Annie's Easy Apple Pie

For the crust:

1. Remove the pie crust from the refrigerator 15 minutes in advance.
2. Preheat the oven to 425˚F. Place a sheet pan lined with foil on the lower rack of the oven.
3. Spray a 9-inch pie pan lightly with cooking spray or lightly oil it. Place the butter in the pie pan and rub with a paper towel to coat the pan. Set aside.
4. Unroll the refrigerated pie crust on a work surface. Center the dough in a 9-inch pie pan without stretching it. Press it firmly against the sides and bottom of the pan to anchor the crust to the pan.
5. There should about a ½-inch extra crust that extends over the top of the pan. Starting at one area of the edge, tuck the crust under (towards the pan) about ¼-inch, working your way around the pan.
6. You now will have a lip or rim that extends ¼-inch above the top of the pan. This will not only look really pretty once it’s crimped, but it will also keep the filling of the pie from bubbling over the edge.
7. With your two index fingers, go around the pan pressing gently to even and straighten the lip (rim). (See this post for a picture tutorial on how to crimp a pie crust.)
8. Refrigerate the lined pie pan while you prepare the crumb topping and filling.

For the crumb topping:

1. Place butter in a medium-size, microwave-safe bowl. Add the butter and microwave on high power for 40-50 seconds until the butter about ¾ melted.
2. Add the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt to the partially melted butter and stir with a fork until large, wet crumbs form. If the mixture seems too wet to form crumbs, add 1-2 tablespoons of extra flour and stir with a fork until the wet crumbs form. Refrigerate while prepping the apples.

For the filling:

1. Peel, core and slice the apples. (See the post for a picture tutorial on the easiest way to do this.)
2. Combine the sliced apples, flour, sugar and cinnamon in a large bowl. Toss lightly until everything is well-combined.

To finish and bake:

1. Remove the pie crust from the refrigerator. Add the apple filling, mounding the apples slightly in the center.
2. Using your hand, sprinkle the crumb topping over the apples, breaking up any really large crumbs with your fingers. Try to cover the entire top of the pie but keep the topping inside the crimped edges.
3. Place the pie on the preheated sheet pan on the lower rack of the oven. Immediately reduce the temperature to 375˚F. Bake for 40-45 minutes until the top is nicely browned. The apple filling should be bubbling a bit here and there through the crumb topping. Check the pie after 35 minutes and cover with foil if it seems to be getting too brown.
4. Allow the pie to cool for at least 45 minutes to an hour to allow the apple filling to “set”. Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for a heavenly sweet treat!