Cinnamon Apple Pie with Crumb Topping

Classic apple pie is made with two buttery, flaky pie crusts sandwiching a sweet and spicy apple filling. It is delicious, but it’s not the only classic apple pie out there. I have met many people who would choose an apple pie with a crumb topping over the double-crust classic any day. Personally, I wouldn’t turn down either pie and consider them both to be worthy of the “classic” title.

This Cinnamon Apple Pie with Crumb Topping has a topping that is not unlike something you’d find on a coffee cake. It is a mixture of flour, brown sugar, butter and cinnamon that makes for a crisp and crumbly topping that tastes even better than it looks. I used a very fragrant Saigon cinnamon that gives the topping a very warm and spicy flavor. Any cinnamon will still be great in the topping, but the more pungent your spice, the more dramatic your crumble topping will be.

The apples are spiced with brown sugar, more cinnamon, as well as some allspice and a bit of nutmeg. These spices all compliment the apple well, and the cinnamon really ties the filling in with the crumb topping. You can use any pie apples for this pie, but this is one that I prefer to choose a slightly sweeter apple that works better with the crumb topping, rather than a tart apple the contrasts with it sharply. No matter how you customize the pie by altering the spices or choosing your favorite type of apples, you’ll have a delicious apple pie with a crisp, buttery and sweet topping that is just waiting to be topped off with a scoop of smooth vanilla ice cream.

Cinnamon Apple Pie with Crumb Topping
All Butter Single Pie Crust:
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
6 tbsp butter, chilled and cut into pieces
4-6 tbsp ice water

Whisk together flour, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Rub in butter with your fingertips, pressing it into the flour mixture and breaking it up, until mixture resemble very coarse sand and no pieces larger than a large pea remain. Using a fork, stir in ice water until dough almost comes together into a ball. Press dough into a ball with your hands and wrap in plastic. Chill for at least 30-60 minutes before using.

Filling:
4-5 med/lg Jonagold or other pie apples
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tbsp all purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1 tsp vanilla extract

Mix apples, sugar, flour, spices, salt and vanilla together in large mixing bowl. Let stand for at least 10 minutes.
Set aside while dough is rolled out.

Crumb Topping:
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled

In a large bowl, whisk together remaining flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. Pour melted butter over flour mixture, and stir with a rubber spatula until large, moist crumbs form.

Preheat oven to 425F.
Roll out chilled pie dough to fit a 9-inch pie plate. Press crust into plate gently. Pour apple mixture into the pie crust and gently spread into an even layer. Sprinkle crumb topping over apple slices, using your fingertips to break up and distribute the crumbs evenly.
Bake for 20 minutes at 425F. Lower oven temperature to 375F and bake for additional 35-40 minutes, until apples are tender and crust is browned. If crumb topping becomes too dark, gently tent a sheet of aluminum foil.
Allow pie to cool completely before slicing.

Serves 8.