Easy Apple Pie
Easy Apple Pie is the only way to go when it comes to making apple pies! Easy because we’re using store-bought pie dough (never fear…I’m gonna show you how to ramp up your store-bought pie crust game)! Easy because there is no top crust. Easy because the topping and filling only use one bowl each.
You will be blown away by the delicious cinnamon flavor, crunchy crumb topping and perfectly flaky pie crust. So will everyone that tries a slice of this fab dessert!
You might be thinking that refrigerated pie dough can’t possibly be as good as homemade. While I would usually agree, there are a few tips that will make this hard to differentiate.
- Before placing the crust in the pie pan, spray the pan with cooking spray. This gives you an extra bit of fat to help the pie release nicely from the pan.
- Adding a teaspoon of butter after you’ve sprayed the pan will help the bottom of the crust to brown up nicely and enhances the flavor.
- Chill the pie crust once it’s prepared so that it keeps its shape during the baking process.
- Preheat the oven to a high temperature (425°F) which will be lowered once the pie is put in the oven and put a sheet pan on the lowest rack while the oven is preheating. This will accomplish two things: the higher temperature at the beginning will give the crust a boost of heat to promote flakiness. Also, the sheet pan on the bottom of the oven will add to the heat and allow the crust to brown up beautifully.
- Bake the pie right on the sheet pan which will, again, give you the nice golden color and will also catch any drips as the filling gets hot and bubbly.
Crimping the dough is simple. Once the dough is pressed firmly into the prepared pan with 1/2-inch of overhand, fold the overhang in half and press it into the back of the existing overhang. You will now have 1/4-inch overhang.
With you thumb and index finger of your left hand and the index finger of your right hand, press the dough around the right index finger (pics 1 & 2 from The Cafe Sucre Farine). Go all around the dough until the crimping is completed. Store the completed pie crust in the refrigerator while you are making the crumb topping and filling.
The crumb topping is also very simple. Melt the butter in the microwave and add the flour, brown sugar and cinnamon. Using a fork, combine to form large wet crumbs. Refrigerate while making the filling.
For the filling, peel, core and thinly slice the apples. Combine the apple slices with the flour, sugar and cinnamon and toss lightly.
To assemble the pie, remove the crust from the refrigerator. Add the apple filling, mounding slightly in the center. Using your hands, sprinkle the crumb topping over the apples, breaking up any large chunks.
Place the pie in a preheated oven that has a sheet pan set on the bottom rack. Lower the heat to 375°F and bake until the top browns nicely and the filling starts to bubble. Let the pie sit for at least 45 minutes once it comes out of the oven.
The only thing left to do is slice it and place a scoop of ice cream on the top. This easy apple pie is one of my new favorites. I know it will become yours too!
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Easy Apple Pie
Makes: 10 servings
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Bake Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour & 20 minutes
Ingredients
For the Crust:
- 1 refrigerated pie crust
- cooking spray or oil
- 1 tsp soft butter
For the Crumb Topping:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup flour
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar ,tightly packed
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- pinch kosher salt
For the Apple Filling:
- 5 medium-size apples (6-7 if you’re using small apples), 6-7 cups thinly sliced
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
For the Crust:
Remove the pie crust from the refrigerator 15 minutes in advance.
Preheat the oven to 425˚F. Place a sheet pan lined with foil on the lower rack of the oven.
Spray a 9-inch pie pan lightly with cooking spray or lightly oil it. Place the butter in the pie pan and rub with a paper towel to coat the pan. Set aside.
Unroll the refrigerated pie crust on a work surface. Center the dough in a 9-inch pie pan without stretching it. Press it firmly against the sides and bottom of the pan to anchor the crust to the pan. There should about a ½-inch extra crust that extends over the top of the pan. Starting at one area of the edge, tuck the crust under (towards the pan) about ¼-inch, working your way around the pan.
You now will have a lip or rim that extends ¼-inch above the top of the pan. This will not only look really pretty once it’s crimped, but it will also keep the filling of the pie from bubbling over the edge. With your two index fingers, go around the pan pressing gently to even and straighten the lip (see the blog post for a picture tutorial on how to crimp a pie crust). Refrigerate the lined pie pan while you prepare the crumb topping and filling.
For the Crumb Topping:
Place butter in a medium-size, microwave-safe bowl. Add the butter and microwave on high power for 40-50 seconds until the butter about ¾ melted. Add the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt to the partially melted butter and stir with a fork until large, wet crumbs form. If the mixture seems too wet to form crumbs, add 1-2 tablespoons of extra flour and stir with a fork until the wet crumbs form. Refrigerate while prepping the apples.
For the Filling:
Peel, core and slice the apples. Combine the sliced apples, flour, sugar and cinnamon in a large bowl. Toss lightly until everything is well-combined.
To Finish and Bake:
Remove the pie crust from the refrigerator. Add the apple filling, mounding the apples slightly in the center. Using your hand, sprinkle the crumb topping over the apples, breaking up any really large crumbs with your fingers. Try to cover the entire top of the pie but keep the topping inside the crimped edges.
Place the pie on the preheated sheet pan on the lower rack of the oven. Immediately reduce the temperature to 375˚F. Bake for 40-45 minutes until the top is nicely browned. The apple filling should be bubbling a bit through the crumb topping. Check the pie after 35 minutes and cover with foil if it seems to be getting too brown. Allow the pie to cool for at least 45 minutes to an hour to allow the apple filling to “set”. Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a heavenly sweet treat!
Recipe by The Cafe Sucre Farine
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