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Easy Brown Butter Apple Crumble Pie (Kid-Approved)

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This forgiving, fast, and honest apple crumble pie features nutty brown butter and a crunchy oat topping. It’s perfect for family dinners and is kid-approved.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick / 113g) unsalted butter (for browning)
  • 6 cups (about 2.5 lbs or 1.1 kg) peeled and sliced apples (mix of Granny Smith and Honeycrisp)
  • 1/3 cup (67g) granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup (50g) packed light brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup (120g) all-purpose flour (for crumble)
  • 1/2 cup (100g) packed light brown sugar (for crumble)
  • 1/2 cup (42g) old-fashioned rolled oats
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (for crumble)
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup (1 stick / 113g) cold unsalted butter, cubed (for crumble)
  • 1 single 9-inch pie crust (store-bought or homemade)

Instructions

  1. Brown the butter: Place 1/2 cup unsalted butter in a light-colored skillet over medium heat. Swirl occasionally as it melts. It will foam, then subside, and golden-brown specks will form. Remove from heat after 5-7 minutes when it smells nutty and toasty. Pour into a heatproof bowl.
  2. Prep the apples: Peel, core, and slice apples into 1/4-inch thick slices. Toss with granulated sugar, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice, and vanilla extract. Let sit for 10 minutes.
  3. Make the crumble topping: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, brown sugar, oats, cinnamon, and salt. Add cold cubed butter. Use a pastry cutter, forks, or fingertips to work butter into dry ingredients until mixture resembles coarse sand with some pea-sized butter lumps. Refrigerate while assembling pie.
  4. Assemble the pie: Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Roll out pie crust and fit into a 9-inch pie dish, crimping edges. Pour apple filling into crust. Drizzle browned butter over apples. Sprinkle crumble topping evenly over apples, pressing down gently.
  5. Bake: Place pie on a baking sheet. Bake for 45-55 minutes until filling is bubbly and crumble is deep golden brown. If topping browns too fast, tent loosely with foil for last 15 minutes.
  6. Cool: Let pie cool on a wire rack for at least 2 hours before slicing. This allows filling to set.

Notes

Don’t skip the maceration step for the apples; it prevents a watery filling. Cold butter is essential for the crumble topping. Let the pie cool completely before slicing to allow the filling to set. For a dairy-free version, use vegan butter in the crumble and skip the brown butter step or use melted vegan butter with maple syrup.

Nutrition

Keywords: apple crumble pie, brown butter, easy apple pie, kid-friendly dessert, fall dessert, crumble topping

Find it online: https://lolaspoon.com/easy-brown-butter-apple-crumble-pie-kid-approved/