2 ½lbsGranny Smith apples, peeled, cored, cut in half inch slices
2tablespoonunsalted butter, melted
2teaspoonlemon juice
½teaspoonvanilla extract
1pie crust
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400°F. For crumb topping, mix flour, oats and brown sugar in medium bowl. Add melted butter and stir until mixture resembles coarse meal.
For filling, mix sugar, corn starch and cinnamon in large bowl. Add apples, melted butter, lemon juice and vanilla extract. Toss to coat.
Place pie crust in 9 inch pie dish. Spread filling evenly throughout. Top with crumb topping. Bake for 15 minutes and then reduce the temperature to 375°F. Cook for about 1 hour and 15 minutes or until golden brown and bubbling. You will need to cover the pie with aluminum foil halfway through to prevent it from browning too much. Let the pie rest for an hour before serving.
Notes
Use corn starch as filling thickener. It works better than flour with apples in creating the syrupy texture you want.
Use Granny Smith apples for the filling. They are the best for apple pies as the tartness complements the sugar but they also don't release a ton of moisture.
Don't overdue it with the cinnamon. A little goes a long way. Remember it is an apple pie so you want it to taste like apples.
Don't fret over pie filling rising above the dish as it will collapse as the pie cooks.
Use a pie shield or aluminum foil to make sure the crust doesn't get too dark.
Let the pie rest for at least an hour so it won't be runny and wet when you slice into it.
Finally serve with some vanilla ice cream. Vanilla ice cream and apple pie are meant to be together.