Apple Pie with Oat Crumble Topping #AppleWeek

This post is sponsored by Flahavan's. As always, all opinions are my own. 

Classic apple pie gets a twist with a cinnamon-spiced oat crumb topping that adds texture and flavor. It's the perfect dessert for any fall occasion! 

You might be thinking, apple pie for AppleWeek? Why write a recipe for apple pie? You buy the pie crust, the can of filling, you've got an apple pie! Well, yeah, you could do that.

But while this pie takes a bit more effort, the results are so very worth it. Yes, I was questioning my choices as I was coring, peeling and chopping 4 pounds of apples. That's a LOT of apples.

Usually when making a pie from scratch (no canned filling involved), you core, peel and slice the apples, then dump the raw apples into the crust. When the pie is baked, the apples reach the ideal state of soft-but-not-mush before the pie crust is fully baked.

But one of my favorite chefs, J. Kenji Lopez-Alt, discovered that if you soak the apples in hot water or cider for about 10 minutes, the apples will actually cook more slowly in the pie, becoming soft but still retaining their shape once the pie crust is fully baked.

For a textural twist, this pie doesn't have a top crust. Instead, it has a slightly crunchy oat crumble topping. One of our sponsors, Flahavan's, sent me a tin of Irish steel-cut oats, as well as several packets of their instant oatmeal. I used the steel cut oats to make the crumble topping.

I tell myself that the fiber-rich Irish steel-cut oats make this pie healthy. OK, maybe not really. But it does make for a really delicious pie that's slightly different than the typical apple pie that you might make all the time.

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Apple Pie with Oat Crumb Topping

Yield: 8 servings

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Ingredients

For the pie:

• 4 lbs Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced into ¼-inch slices
• 3 quarts boiling water
• 10 tablespoon granulated sugar
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• ⅛ teaspoon cloves
• ⅛ teaspoon allspice
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 4 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 pie crust, store-bought or homemade

For the crumb topping:

• 1 cup light brown sugar
• ¾ cup all-purpose flour
• ¾ cup Flahavan's Irish Steel Cut Oats
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup unsalted butter, cold, cubed

Instructions

1. Adjust oven rack to lower middle position and place a heavy rimmed baking sheet on it. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Place apple slices in a large bowl or pot. Pour boiling water directly over top. Cover and set aside at room temperature for ten minutes. Drain apples well and let sit in a colander in the sink, tossing occasionally until completely dry, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and add 10 tablespoons sugar, cinnamon, salt, and cornstarch, and toss until apples are evenly coated. Set mixture aside.
2. Roll the pie dough into a circle roughly 12-inches in diameter. Transfer to a 9-inch pie plate. Add filling, discarding any excess juices in the bottom of the bowl. Using a pair of kitchen shears, trim the edges of the pie crust. Use a fork to press lines into the pie crust.
3. Place all of the crumb topping ingredients except butter in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a few times to combine.
4. Add the butter and pulse a few more times until the mixture resembles coarse bread crumbs.
5. Spread the oat topping in an even layer over the pie (you may not need to use all of the oat mixture).
6. Transfer the pie to sheet tray in the oven and bake until light golden brown, about 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 375°F and continue baking until deep golden brown, about 25 minutes longer. Remove from oven and allow to cool at room temperature for at least 2 hours before serving.

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Adapted from J. Kenji López-Alt

Check out more AppleWeek recipes

• Apple BBQ Meatballs over Brown Rice from Tip Garden
• Apple Butterscotch Crumb Cake from The Crumby Kitchen
• Apple Cider Donuts from 4 Sons 'R' Us
• Apple Coffee Cake from Bear & Bug Eats
• Apple & Fig Flatbread with Goat Cheese from Simple and Savory
• Apple Oatmeal Bars from Palatable Pastime
• Apple Oatmeal Breakfast Bars from Hezzi-D's Books and Cooks
• Apple Pie with Oat Crumble Crust from The Redhead Baker (recipe above)
• Baked Oatmeal with Apple Cheddar and Sausage from A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures
• Braised Pork Roast with Apples from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Caramelized Apple Hand Pies from Jolene's Recipe Journal
• Cheesy Brie and Apple Pull Apart Bread from Family Around the Table
• Crunchy Apple BBQ Pork from The Freshman Cook
• Easy Fried Apples With Cinnamon from Feeding Big
• Fresh Apple Dinner Salad from Cooking With Carlee
• Lamb Lolipops with Apple Herb Chutney from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Roasted Beet and Apple Salad from Amy's Cooking Adventures
• Skillet Pork Chops with Apples and Onions from Grumpy's Honeybunch
• Slow Cooker Baked Apples from Jonesin' for Taste
• Sweet and Sour Apple Cabbage Salad from All That's Jas