The nooks! The crannies! I love this pie with its unique cheddar crumble topping. I make it when the weather first turns and apple trees in the area are weighed down with fruit. When I took this pie out of the oven, it looked so gorgeous and smelled so good I found myself humming, “You’re just too good to be true” in sheer anticipation of taking my first bite. Mom’s Apple Pie never disappoints.
This recipe calls for a single crust on the bottom and a streusel-style crumble made of cheddar cheese, butter, flour, sugar, and salt, on top. Every time I make it, I add a just little more cheddar as I try to figure out just how much cheddar is too much for I love getting a taste of cheddar in every bite! Right now, I’m up to 1⅓ cups or four ounces. Mom’s original recipe called for 1/2 cup of cheese.
Yield: One 9-inch deep-dish pie
Filling Ingredients:
1 pie crust (I love Trader Jo’s Pie Crust)
3 pounds apples, peeled, cored, and sliced (8 cups, or 2 pounds when cleaned)
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon lemon zest
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg or ground cloves (optional)
Topping Ingredients:
1⅓ cups cheddar cheese (4 ounces), shredded
4 tablespoons (2 ounces) butter, chipped into pieces
½ cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup granulated sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
Preheat oven to 425º. If you have a pizza stone, put it in the oven on the middle rack and let it preheat along with the oven. Starting the baking process in a very hot oven with a pizza stone helps to ensure a cooked bottom crust. Place a baking sheet on the oven rack beneath the pizza stone to capture any juices that bubble over.
Mise en place
Roll out pie crust and place in the bottom of the pie plate. Fold edges in and crimp to make it pretty. Set aside.
Peel and slice the apples with a paring knife, or try one of the modern conveniences out there for peeling and slicing. Set sliced apples aside.
Mix filling ingredients in a bowl. The apples should be at room temperature to ensure even cooking. Set aside.
Mix topping ingredients until the streusel forms small chunks. I mix the topping ingredients either in a food processor
Or in a bowl with a pastry blender or mixer. Set aside.
Put It All Together
Pour filling into the prepared, uncooked pie crust. Pack the apples down
.
Place pie on the pizza stone and set the timer for 15 minutes.
When the timer rings, spread the topping mixture evenly over the pie filling and decrease the oven temperature to 350º. Set timer for 30 more minutes.
When the timer goes off, the topping should be lightly browned. Place a piece of foil loosely tented over the top to slow down further browning of the streusel.
Cook for another 20-30 minutes. The interior of the pie isn’t done until you see the juices start to bubble over.
The pie on the left has a fine crumb. The one on the right was processed a little longer until it clumped. I like the taste and texture of the clumpier topping.
Voilà!
Finally, Waste Not, Want Not
My family and I get the apple slices; the chickens get the scraps.
Related Posts
Mrs. Walker’s Cranberry Nut Pie
Mom’s Pumpkin Pie
Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie
Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
Very Berry Clafoutis
LET’S STAY CONNECTED!
Follow my photos of vegetables growing, backyard chickens hanging out, and dinner preparations on Instagram at JudysChickens.
Never miss a post: sign up to become a follower of the Blog.
© 2014-2021 Judy Wright. All rights reserved. Photos and text may only be used with written consent.
@judyschickens 
Oh my goodness! That looks fabulous. I’m passing this on to my daughter who bakes more than I do. And hope she’ll bake one for me when I visit.
Thanks!! It is my favorite pie. After I took my first bite, I immediately thought of my mom and wished you could have been with me to eat it. We loved cooking together and gushing about food.
Can’t wait to try it. Matt loves pies.
Sent from my iPhone Sue Dougherty Mssuewrite@gmail.com
>
Thanks, Sue! I’m sure you’ve got some great apples in PA ripening on the trees now.
2 things….
1). Oh! How wonderful it must be to be one of “Judy’s chickens”.
2) There are so many varieties of apples these days- with so many varying flavors. Which ones do you prefer in this pie- or do you mix?
Libba, I used Red Delicious apples from a Mennonite farm in Cadiz this time. Most any variety would be fine, except perhaps Granny Smiths. They are too hard and tart and require more sugar and a longer cooking time, although adding just one might be good for a little texture and taste change. Otherwise, any variety will do. I often use a mix of apples and have even thrown a pear or two in there if that’s what I have to use up. Sometimes, I use freshly picked apples from the yards of friends — the kind that are organically grown and have black spots and worm holes. I spend quite a bit of time prepping them, but there is something lovely about using apples right out of someone’s backyard.
One more thing, if you are buying apples at the grocery store, find five of the biggest ones. The bigger the apples, the less peeling and coring you need to do.
This is gorgeous!!!!! xoxoxo, Mare >
Thanks, Mare!!
This looks wonderful, Judy. And the girls look awfully happy with their scraps!
Thank you! Grandmother Gloria, am I seeing some backyard chickens in your future? They’ll till up all of your garden compost …
Thanks Judy, I love the step by step, & your rec of TJ pie crust, and pictures.
What apples do you recommend? This tastes so good, it may not matter but I should have used an apple that cooks down a bit more.
Thanks
Greer
Hard apples, like Granny Smiths, take longer to soften. I might throw just one of those in for a variety of textures. Often, I use Honeycrisp or whatever people give me from their backyard trees.
This was such a great pie! Thank you for sharing- the cheese topping sent it over the top. Perfect way to use the Fuji apples we picked last weekend.
Thank you!! It’s my all-time favorite pie, next to chocolate pie 🙂 Thank you for writing toilet me know you made it. xo