Preheat oven to 450.° In a medium bowl, mix flour, salt and vanilla. Using a knife, cut up the shortening into small slices or chunks. Drop shortening into the flour mix. Press and cut the mixture until it is crumbly. Add 3 tbsp of cold water. Mix and toss around until the dough holds mostly together. If you still have a lot of dry mix not sticking to the rest, add in another tbsp of cold water.
When you're satisfied with the dough mix, form a ball and transfer to a large sheet of plastic wrap. Fold the extra plastic wrap over the dough or pull off another sheet to top it off. Push down gently to flatten, then begin to roll with a rolling pin. Roll from the middle of the dough away from you. Turn and flip as needed. Continue to roll out the dough until it is very thin and large enough to fit your pie plate.
Remove the plastic wrap from one side of the rolled out dough. Carefully flip and position the dough into the pie plate. Before removing the plastic wrap entirely, press the dough into the pie plate along the bottom and the sides. After the dough has been smoothed and pressed well remove the remaining plastic wrap. If you prefer the crimped pie crust edge look or wish to have a smooth edge, simple fold the edges of your crust down into the pan sides or use a knife to remove excess dough. Crimp or smooth as desired. If you want to fold the crust over, leave as is until your pie is filled. Set pie crust aside.
In a small bowl, mix sugar, flour and cinnamon. Sprinkle half of your sugar mix into the pie crust.
Peel, core and slice half of your apples. Layer these slices into the pie crust. Top with 3 tbsp of your sugar mix. Repeat apple layer with remaining apples to be peeled, cored and sliced. Sprinkle with the rest of your sugar mix.
If you have chosen to fold over the edges of your crust, do so now. Pour 1 cup whipping cream over apples. Set aside.
Cover a baking sheet with tin foil. And if you wish, extend your pie crust sheild with additional tin foil. I do this when I make my pies with the folded crust. This helps to keep the crust from burning or getting too dark. If you want a darker crust, remove the sheild halfway through the baking time. If you're crimping or keeping a simple crust edge, no additional foil is needed on the crust sheild. I just find that the sheilds are far too narrow, so I add to it when necessary.
Bake at 450F° for 10 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350F° for 1 hour. Cool completely. Store covered in the fridge. I personally like chilling the pie overnight before slicing. A cold pie slices better than a warm pie. And for some strange reason, I like the pie reheated vs freshly warm.
Notes
Adapted from Taste of Home
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. Nutrition information can vary for a variety of reasons. For the most accurate data, use your preferred nutrition calculator with the actual ingredients you used to make this recipe.
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