Apple pie with crumb topping

Even a pie dud like me can make a great apple pie with this recipe. The buttery crumb topping is a double plus: more delectable than regular crust and easier to make too. I cheat and use a good store-bought crust for the shell (Trader Joe’s has a good one), and the rest is easy. Adapted from Allrecipes.

Pie ingredients

• 1 (9 inch) pie shell
• 6 cups peeled and thinly sliced apples (6-7 medium apples)
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice (optional)
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 cup raisins (optional)
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Crumb topping ingredients

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons butter

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. Place sliced apples in a large bowl. Sprinkle with lemon juice if desired. Sprinkle over apples sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, cinnamon and nutmeg. Toss until apples are evenly coated. Stir in raisins and walnuts if using. Spoon mixture into crust-lined pie pan.
3. In a small bowl mix together 1/2 cup flour and brown sugar. Using a pastry cutter, two knives or your fingers, cut butter into flour/sugar until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle over apple filling. Cover top loosely with aluminum foil.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 25 to 30 minutes, until top is golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.

Notes

• A mix of apple types is nice for flavor and texture variation. Granny Smith are classic pie apples, but I like Golden Delicious because they they have better flavor and are less tart. There are a bunch of Golden Delicious cultivars on the market (Gala, Jonagold, Pink Lady, Mutsu) which are also good options.
• Adjust sugar depending on tartness (try a sugar-coated slice). Lemon juice adds good dimension, especially if you have a single variety of apple. Apples cook down substantially during cooking, so you’ll want to start with a good high pile.
• Adjust spices as you like – this has a pronounced cinnamon flavor with a detectable nutmeg note.
• Pie may be runny if you cut into it before it has cooled completely.

Here’s a link back to the post and pictures.