Crumb-Topped Apple Slab Pie
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Apple Slab Pie with Crumb Topping is perfect pie for the holidays! It’s layered with a tender flaky crust, a spiced juicy apple pie filling, and it’s finished with a crisp buttery crumb topping and a sweet vanilla glaze. Such a delicious, tempting dessert!
Apple Pie for a Crowd!
Last year I remember seeing slab pies all over the place – all over the web and in every food magazine. And this year they are still holding strong.
I’m sure the reason is that they are absolutely genius, plus they are fun change on the original 9-inch round pie.
This apple pie version is no exception! It is all of your apple pie dreams come true and then some!I love that you get three layers (or four if you go for the glaze or vanilla ice cream) of absolute deliciousness! Crumb pies are some of my favorite (have you tried my Streusel Pumpkin Pie yet?It’s my families all time favorite pumpkin pie.
You just cant go wrong with a buttery, flakey, lightly salty pie crust filled with fresh fruity goodness and a sweet, crisp, cookie crumble topping. It is no doubt a main highlight of the Thanksgiving meal! So save room for dessert – or go ahead and eat dessert first!
How to Make Apple Slab Pie
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Shape crust: Roll and transfer pie crust to jelly roll pan and decorate as desired. (Note that this is smaller than the regular size baking sheet it’s a 15 by 10 NOT 18 by 13).
- Chill until ready to fill.
- Make crumble topping: mix sugars, quick outs, flour and salt and cut butter into mixture.
- Transfer topping to refrigerator.
- Make the apple filling: whisk sugars, flour, cinnamon nutmeg and salt.
- Toss apples with lemon then toss with cinnamon sugar mixture.
- Assemble pie: Pour and spread apples over crust layer.
- Sprinkle crumb topping over top.
- Bake in oven: Bake in preheated oven 33 – 38 minutes, until apples are tender (tent with foil as needed).
- Remove from oven and let cool until warm.
- Top with glaze if desired or serve with vanilla ice cream.
Make Sure to Thinly Slice Your Apples
I listed important notes in the recipe about the apples. One of the best ways to ruin an apple pie is to serve it up with crispy apples that haven’t baked through. This happens when the apples aren’t pre-cooked or sliced thin enough.
Yeah, I learned that the hard way with the first apple pie I ever made. Biting into crispy apples in an apple pie just ruins it.
No, you don’t want mushy apples. You want apples that hold up well (which is why you use apples that are work well for baking), but at the same time soft, tender apples are a must in my book.
With that said, be sure to thin slice the apples here which will take a bit of slicing and patience to get through them all but your end result will be oh so worth it!
Use Store-Bought Crust to Save Time
And yes, I cheated and used a store-bought pie crust. Not normally like me but with all the other steps in this recipe you’ll likely want to use store-bought crust yourself.
It has been so long since I’ve tried them but I actually thought it tasted great and was really flaky. I’m sold for a pie like this.
If you insist and if time allows (more power to you), make the crust from scratch. I did brush the crust edges here lightly with egg wash but made a second slab pie and didn’t brush it and it still came out a nice golden brown color so I just omitted that step here.
Mmmmmm. I just need to say, helllloooo pie season! I look forward to this all year!
More Apple Recipes You’ll Love!
Follow Easy Cooking Zone
Crumb-Topped Apple Slab Pie
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 (14.1 oz) box refrigerated pie crusts (or sub homemade pie crust dough)
Topping
- 1/3 cup (70g) granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup (75g) packed light-brown sugar
- 1 cup (97g) quick oats
- 1/2 cup (70g) all-purpose flour
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup (113g) unsalted butter, chilled and diced into small cubes
Filling
- 1/3 cup (70g) granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup (75g) packed light brown sugar
- 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 4 lbs peeled, cored and thinly sliced crisp apples (see notes)
Glaze (optional) or serve with Vanilla Ice Cream
- 1 cup (115g) powdered sugar
- 2 Tbsp half and half, or more as needed
Instructions
- For the crust: Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Remove pie crusts from package. Lightly dust a working surface with flour then unroll and stack pie crusts on top of each other.
- Roll crust out to a 17 by 12-inch rectangle. Fold crust half then fold in half again and transfer to a 15 by 10 by 1-inch jelly roll pan (this is smaller than a sheet pan).
- Carefully unfold dough and fit and gently press into the pan. Fold crust under even with the edges of the pan and decorate as desired (the fork technique would also be good here since there's not much excess crust to work with). Transfer to refrigerator to chill until ready to fill.
- For the topping: mix 1/3 cup granulated sugar, 1/3 cup brown sugar, quick oats, flour and salt. Add butter and cut butter into mixture using a pastry cutter until crumbly (or rub butter into mixture with your fingertips). Transfer topping to refrigerator.
- For the filling: In a small mixing bowl whisk together granulated sugar, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon nutmeg and salt.
- Place apples in a large mixing bowl then pour lemon juice over apples and toss to evenly coat. Pour sugar mixture over apples and toss to evenly coat.
- To assemble pie: Remove crust from refrigerator. Pour apples over crust and spread and gently press into an even layer. Remove topping from refrigerator. Sprinkle topping evenly over pie.
- Bake until apples are soft: Bake in preheated oven 33 - 38 minutes, while tenting with foil during the last 10 minutes or so as needed to prevent excess browning, until apples are tender when pierced with a toothpick. Remove from oven and let cool until warm.
- For the glaze (or serve with vanilla ice cream): In a mixing bowl whisk together powdered sugar and half and half, adding a little more half and half as needed 1 tsp at a time, until the consistency is somewhat thick but runs nicely.
- Transfer to a sandwich size resealable bag, cut a small tip from one corner then drizzle over pie. Cut pie into squares and serve warm.
Notes
- I recommend using a blend of sweet and tart, baking apples. I used 3 Granny Smith, 3 Braeburn and 3 Golden Delicious apples.
- Slice the Granny Smith and Braeburn 1/8-inch thin and slice the Golden Delicious 1/4-inch thin.
- Other similar apples can be substituted but just slice really crisp apples the thinnest so they'll bake through and become tender.
- Recipe source: adapted from Pillsbury and BHG