Apple Pie Crumble
All the delicious comfort food flavor of apple pie, without the hassle! This Apple Pie Crumble is a staple for your fall baking.
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Apple Pie Crumble Recipe
This easy recipe combines the best of an apple crisp with the best of a traditional apple pie for a delightfully cozy dessert. I make this almost every year now - it's just the perfect fall dessert, especially since there's an abundance of delicious apples around!
Easy crisp desserts are a specialty of mine. From my summery peach crisp and mixed berry crisp to a lovely raspberry crisp, there's always a reason to make these sweet treats with the most buttery streusel topping.
This apple pie crisp is essentially the pie version of those fun desserts! Some people actually call this a homemade dutch apple pie. The main difference than your classic apple pie is a crumble topping instead of the usual lattice topping made from pie dough.
The end result is this beautiful, warming dessert that has the most incredible flavor. Serve it up with a scoop of cold vanilla ice cream and you've got yourself a knock-out dessert!
Why You'll Love this Recipe
Cozy, classic recipes like this apple pie crumble are the perfect dessert for any occasion:
- This easy apple crumble pie only takes 35 minutes to make. Then you can let it rest for an hour while you eat dinner!
- You can actually make this pie ahead of time and then freeze it to bake later! Save some prep time during the holidays by getting this dessert ready early.
- Apple pie crumble is actually really easy to make! If you typically have trouble with pies, then give this recipe a shot.
Ingredients
These are all the ingredients you need for the apple pie filling and streusel topping. This apple crumble pie recipe is the best part of fall baking:
Apple Pie Ingredients
- pie crust, homemade or store bought (my favorite is my vodka pie crust)
- granny smith apples
- granulated sugar
- cornstarch
- lemon juice
- cinnamon
- vanilla extract
Crumble Topping Ingredients
- flour
- brown sugar
- cinnamon
- melted butter
Substitutions and Variations
You can also add oats or nuts to the crumble topping for added texture. You can also make an oat crumble by adding a few tablespoons of rolled oats to this topping.
I personally love the tart flavor of Granny Smith apples in this recipe, but you can use different apples if you want. Honeycrisp apples, Fuji apples and pink lady apples are all great options. They are the sweet variety instead of tart apples, so you may need to adjust the amount of sugar in your filling.
Both homemade pie crust and store-bought pie crust will work for this recipe.
How to Make Apple Pie Crumble
Either use your favorite homemade pie crust recipe to prep the pie shell, or grab a store-bought pie shell. Then you can start making the spiced apple filling and mix together the streusel ingredients:
Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and roll out the pie crust and place it into a 9-inch pie dish, then set it aside.
In a large bowl, combine the sliced Granny Smith apples, granulated sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, cinnamon, and vanilla extract. Mix until the apples are evenly coated and then allow them to sit for 10 minutes.
In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Then stir in the melted butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Add the apple mixture into the prepared pie crust, leaving the juices in the bowl. Sprinkle the crumble evenly over the apple filling.
Bake the pie for 35 minutes, or until the apples are tender and the buttery crumble is golden brown. Let it cool for at least 1 hour before serving.
Serve a warm slice with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of homemade whipped cream.
How to Store Leftover Apple Pie Crumble
Store leftover pie at room temperature for up to 2 days, or store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. To reheat, warm it in a 350°F oven for 10-15 minutes.
This classic apple pie can also be frozen! Freeze it either before or after. To freeze before baking, assemble the pie shell and freeze. Bake straight from frozen, adding 10-15 minutes to the baking time. If you freeze after baking, then just let the pie cool completely before wrapping and freezing.
Tips for Success
These few simple tips will help you make the best apple pie every time:
- For even baking, try to slice your apples to a consistent thickness. Thin apple slices ensure that they cook evenly and soften to the right texture without becoming mushy. Mushy apples will create a soggy bottom on your pie, and we don't want that!
- It's important to allow the pie to cool for at least 1 hour before serving. It gives the filling time to set, so that it won't be too runny when you slice into it.
- If your apples are very tart, you can increase the sugar slightly. Alternatively, for a less sweet pie, reduce the sugar by 1-2 tablespoons.
FAQ
If you don't end up with a crispy crumble topping, you may not have used enough flour or sugar. Make sure you use the correct proportions of melted butter to sugar and flour so that the topping crisps up perfectly.
A classic apple pie is most often topped with pie dough in a sheet or a lattice pattern. Apple crumble is topped with a streusel topping made from butter, flour, sugar and sometimes oats. This apple pie crumble is the typically base of an apple pie and the topping from an apple crumble!
More Apple Recipes
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Apple Pie Crumble
Equipment
Ingredients
Apple Pie Ingredients
- 1 pie crust homemade or store bought
- 5 granny smith apples peeled, cored and sliced
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Crumble Ingredients
- ½ cup flour
- ⅓ cup packed brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 3 tablespoons butter melted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Roll out the pie crust and place it into a 9-inch pie dish, then set it aside.
- In a large bowl, combine the sliced Granny Smith apples, granulated sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, cinnamon, and vanilla extract. Mix until the apples are evenly coated. Allow to sit for 10 minutes.
- In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Stir in the melted butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
- Add the apple mixture into the prepared pie crust, leaving the juices in the bowl. Sprinkle the crumble evenly over the apple filling.
- Bake the pie for 35 minutes, or until the apples are tender and the crumble is golden brown. Let it cool for at least 1 hour before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
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