Description
A rustic, crustless apple pie featuring tender spiced apples topped with a thick, crunchy, buttery streusel. This forgiving dessert offers the best of both pie and crumble without the stress of rolling dough.
Ingredients
Scale
- 6–7 medium apples (about 3 lbs / 1.4 kg), peeled, cored, and sliced ¼ inch thick (mix of Granny Smith and Honeycrisp/Fuji recommended)
- ½ cup granulated sugar (100g)
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon cold water (slurry)
- 1 cup all-purpose flour (125g)
- ½ cup packed brown sugar (100g)
- ½ cup unsalted butter, cold and cubed (113g)
- ½ cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional, 60g)
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C) with the rack in the center position. Lightly grease a 9-inch pie dish.
- In a large bowl, toss sliced apples with granulated sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and lemon juice until evenly coated.
- Add the cornstarch slurry to the apples and toss again to coat. Let the mixture sit for 10 minutes to draw out juices.
- In a separate bowl, combine flour, brown sugar, salt, and chopped nuts (if using).
- Add the cold, cubed butter to the flour mixture. Use a fork or pastry blender to cut the butter in until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with pea-sized chunks.
- Pour the apple mixture into the prepared pie dish and spread evenly.
- Sprinkle the crumb topping generously over the apples. Press down slightly to adhere, but do not pack tight.
- Bake for 45-55 minutes until the topping is golden brown and the filling is bubbling. Tent with foil if the top browns too quickly.
- Cool the pie for at least 30 minutes before slicing to allow the filling to set.
Notes
[‘Keep butter cold to ensure a crunchy crumb topping; warm butter results in a cakey texture.’, ‘Let the pie cool completely for at least 30 minutes to allow the cornstarch to set and prevent a soupy filling.’, ‘Place the pie dish on a baking sheet to catch any bubbling juices and simplify cleanup.’, ‘For gluten-free, use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend.’, ‘For dairy-free, use cold vegan butter sticks.’]
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45-55 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 320
- Sugar: 32
- Sodium: 150
- Fat: 12
- Saturated Fat: 6
- Carbohydrates: 52
- Fiber: 4
- Protein: 3
Keywords: Dutch Apple Pie, crumb topping, apple dessert, easy pie, no crust pie, fall baking, comfort food