Mix some apples, a pie crust, sugar, flour, cinnamon, and butter, and you get a great tasting basic apple crumb pie. Just follow these easy step by step photo instructions.
Editor's Note: Originally Published May 18, 2012. Updated with expanded discussion and updated photos.
I seem to use the terms simple and easy a lot, naming my recipes, but I do mean it. I like simple and easy since I rarely do a recipe that takes a lot of time, is complex, or takes too much of my time for too little return.
When I decided to do this recipe, I wanted an everyday basic apple pie — something most people can do if they just look at the steps and love.
I'm not making the pie crust. I have made pie crusts before, and it falls in the too much time for the return category here. The premade ones are what most of use everyday cooks use.
The filling is simple and very good, and I topped with a very nice but again easy crumb topping.
My Rating:
A solid lower 5. There are better apple pies but not by much and not this simple. I see no need to add complexity to a recipe that produces this great of results.
Pro Tips: Recipe Notes for Easy Apple Crumb Pie
Inspired by southerncooking.about.com. I change up a few things and expanded the instruction details.
What Apples to use?
Some good choices are Cortland, Honeycrisp, Northern Spy, Pink Lady, Fuji, Granny Smith, or Ida Red. But I’m not very picky about my apples.
There are many good apples for cooking and a few not so good, but I believe you use what you have. Delicious Apples are probably the only common poor choice.
Pie Pan Size
Standard pie pans are 9 inches in diameter and 1-¼ inches deep. There are larger 9-½- and 10-inch pans, and I have seen bigger, but here I suggest the standard size here.
The Pie Crust
I have made pie crust and consider it a bit too much work for everyday cooking. If you want to make your own, fine, but the premade work fine for a great everyday pie.
Apple Pie Storage
Keep your apple pie covered loosely with foil or plastic wrap. You can generally keep baked apple pie at room temperature for up to two days. If refrigerated, your pie will keep 3-4 days. I do not suggest freezing pie.
Other Pie Suggestions
Or try this easy quick bread: Apple Pie Bread
Preheat oven to 375 and place a cookie sheet on the bottom rack for any overflow.
Start with one cup of AP flour in a large mixing bowl. Add ½ cup brown sugar, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, and ⅛ teaspoon salt. Mix this well. Microwave 1 stick (4oz) of butter in a bowl for 20 seconds on high. It will be partially melted. Stir with a fork and then dribble into the flour mixture.
Mix with a fork until well blended. Set aside.
Peel and slice apples. I used four good size Granny Smiths. You need 5-6 cups of apple.
Mix ½ cup granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon together then sprinkle over the apple slices. Mix well to coat.
Prepare a pie crust. Either make one or use a Pillsbury refrigerated one and crimp the edges.
Pour apple into a 9-inch uncooked pie crust.
Top with the crumb mix.
Bake on the middle rack. About 20 minutes into baking, check the pie. You may need to protect the edges of the crust, either with aluminum foil or with a fancy-dancy pie crust protector thingy.
Bake a total time of about 50 minutes until golden brown. Allow to cool completely before cutting. 3-4 hours.
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Easy Apple Crumb Pie
Ingredients
- 1 uncooked pie crust - I used Pillsbury
- 5-6 cups cooking apples - pealed and sliced
- 1 cup AP flour
- ½ cup brown sugar - packed
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 stick butter - ½ cup
- ½ cup granular sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 and place a cookie sheet on the bottom rack for any overflow.
- Start with one cup of AP flour in a large mixing bowl. Add ½ cup brown sugar, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, and ⅛ teaspoon salt. Mix this well.
- Microwave 1 stick (4oz) of butter in a bowl for 20 seconds on high. It will be partially melted. Stir with a fork and then dribble into the flour mixture. Mix with a fork until well blended. Set aside.
- Peel and slice apples. I used four good size Granny Smiths. You need 5-6 cups of apple.
- Mix ½ cup granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon together then sprinkle over the apple slices. Mix well to coat.
- Prepare a pie crust. Either make one or use a Pillsbury refrigerated one and crimp the edges.
- Pour apple into a 9-inch uncooked pie crust. Top with the crumb mix.
- Bake on the middle rack. About 20 minutes into baking, check the pie. You may need to protect the edges of the crust, either with aluminum foil or with a fancy-dancy pie crust protector thingy.
- Bake a total time of about 50 minutes until golden brown. Allow to cool completely before cutting. 3-4 hours
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips
- Some good choices for the apples are Honeycrisp, Pink Lady, Fuji, Granny Smith, and Ida Red. But most apples will be fine other than Delicious.
- Use a standard pie pan, which is a 9-inch diameter and 1-¼ inches deep.
- I use refrigerated pie crust. You can use frozen or make your own.
- Be sure to fully cool the pie before cutting. It will take 3-4 hours. Store loosely covered for up to 2 days at room temperature or 3-4 days refrigerated. I do not suggest freezing pie.
Nutrition
Anna S
Mine was good except there was a lot of water that came out of the apples and it soaked the crust. Can I add corn starch to the apples and cook them before putting the pie together to prevent this next time?
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Hi Anna,
Welcome to the blog.
More cornstarch is definitely ok.
Dan
Jill
Hi Anna-
That should be ok. Another thing is make sure you use the right type of apple. I’ve made many apple pies that came out watery before I finally found the right type of apple to prevent this. I use Granny Smith. Happy baking :)
Brenda
Just going In the oven this thanksgiving morning I also had the same problem with the topping not crumbling should have added more flour but I'll cook longer and protect the edges will update when done thanks for the quick recipe
Judy Uhl
We love apple pie! I will have to make this. Is your pie shield adjustable? So many kinds on the market!
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Hi Judy,
This is just a good basic apple pie but that is a good thing.
The pie ring is old. I aways did the foil thing and my wife dug this out of a box from her childhood.
It is adjustable a bit and I have seen similar ones at William Sonoma several yrs ago and those cheap kitchen gadget shops at outlet malls. Search for pie rings or pie shields and you should come up with something.
Enjoy your pie.
Dan
Cheryl A Beaudoin
Ok.. Thanksgiving meal was a success and so was the desert as I used part of this recipe in my desert creation. However, can someone please tell me why my flour/sugar/butter topping did not get more crunchy nor darker? It was still soft as when I put it on top for topping and didn't change? My thought is possibly because rather than making a full pie, I used more like a cupcake tin only a bit larger to make individual pies and it didn't take as long to bake. Maybe 17 minutes. Do you think that is what might have caused the crunch to not be crunch? And if so, what can I do so it is crunchy the next time I bake this. Everything else was great! so was the not so crunchy crunch part, just not crunchy. lol thank you in advance for help/suggestions..
DrDan
Hi Cheryl,
I think you have hit it on the head. This topping takes about 45-50 minutes to get golden brown and crisp. 17 minutes just won't do it. Even with the smaller size, probably 30-35 minutes at least.
I assume you used the color of the edge of the crust to determine "done". Even in the full pie version, I need to shield the edge to prevent burning since the edge is browning long before the crumb topping. You would need to use the color of the topping as the end point and you probably need to shield the crust edge from getting overdone
You could try to hit it with the broiler for a few minutes but I doubt the results would be satisfactory. It would cook uneven and although the top part of the topping might brown, the bottom of the topping would not be so the texture would be funky.
You might Google "cupcake with streusel topping" and see some variations in proven smaller size recipes that use somewhat of a similar top and see what they do.
Those are my best guesses.
Have a good holiday.
Dan
Hquinzelle
This recipe is great, I made it twice and it turned out fantastic both times.