• This recipe is written for an 18" x 13" rimmed baking sheet, the ideal size for a full sheet-pan apple pie. For a half recipe, a 9.5" x 13" pan works perfectly. See above for tips on rolling the crusts, stabilizing with animal cracker crumbs, and fitting everything neatly in your pan.

for the pie

• Toss apples, 1 cup sugar, and salt in colander set over large bowl. Let sit, tossing occasionally, until apples release their juices, about 45 minutes. Press gently on apples to extract liquid and reserve 3/4 cup juice. If your apples don’t yield the full ¾ cup juice, supplement with store-bought apple juice if a lot, or water if only a little.
  8 Granny Smith apples, 8 Golden Delicious apples, 1 ½ cups sugar, ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
• Lightly coat an 18 x 13-inch baking sheet with baking spray. Line a second sheet pan with parchment. Set aside. Pulse the animal crackers with the remaining sugar in a food processor until they are finely ground.
  baking spray, 1 ½ cups animal crackers, 1 ½ cups sugar
• Sprinkle a handful of this cracker mixture over your work surface to prevent sticking. Lay down one sheet of dough and lightly brush it with water, then place a second sheet on top, aligning the edges. Sprinkle a little more of the cracker mixture on top of the second sheet.
  2 packages of 2 each refrigerated ready to roll pie crusts
• Roll the double-layered dough evenly into a rectangle about 19 inches by 14 inches. Carefully transfer the rolled dough to the prepared rimmed baking sheet. Brush with the softened butter and refrigerate for 15–20 minutes. Repeat the rolling step now for the top crust, skipping the butter. Once rolled, transfer the top crust to a separate baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

  Note: Refrigeration firms up the dough, making it easier to handle and helping prevent shrinking or tearing when you add the filling and top crust. If you want a more relaxed timeline, you can chill up to 30–60 minutes without issue. If you do go longer, consider laying a sheet of plastic film over both crusts to avoid them drying out.
  4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 350° F. Toss drained apples with tapioca, cinnamon, and lemon juice and arrange evenly over bottom crust, pressing lightly to flatten.
  6 tablespoons tapioca, 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• Brush edges of bottom crust with water, and arrange top crust on pie. Press crusts together and use a paring knife to trim any excess dough, leaving a 1/2" rim of pastry; fold pastry under itself and tuck into rim of baking sheet. Use fork to crimp and seal outside edge of pie, then pierce top of pie at 2-inch intervals with fork.
• Bake until pie is golden brown and juices are bubbling, about 1 hour. Transfer to wire rack and let cool 1 hour.

for the glaze

• While pie is cooling, simmer the reserved apple liquid in a saucepan over medium heat until syrupy and reduced to 1/4 cup, about 6 minutes. Stir in lemon juice and butter and let cool to room temperature. Whisk in confectioners' sugar.
  ¾ cup apple liquid, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, 1 ¼ cups confectioners' sugar
• Drizzle the glaze evenly over the pie. Allow pie to finish cooling completely, at least 1 hour longer. Cut into thirds lengthwise, and into sixths widthwise, making 18 pieces each about 4"x3".