough looks less dry. Now add a little at a time until you've used ¾ of the water (Image 3). You probably won't need the full 125ml - so it's best to add it sparingly.

Making the dough is very much by feel and look. It may look dry, but if you can squeeze the dough and it clumps together, then you are almost there. Keep adding a bit at a time until it clumps together (Image 4).

STEP 3. Bring the dough together and refrigerate. Tip the dough out onto a lightly floured countertop and use your hands to squeeze the dough together (Image 5). If it feels a bit dry, add small amounts of the iced water - sometimes, all it takes is a couple of flicks.

Once in a very rough disc (Image 6), divide the disc into two for the top and the bottom of the pie (Image 7). It's far easier to roll out individual discs than one huge one. Form them into discs, and wrap them in plastic wrap, smoothing out any cracks (Image 8). Refrigerate for 1-hour minimum or overnight.

Make the Pie Filling

STEP 4. Toss the fruit in lemon juice. To prevent the apples and pears from browning, toss them in the lemon juice once sliced. Also, add in the lemon zest and vanilla extract (Image 9).

STEP 5. Mix the dry ingredients with the fruit. It's best to mix the spices and flours into the brown sugar first and then add them to the sliced fruit (Images 10 & 11). This prevents any of the dry ingredients from clumping. Toss the apple and pear slices until fully coated (Image 12).

Assemble the Pie

STEP 6. Roll the base and place it in the pan. Remove both discs of dough from the fridge - if solid, then leave them at room temperature for ten minutes or so. Roll it out to approx 30cm (12 inches) in diameter (look at those gorgeous buttery swirls!). Lay the dough in the pie pan and press it in without stretching it (Images 13 & 14). Trim the edges to a half inch larger than the rim (Image 15). Brush the base with egg wash to form a moisture barrier from the juices (Image 16).

STEP 7. Add fruit filling to the pie pan. Instead of just tipping the fruit into the pie base, take a minute to ensure the slices are laying flat and tucked well together (Image 17). Create a slight mound in the centre of the dish. It all helps with how the top piece of pastry lies over the fruit once baked. Dot the butter over the filling.

STEP 8. Top with pastry and bake! Roll out the second disc until 30cm (12-inches) and carefully lift it over the fruit. Trim the edges, reserving any dough scraps for decoration (optional).

Press the two pieces together around the edge and tuck the top piece under the bottom around the edge. Using your finger and thumb, crimp the edge (Image 18).

A key step here is to refrigerate the pie for 20 minutes while preheating the one. Rolling and working the dough will soften the butter. A blast in the fridge allows it to chill and firm up again, which will help with the flaky layers and avoid shrinkage.

Brush the top with egg wash (Image 19), and sprinkle with raw sugar (Image 20). Cut some vent holes - essential to let out steam (Image 21 below). Then bake for 50-60 minutes.

The pastry should be a deep golden brown and the filling bubbling away (Image 22).

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