apple crumb pie

ok fall, you win. it just dropped about 15 degrees here in dc, the leaves have changed color, and it’s dark by 6pm. even though i’m counting down the days until the fireflies return to our front porch, i’m excited about the prospect of months of warming comfort food. sweaters and soups and…PIES.

granny smiths are pretty much the reigning champ of baking apples. i usually go 100% granny smith in my recipes, but you can mix it up with whatever you can get at the market.

this is probably the best part of the whole pie process. you mix the apple slices with sugar and cinnamon in a big bowl. then, you sit around and eat a bunch of the slices and pretend like it never happened before arranging the rest in a pie crust. at the bottom of the bowl, the apple juice, along with the sugar and cinnamon, forms a delicious syrup. it’s really tempting to just drink this syrup, but if you’re feeling less gluttonous, you can just pour it over the apple slices.

ooooh, pretty.

the best part about this pie is not having to worry about a fickle top crust. the crumb topping is easy to make and crisps up perfectly. it’s like having an apple pie and an apple crisp at the same time.

it’s been fall for less than a month and i’ve already made this pie twice. and i see another one coming in the near future. you can whip one of these up in about an hour and have it ready for some vanilla ice cream. it’s a good thing.

apple crumb pie

filling
6 cups apples (i like granny smith)
1 9″ frozen pastry shell (or make your own dough)
1/2 c sugar
3/4 tsp cinnamon

crumb topping
1/3 c sugar
3/4 c flour
6 Tbsp butter, cut into chunks (chilled)

1. pare, core and slice the apples thinly. mix the 1/2 cup sugar and 3/4 tsp cinnamon and mix with apple slices. arrange the slices in the pastry shell.

2. in a separate bowl, combine the 1/3 cup sugar and 3/4 cup flour. cut in the cold butter chunks until crumbly. you can do this with a few quick pulses in a food processor or just using your hands to combine. sprinkle the topping over the apples.

3. bake the pie on a baking sheet in a preheated 400F oven for 35-40 minutes or until the topping is golden brown. remove and cool on a rack for about an hour before serving.