It's not apple season here in Australia anymore, but that won't stop me from giving this a try! I think my new tart tin is going to get a bit of a work out this weekend :)

This sounds just divine - apple season has just barely started in Illinois but will last through November so this will certainly be tried more than once!
Thanks so much for such a great website!

I'm wondering if yogurt could be used in place of the sour cream?

it's 9:30 am. i am stuck at work. all day i will be dreaming of making this tonight.

Hi Old Foodie - thank you for reminding me of that wonderful MFK Fisher quote. She nails it, doesn't she?

Hi Ellie - I think this approach will work with other fruit as well - strawberries, blueberries, etc. While our days are getting shorter, yours are getting longer. You have so much to look forward to!

Hi Helene - Yep, this one is a crowd pleaser. I think we are going to make it for Thanksgiving.

Hi Veuveclicquot - by the way, where are you?

Hi Jeff - Ah shucks, make it anyway, everyone else will eat it!

Hi Liz - you are very welcome, and if you do try the pie, please let us know how it turned out for you.

Hi Angela - strawberries in this pie would be very fine indeed.

Hi Sister Rebekah and Kathy - I suppose that yogurt could be used in place of the sour cream, but I am no master pie maker. Anyone care to weigh in on this question?

Hi Dave - Ah well, something's got to pay the bills, eh? We can't all eat pie every day. ;-)

Hi Raquel - I'm so glad that this site has been useful for you. Because of all the experimentation for this site I have finally become somewhat comfortable making pie crusts from scratch. That's really the hard part, not the rest of the pie. Thanks for saying hello!

Hi Amy - Great question. Yes, work with a frozen pie shell. If you are making a homemade crust, put it in the freezer for at least half an hour before filling it and baking it.

Maybe someone can help me out here...Given the short cooking time for the pie, I'm guessing the apples should be sliced relatively thin? Any ideas on thickness (1/8", 1/4", etc.)? I think apple pies (single or double crust) are best when the apples aren't crunchy - they should have that "melting" texture - but still retain their size/shape. This will give me a chance to use the slick new mandoline I got for my birthday.

I made this last night. I was planning on making the crust, but didn't have the time or energy so I used a store-bought crust. I could've sliced the apples thinner, as they were a little too crunchy. I think I used too many apples, too. My pie was a lot thicker than the picture above.

Also, I think my butter was too warm when I made the topping, as it never made it to "coarse crumb" consistancy, rather it went right to mushy. i tried adding more flour to dry it out, but it didn't work. I had to drop the topping on the pie rather than sprinkle it.

Even with all of these mistakes, the pie was fantastic. I can't wait to make it correctly!

This picture looks good enough to eat!

My topping melted on top of the hot pie. If I made this recipe again, I would use chilled butter and sprinkle the topping over the apples before putting the pie in the oven the first time (similar to the method for making the apple crumb pie recipe in Kathleen's Bake Shop Cookbook by Kathleen King), instead of adding the topping after 25 minutes of baking.

Yummy! I love plain ol' apple pie, but the richness of the sour cream filling and the delicious crumb topping on this pie can't be beat. Don't think I can go back to plain!

My entire family LOVED this pie! Even the kids who are super picky just gobbled this one down. Thanks for sharing this special pie!! I think its going to be comming to Thanksgiving Dinner too!

I made this for my Book Club and my friends could not believe I made this! They all begged for slices to take home to their husbands. I am making it again for Sunday dinner as dessert to further my new reputation as master pie girl! (Thanks Elise!)

I made this earlier this week and it is fantastic! I used a store bought deep dish crust and sliced the apples very thin. There was almost too much filling for the crust but it seemed to bake down. I used low-fat sour cream and Smart Balance instead of butter (it's practically a health food with those substitutions!). My topping was also mushy when I put it on the pie and I think I should have taken about 5 minutes off the baking time but it was delicious anyway. Thanks so much for your fabulous recipes, kind replies, and beautiful photos!

I tried it with about 4 oz cream cheese, without any other changes and it made it creamier and richer. Overall, a huge hit with my family, especially with whipped cream on top.

We loved this recipe with apples but even better, yesterday, we made it with peaches! YUM!

I made this, using 2% Greek yogurt instead of sour cream. Greek yogurt is just as thick as sour cream, with some of the same tang, but less fat (if you get the 2%). It was spectacular, but i'll add that I had the same experience of the topping melting on the pie. I actually think it would be darn tasty without any topping, but then the apples and cream filling might get burned.

If you put the topping mixture in the fridge or freezer while the pie is baking for the first 25 minutes you won't have the problem with the topping melting. I tried this pie and it is awesome.

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I always turn to this site for inspiration and great recipes. I'm happy to report my Thanksgiving menu will include this pie AND the mushroom caviar. I can't wait. Thank you for all the comments here as now I know what to expect with the crumble topping and how many granny smiths to chop for the pie filling. Wishing all of you a happy holiday.

I made this recipe for Thanksgiving, only I used natural yoghurt instead of sour cream, and it came out WONDERFUL! I'm sure I'll be making it again. I'm thinking it would make a nice apple slice too...

It is the middle of a cold New England winter...obviously not apple season...and I will actually go drive in the snow to get the apples to make this one....my daughter has to do a science experiment to compare the amount of seeds in red apples vs. green....10 red, 10 green...only needs the seeds, no use for the rest of the apple, so I have been surfing the web to find apple recipes, and this is one I will make...hmm, 4 apples for one pie...20 apples equal how many pies? lol...time to go apple picking..lol stop & shop...still can make it in time for dessert...I'm sure my family will love this...thank you!

I just wanted to say how good this pie (these pies) came out. I think even better than my mom's, and that is saying a lot. Even the picky one (my husband, not the four kids) would have licked the bowl clean if I wasn't there. Thank you so much for posting this recipe and sharing it with others, and I did give you full credit when I served it. The smiles on their faces were priceless, and I have put this site on my favorites list and will certainly look out for any specifically put up by you. Thank You Elise.

Does anybody have a good method or gadget for slicing apples that they recommend?
I would love to try this recipe but I'm intimidated at the thought of trying to hand slice apples to such a thin consistency.
I might have to give it a go anyway, as the recipe sounds amazing, but if anybody has any pointers for slicing, I would greatly appreciate it!
Thanks!

This pie is absolutely delicious. I made it for Easter dinner and it was a hit!!! Now I'm making it for our Mother's Day dinner.
Thanks a bunch!!

I made this pie for a pie party, and it was the first one to be eaten. It really is a wonderful recipe.

Elise, I have to follow a gluten free diet..I wonder if this recipe could be made in an oven proof bowl with no crust and use gluten free flour and oats in the streusel topping? The combination of apples, spices and sourcream sounds yummy and perfect for Thanksgiving dessert. Sissy

Note from Elise: Sure, why not try it? Sounds like an easy way to make this gluten-free.

LOVE THIS RECIPE! 2nd time with my dtr: oil pastry and lots of little cooking lessons involved -- good. 12" Emile Henry pie plate, doubling everything but increasing the 1st cooking time ONLY by about 10 minutes. It just left with her on the bus for her class's Thanksgiving feast, and she's as proud as can be about sharing it. (Oh, and that oversized pan sure makes an "abundant" presentation! We're making a 3rd one for Thanksgiving tomorrow.) Our apple slices are thicker than usual and we probably used more than called for (mmmm--7 1/2 c total?) so we'll see how crunchy-vs-soft they end up.

BTW, I'm pretty certain you mean to put the crust IN THE PAN, then freeze it for at least 30 minutes? I haven't had any problem doing that with my oil pastry/Emile Henry ceramic dish. (Twice now and it didn't break going frozen into the oven.)

Thank you for YOUR abundant presentations, too!

Hi Nellie - You might want to try adding the streusel topping from the very beginning. Keep an eye on the pie and if the topping starts to get scorched, then tent the pie with aluminum foil.

Elise,

Thank you so much for this recipe. My Mother taught me to make a pie almost identical, if not identical, to this one many many years ago. I never wrote it down so when she died it died with her. I have not had this pie in a dozen years. A friend suggested that I search for this recipe online. I thought it would be a futile effort because the recipe my Mom had she got from a lady on an AF base many years ago when my Dad was stationed there. But here I am writing to you so I guess it was worth the search. Thanks again Elise and take care.

Kim

I just made the pie- and though it was very good- we had to eat it from bowls. Any ideas on why it was so soupy? I cooked it the 2 times so my only guess is that I used fat free sour cream instead of the "hard" stuff. I know my pie was a little too full (must remember to bake on a cookie sheet next time!) but even with all the problems- taste was excellent!

Wonderful pie; one of my favorites. I have made it several times and each time is better than the last. Please remember, there are some recipes that non-fat or low-fat do not work well with, and this is certainly one of them. Use regular sourcream; don't try to spare your waistline! You'll ruin the texture of this pie with an end result of "soup filling," as some commenters have noted.

Oh my goodness! This pie is SOOO yummy. Vanilla Ice cream is a great support, but a glass of milk will do just fine too. I am from Seattle, Washington and its Apple season here. I used a very tart apple, like the recipe called for and it made a sensational apple pie. I used crust from the store, next time I will make my own. Loved this recipe! Thank you!

Yup, this got rave reviews. Very nice! I prefer it w/o ice cream.

I made this pie and it was perfect with a bit of whipped cream. I used low fat sour cream and it came out beautifully, not soupy at all. I'll have to try full fat next time (and there will be a next time).