How to make Apple Crumble Pie? (Vegan, Richly Spiced)

• Food: Apple Crumble Pie
• Writer: Lizzie Green
• Content-Type: Food Blog

Shhh! The delicious apple filling and thick, cinnamon-spiced crumble topping hide the fact that this apple crumbles pie is vegan.

This recipe for apple crumble pie was the first pie Jack and I baked together. Despite spending several Thanksgiving in Austin together, we never prepared pie.

We’d either stay home and skip it, opting instead for a basic crumble or crisp, or we’d go to a Friendsgiving, where the pie would be provided by someone else that year.

We finally decided to take up the task this year! Because I have a “soft spot for soft apples,” as Jack puts it, we decided on apple pie.

It was also selected because I can’t get enough baked fruit with a crumb topping (see here, here, and here). We were cooking a recipe for apple crumble pie.

I’m not going to lie: preparing this apple crumble pie has its ups and downs.

But, in the end, it was enjoyable. Jack made the crust, and I made the filling, and it was fantastic to watch both of our efforts come together to form a homemade apple crumble pie. And, of course, how could I forget? It turned out to be delicious.

Components of an Apple Crumble Pie Recipe

First and foremost, the crust! A good pie crust, as we all know, is the foundation of a good pie. We attempted a couple of different variants of this recipe while testing it.

We noticed that a crust made with coconut oil was flakier than one made with butter, making this recipe vegan. We used half whole-wheat pastry flour and half all-purpose flour to make the crust more nutritious.

Don’t be intimidated by this pie crust recipe; it’s simple to create. Pie dough is just dough at the end of the day. If (when) a hole or a thin spot appears in the crust, simply tear out the dough from another part of the crust and patch it up.

If it’s not completely centered in the pie plate when you put it in, just slide it. If (when) a crack appears, simply press the dough together. Thinking about things in this way relieved a lot of my stress.

Put the crust in the fridge once you’ve made it and while you’re making…

The crumble topping is fantastic! This oat-y topping, like the crust, is vegan, and it’s created with oats, whole wheat pastry flour, brown sugar, and coconut oil.

It has a warm, comforting flavor because of spices including cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cardamom. In a food processor, combine all of the ingredients, and then…

Fill the shells with the filling. Because I wanted this apple crumble pie recipe to focus on the apples, I kept the filling simple. I combine a handful of finely sliced apples, vanilla extract, and maple syrup in this recipe.

The cornstarch keeps the filling from becoming too liquid, and a little lemon juice balances out the sweetness.

Bake the pie after assembling the dough, filling, and crumb topping.

Tips for Making Apple Crumble Pie

• Choose apples that are suitable for baking. You’re looking for ones with a sweet-tart flavor and a firm texture that will keep their shape when baked. My favorite apples are Gala, Honeycrisp, and Granny Smith.
• Thinly slice the apples. The slices will fit together better in this manner, resulting in more apples in each pie piece. They also bake evenly. The apple slices will not cook at the same rate as the crust and crumb topping if they are too thick.
• Make sure your dough is chilled. Sure, pie crust isn’t frightening, but it does require chilling. The chilling period is crucial for achieving a flaky, easy-to-work-with crust. Two 30-minute cooling periods are required in this recipe. Don’t shave them off!
• Make it more interesting. Although I don’t ask for cinnamon in the filling, it’s not impossible to add it. Pinches of ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and/or cardamom, for example, would be excellent.
• Allow it to cool before cutting it. It’s hard not to cut into the hot, aromatic pie as soon as it comes out of the oven, believe me. However, if you wait an hour, the wait will be well worth it. The apple filling will become more cohesive and less liquid while the pie sets and the sweet, spiced flavor will only become better.

Slices of this apple crumble pie are best served with scoops of vanilla ice cream or coconut whipped cream. Thanksgiving is almost around the corner!

Apple Crumble Pie

This delectable apple crumbles pie is vegan, making it a fantastic dietary-restriction-friendly option to bring to get-togethers. The apples blend well with the spiced brown sugar topping, giving this pie traditional fall flavors.

Ingredients

For the crust:

• ¾ cup whole-wheat pastry flour (3.25 ounces)
• ¾ cup all-purpose flour (3.25 ounces), plus more for rolling
• 1 tablespoon cane sugar
• ½ teaspoon sea salt
• ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon coconut oil, solid, but still scoopable*
• 3 to 5 tablespoons of ice water

For the crumble topping:

• ¾ cup whole-wheat pastry flour
• ⅓ cup whole rolled oats
• ⅓ cup brown sugar
• ¼ teaspoon sea salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg, cardamom, or ground ginger
• ⅓ cup firm coconut oil

For the filling:

• 3 pounds (8 medium) Granny Smith or Gala apples, peeled & thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch

Instructions

To make the crust:

1. Whisk together the flours, sugar, and salt in a medium mixing basin. Half of the flour mixture should be placed in a food processor, and the coconut oil should be added in large separate tablespoonfuls, around 8. Pulse for 12 to 16 pulses until the mixture begins to crumble, then add the remaining flour and pulse for 8 more pulses until the mixture resembles coarse sand.
2. Return the crumbly dough to the original mixing bowl. 1 tablespoon at a time, add the ice water and fold and form the dough with a rubber spatula until it sticks together in a cohesive ball. Knead the dough a few times to bring it together into a smooth ball, but don’t overwork it. Form the dough into a 112-inch thick disk, wrap it in plastic wrap, and place it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
3. Place the cold dough on a lightly floured surface or parchment paper that has been floured. Roll out the dough into a 7-inch circle, then flip it over and coat it with flour before repositioning it. Continue rolling until you have a 12-inch circle. Allow the dough to rest for 10 minutes at room temperature if it is too hard. Add more flour if it’s too sticky. Patch any cracks in the dough and continue rolling. Transfer the dough to a 9-inch pie pan with care.
4. Trim the overhanging to approximately a 12-inch length, then tuck it in and crimp the edges with your fingers.
   Cover the pie crust lightly with plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes while you prepare the crumble topping and filling.

To make the crumble topping

1. Add the flour, oats, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, and spice to a food processor and pulse until incorporated. Pulse in the coconut oil until it crumbles. If the mixture is too dry, add 1 tablespoon of cold water at a time until larger crumbles form. Remove from the equation.

For the filling

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Combine the apples, lemon juice, vanilla, maple syrup, and cornstarch in a large mixing basin and toss well to coat. (If desired, a few additional pinches of cinnamon could be added.)
3. Fill the pie crust halfway with the apple mixture and evenly sprinkle the crumble topping on top. Bake for 30 minutes, then cover with foil and rotate the pan in the oven for another 30 minutes. Bake for another 15 to 20 minutes, or until the apples are soft and the crust has turned golden brown.
4. Allow cooling at room temperature for 1 hour before serving. Serve with vanilla ice cream scoops.

Notes

• If your coconut oil is melted, pop it in the fridge and wait for it to firm up (usually 10 to 15 minutes).