Cinnamon Crumble Apple Pie

I have a little tradition of making an apple pie each time my parents come to visit us in the fall. I'm not one for repeating recipes, so I've made a different apple pie each time for the past several years. (You can see all the apple pies I've made so far here). I have to say that this is my favorite one so far. The filling is not overly sweet, and I prefer this crumble topping to a double crust pie. We found that this pie tasted even better the second day, so don't worry about needing to finish it all right away. This would be the perfect addition to your Thanksgiving pies, since it's very simple to throw together. Happy Monday!

Cinnamon Crumble Apple Pie
one homemade pie crust dough, refrigerated for 30 minutes (I use this recipe)

for the filling
3 1/4 pounds Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, sliced 1/4-inch thick
2/3 cup sugar
2 Tbsp flour
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

for the topping
1 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
6 Tbsp chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 400 degrees. Roll out dough on lightly floured surface to 12-inch round. Transfer to a 9-inch-diameter pie dish. Trim overhang to 1/2-inch; turn edge under and crimp decoratively. Refrigerate while preparing filling and topping.

for the filling: Mix all ingredients in large bowl to coat apples.

for the topping: Stir together first 5 ingredients in a bowl until well combined. Cut in chilled butter cubes with a pastry cutter, cutting in until mixture resembles wet sand.

Toss filling to redistribute juices; transfer to crust, mounding in center. Pack topping over and around apples. Bake pie on baking sheet until topping is golden, about 40 minutes (cover top with foil if browning too quickly). Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. Bake until apples in center are tender when pierced and filling is bubbling thickly at edges, about 45 minutes. Cool until warm, about 1 hour. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

source: recipe barely adapted from Bon Appétit

Apple-Sour Cream Crumb Pie

Let me start off by saying this pie is not for the faint of heart. After making the pie dough, and the crumb topping, and peeling all the apples, and making the pie filling, this pie is in the oven for an hour and 45 minutes. And then it has to cool for 3-4 hours! This is definitely one of those times that you'd better read the recipe before cracking eggs and finding yourself in the middle of an all-day baking affair. I would advise you to not charge into making this pie on a weeknight, unless you plan on staying up until midnight. BUT, if you get into a fall baking mood over the weekend or if you find yourself with half a day and a hankering for apple pie, then make. this. pie. It is GOOD. I've never had an apple pie with sour cream in it, but it balanced out the sweetness of the golden delicious apples and made for a tasty filling. 

Apple-Sour Cream Crumb Pie
one recipe for pie crust dough, chilled until firm (I use this recipe)

for the crumb topping:
1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped (I used pecans instead)

for the filling:
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
pinch of salt
16 oz sour cream
2 eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten
2 tsp vanilla
6 Golden Delicious apples (about 2 1/2 pounds), peeled, cored, and sliced into 1/4-inch wedges

Roll pie dough into a 15-inch round (1/4" thick) on a lightly floured surface. Fit into a 10-inch pie plate. Trim edge, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang, and fold under, pressing onto rim of pie plate. Use your fingers to create a scalloped edge if desired. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.

Make the crumb topping: whisk together sugars, flour, cinnamon, and salt. Add butter, and combine with a fork or pastry cutter. Stir in walnuts or pecans, and press filling into large clumps with your hands; refrigerate until ready to use.

Heat oven to 450 degrees with 2 racks in lower third.

Make the filling: whisk together sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. Stir in sour cream, eggs, and vanilla until thoroughly combined. Add apples, tossing to coat. Place apple mixture in crust.

Place an empty rimmed baking sheet on lowest oven rack to catch any drips, then bake pie 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees, and bake until apples are golden brown in places, juices are bubbling, and crust is golden brown, about 45 minutes.

Remove topping from refrigerator, and crumble over hot filling. Bake until topping is browned and set, apples are tender, and bottom crust is thoroughly baked, about 50 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack, 3-4 hours.

source: recipe from Martha Stewart

P.S. An apple pie that doesn't take all day.

Apple Pie

This past weekend I made my first apple pie!  Yes, I am an American and I love to cook and I just now baked my first apple pie.  I had always been a little intimidated of the making of fruit pies.  I think it was mostly the crust that scared me, so I always made these apple pie squares instead.  But my parents were coming to town, and my dad and Caleb love apple pie.  So an apple pie it was!  And really, it was so much simpler than I anticipated.  I had made the pie dough ahead of time, so while dinner was in the oven on Friday night, I peeled and sliced all the apples and my mom rolled out the dough.  I had made homemade vanilla ice cream earlier in the week, and really - it doesn't get much better than a warm slice of apple pie with fresh vanilla ice cream.

Apple Pie

double crust pie dough (recipe below)

5-6 medium/large Granny Smith apples (about 2.5 lbs), peeled, cored, and thinly sliced

1/3 cup sugar

3 Tbsp brown sugar

1 Tbsp flour

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 Tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

On a lightly floured surface, roll out half of the pie dough into approximately a 12-inch round.  (Keep the other half of the pie dough chilled for now.)  Transfer the dough to a 9-inch pie plate.  Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for 30 minutes.

Heat the oven to 400 degrees.  Position an oven rack in the upper-middle position.  In a large mixing bowl, combine the sliced apples, sugars, flour, cinnamon, and lemon juice.  Toss well to combine.  When the bottom crust is finished chilling, pour the apple mixture and accumulated juices into the bottom pie crust and use a spatula to even the top out slightly.  Dot the surface of the apples with the pieces of cold butter.  Roll out the remaining pie dough on a floured work surface into approximately a 10-inch round.  Place over the apple mixture, and then fold the excess pie crust from the bottom pie crust over the top pie crust, and crimp to seal.

Place a baking sheet on the lower oven rack.  Place the pie on the upper rack and bake until the crust is golden brown and the juices are bubbling, 45-55 minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing and serving.

source: recipe from annies eats, originally from williams sonoma & martha stewart

Basic Pie Dough

1 1/4 cups flour

1 Tbsp sugar

1/4 tsp salt

8 Tbsp cold, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

3 Tbsp very cold water

Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.  Mix briefly to blend. Add in the butter pieces and mix on medium-low speed to cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse sand and the largest butter pieces are not much bigger than peas.  Mix in the cold water on low speed just until the dough comes together (you may not use all the water).

Shape the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.  (This dough can be frozen for up to 2 months.)  Remove from refrigerator.  Roll out the dough on a lightly floured work surface.  Use as directed in your desired pie recipe.

*Yields one 9-inch pie crust, so double the recipe for a double crust pie

source: recipe from annies eats, originally from williams sonoma