Apple Pie with Peanut Butter Crumb Topping

I'm a bit reluctant to share this recipe. The crumb topping is a recpie we've had in our family forever. It comes from this little paperback book - I don't even know the name of it. I have a photocopy of the recipe that I've lost and found more times than I can count. I should laminate it and hang it on the wall.

Peanut butter with apple is such a classic pairing; it is one of my favorite afternoon snacks. For this pie, I used Granny Smith apples, because I love their tartness. I used the vodka pie crust from Cook's Illustrated, which turned out way wetter than I thought it would. I ended up patting the crust into the pie plate, because it was a sticky mess when I tried to roll it. Thankfully, it still tasted great.

Apple Pie with a Peanut Butter Crumb Topping
Adapted from Baking from My Home to Yours
By Dorie Greenspan


Pastry for a single-crust pie

Filling;
6 very large apples
¾ c sugar
Grated zest from 1 lemon
2 Tbs quick-cook tapioca
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
¼ tsp salt
2 Tbs graham cracker crumbs
2 Tbs cold unsalted butter, cut into bits

Crumb topping:
(source unknown)

1 c flour
½ c peanut butter, creamy or chunky
¼ c butter, softened
½ c packed light brown sugar
¼ tsp salt

Roll out pastry and fit into a 9-inch deep dish pie plate. Flute the edges. Chill the pie plate in the refrigerator until ready for use.

Position the oven rack in the center. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Peel, core, and slice the apples into ¼ inch slices. Put the apples in a large bowl and add the sugar, lemon zest, tapioca, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Toss well.

In a medium bowl combine all the crumb topping ingredients with a pastry blender until crumbly. Set aside.

Remove the pie plate from the refrigerator. Sprinkle graham cracker crumbs evenly over the bottom of the crust – this will help keep it from getting too soggy. Turn the apple mixture and the juices into the crust. Pat it into an even mound (apples will heap over the top of the crust). Dot the apples with the bits of cold butter. Sprinkle all the crumb topping over the top of the apples, forming an even layer.

Bake the pie for about an hour, until juices bubble up through the surface. Check the pie after 30 minutes. If the crust is turning brown, loosely cover the outer edge with strips of foil. Let the pie cool on a rack until just barely warm or room temperature