Whiskey-Apple Crumble Pie

Recipe from Ronald M. Silver and Jen Bervin

Adapted by Florence Fabricant

Whiskey-Apple Crumble Pie
Tony Cenicola/The New York Times
Total Time
2 hours
Rating
4(419)
Comments
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This whiskey-apple crumble pie calls for the apple slices to be sautéed before they are put into the crust and baked. The requirement that the apples be tart should be taken seriously, so the filling will stand up to the sweet crumble topping. —Florence Fabricant

Featured in: For the Finale, a Perfect Pie (or Two)

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Ingredients

Yield:8 servings
  • Dough for a 9-inch single crust pie (see recipe)
  • ¾cup all-purpose flour
  • ¾cup packed light brown sugar
  • ¼cup granulated sugar
  • 1teaspoon cinnamon
  • Salt
  • 9tablespoons cold unsalted butter
  • ½cup chopped pecans
  • 2pounds tart apples, peeled, cored and sliced ¼-inch thick
  • Pinch ground cloves
  • Pinch ground nutmeg
  • 2tablespoons whiskey or bourbon
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)

456 calories; 19 grams fat; 9 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 7 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 66 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 39 grams sugars; 5 grams protein; 482 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Roll out dough and line pie pan. Prick dough with fork, then line with foil. Fill bottom with pastry weights or dry beans. Bake 8 minutes, remove foil and weights and bake 8 to 10 minutes longer, until pastry looks dry and is barely starting to color. Remove from oven and let cool.

  2. Step 2

    Place flour, ¼ cup brown sugar, granulated sugar, ½ teaspoon cinnamon and ½ teaspoon salt in food processor and process briefly to blend. Dice 6 tablespoons butter and add, along with pecans; pulse until mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Set aside. Increase oven temperature to 450 degrees.

  3. Step 3

    Melt remaining butter in a large skillet. Add apple slices and sauté over medium heat about 5 minutes, until a bit softened around edges, with some just starting to brown. Remove from heat. Mix remaining brown sugar and cinnamon with a pinch of salt, the cloves and nutmeg. Pour over apples and fold together. Fold in whiskey.

  4. Step 4

    Pour contents of pan into crust and top with crumbs. Place pie pan on a baking sheet, bake 10 minutes, lower heat to 350 degrees and bake about 40 minutes longer, until topping browns and juices bubble. Allow pie to cool completely before cutting. Pie can be made a day in advance and warmed for serving.

Ratings

4 out of 5
419 user ratings
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Comments

Nina

Many of the other notes call this recipe complicated, but I don't see that it is. Certainly more steps than your standard apple pie, but it's also a lot better. Blind baking the crust is typical (and always a good idea if you don't want a soggy bottom), cooking the apples is quick, and I didn't even use a food processor for the crumble... it's simple to do by hand. Highly recommended (and the only Thanksgiving pie that my husband refused to sent home with the guests).

Erika

Made this pie the night before Thanksgiving dinner. It IS a pretty complicated recipe, but the results are worth the time. Cooking the apples first had everyone raving about the pie. Used only 1 tbsp gran. sugar in crumble and another tsp each of brown and granulated for topping the crumble as the pie was almost done. Only used 3/4 cup brown sugar with apples. Crumble had a little crunch to it, and the pie was sweet enough for us with an added pinch of cinnamon. Served with fresh whipped cream.

Max Van Gilder

The recipe is very confusing and is badly written. The ingredients for the topping and the filling should be separate and the amounts to be added for each part should be specified in the narrative. “The remaining” leads to confusion. I rewrote it. It is a great and tasty pie but the recipe is muddled.

Trudy

Can anyone tell me why whenever I blind bake a pie crust the sides slump down and it looks like a mess? I’m using Julia Child’s crust recipe (from Baking With Julia) and 1 pound of stainless steel pie weight chain (looks like Mardi Gras beads)

TheNickster

Sooo good. Used Granny Smiths and sprinkled in some fresh cranberries for pop/color. Used a grater to slice the apples very thin. Used brandy (all I had). I was worried about everything fitting into a 9" pie plate - the apple mound was Everest-quality, made even more precarious by the crumble on top. But I sort of packed everything down and it all held together beautifully. Didn't even fall apart when we sliced it. Will never make a double-crust apple pie again!

Jeanallainno

Delicious. I used 1 lb apples and 1 lb bosc pears then threw in some dried cranberries. Used Woodford Reserve Bourbon. Added a few more pecans in the topping. So good.

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Credits

Adapted from “Bubby’s Homemade Pies” by Ronald M. Silver and Jen Bervin (John Wiley & Sons, 2007)

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