¼cupapple juice(if your apples are older, use 1/3 cup apple juice)
1cupall-purpose flour
⅔cupgranulated sugar
¼teaspoonsalt
½cup (1 stick)unsalted butter, softened
¼cuppecans, chopped(optional)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Peel and slice apples, and place them in a medium-sized baking dish. (If using individual baking dishes, see the note below.)
Sprinkle the brown sugar and cinnamon over the apples. Add the vanilla extract and apple juice and stir to coat all the apples. Then, evenly distribute the apples around the baking dish to prepare for the topping.
Mix the flour, granulated sugar, and salt together in the bowl of a food processor until well blended. Cut the butter into small pieces and place in the food processor. Blend until the mixture is crumbly. If you do not have a food processor, mix the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and then work the butter into the mixture by hand.
Sprinkle the crumbly butter-flour mixture evenly over the apples.
Bake for 45 minutes or until the topping is golden brown and the apples are tender. Optionally, cover with a sheet of aluminum foil during the last 10 minutes of baking if the topping has already reached the desired color.
If pecans are used, sprinkle them over the top of the pie after 20 minutes of baking time. Then, continue baking for the last 25 minutes. Adding the pecans after the pie has cooked for a while keeps the pecans from burning.
Notes
Individual Baking Dishes
When using individual baking dishes, mix the apples, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, and apple juice. Stir well and place the apples in the bakers. Then, follow the rest of the instructions as listed and divide the topping between the bakers. Depending on the size of your bakers, it will take 4-8 to hold this recipe. Check bakers after 30 minutes of baking to ensure they are not overcooking.
Processing the Dough
The crumbly topping will form a dough if overworked when using the food processor. This is okay and works just as well. Break the dough into small pieces and scatter across the apples.
Alternative Way to Make Dough
If you don’t have a food processor, use a pastry cutter (or 2 knives) to cut the butter into the dry ingredients.