Description
This Doable and Delicious Almond Apple Pie has built-in insurance with a trusty oil crust, an almond apple filling partially cooked on the stovetop, and a crumble topping for extra flavor and texture. This pie can be made in tiny chunks of time or in one fell swoop, but it’s best made in advance—the day before or the morning of.
Ingredients
Scale
Oil Pie Crust
- 1 1/2 c. all-purpose unbleached flour
- 1 tsp. pure cane sugar
- 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
- 1/4 c. + 2 tbsp. neutral-tasting oil (like grapeseed)
- 3 tbsp. whole milk, plus more as needed
Apple Filling
- 7 c. sliced Honeycrisp Apples, 3/16″ thick (about 10 medium apples)
- 1/4 c. all-purpose unbleached flour
- 1/4 c. pure cane sugar
- 1/4 c. brown sugar, lightly packed
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- pinch of kosher salt
- 2–4 tbsp. water
- 1 tbsp. unsalted butter
- 1 tsp. almond extract
Crumble
- 5 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
- 1/8 tsp. almond extract
- 1 c. all-purpose unbleached flour
- 1/4 c. pure cane sugar
- 1/4 c. brown sugar, lightly packed
- pinch of kosher salt
Instructions
- Make the crust. Either just before baking the pie or up to a day in advance, make the crust. Preheat oven to 375°F. In a large bowl, add the flour, sugar, and salt. Using a large fork, whisk together. Add in the oil and whisk together with the fork until mostly incorporated. Add the milk to bring everything together, using your hands to bring it into a flat ball. The dough will feel a bit like playdoh, neither crumbly or sticky. If the dough is crumbly, add a touch more milk, about 1 teaspoon at a time until it just comes together. If the dough is too wet, add a touch more flour until it just comes together. (Watch this video for guidance.)
- Between two pieces of parchment paper or wax paper, roll out the dough, first lightly wetting the counter to hold the paper in place. Rotate the paper every so often for even crust thickness. Roll until the dough is about 1″ wider than your 9″ pie tin. (See picture above.) Remove the top sheet of paper and carefully place the crust in the pie tin and center within. Now remove the top sheet carefully. Don’t worry if some tearing occurs. We’ll fix that. Press the dough into the bottom corners of the tin. Add a little water to a bowl and use to wet your finger to repair any tears or gaps in the crust. Use the back of your nail to smooth over. Trim the edges of the pie using kitchen shears or a paring knife. Using that same large fork, press the prongs into the edge of the pie to create a pattern. Place the pie tin on a baking sheet. Before baking, lightly prick the bottoms and sides of the crust to keep from puffing while baking. For added no-shrink insurance, line the pie with the leftover piece of parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake the pie for 15 minutes, removing the pie weights after 10 minutes. Meanwhile, make the filling.
- Make the filling. Peel 8-10 apples first. Then cut hunks of the apple off to remove the core. Cut the hunks into 3/16″ thick slices. Measure and toss into a large skillet. Add the flour, sugars, cinnamon, salt, and 2 tablespoons of the water. Stir to coat. Turn heat to medium-low. Cover and cook for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. If the apples stick, add an additional tablespoon of water, but do so sparingly, or lower the heat. The apples are ready when they have soften to a bend and the sauce has thickened to coat. Remove from heat and stir in the butter and almond extract. Taste, adjusting flavor if needed. Set aside.
- Make the crumble. Melt the butter. Once melted remove from heat, add in the almond extract. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, stir together the remaining crumble ingredients with a fork. Pour in the melted butter mixture and mix together with a fork until a crumble forms.
- Assemble the pie. Pour the apples into the pre-cooked pie crust spreading out to an even layer. With your hands, crumble the crumble on top. Making sure the pie tin is still on the baking sheet, place back in the oven and cook for 20-22 minutes. The crumble will golden, and you may see some slight bubbling of the apples around the edges. If the crumble is browning too quickly, cover with foil to slow browning. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely. Once cooled, lightly cover with foil and store at room temperature. This will allow the crumble to soften a bit before serving and the apples to set and continue soften. This pie is best made in advance—the day before or the morning of. To save leftovers, store in the fridge to stop the crumble from melting into the apples.
Notes
For additional guidance, read the blog post and use the pictures as guidance.
The oil pie crust recipe is lightly adapted from my friend Sarah’s grandma.
- Prep Time: 30 min.
- Cook Time: 35 min.
