All American Apple Pie

Submitted by CHEF GRPA

"Quick and easy, with a great non-crust topping. Try a variety of apples, mix it up."

 

• Ready In: 1hr 10mins
• Ingredients: 13
• Serves: 8

ingredients

• 1 1⁄2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1⁄2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons cold milk
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons white sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 6 fuji apples, cored and sliced
• 3⁄4 cup white sugar
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3⁄4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1⁄2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1⁄2 cup white sugar
• 1⁄2 cup butter

directions

1. 1. Preheat oven to 350*F.
2. 2. To Make Crust: In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups flour, oil, milk, 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar and salt until evenly blended. Pat mixture into a 9 inch pie pan, spreading the dough evenly over the bottom and up sides. Crimp edges of the dough around the perimeter.
3. 3. To Make Filling: Mix together 3/4 cup sugar, 3 tablespoons flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Sprinkle over apples and toss to coat. Spread evenly in unbaked pie shell.
4. 4. To Make Topping: Using a pastry cutter, mix together 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 cup sugar and butter until evenly distributed and crumbly in texture. Sprinkle over apples.
5. 5. Put pie in the oven on a cookie sheet to catch the juices that may spill over. Bake 45 minutes.
6. My Note: You can and I took a shortcut and used a frozen pie crust. But, it was so easy. I did this recipe becasue I was out of brown sugar and did a search to see if there was such an apple pie using only white- and here it is! I did take one reviewer's advice and added 1 TB lemon juice and 2 TB cornstarch - then as advised, put it all in a saucepan to ensure the apples cook better. After about 20 on 'low' (and stirring frequently!), I poured it into my premade crust. Then, for the topping, I didn't have a pastry cutter, so I used a fork. And, I'm a sweet tooth, so I doubled the amounts for the crumb crust. I added cinnamon and a little sugar now and then as I was mashing with my fork. I loaded the pie with these crumbles. After about 40 min, I took it out (remember, I already cooked my apples earlier), and it was golden brown and crunchy on top and my crust was not overdone or dry since I didn't have to bake as long.
7. Sometime I made a few slight adjustments, however, that made the pie even better. Use just under the amounts shown for oil and salt for the crust. Add 1 TBS of lemon juice and 2 TBS cornstarch to the filling mixture and cook in a saucepan until tender, then put in the unbaked pie crust. Use 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup sugar, and a few dashes of cinnamon, along with the other ingredients, to make the topping. You can also add some rolled oats and chopped pecans to the topping mixture for added variety. Enjoy!
8. (Some previous submitters had recommended cutting sugar or butter). If you're extremely health conscious, I guess you could, but it's absolutely delicious as is. Also, those complaining that it was doughy only had to bake it longer. If you tap lightly on the crumb topping, and it leaves an indent, then it still needs to bake some.
9. I have used small gala apples (6 were just enough) and sliced them pretty thin (about 3 cm. thick) - they were perfect for this pie. I took another reviewer's advice ("1 TB lemon juice and 2 TB cornstarch - then put it all in a saucepan to ensure the apples cook better. After about 20 on 'low' (and stirring frequently!)") and I added more flour and sugar to the crumbly topping which made it firmer, but just as buttery and delicious. The topping still wasn't "firm" when putting it on the pie (it "plops" on) but it bakes to perfection. I also added a few shakes of ground cloves to the apple mixture, as well as dashes of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves to the top of the crumble before baking and it gave it a nice aroma and look to the top crumble crust. The bottom crust is TO DIE FOR. Take the time to make the crust yourself - it totally makes the pie.
10. Or you can, add more cinnamon and about 2 tablespoons of brown sugar. Also used a 9-inch store bought pie crust. 3 granny smith and 1 golden delicious apple chopped into small chunks were a plenty. For the topping, I pulsated the ingredients in a food processor. It came out almost like a sugar cookie dough. Then, rather than sprinkling it, I dropped gobs on top of the pie and pressed it all together with my fingers, forming a top "crust." I wrapped the edges with aluminum foil to prevent burning, and the end result was a gooey, caramel-like center with a crispy, flaky, sweet crust on top.
11. For those of you having trouble with the topping, keep in mind that the butter/margarine needs to be cold (out of the fridge, not at room temperature) in order to make crumbs.