Apple Crumble Pie
Crisp, buttery pastry with a jammy cinnamon-scented apple filling and golden crumble topping makes this apple crumble pie the best dessert for fall.
I love apple pie. I mean, I love pie in general but nothing beats a good apple pie. And this apple crumble pie recipe might just be the best apple pie I’ve ever tasted. It’s like an apple crisp and an apple pie had a delicious baby! I love that there is plenty of apple filling but that the crust and crumble topping hold their own. Everyone I served this to raved about the buttery crust and the perfectly cooked apple filling. Serve this beauty with thick cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream for the ideal dessert (and this will be a guaranteed showstopper for Thanksgiving!)
Ingredients and Substitutions
For the pie dough:
Feel free to substitute your favorite store-bought pie crust. I prefer making my own as I love a super flaky pie crust.
- Butter. I used salted butter but unsalted butter can be substituted.
- Flour. All purpose flour or cake flour.
- Sugar.
- Salt.
For the apple filling:
- Apples. I love using Granny Smith apples for baking as their tart flavor is complemented by the sweetness of the pie. Other good options are Pink Lady, Honeycrisp, Golden delicious or Braeburn apples.
- Flour.
- Light brown sugar.
- Ground cinnamon. Other warm spices like ginger, nutmeg, cloves and all spice can also be added.
- Salt.
- Lemon juice.
For the crumble topping:
- Melted butter.
- Flour.
- Caster sugar/super fine sugar.
- Salt.
How to make apple crumble pie
Make the pie crust
- Make the pie dough by combining cold, cubed butter, flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the butter has been broken up into small pieces then with the motor running, add a tablespoon of ice water at a time until the dough just comes together. Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface, shape into a disc then wrap in plastic wrap and allow to chill in the fridge for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C.
- Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface. Transfer to a 9-inch pie dish (22cm pie pan) then dock the bottom with a fork (make small holes). Line with parchment paper and add baking weight then blind bake the pastry for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes then remove the parchment paper and baking weights.
Filling and assembly
- Make the filling by peeling the apples then slice into thin slices. Add the apple slices to a large bowl with the flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt. Toss to combine making sure the apples are coated in the flour and cinnamon. Transfer the apple mixture to the blind-baked pie crust.
- Make the crumb topping by combining the flour, sugar, melted butter and salt in a medium bowl. Stir together with a fork until the texture is crumbly. Sprinkle over the top of the apples. Place the pie in a baking sheet or sheet pan (to catch any juices that might bubble over).
- Bake the pie for 45-60 minutes until the apple filling is cooked and the crumble is golden brown – to test, insert a sharp knife into the pie. There should be no resistance from the apples. If the pie is browning too quickly, loosely tent it with foil and continue baking until ready. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before slicing and serving.
Serving Suggestions
We love this pie served simply with a scoop of vanilla ice cream but it will also be delicious served with extra thick cream or whipped Chantilly cream. Salted caramel sauce, custard or Creme Anglaise will also be fantastic and make this a true showstopper for the holidays.
Ingredients
for the pastry
- 1¼ cup (150g) flour
- ½ cup (100g) cold butter cubed
- 2 tbsp (25g) caster sugar
- 3-4 tbsp ice water
for the filling
- 6 apples
- ⅓ cup (66g) brown sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon optional
- 4 tbsp flour
- ½ tsp salt
for the crumb topping
- 1 cup flour
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup melted butter
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- To make the pastry, place the flour, butter and sugar in the bowl of a food processor then pulse until the mixture resembles rough bread crumbs.
- With the mixer running, slowly pour the water in, a spoon at a time, until the pastry comes together in a ball.
- Remove from the food processor then form into a disc on a lightly floured surface.
- Wrap in plastic wrap and allow to chill for 30 minutes in the fridge.
- Pre-heat the oven to 180°C/350°F.
- Roll the chilled pastry out on a floured surface – you want to make sure it's big enough to fit into your pie dish. Crimp the edges.
- Carefully transfer the pastry to the pie dish then dock the bottom with a fork. Add a layer of parchment paper and baking weights then blind-bake for 15 minutes.
- Remove the parchment paper and baking weights.
- To make the filling, thinly slice the apples with a sharp knife and place in a large bowl. Add the sugar, spices and lemon juice then mix well. Allow the apples to stand for 15 minutes to draw out excess moisture.
- Stir the flour into the apple filling.
- Transfer the filling to the pie crust.
- To make the crumb topping, stir together the melted butter, flour, sugar and salt until a crumbly texture then sprinkle over the apples.
- Place the pie onto a baking sheet then place in the oven and bake for 45-60 minutes until the apples are fully cooked and the crumble is golden brown. If the pie browns too quickly, loosely tent it with foil then continue baking.
- Remove the pie from the oven and allow to chill to room temperature before serving.
Nutrition
Apple Pie Recipes
FAQ
Yes, this pie is great made in advance. The dough can be made up to 3 months in advance and frozen. I also often make the crust the day before and allow it to chill in the fridge until ready to blind bake. The finished pie can be made a few hours in advance as it is best when sliced into at room temperature. Any leftovers can be kept covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Adding flour to the apple filling will allow the juices from the apples to thicken and prevent a watery pie. You also need to make sure the pie bakes for long enough to allow this process to happen and for the juices to thicken sufficiently.
By blind-baking the crust, you prevent the bottom crust from getting soggy. Placing the apple pie filling into an unbaked crust will result in a soggy, under-cooked crust.