Sugar Apple Pie with Oatmeal Thyme Crumble, Brown Style

Last Wednesday was my birthday. We celebrated by Pat picking up Chinese food from our regular restaurant (at my request) and for dessert I made this brown sugar apple pie. The two don’t genuinely make a cohesive meal, but when it’s your birthday you can have your dumplings and cake, er pie, too.

I decided to put a rustic spin on my old-style pie recipe by using a couple different types of apples and leaving their skin on. I’m such a rebel. My goal was for this pie as simple as possible, aka no double crust. I instead made a single pie crust and pulled together a short oatmeal thyme crumble.

Apple crisp meets apple pie.

To cook this Brown Sugar Apple Pie Gather:

• 1 bottom crust (1/2 of this dish)
• apples -I use golden savory and honeycrisp
• unsalted butter
• lemon juice
• dark brown sugar
• ground cinnamon
• nutmeg
• kosher salt

For the crumble gather:

• unbleached all-purpose flour
• whole wheat flour
• old fashioned oats
• granulated sugar
• fresh thyme leaves
• kosher salt
• unsalted butter

In a medium bowl, measure and combine 1/2 cup unbleached flour, 1/4 cup whole wheat flour, 1 cup old fashioned oats and 1/2 cup granulated sugar.

Then measure and add 1/2 teaspoon of minced fresh thyme leaves and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt. Stir to combine.

Next, pour in 6 tablespoons melted butter and stir until it is absorbed into the oatmeal mixture. Set this bowl off to the side for a moment.

Next cut the 3 pounds apples in half, remove the core and slice about 1/4 of an inch thick.

Heat a 12-inch, deep sided skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add in the 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter, it should sizzle but not instantly brown.

Then add in all the apple slices, toss them in the butter and cover to cook for 5 minutes.

The apples should have softened but still are a bit firm.

Next squeeze in 1 tablespoon of lemon juice and measure in 1/2 cup of dark brown sugar, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg and 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt.

Gently toss.

Next turn the heat up to high and cook until the liquids release from the apples has thickened. About 2 to 3 minutes.

Transfer the apples to a rimmed metal baking sheet. Spread them out evenly and allow them to cool.

Why Partially Cook Your Apples?

The apples still hold their shape well because you par-cooked them earlier. Most importantly, par-cooking also “pre-shrinks” the apples so they fill the pie nicely and keep the crumb topping from sinking in.

Preheat your oven to 400℉ (or 200℃).

Remove the prepared pie crust form the fridge and add in the cooled apples. My apples released a lot of liquids so I only added half of the juice from the pan.

Side note: when I was washing the apples, I noticed a sticker on one that suggest that I must have picked up Rave apple which aren’t recommended for baking because they’re especially juicy. So let this be a PSA on double checking the apples you pick and also, do your research on apples. Not all apples are meant for pies.

Next sprinkle the oatmeal thyme crumble over top.

Place your pie onto a rimmed metal baking sheet (to catch any juices if they should bubble over) and bake in the lower third of your oven for 20 minutes.

Reduce the heat to 375℉ (or 190℃) and continue to bake for 10 to 20 minutes more or until the apples are bubbling. Rotate the pie to ensure even browning.

Finally we’ve reached the last stage. Allow your brown sugar apple pie to cool for at least 3 hours before slicing and serving.

It’s only that simple. And rustic.

Lastly, slice yourself a piece and top it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Maybe a drizzle or three of caramel sauce too.

Lastly, before I go, let’s talk about the oatmeal thyme crumble topping.

You might be thinking, “thyme in crumble?” Well, to be honest, I’ve made this exact crumble before, but with a cherry pie. Therefore I figured that thyme and apples would work similarly as it did with cherries. And it does. The thyme is especially subtle and adds a savory herbaceous goodness. The oatmeal in the crumble adds a wholesomeness to this pie. Not to mention savory texture.

Enjoy! And if you give this Brown Sugar Apple Pie recipe a try, let me know! Snap a photo and tag me on twitter or instagram!