Streusel Apple Pie
I chose to use a recipe with crumb topping for two reasons: my love for crumb topping and the fact that I had only one pie crust in the fridge. Usually I would just search online for a good recipe, but I remembered my vast stash of collected recipes and knew I must have saved an apple pie recipe somewhere along the way. And so I stumbled upon this recipe for Streusel Apple Pie from Carole Bloom’s The Essential Baker. Definitely a great baking anthology to browse through- and you can see most of it on this Google preview (except this recipe, of course).
Truthfully, I was a little apprehensive making this recipe. Normally, baking is baking to me, but I’ve got so accustomed to making cake all day that I got a little nervous making pie. Luckily, I made it through unscathed and the pie came out well. I loved Carole’s crumb topping- the best part in my opinion.
We scarfed this pie down with friends, so no pretty slice photos! It would be excellent with vanilla ice cream or fresh whipped cream. Or Cool Whip, because let’s be honest- somehow that stuff just satisfies. Now go pick some apples and try this pie!
from Carole Bloom’s The Essential Baker
*Note: Carole’s original recipe includes instructions for a pie crust, but I won’t include those, as I (cheated and) used a pre-made crust and I’m sure many of you have a favorite pie crust anyways. So the recipe below is abridged.
Pie Crust
1 recipe pie dough (enough for one 9-inch crust)
1 extra large egg, at room temp
2 tsp water
Press pie dough into a 9-inch pie pan. Trim edges and crimp the sides. Transfer the pie pan to a baking sheet and chill in the freezer for 15-20 minutes. This helps prevent the pie dough from shrinking as it bakes and sets the butter to ensure flakiness.
Using a fork, lightly beat egg with water in a small bowl. Using a pastry brush, brush the glaze over the inside of the pie shell. This will help prevent the shell from becoming soggy from the juice the apples release as they bake.
Apple Filling
2 lb tart apples, such as Granny Smith or Pippin (6-7 medium)
1/2 c sour cream
2 tbs all-purpose flour
1/4 c firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
Using a vegetable peeler, peel the apples. Use a sharp knife to cut the apples into quarters and remove the core. Slice the apples lengthwise into 1/2 inch thick slices. Place the sliced apples in a large bowl and toss with sour cream. Add the flour, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg to the apples and sour cream and toss together lightly to distribute evenly.
Transfer the filling to the pie shell.
Streusel Topping
1/2 c all-purpose flour
1/2 c firmly packed light brown sugar
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
5 tbs unsalted butter, chilled
Evenly sprinkle the topping over the apples in the baking pan. Place the pie pan on a baking sheet.
Bake the pie for 45-50 minutes, until the topping is light golden and the apples are tender. Remove the pan from the oven and transfer to a rack to cool.
Streusel topping on apple pie is the best! I love the crunchy texture with the soft apples…yum!
The streusel topping sounds so much better than a double crusted apple pie. This sounds like the perfect dessert… I’m sure my hubby would love it, too!
i’m always looking for new baking books. do you recommend this one?