Old Fashioned Apple Pie with French Crumb Topping from the Total Woman Cookbook

I prepare the apple filling and freeze. If you want to use it for baked apples, pour into greased casserole dish and bake 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes until apples are desired texture.


7 cups sliced and peeled MacIntosh / Granny Smith or good cooking apples (about 7)
½ cup packed light brown sugar
½ tsp. nutmeg
Dash of ground cloves
1 Tbs. lemon juice or 1 ½ tsp. grated lemon rind
½ tsp. cinnamon
1 Tbs. cornstarch or flour
4 vanilla wafers, crushed, or 3 Tbs. finely ground nuts (optional)
1 9-inch unbaked pastry shell

French Crumb Topping
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup brown sugar
¾ cup flour
½ cup chopped nuts (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In large bowl, combine sugar and flour or cornstarch.
2. Mix together with apples, brown sugar, spices, and lemon juice.
3. Sprinkle nuts on bottom of pie shell (This keeps crust from becoming soggy). Spoon apple mixture into pie shell.
4. Make French Crumb Topping by mixing 1/3 cup butter and 1/3 cup brown sugar together.
5. Cut in ¾ cup flour.
6. Stir in nuts.
7. Sprinkle topping over apples in pie plate.
8. Bake for 50 minutes or until topping is golden and apples are tender. 

Note: If you prefer using conventional top crust, brush unbaked top crust with egg yolk and 1 Tbs. cream mixed together. Dust with sifted powdered sugar when pie comes out of oven.