Rosh Hashanah starts this weekend, and the it’s traditional to eat apples with honey to signify a sweet new year. This year, I wanted to put a twist on the apples and honey pairing and incorporate them into this apple pie with almond crumble. Sweetened with honey, cinnamon, and vanilla extract, the apple filling is a an ode to the Jewish new year, while the almond crumb topping provides a sweet and slightly crunchy bite that gives apples and honey a new twist!
Apple pie with almond crumble ingredients:
- 1 store bought piece of pie crust, rolled out (I use the frozen pie crust from Trader Joes)
- 1 large honey crisp apple
- 2 granny smith apples
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ cup honey
- 2 tbs cornstarch
- 2/3 cup all purpose flour
- 5 ounces (half a 7-ounce tube) of almond paste
- 1/4 packed cup light brown sugar
- 4 tablespoons chilled salted butter, cut into cubes
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
Start with the crust, roll it out and place it in a pie dish. I like it to be rustic, so I just left the edges as is, but you could fold them over to make them pretty if you want. Poke the bottom of the crust with a fork so it can release some steam when baking. Next, blind bake the crust.
To blind bake the crust, place a piece of parchment paper over the dough and fill it will dry beans. (See above picture) This will keep the dough crispy and prevent it from shrinking.
Blind bake the crust for 15 minutes at 400 degrees, then pull it out and let it cool.
Lower oven temp to 350 degrees.
While the crust is baking, start on your apples. Peel the apples, and cut them into ¼ inch slices. I like the mixture of granny smith and honey crisp because the sweetness in the honey crisp balances out the tartness of the granny smith. Place all apples in a bowl, then add in honey, lemon, vanilla, cinnamon, and cornstarch, tossing everything so it is evenly coated. Set the apples aside.
Next begin on your almond crumb topping. Using a food processor, add in the flour and half a stick of almond paste which you’ve roughly chopped. Add in the salted butter and brown sugar, pulsing until everything is combined and you end up with a crumbly topping.
Once your crust is out of the oven and slightly cooled, remove the parchment paper and place the beans in a storage container. Keep the beans for future blind baking, but don’t use them for cooking.
Place the pie dish on top of a cookie sheet in case anything drips or spills.
Place the apples in the pie shell, careful not to add the liquid that has accumulated at the bottom of the apple bowl, as this will make the pie soggy. After all of the apples are in the shell, top with 1 tbs of the apple liquid, then discard the rest.
Spoon the crumb mixture over the top, then bake for 45 minutes until top is golden brown and apples are tender. This apple pie with almond crumb mixture is a twist on the classic apples and honey pairing, but it is oh so good and perfect for any occasion!
