Think of this crumb topped apple pie as a cross between apple pie and apple crisp. The sweet, buttery cookie-like crumble topping pairs perfectly with soft, gently spiced apple slices. Perfect for holidays and lazy Sunday afternoons.
Ingredients Needed
- All-purpose flour
- Brown sugar
- Old-fashioned oats
- Salt
- Pecans
- Butter
- Tart apples – Such and Granny Smith.
- Granulated sugar
- Cornstarch
- Water
- Vanilla extract
How to Make Crumb Topped Apple Pie
- To get started, preheat your oven to 350°F.
- Combine flour, brown sugar, oats, salt, and chopped pecans in a small mixing bowl, then add the melted butter. Pack 1 cup of the mixture into a measuring cup and set it aside. Gently press remaining mixture into a 9″ pie plate. Be sure not to pack it in there too tightly or it will be too hard and messy to slice the pie when it’s baked.
- In a small saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch, salt, water, and vanilla and bring to a boil. While mixture is heating, place 3 sliced, peeled apples in the pie crust.
- After sugar/water mixture has come to a boil, pour the hot mixture over the apples.
- Sprinkle reserved crumb topping over apple sand then place the pie plate on a baking sheet.
- Bake for 43-45 minutes. During the last 15 minutes or so, you may need to cover the pie with a sheet of aluminum foil to keep the pie from getting too brown.
- Serve warm (if you can) with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of sweetened whipped cream.
Storing and Other Tips
- Store leftover cooled pie, tightly covered, in the refrigerator and consume within 3-4 days for best results.
- An apple peeler and corer will be your best buddy here if you have one!
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this like an apple crisp?
Yes, this pie is very similar to apple crisp. The great part, though, is that the same mixture is used for both a topping and a crust!
Can I make this gluten free?
I haven’t tried personally, but feel free to experiment with gluten free flour blends. This is a recipe where, in theory, it should work just fine!
Can I make the pie ahead of time and bake it later?
Yes, feel free to assemble the pie, cover it tightly, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. If baking straight from the fridge, expect an extra 5-10 minutes of baking time.
Crumb-Topped Apple Pie
This crumb-topped apple pie is a cross between a pie and apple crisp–always a crowd pleaser!
Servings servings
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ⅔ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup oats old fashioned, uncooked
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup pecans chopped
- ¾ cup butter melted
- 4 cups tart thinly sliced apples (like Granny Smith; about 3 apples)
- ⅓ cup white sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoon cornstarch
- ⅛ teasppon salt
- ¼ cup water
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350℉.
- Combine flour, brown sugar, oats, salt, chopped pecans, and melted butter in a medium bowl. Pack 1 cup of the mixture into a measuring cup and set it aside; gently press remaining mixture into a 9″ pie plate. Be sure not to pack it in there too tightly, or it will be too hard and messy to slice the pie when it’s baked.
- In a small saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch, salt, water, and vanilla and bring to a boil. While mixture is heating, place apples in the pie crust. After sugar/water mixture has come to a boil, pour the hot mixture over the apples. Sprinkle reserved crumb topping over apples and then place the pie plate on a baking sheet.
- Bake for 43-45 minutes. During the last 15 minutes or so, you may need to cover the pie with a sheet of aluminum foil to keep the pie from getting too brown.
- Serve warm (if you can) with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of sweetened whipped cream.
Notes
- Store leftover cooled pie, tightly covered, in the refrigerator and consume within 3-4 days for best results.
- An apple peeler and corer will be your best buddy here if you have one!
Nutrition
Calories: 450kcal, Carbohydrates: 63g, Protein: 5g, Fat: 21g, Saturated Fat: 11g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 6g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 46mg, Sodium: 295mg, Potassium: 166mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 33g, Vitamin A: 568IU, Vitamin C: 3mg, Calcium: 35mg, Iron: 2mg
Calories: 450kcal
Cost: $10
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Questions & Reviews
If I wanted to swap blackberries for apples, would I need to adjust the liquid (sugar and water mixture)?
Has anyone ever tried this with peaches?
I did today…loved it…
Hey Kate, I assume by regular oats you mean the non-quick cooking. Since I want to make this today and it’s freaking snowing in March, I’m not going to the store and I only have quick cooking oats on hand. Would they work or totally ruin it?
Mary, I think you’ll be totally fine with quick cooking oats. Let us know how it turns out! 🙂
Ya, if ruined is totally awesome, where has this been all my life, delicious, it’s ruined :). Paired with the sweet cream (and I followed another commenter’s tip and added cinnamon and vanilla) and WOW! WOW WOW WOW! Y’all have ANOTHER hit on your hands!
thanks kate! i ended up making this for thanksgiving with the nuts. it turned out great and i'll be making it again next week for christmas 🙂
I think nuts are really important, mostly for the richness and crunchy texture. If you don't like pecans or walnuts, I promise, you can hardly taste them. If you're allergic, chopped whole almonds (not chopped sliced; I think they'd probably burn) or macadamias would be great, too!
can i make this without the nuts? or could i substitute almonds instead?
YUM! I just found your blog via Lollychops! I want to try everything. Thanks!!!
Kaitlyn–the trick thing with this pie when it's unbaked is the crumb topping–you're likely to lose a lot of it in transit. The only make-ahead thing I can think of is to make it a few days ahead of time and then freeze it, but I'm not sure how long to bake it once it's frozen, you know?
The good thing is that this IS a pie that holds up well–it's not like a pie with regular pastry that will start getting soggy and stale after a little while. You could definitely make it 1-2 days ahead of time and it would still be fabulous, just keep it covered tightly in the fridge.
I swear you guys read my mind! I am going to make Dutch apple pie for thanksgiving and was just going to start looking for recipes on line. I can stop my research now b/c I know your recipe will be awesome!
One question….
what portion of this recipe can I make ahead? I'd love to assemble the pie at home in the morning around 11am and then bake it at the house where we're eating at around 5pm. Would this work with this recipe?
This looks just like something I am in the mood for…I think I may just make it tomorrow or Saturday!