Apple Crumb Pie

This is seriously the best apple pie EVER!  I made this for Thanksgiving and everyone was loving it! I was pretty excited, especially since this was my first time making apple pie!  I spent some time planning out how I would make this pie. I couldn't find one recipe I really liked so I ended up doing my own thing, basing it off of a few recipes.

I have been making my own pie crust for a few years now but had not decided on one recipe I really liked.  I finally tried my new go to recipe from Add a Pinch. She called it the Perfect Pie Crust Recipe. I was sure hoping so because I had just tried a new pie crust recipe saying it was the perfect pie crust and it was terrible. This recipe is a little different than most. After you make the dough, instead of putting it in the fridge for a bit you roll it out first then stick it in the freezer. I hadn't done that before but it ended up overall being easier.  If you have never tried making pie crust before you should totally try this! It's crazy easy and tastes amazing. Far better than store bought!

The filling is amazing! Packed full of beautiful apple slices covered in sugar and spices. I used Granny Smith apples. I love using them when I bake because of their tartness. I know it seems obvious how to slice apples but this video is helpful!

To finish it off you top it with the incredibly tasty crumb topping! All you do is cut butter into brown sugar, flour and cinnamon. So simple but yet so tasty. Mmm!

After I baked it. I was so excited to try it. It looked amazing!

Here is my cutie Levi with all the pies. I have to admit my apple pie and chocolate pies were my favorite!

After all my hard work it was finally time to dig in! I was more than pleased with how it turned out. It was PERFECT!  I already have requests to make this again very soon. This is a keeper!

Apple Crumb Pie
Pie Crust
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup vegetable shortening
1/4 cup butter
4-5 tablespoons ice water

Butter a 9 inch pie pan and set aside.  In a large bowl, combine the flour and the salt. Cut in the shortening and butter using a pastry blender or two forks until the mixture resembles a coarse meal.  Gradually add enough ice water to the mixture while mixing with a wooden spoon until a ball of dough is formed.

Pour the dough onto a lightly floured sheet of plastic wrap and form into a disc.  Lightly flour the top of the pie dough and place another sheet of plastic wrap on top.  Rolling from the center, roll until the dough is about 1/8 inch thickness. Remove the top piece of plastic wrap, fold the dough over and lay across the pie plate and remove the bottom piece of plastic wrap.  Press the pie dough lightly into the bottom and sides of the pie plate. Flute the edges.  Cover the pie plate with a piece of plastic wrap and place in the freezer for at least 30 minutes or overnight.

Apple Filling
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
5 cups thinly sliced and peeled tart apples, about 5 medium (like Granny Smith)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  In a large bowl mix together the sugar, flour, nutmeg and cinnamon. Add the sliced apples and gently combine. Transfer into prepared pie crust.

Crumb Topping
3/4 brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
6 tablespoons butter, cold

In a medium bowl combine the brown sugar, flour and cinnamon. Cut the butter into about 1 inch pieces and add to the topping. Using a pastry blender or a fork, cut the butter into the topping until the mixture starts to hold together. Sprinkle topping across the pie.

Loosely cover pie with foil and place pie on a baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove foil and bake an additional 35 to 40 minutes, until the top is golden and the apples are tender. When pie is done, remove from oven and let cool for a few hours on a cooling rack.

*Make ahead- Instead of baking pie, you can cover it tightly with foil and freeze up to 3 months. When ready to bake, just cover the edges with foil for the first 40 minutes of baking time. Bake for about 1 hour 20 minutes to 1 hour 25 minutes.

*Pie crust from Add a Pinch, Crumb Topping adapted from An Oregon Cottage