Cinnamon Dutch Apple Pie

Mmm, apple pie. What a classic! I feel like summer isn't summer until I've had an apple pie.

Apple pie is a recipe I've made many times, and therefore I've tried very hard to perfect it. Judging by the rate at which the pie tends to be devoured, I think it's pretty darn good!

My inspiration was a local chain in the Texas A&M area, called Must Be Heaven. They're a great lunch place that serves a lot of soups and sandwiches, but the highlight of every trip to Must Be Heaven is the pastries! They make fresh quiche, cookies, muffins, and plenty of cake.

My favorite, though, is their pies. They have buttermilk, lemon, coconut, peach, and all of the classics. Their Dutch Apple pie, though, really rocks my socks off. It has a thick crisp topping, and the apples are soft and gooey and cinnamon-y. This pie comes close to capturing the greatness.

I called mine a Cinnamon Dutch Apple Pie because there's a lot of cinnamon in it. It's in the crisp and the apple mixture, and the crust is a cinnamon walnut crust. Divine!

Quick note - make sure you let your pie "rest" for half an hour after you take it out of the oven. This will help all of the baking liquid sort of gel so that your slices of pie stay together! Trust me, if you slice into it too early you'll end up with apple soup. Don't make my mistakes. :)

I will warn you! This pie is a labor of love. It takes quite a bit of preparation, since everything's from scratch. However, it's totally worth it! If you're short on time the day of, you can refrigerate the crisp and the pie crust overnight and make them the day before.

Pro tip on pie crust - don't use any more water than you have to! If the pie crust seems a little dry, try kneading it with your hands before adding water - that will often make the dough combine. Wet pie crusts will fall apart in the oven.

If you want to make it the day of, here's what I recommend! Start on the pie crust first. During the first refrigeration, make the crisp topping and refrigerate that. Roll out your crust, then chill your pie pan and then preheat your oven and prep your apples! By the time you have the apple mixture ready, the rest of your pie will be ready to assemble.

Cinnamon Dutch Apple Pie

Makes 1 pie

Ingredients
For the crust

• 1 1/2 c. flour
• 1/3 c. walnuts
• 2 T. sugar
• 1 t. cinnamon
• 1/2 t. salt
• 1 stick butter, chilled
• 2 T. vegetable shortening, chilled
• 2 T. ice water (more may be needed)

For the pie filling

• 3 granny smith apples
• 2 golden delicious apples
• 2 T. lemon juice
• 2 T. flour
• 1/4 c. sugar
• 1/2 t. cinnamon
• pinch of nutmeg
• pinch of salt

For the crumble topping

• 1 c. flour
• 3/4 c. oats
• 1 1/4 c. light brown sugar
• 1/2 t. cinnamon
• pinch of nutmeg
• pinch of salt
• 3/4 c. (1 and a half sticks) butter, melted

Before you start:Chop your walnuts and toast in a 300-degree oven for a few minutes or until golden and fragrant. Cut your chilled butter and shortening into cubes. Peel and core your apples. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

Recipe

For the crust:
Put flour, salt, sugar, cinnamon, and walnuts in a food processor until the nuts are coarsely ground.
Add chilled butter and vegetable shortening. Turn your food processor rapidly on and off to combine the butter until coarse crumbs form. If your food processor is too small, transfer to a mixing bowl and cut butter in manually with 2 knives or a pastry cutter.
Add water and stir until moist clumps form. Form into a ball, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Remove dough from fridge and roll out to roughly 12" around. Use flour to keep dough from sticking. Press dough into 9" greased pie dish, crimp edges and refrigerate for another 30 minutes.

For the crumble topping:
Combine flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a bowl.
Add melted butter and stir until well-mixed. Refrigerate until needed.


For the pie:
Dice the apples into small pieces. Toss the apples with the other ingredients (lemon juice, flour, sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg).
Remove pie crust from fridge and pour in the apple mixture. Press down so that the apples are tightly packed - they will be piled high!
Remove crumble from fridge and break up with a spoon. Spread it evenly over the apples, and press it down tightly.
Bake the pie for 60-75 minutes, or until the crust and crumble are golden brown and the apples are soft and bubbly.
Remove from oven and allow to cool for 30 minutes before serving.

Thanks for reading and happy cooking!