Apple Crumb Pie

This is my family’s Thanksgiving pie. We unanimously love apple. I use a mix of baking apples to get different flavors in the pie. Granny Smith, Macintosh, Cortland, Braeburn and Jonagold are all good varieties to use. I chose a crumble top because it adds great texture, plus it’s less fussy than decorating the top of a pie. Normally, I’d challenge myself to do something elaborate, but my family and I cook the entire Thanksgiving meal from scratch which is so tiring but worth it, and there are just some things we need to keep simple. I blend up the oats until they’re finely ground, because the pieces of oats makes it to much like granola for me.

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Speaking of Thanksgiving prep, I love using this apple peeler/corer to easily process the apples. It’s not really necessary for 1 pie, but for multiple or if you go apple picking, it’s handy. Also, as far as timing, I bake the pie Thanksgiving morning so it has plenty of time for the filling to cool and set up. Then, I pop it back in the oven just before serving, for 10-15 minutes, to warm it again. Though, I’ll admit, last year, we got so hungry cooking all day that we each ate a slice in the afternoon, as a little pre-dinner snack.

Ingredients:

Crust:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed
3-4 tablespoons cold water
1 teaspoon cornstarch

Filling:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 pounds baking apples, peeled and cut into 1/4″ slices
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Crumb Top:
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons light brown sugar
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cubed

Directions:

For the crumb topping:

In a food processor, blend the oats, granulated and light brown sugars, until coarsely ground. Add the flour and salt. Pulse to combine. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture starts to clump together. I like to use my hands to squeeze together some bigger and smaller pebbles for textural contrast. Place in a bowl and chill in the freezer, until ready to use.

For the crust:

In a food processor, combine the flour, sugar and salt. Add the butter and pulse until the size of peas.

Add the cornstarch to the water and stir until dissolved. Drizzle the liquid into the food processor, pulsing as you go, until the dough starts to clump together. If it feels dry and crumbly, add an additional teaspoon of water until its the right moisture level. Dump the dough onto a work surface and form a disc about 6″ in diameter. The flatter it is, the easier it will be to roll out. Place in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for 2 hours. Meanwhile, prepare the filling.

For the filling:

In a large saucepan, melt the butter. Add the apple slices, light brown and granulated sugars, cinnamon and nutmeg. Cover and cook over medium heat about 5 minutes. Uncover and cook another 5-10 minutes, until the apples are just tender. Remove from heat. Make a slurry with the lemon juice and cornstarch. Add to apples, along with the salt. Transfer to a bowl and allow to cool to room temperature or place in the fridge to speed up the cooling process.

To assemble:

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper.

Remove the dough from the fridge and let thaw on the counter for 10-15 minutes or until pliable but still cold. Roll out to 1/4″ thick, about 12″ diameter. Line a 9″ standard pie dish with the dough. Trim any excess and crimp the edges.

Add the cooled apple filling and spread evenly into the dish. Add the crumb topping, covering the entire surface. Transfer to the prepared sheet pan and place in the middle of the oven.

Bake for 15 minutes. Then reduce the oven temperature to 350°F and bake another 45-50 minutes, until the apple juices start bubbling and the crumb top is golden. The edges of the pie crust may darken towards the end. In that case, remove the pie and cover the edges with a pie shield or foil, before returning to the oven to finish baking.

Let the pie cool on a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature with vanilla ice cream.

Serves 8.

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