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Dessert

Early American Apple Pie

A 9‑inch apple pie with a gingersnap crumb topping and maple syrup glaze.

From the Recipes Wiki (Fandom) · 11 ingredients
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Why it works: Cinnamon and nutmeg match in chemistry and in kitchens. They rank in the top 1% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 11,917 recipes. Both carry estragole, which smells anise, licorice. The science ↓

Early American Apple Pie

Oven350°F
Time45 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Prepare the filling

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

  2. Place half the sliced apples in the pastry shell.

  3. In a mixing bowl combine the sugar, gingersnap crumbs, flour, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, walnuts and butter.

  4. Sprinkle half the mixture over the apples in the pie shell.

  5. Layer the remaining apples over the crumb mixture.

  6. Sprinkle with the remaining crumbs.

Bake and finish

  1. Bake 45 minutes.

  2. Heat the maple syrup to boiling.

  3. Pour the hot maple syrup evenly over the pie.

  4. Bake 15 to 20 minutes.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

797Calories
14 gProtein
16 gFat
150 gCarbs

Counts 9 of 11 ingredients. The other 2 aren't in our nutrition table and add nothing above, so the real totals are higher.

What these numbers assume: 9 portions
IngredientPortion assumedkcal
Flour1 cup (125g) all-purpose455
Butter1 tbsp (14g)102
Apple1 medium (182g)95
Maple Syrup1 tbsp (20ml)52
Sugar1 tbsp (12.5g) granulated49
Walnut1 walnut half (4g)26
Nutmeg1 tsp ground (2.2g)12
Cinnamon1 tsp ground (2.6g)6
Salt1 tsp (6g)0
Pastrynot in our table0
Pienot in our table0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

  1. Cinnamon + nutmegtop 1% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together11,917 recipes

    Shared aroma: estragole (anise, licorice).

  2. Apple + cinnamontop 4% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together5,598 recipes

    Shared aroma: methyl cinnamate (strawberry).

  3. Nutmeg + walnuttop 5% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together1,230 recipes

    Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).

  4. Cinnamon + walnuttop 6% of all pairs
    Smell alikestrong
    Cooked together2,147 recipes

    Shared aroma: eucalyptol (eucalyptus, herbal).

  5. Flour + nutmegtop 8% of all pairs
    Smell alikemoderate
    Cooked together18,623 recipes

    Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Apples
Provide the bulk of the filling and tart flavor that balances the sweetness.
Gingersnap crumbs
Add spiced sweetness and help soak up juices so the filling sets.
Walnuts
Add crunch and a toasty, nutty flavor to the crumb layer.
Butter
Adds richness and helps the crumb mixture brown.
Maple syrup
Adds sweetness and deep flavor, soaking into the pie during the final bake.
Flour
Thickens the juices released by the apples.

The step that matters

Pouring the hot maple syrup evenly over the pie. Syrup poured evenly reaches all layers and sweetens the filling uniformly. Pouring it unevenly can leave dry or soggy patches, since the syrup seeps down through the crumbs and apples during baking.

Swap the apple

How well each one fits the dish's main ingredients (sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, walnut, butter, maple syrup):

  1. Vanillafits better
  2. Raisinfits better
  3. Figfits better
  4. Applethe original

Fit is the average pairing score against sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, walnut, butter, maple syrup. Candidates are from the same food group and used in at least 100 recipes.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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