The Best Apple Crumb Pie Ever
1 frozen (or homemade) pie crust
Topping
1 cup flour
½ cup packed brown sugar
½ cup white sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ cup butter
Filling
8 Granny Smith apples
½ tablespoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon lemon rind (optional)
⅓ cup white sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Topping: Combine all topping ingredients using a fork until completely mixed and crumbly. Filling: Peel, core, and slice apples into thin slices (approximately ⅛ inch). Toss apple slices with sugar, lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg and flour. Layer apple slices in pie shell (it will be really full) and pour any leftover juice over the apples. Top apple slices with topping and pat it down over the apples. Place pie pan on a cookie sheet (they tend to drip over if really full, this will save your oven). Bake at 450 for 15 minutes, reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake an additional 45-55 minutes. (Poke the center of the pie to make sure the apples are soft all of the way through). Serve warm or room temperature.
TRADITIONAL APPLE PIE
1 recipe for a 9 inch double crust pie
½ cup butter
3 tablespoons flour
¼ cup water
½ cup white sugar
½ cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
6-8 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Stir in flour to form a paste. Add water, white sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Place the bottom crust in your greased 9-inch pie pan. Fill with sliced apples. Cover with a lattice work crust. (You can also use a traditional one-piece crust top, BUT make sure you have large open slits cut for the next step to work properly). Gently pour the butter and sugar mixture over the crust. Pour slowly to allow time for the mixture to drain below the top crust. With a pastry brush, brush the sugar mixture that didn't drain into the pie evenly over the crust. Bake in a 350° for about an hour, or until apple are soft and crust is golden. If you notice your crust is getting too brown, cover with foil and continue baking.
German Apple Pie
6 medium apples, peeled, cored and sliced, I used granny smith apples
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose or brown rice flour
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup heavy cream
(1) prepared pie crust
Press the pie crust into the bottom of a deep 9" pie plate. Crimp the edges (if you are feeling fancy) or simply smooth the edges until they are relatively smooth. Whisk together the dry ingredients and sprinkle over the apples in a large mixing bowl. Stir to coat all the pieces and then place the apples into the pie crust. Pour the cream over the apples and bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 55-60 minutes. Cool completely before serving. Enjoy!