Happy 4th of July!! Nothing says America like baseball and apple pie! Ironically enough I made this pie last night while watching the A’s game on tv and timing it perfectly for Scott to get home so this pie would be nice and warm. 

My obsession with apple pie started over 10 years ago when an ex boyfriend’s mom (Beth I’m talking about you!) had made it for Thanksgiving and I just had to have it every year after! After we broke up I contemplated calling her and just asking her to make it for me because I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I didn’t though, and I attempted to make it on my own at the ripe age of 23, just starting to get into intermediate cooking and baking. This apple pie recipe has evolved so much since then and it is now the double crumb topping apple pie you see here today! The pie evolved from a standard pie, to one with a lattice crust, to a crumb topping, to a double crumb topping that almost melds pie with cobbler and heaven all in one bite!

So every year my grandma takes care of all the food and dessert for both holidays. One year I wanted to lighten her load and brought this apple pie. I made it a family affair by having my nephew and my dad help peel the apples while I got the filling and the crust ready. After I fill the pie, my dad sits at the table and eats whatever apple filling wouldn’t fit into the pie. My grandpa had griped about not liking apple pie and politely tried a slice and fell in love. Every year after that I would make two pies, one for the family and one just for my grandpa!

Now I converted Scott’s dad into an apple pie lover as well! He had warned me before trying mine saying he only like berry cobblers and never really liked apple pies and then he tried mine and it was over! I think I won him over with the double crumb top and the hearty scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Hopefully this recipe will reach you and your family and convert those apple pie naysayers! After all it’s the American thing to do!

Here’s what you’ll need:

1 package of frozen deep dish pie crust the one that has 2 pies to a pack

3-4 large red apples, about 3 cups (I use Roma if they have it but most groceries stores don’t carry that so I’ll use red delicious as an alternative)

1  24oz jar of original applesauce

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 tablespoon all purpose flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces

Double crumb topping:

6 tablespoons flour

2 tablespoons sugar

6 tablespoons butter, not completely softened but slightly hard

Pinch of salt

A quart of your favorite brand of vanilla bean ice cream (if you’re in Texas you better be using Blue Bell!)

Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

If you are using frozen pie crust, now is the time to remove it from the freezer to defrost. We are going to want one crust to make our lattice for the top crust. You’ll want it defrosted so it is soft and pliable enough to roll out without crumbling.

Pour the apple sauce into a large bowl ahead of time. If you don’t have helpers while making this, this is a good trick to keep those apples from browning while you peel them.

Peel and core one apple at a time to prevent from oxidizing. Chop into 1/2 inch chunks. Place them in the apple sauce and toss to coat. Continue and repeat with the remaining apples.

In a small bowl whisk together sugar, flour, cinnamon and salt. Add these dry ingredients to the sauce mixture and mix to evenly incorporate. Set aside.

In another small bowl prepare the double crumb topping. Mix together flour, sugar, and salt. Slice the butter into small pieces and cut into flour mixture with a fork. I like to use my hands instead and really get in there. Mix together until it forms a crumble. Set aside.

Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. This will help with clean up after. The pie filling sometimes bubbles over. Fill one pie crust with apple filling and place on baking sheet. Set aside. It’s ok if you have left over filling. Give it to your dad or the kids to nibble on or refrigerate for a snack later.

Take the 2nd pie crust and form it into a ball in your hands pressing together all the little pieces to form one piece of dough. Now work the dough from a ball into a wall 3-4 inch disk. Lightly flour a large surface placing the dough in the center. Begin to roll out dough, starting from the center and working your way outward. While you are rolling, I like to rotate my dough on the surface to make sure it isn’t sticking to the counter. You are going to want to roll it out large enough to flip the empty pie tin over it and you see the dough stick out over the edges. Once that is done slice the dough into 1/2 inch strips.

Now let’s start making the lattice top. I know what your thinking, why make the lattice top if you are covering it with the crumb topping? This is because you still see the edges and also it allows the crumb top to settle in those holes and directly ontop of the pie filling.

Start by taking the longest piece in the center and placing it vertically on the center of the pie. Now take every other strip and place those vertically on the pie spacing them out until you reach both edges. Now take the next longest strip and begin to weave it under the pieces creating a basket weave or a lattice. Continue until all the pieces are gone. Trim the edges and using a fork or your hands crimp the edges of the pie securing the top crust.

Take the butter that was cut into small pieces and place them all over the top of the pie.

Place the double crumb topping all over the top of the lattice crust.

Bake in oven for 10 minutes on 425 degrees. After that you are going to want to lower the temperature to 350 degrees and bake for 45 minutes. If you notice the edges of your pie starting to brown quicker than the the top, take the pie out of the oven and cover just the edges with aluminum foil and then continue baking in the oven.

Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes before serving. Top each slice with your favorite brand of vanilla bean ice cream.

Refrigerate leftovers. I like to reheat each slice in the microwave for about a minute or less before eating so it melts the ice cream.

The first slice is always the hardest to cut out and pretty much turns that slice into a cobbler but that’s okay! Even better!

When I’m making a huge meal for the family, I like to make the filling the night before and store it in the refrigerator. The morning or afternoon of the big feast, I’ll make the crumble and lattice crust and assemble everything just before we eat and I’ll pop the pie in the oven while everyone is sitting at the table enjoying the feast. This will be timed perfectly when everyone is done eating the pie is nice and warm for serving dessert.
Masarap!!

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