I found this recipe in the cookbook Apple Pie Perfect by Ken Haedrich. I was intrigued as most of the apple pies I have seen that have a "topping" are usually made with a mixture of brown sugar and other ingredients. You know me . . . I am always looking for some new and unusual to bake. It is a relatively simple pie to make, the only ingredient that you might need to buy (besides the apples) is the applesauce. The recipe says to use Jonagold apples which are usually available at farmer's markets in the fall (I have never seen them in any of my local stores). So I substituted Granny Smith apples. Don't think that made that big of a difference.
Initially, I wasn't going to post his pie crust recipe because I thought it was too dry and hard to manage but after baking, it turned out to be a very nice crust. I would add a tad bit more water than he recommends. On to the recipe . . .
Pie Crust (Best Butter Pie Crust Recipe by Ken Haedrich)
Ingredients
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 T sugar
1/2 t salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces (if you used salted butter, omit the salt above)
About 3 T ice cold water
Directions:
Using your food processor, add your dry ingredients (flour, sugar and salt). Pulse for a few seconds, just enough to combine all the ingredients.
Scatter the small pieces of butter all over the flour mixture. Pulse until the butter and flour are mixed and the butter is broken in to very small pieces.
Put the egg yolk in a 1 cup glass measuring cup. Add enough ice cold water to make 1/4 cup (I think you need a little bit more than that - just a tad). Blend the egg yolk and water.
Remove the lid of your food processor and pour the egg/water liquid all over your flour/butter mixture.
Pulse the machine again to mix until the pastry starts forming big lumps.
Empty the crumbs into a large bowl. Using your hands, pack the dough as you would a snowball.
Flatten the dough into a disk shape and wrap with saran wrap. Refrigerate it for an hour until firm.
Apple Pie with Gingersnap Topping
Filling Ingredients
9 cups peeled, cored and chopped Jonagold apples (I used Granny Smith)
2/3 cup white granulated sugar
1 1/2 T lemon juice
1/4 cup applesauce
2 1/2 T all purpose flour
Gingersnap Topping:
2 1/2 cups broken up storebought gingersnaps
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup white granulated sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Directions:
Take pie crust out of refrigerator and roll out to fit deep dish pie crust.
Place the pie shell in the freezer while preparing pie filling.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Combine the apples, sugar and lemon juice.
Mix the applesauce and flour.
Stir the applesauce/flour mixture into the apples.
Remove pie shell from the freezer and pour the filling into the pie shell.
Place the pie on a baking sheet. Bake the pie on the center rack of your oven for 30 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 375 and bake for an additional 10 minutes.
While the pie is baking, prepare the topping.
Put the gingersnaps, flour and sugar in a food processor and pulse to combine the ingredients.
Scatter the pieces of butter around the top of the gingersnaps mixture. Pulse until it forms coarse, buttery crumbs (they taste really good!!!).
Remove the pie from the oven. Carefully dump the topping on the pie and spread it evenly over the pie (remember this is HOT!!!).
Return to the oven for an additional 20 minutes. After 10 minutes, cover the pie with aluminum foil to prevent the top from getting too dark!
Let it cool on a rack for an hour (if you can!!).
Entire Recipe:
Pie Crust (Best Butter Pie Crust Recipe by Ken Haedrich)
Ingredients
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 T sugar
1/2 t salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces (if you used salted butter, omit the salt above)
About 3 T ice cold water
Directions:
Using your food processor, add your dry ingredients (flour, sugar and salt). Pulse for a few seconds, just enough to combine all the ingredients.
Scatter the small pieces of butter all over the flour mixture. Pulse until the butter and flour are mixed and the butter is broken in to very small pieces.
Put the egg yolk in a 1 cup glass measuring cup. Add enough ice cold water to make 1/4 cup (I think you need a little bit more than that - just a tad). Blend the egg yolk and water.
Remove the lid of your food processor and pour the egg/water liquid all over your flour/butter mixture.
Pulse the machine again to mix until the pastry starts forming big lumps.
Empty the crumbs into a large bowl. Using your hands, pack the dough as you would a snowball.
Flatten the dough into a disk shape and wrap with saran wrap. Refrigerate it for an hour until firm.
Apple Pie with Gingersnap Topping
Filling Ingredients
9 cups peeled, cored and chopped Jonagold apples (I used Granny Smith)
2/3 cup white granulated sugar
1 1/2 T lemon juice
1/4 cup applesauce
2 1/2 T all purpose flour
Gingersnap Topping:
2 1/2 cups broken up storebought gingersnaps
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup white granulated sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Directions:
Take pie crust out of refrigerator and roll out to fit deep dish pie crust.
Place the pie shell in the freezer while preparing pie filling.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Combine the apples, sugar and lemon juice.
Mix the applesauce and flour.
Stir the applesauce/flour mixture into the apples.
Remove pie shell from the freezer and pour the filling into the pie shell.
Place the pie on a baking sheet. Bake the pie on the center rack of your oven for 30 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 375 and bake for an additional 10 minutes.
While the pie is baking, prepare the topping.
Put the gingersnaps, flour and sugar in a food processor and pulse to combine the ingredients.
Scatter the pieces of butter around the top of the gingersnaps mixture. Pulse until it forms coarse, buttery crumbs (they taste really good!!!).
Remove the pie from the oven. Carefully dump the topping on the pie and spread it evenly over the pie (remember this is HOT!!!).
Return to the oven for an additional 20 minutes. After 10 minutes, cover the pie with aluminum foil to prevent the top from getting too dark!
Let it cool on a rack for an hour (if you can!!).
Verdict:
This is another recipe that I was pleasantly surprised with. I thought the pie might be too bland. Most apple pies use cinnamon and nutmeg, this one didn't. I was pretty sure the apples won't have much taste and it was relying on the crumb topping - WRONG!!! It was good!! What did my resident expert think??? He LOVED it!! Yes folks, we have a winner here. Though next time, I think I will use homemade applesauce. Storebought applesauce just doesn't cut it !!
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