Take a bite into fall with the best apple crumb pie ever! Made with crisp fall mountain apples baked under crumbs of buttery, brown sugar, and cinnamon.
Do you know what fresh, crisp fall mountain apples bring???? APPLE CRUMB PIE.
But not just Apple Crumb Pie, THE BEST APPLE CRUMB PIE EVER!
This apple pie is like taking a bite into fall, made with deliciously crisp fall mountain apples, baked coated with brown sugar, and warm spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. This pie is crowned with a buttery, brown sugar and cinnamon crumb topping, making it an all-time favorite apple recipe.
I have made this apple crumb pie a lot, and I have always used “Golden Delicious” apples, as specified in the original recipe. Last weekend, I made this pie for the second time this season, but this time I changed the recipe up a bit by using a tart cooking apple called “Greening.” We found this variety of apples in a bin during our visit to Hartland Orchard. The sign described them as a tart cooking apple, similar to the “Granny Smith” apple. David and I both adore Granny Smith apples because of their tartness. I figured they would be perfect for the apple crumb pie.
I cannot begin to tell you the difference it made in the taste of this delicious apple crumb pie! Golden delicious apples are pretty sweet to start with. When making this apple crumb pie, you add more sugar to the apples, and in my opinion, it’s just a little too sweet. The tart Greening apples broke up some of the sweetness of the pie. The slight tartness made the taste of the apples pop instead of masking them in a sugary syrup.
It is quite amazing how the type of apple turned this apple crumb pie into the best apple crumb pie ever!
Ingredients Needed To Make This Pie
- Pie Crust: there is a lot of filling in this apple pie, so you will need a deep dish pie crust. I normally use a 15-ounce store-bought pie crust from the refrigerated section that I form into a large pie dish. Using a prepared frozen pie crust saves a lot of time. If you do, make sure it’s a deep dish.
For The Crumb Topping:
The crumb topping offers more than just texture to this pie. Warm spices give this pie such a wonderful smell and taste like heaven!
- Butter: Use unsalted butter to control the amount of sodium in the pie.
- Sugar: Light brown sugar is recommended, but use dark brown if you have that on hand instead.
- Flour: all-purpose flour helps the topping keep its composure.
- Spices: this pie has a happy medley of ground Vietnamese cinnamon, ground cloves, and freshly grated nutmeg.
- Salt: Kosher salt offsets the sweetness and rounds out the flavor of the pie. If you don’t have kosher salt, use regular table salt.
For The Apple Pie Filling:
- Apples: Tart cooking apples* work the best to offset the sugar.
- Sugar: Packed light brown sugar accentuates the sweetness and combines with the apple’s natural sugar to help thicken the filling. If you don’t have light brown sugar, use dark brown if that is what you have.
- Flour: all-purpose flour helps to thicken the apple filling.
- Spices: Vietnamese ground cinnamon, ground cloves, and freshly grated nutmeg are also added to the pie filling.
Optional Toppings
This apple crumb pie is awesome just how it comes out of the oven, but adding toppings can knock this recipe out of the park!
- Powdered Sugar
- Sweetened Whipped Cream
- Vanilla Ice cream
- Caramel Sauce – Check out this easy recipe!
How To Make The Best Apple Crumb Pie Ever
Arrange a rack in the oven’s lowest slot, preheat it to 375 degrees F, and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
Dice the butter for the crumb topping into small pieces with a knife; place the diced butter back into the refrigerator to chill until needed.
Prepare the pie crust:
Fit the pie crust into a deep 9-inch pie plate and crimp edges. Refrigerate the pie shell until you are ready to add the filling.
Prepare the Crumb Topping**:
Combine flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, cloves, and nutmeg in a medium bowl. Use a whisk to ensure there are no lumps. Add the chilled butter to the flour/spice mixture. Using your fingertips, pinch the butter into the flour/spice mixture until crumbs form. It will take a minute or two. When the mixture looks like moist beach sand, you are done combining. Refrigerate until needed.
I cannot stress enough how important it is to keep the butter for the crumb topping as cold as possible. I made this in August, on one of those upper 90-degree days. The kitchen was hot, and I rushed to get the pie in the oven before our friends arrived. I overworked the crumb topping, which looked more like sandy-coated cat turds than crumbs. Regardless of how it looked, it still tasted good.
Prepare the Apple Filling:
In a very large bowl, toss apples, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg together. Ensure all of the apple slices are coated with the sugar mixture.
My hands were the best tool for the job. The apple slices do not stick together when the brown sugar mixture is on both sides of each slice.
Assemble and Bake the Apple Crumb Pie:
Remove the prepared pie crust from the refrigerator. Spoon the filling into the crust, forming a mound towards the center. Remove the crumb topping from the refrigerator. Toss to loosen it up. Top the apple filling with the crumb topping. Place the pie on top of the foil-lined baking sheet and bake at 375 degrees F for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes, reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F. Bake for an additional 30 minutes or until the fruit is tender. If the crust edges get too brown, tent the pie with aluminum foil. This may be needed during the last 15 minutes of baking.
Serving:
Let the pie cool for at least 1 hour before slicing.
When cool, dust with powdered sugar and serve with fresh whipped cream, vanilla ice cream, or drizzle with homemade caramel sauce (optional).
Storage:
Store at room temperature for three days. Refrigerated the pie will last up to 5 days.
Tips For Making Apple Crumb Pie:
* This pie is best with a tart cooking apple. Greening, Granny Smith, Jonathan, Jonagold, Honeycrisp, or McIntosh are the types of apples that work best for making this pie, but use golden delicious if desired.
**When making the crumb mixture, it is important not to get the butter too warm by overworking it. Keep the butter chilled as much as possible, and only use your fingertips when mixing it into the sugar and spices. You can use a fork, pastry cutter, or pulse in a food processor, but I found that my fingertips are perfect for getting the job done and with less mess! You want the texture of the crumb mixture to resemble moist beach sand. Refrigerate until needed.
FAQs
For the most part, Dutch apple pie is the same as apple crumb pie. Both have a sweet streusel topping instead of a traditional pie crust.
Flour keeps the topping from getting soggy. If your crumble mixture seems too moist, add a little more flour to help balance it out.
The juices should slowly start to bubble up through the topping. The juices should look thick and syrupy. If you don’t see thick bubbles, your pie is not done. Keep baking until you see the bubbles. Another way to know it’s done is by inserting a skewer into the pie. The apples should feel tender.
So what are you waiting for? Go pick some apples and try this recipe!! You will not be sorry; it’s the best apple crumb pie ever!
Other Apple Desserts
- CARAMEL APPLE STRUDEL WITH VANILLA GLAZE
- DAVID’S APPLE CRISP
- APPLESAUCE MUFFINS WITH CINNAMON CRUMB TOPPING
The Best Apple Crumb Pie Ever
Ingredients
- 15 ounce deep dish pie crust prepared
The Crumb Topping:
- 1 ½ cups unsalted butter cut into pieces (1½ sticks)
- ¾ cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 pinch ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg fresh grated
The Filling:
- 6 tart cooking apples* peeled, cored and cut into ⅛-inch slices
- ¾ cup packed light brown sugar
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 pinch ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg freshly grated
Optional Toppings:
- Fresh whipped cream or ice cream for serving (optional)
- powdered sugar for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Arrange a rack in the lowest slot of the oven and preheat the to 375 degrees F and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
- Dice the butter for the crumb topping into small pieces with a knife; place the diced butter back into the refrigerator to chill, until needed.
Prepare the pie crust:
- Fit the pie crust into a deep 9-inch pie plate and crimp edges. Refrigerate the pie shell, until you are ready to add filling.
Prepare the Crumb Topping**:
- Combine flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, cloves and nutmeg in a medium bowl. Use a whisk to ensure there are no lumps. Add the chilled butter to the flour/spice mixture. Using your fingertips, pinch the butter into the flour/spice mixture, until a crumbs form. It will take a minute or two. When the mixture looks like moist beach sand, you are done combining. Refrigerate, until needed.
Prepare the Apple Filling:
- In a very large bowl, toss apples, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg together. Ensure all of the apple slices are coated with the sugar mixture.
Put Together the Pie:
- Remove the prepared pie crust from the refrigerator. Spoon the filling into crust, forming a mound towards the center. Remove the crumb topping from the refrigerator. Toss to loosen it up. Top the apple filling with the crumb topping. Place the pie on top of the foil-lined baking sheet and bake at 375 degrees F for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, reduce the temperature to 350 degrees F. Bake for an additional 30 minutes, or until the fruit is tender and the crust is golden brown. If the edges of the crust get too brown, tent the pie with aluminum foil. This may be needed during the last 15 minutes of baking.
- Let the pie cool for at least 1 hour, before slicing.
- When cool, dust with powdered sugar and serve with fresh whipped cream or ice cream (optional).
Notes
Nutrition
I originally shared this apple crumb pie recipe back in October 2013.
Updated on 10/7/22.
Cheryl "Cheffie Cooks" Wiser says
Yummy-and no you are not showing up in the reader! Many others are experiencing similar issues-it is very annoying to those who follow hundreds of blogs daily-yours included. My particular issue (the last 5 days) is WP posts (whether .com or rodpress.com), the photo does not appear in the reader with text. Go figure? My main site will appear in reader but without photo showing-the other 8 sites when posting does not appear at all in the reader? Go figure? So, in conclusion you are not the only blog having issues and WP will not answer as to why this is? Many of my friends are get very frustrated with this platform Debbie. xoxo Cheryl.
PS I have to manually enter web site of my friends to view postings, my time is limited as many of us are extremely busy, but I do it anyway!
The Mountain Kitchen says
Thanks for the info Cheryl. Strange! I had to go into the dashboard to receive your comment. Reader didn’t let me know. I think I may have to start using BlogLovin or some other reader to follow my favorites, but like you I do go looking and manually typing in websites. Frustrating, but glad it isn’t just me! Sounds like we are all in this together, dear friend.
Antonia says
Your apple pie looks and sounds out of this world Debbie. Your photos are beautiful and so fitting. I get so excited about apple season, and we are going to the mountains soon. I hope to load up on apples. I think this will be one of the first apple treats I make. Thank you for bringing your yummy pie to Fiesta Friday!
The Mountain Kitchen says
Thank you so much Antonia! Enjoy your trip to the mountains and this pie! Happy FF! 🙂
Sandhya says
Debbie,
I cannot stop drooling looking at your apple crumb pie! The photos are spectacular and i am pinning the recipe! Yum!
The Mountain Kitchen says
Thank you so much Sandhya. I hope you enjoy this pie as much as we do! 🙂
Angie | Fiesta Friday says
You know what?! This DOES sound like the best apple crumb pie in the world ever! ? And thanks for the cat turds tip! Now I will never forget, lol! ??
The Mountain Kitchen says
Thanks for reading it all the way to the end Angie!!! Only you and one other have mentioned the turds…lol!! Now poke out your mind’s eye and make this pie!!! 🙂
Julie says
I just love apple desserts and think they are great year around. This time of year they are doubly amazing though and this apple crumb pie looks delish!
The Mountain Kitchen says
Thanks, Julie. I agree with the year-round apple desserts. So thankful apples can be found in stores without even searching!
CakePants says
Debbie, this pie looks phenomenal, and that photo with the powdered sugar is magnificent! I’ve gone apple picking in an orchard the past few years, but would you believe I’ve never in my life made an apple pie?! I think it’s about time that changed!
The Mountain Kitchen says
Mara, say it isn’t so!! You really need to make an apple pie if you never have. I will warn you, they are addictive!! Thanks for the pie love. Have a great weekend!
Suchitra says
Your apple pie sounds delicious!! Thanks for the tip regarding the crumb. Saving the recipe!
The Mountain Kitchen says
Suchitra – I hope the tip wasn’t too graphic…lol! Enjoy this pie. It’s wonderful!
Anne says
I have what looks like a photocopied recipe but it is exactly like this one with the exception of nutmeg and the instruction to cut the apples into 1/2 dice. I have had it for years and wonder if it is the one you first published in 2013, My family loves this pie but it is a little more time consuming than you say. Getting the crumb topping to the consistency of wet beach sand has always taken me more than a few minutes. Today I gave up after 20 minutes! I make sure my butter is very cold so I don’t know what else to do. By the way, at the top of my printed recipe appear the words in quotes “Best ever!” Thought that came from my cousin, but maybe it was from the title of your recipe? But it is the Best ever!
The Mountain Kitchen says
Hi Anne, do you have a pastry cutter to help form the crumbs? It helps get things started but I always end up with my fingers. I’m glad you enjoy this pie. It’s one of our favorites too!