Thursday, July 17, 2008

Apple Pie with Brown Sugar Streusel Topping


I was talking with my brother about what kind of cake he wanted for his birthday (which was a while ago now), and he came to the conclusion that he wanted pie. An apple pie. I've never made an apple pie before but of course I was up for the challenge, and a bit worried that my apple pie would not be awesome. Actually for the 2 days before I made the pie, I kept trying to lower his expectations of it so he would be happy with it no matter what. But as I smelled it baking, I broke and said okay that smells really amazing. And it was.


I didn't want to make a double crusted pie and thought that having a crumbley topping might be delicious. So I took a streusel recipe from The Essential Baker, and combined it with a crust and filling recipe from Bon Appétit. Everything was pretty easy to put together, and the pie was really good. I know I'll be using this recipe again and don't feel the need to search for a better one. I'm no expert on pie crusts, as I've only made a handful of them, but this one wasn't annoying to work with and was really tasty. The crust was kind of soft and very buttery but definitely solid enough to hold everything together.


If this sounds good, you might like:
Russian Grandmother's Apple Pie-Cake
Coconut Cream Pie
Raspberry & White Chocolate Pie
The Most Extraordinary French Lemon Cream Tart


Apple Pie with Brown Sugar Streusel Topping
Adapted from Bon Appétit October 1998 & The Essential Baker

Edit March 22, 2011: I made this pie again recently and would recommend decreasing the sugar in the apples to 1/4 cup (from 1/2 cup). I've edited the recipe to reflect that.

For Crust
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/2 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
4 tablespoons (about) ice water

For Filling
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1 3/4 pounds apples, peeled, quartered, cored, thinly sliced (5 Braeburn apples for me)
1 tbsp vanilla extract

For Streusel
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
5 tbsp (2.5 oz) unsalted butter, chilled

Make Crust:
Blend flour, sugar and salt in processor. Add butter; cut in using on/off turns until butter is cut into 1/4-inch pieces. Add 3 tablespoons water and blend until moist clumps form, adding more water by tablespoonfuls if dough is dry. Gather dough into ball. Flatten piece into disk; wrap in plastic. Chill at least 30 minutes. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Keep refrigerated. Let soften slightly at room temperature before rolling out.)

When you're ready to start putting it all together, position rack in bottom third of the oven and preheat to 375F.

Make Streusel:
Combine the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon in the work bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Cut the butter into small pieces and add to the dry ingredients. Pulse until the butter is cut into very small pieces, 30 seconds to 1 minute.

Make Filling:
Combine sugar, flour and allspice in large bowl. Mix in apples, then vanilla extract.

Put It All Together:
Roll out dough disk on floured surface to 13-inch round. Transfer to 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Spoon in apple filling, trying to make it relatively level so the streusel doesn't fall all over the place. Evenly sprinkle streusel topping over apples.

Bake pie until apples are tender and topping is light golden, about 45-50 minutes. Transfer to rack. Serve pie warm or at room temperature.

63 comments:

Amy said...

YUUUUUUUM! I LOVE apple pie but I'm too laaaaaaaazy. Come and make apple pie for me!!!!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

My brother is an apple pie fanatic and I think I will make this for him when he comes home at the end of the month. What a wonderful recipe! Thank you!

Chibog in Chief said...

oh i adore apple pie but with streusel toppings on it , i bet its million times the fun and yumminess!!

Fitness Foodie said...

Yeah I am the first to tell you how absolutely great this looks. Nice job of the photos.

Anonymous said...

I'm not even a fan of apple pie, and my mouth is watering! I can almost taste that topping. . .

Sarena Shasteen - The Non-Dairy Queen said...

Wow, that looks so good! It has been so long since I baked an apple pie. I have been craving one lately though. I'm going to give this one a try!

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

What a fun challenge for yourself, and a lovely pie in honor of your brother's birthday - looks perfect!!

Deborah said...

My favorite apple pie has a streusel top - it's the only way I like them now!

Anonymous said...

This looks delicious! Apple pie is always great, and it looks even better with that topping!

kickpleat said...

mmm, pie! looks lovely and i love a streusel topping.

LK Sisters said...

Wow the apple pie looks heavenly!

Anonymous said...

I'm a HUGE fan of apple pie, but have never tried making them, out of sheer laziness I must say. Yours look so lovely! I'm sure your brother must've loved it to bits :)

PheMom said...

Beautiful pie! I do love some brown sugar!

Anonymous said...

I'm so excited you posted this! About a month ago I was at Young Life camp (Frontier Ranch) and they served this AMAZING apple pie with a streudel topping for dessert. Unfortunately, they scurried us all out for a 'graduation ceremony' before we could even finish the pie! It was such a travesty!

The girls I was with and I still lament at not being able to savor our pie. So it looks like I'll be making one for them! YAY!

Anonymous said...

i am sooo jealous! THAT PIE IS BEAUTIFUL AND I LOVE THE TOPPING!!

Lisa said...

I really love apple pie but I haven't made a streusel topped one in years. Yours looks quite delicious. Your brother is a lucky guy!

Anonymous said...

Apple pie is my FAVORITE! Yours looks amazing! Pass a slice my way?

Katrina said...

THAT looks really good and beautiful!

grace said...

all apple pie is gorgeous to me, but dang! this is a cut above! i'm imagining a slightly melted, perfectly rounded scoop of vanilla bean ice cream right on top.
and now i've been rendered useless for the rest of the day. :)

Mama Mia said...

stop it! Youre making me drool...

giz said...

I would rather have a streusel topping on apple pie any day - it just intensifies the cinnamon - yum. I like Grace's suggestion of the ice cream - total nirvana

Sarah said...

Oh my goodness this looks amazing! Apple is my favorite kind of pie, and the streusel just makes it look even more delicious!

Simple and Divine said...

Okay, this blog is INCREDIBLE!! Would it be all right if I added you to my blogroll? I adore it! :)

(PS) I basically tried to eat my computer screen when I saw that *sigh* Apple Pie ... *Sighs, again* D.I.V.I.N.E.!

Jacqueline Meldrum said...

Oh wow, this looks like a gorgeous apple pie. It is really different from the pies I am used to. I love the topping.

Anna said...

Ohh, I'm in love with that first picture. Actually in love. And suddenly inexplicably hungry...

LisaRene said...

Hey, your a Daring Baker, baking an apple pie should be a piece of cake for you :) Excellent job, it looks fabulous! I definitely prefer the streusel topping instead of a second crust, delicious!

EvilDucky77 said...

I made your pie and blogged about it! Thanks for the recipe!
http://evilducky77.blogspot.com/2008/07/baking-zen.html

Anonymous said...

Nice job. I made my first apple pie back in June. It turned out pretty well, but I think I over-kneaded the crust. Also, I used a second crust on top, but I think I'll use your topping next time. it looks delicious.

Lisa Turner said...

Honestly, this has to be one of the most delicious apple pies I have ever seen. I want some, right now!

Anonymous said...

It'd probably be wrong to just make the streusel and eat that, right? Because I LOVE STREUSEL.

Anonymous said...

Congratulations on finding the perfect pie! And thank you for the recipe too.

CookiePie said...

What a beautiful pie! Lucky, lucky brother :)

Anonymous said...

oh.my.

those pictures are so gorgeous. you can see the detail of every little crumb! i love it. looks delicious.

jennifer
www.oyecookie.com

Cakespy said...

Wow, the crumb looks incredible. I was never "into" crumb toppings until I tried the Apple Brown Betty at Dinerbar, a now defunct NYC restaurant. I was an instant devotee, and this topping looks perfect (oh, and the rest looks just as good!).

Katie Zeller said...

I love, love, LOVE Apple Streusel Pie... and have had it in yonks!
Looks wonderful... now I'm really hungry...

test it comm said...

That apple pie looks great! I like the sound of a struesel topped apple pie.

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

I really love a streusel topping for apie!!!!!

A Scientist in the Kitchen said...

Oh my, you made me crave for apple pie right now!

Jaime said...

this is my absolute favorite type of pie in the world! i still need to blog about the recipe i have...

Anonymous said...

OK, here is the truly BIG secret for making this apple pie even better.

Cook the bottom crust first for about 20 minutes (using a weight like a sack of beans or something to hold down the crust so it does not puff up.) This you already know... right?

But, here comes the part that works so well: cook the apple filling in a sauce pan until the apples are cooked and tender. The entire filling is cooked this way.

Then, pour the filling on top of the already mostly cooked bottom crust and cook it all with crumble topping for 15 minutes or so... not long!

Now, doing this will make the bottom crust flaky and not soggy at all. The whole thing will shock you with how good the crust and crumble part of it is.

Anonymous said...

This looks delicious. I am linking this to my blog post today. Come visit and check it out. I write about meal planning, recipes, parenting and getting by with a busy house filled with teens, animals and a career. I try to mix it up with a little hilarity. This pie looks so good, I want to eat it for breakfast

Julia
www.backcounterbuffet.blogspot.com

Anonymous said...

I made this last week and it's as delicious as it looks. Due to popular demand, I'm making another one today!

Our apple tree produces slightly tart yellow/greenish apples, and they're PERFECT for this recipe. Gotta use them or lose them, so I'm using them!

Ron

Katie said...

This looks so good. And that just isn't the me wanting dinner talking.

Mama Bee Simple said...

That looks SOOOOOOOOOO delicious!!!

:D

hope to hear from you,
Monika ♥

Unknown said...

just luv the pies,can't wait to try them out,hope tey will taste as delicious.

Anonymous said...

I found your blog from Stumble - that's the only reason I'm writing - to prevent future misfortune. I too LOVED how your pie looked. So I made it last night for our tenth anniversary. I was busy with other preparations so I didn't really "analyze" your recipe - much to my unhappy surprise. Apple pies MUST have sugar mixed in with the apples or their moisture won't be drawn out. So, as I'm tooling along with my computer on the counter - I just follow your recipe (notice, you do not mention sugar in the filling). I make the pie. Dry. The top didn't get like yours because the apples didn't make their "sauce" becuase they didn't have sugar on them. The applies just cooked but didn't get apple pie-y. (sigh)

The point is - please - for the sake of others who find this recipe on stumble - add sugar to your ingredients list. Looking back I now see you put sugar in the instructions, but not in the ingredients.

Thanks.
tara

eatme_delicious said...

tara: I'm sorry the pie didn't work out for you. I just checked through the recipe and I see that the sugar IS listed in the filling ingredients (1/2 cup sugar, listed at the top) and sugar is also listed in the instructions - under make filling it says "combine SUGAR, flour... mix in apples".

Deborah Dowd said...

A scoop of vanilla ice cream and this would be perfect. Great pix that really capture how gorgeous this pie is!

Anonymous said...

I'm so glad I stumbled on your site. I used a deep dish pan and doubled everything, following the suggestion of one reviewer to cook the crust and filling separately. What a great pie! I am always looking for a way to make a better pie since I am the designated pie person for the extended family Thanksgiving get-togethers. I'll never have to look for another pie recipe. This one is perfect. Thanks.

eatme_delicious said...

Elizabeth: I'm really happy the pie worked out for you! =)

Cher said...

I'm with you on the no top crust thing. The only way I like apple pie is with the streusel topping. We always called that Dutch Apple Pie. Great job!

Anonymous said...

thanks for the recipe for the struesel! bought a pie crust from wegmans and got an apple pie filling can from there, too.. needed a top.. thanks again!

Katrina said...

Ha, I found it, and you DID like it! ;) Now looking at it makes me want to make it. Easter? Hmmm.

eatme_delicious said...

Katrina: Yes loved it! And I'm not even a big fan of apple pie. Let me know how you like it. =)

Dianna said...

I just had to clean off my puter screen cuz I slobbered all over it after looking at this delicious pie!! Can't wait to make it! Thanks for the beautiful shots - darn it, I'm drooling again!!

Anonymous said...

I made this pie for my friends and they looooved it!! it was the first pie I've ever made with a real crust (I made a graham cracker crust as my first pie) and it was sooo easy! it was truly beautiful when it came out. I've always heard people complain about how pie making is difficult, but in all honesty it's not hard at all! and it tastes amaaaazing!!!

eatme_delicious said...

Anonymous: Yaey I'm so happy your friends loved it and you had such a successful pie making experience!

Anonymous said...

OMG! This was SOOO amazing. I have never had success making apple pie before and now I have a 'go to' recipe for always. Tho I did cheat and use frozen pie crust... maybe I'll try the from scratch pie crust in the recipe next time.

Melody said...

This is one of the most gorgeous apple pies I've ever seen. I want to attempt to make it, but maybe add pears to make it an apple/pear pie. I love your posts!!!!! Thank you so much!!

obsesses with pihe!! said...

aaaaaaahhhh,................ CLOSE UP PICTURE WITH THE GORGEOUS BEAUTIOUS, CINNIMINOUS TOPPING WITH APPLE GOOEYNESS OOOOOOOOZIIINGGG OUT,DELICIOUS, D.I.V.I.N.E., AND PERFECTION..........*passes out* GASP!!

I AM USING YOUR TOPPING RECIPE DEFFFFF....

Russell said...

Made this for Thanksgiving and it turned out great. Will be making it again for our superbowl party.

Orit said...

This is what our family calls "Granny's brown sugar apple pie". It is everyone's favorite...for birthdays, Thanksgiving....Passover (made with a touch of matzo meal instead of flour) and no bottom crust. It's more like an apple crumble. But it was my grandmother's solution to her total inability to make a good pie crust...and we love it!

Sydney said...

Made this pie today for the first time. It was incredible. It got rave reviews from my family and our guests. Will definitely use it at my go-to apple pie.