Apple Pecan Pie

To make the crust, start by cutting the butter into ¼ inch squares. Put all the butter into a small bowl and place in the freezer until needed.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the flour, salt, and sugar; mix just to combine. Add in the butter and beat until the butter pieces are the size of small peas and the mixture resembles coarse meal. Some butter pieces may not break down. If this happens, use your hands to squeeze the mixture together to break up the larger pieces.

With the mixer running on low speed, slowly add in the very cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time. Stop adding water when the mixture comes together and is in wet clumps. Be sure to not add too much water – you don’t want the dough to be extremely wet. You might not use all 5 tablespoons, or you might need to use more.

Pour out all the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Form the dough into a disc. Flour all sides of the dough, and wrap the disc in plastic wrap. Chill for at least 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

When the dough is done chilling, remove from the refrigerator, and place the disc onto a floured surface. Dust the top of the dough with flour and, using a rolling pin, roll out the dough into a 12-inch circle, about 1/8 inch thick. While you are rolling out the dough, be sure to check the bottom of the dough to make sure it is not sticking. If it starts to stick, add more flour to the work surface.

Carefully roll the dough up onto the rolling pin and transfer it to a 9-inch deep-dish pie pan. Trim the excess dough that’s hanging off the sides of the pan. Using your fore-finger and thumb, crimp the edges of the dough.

Place the pie pan in the refrigerator while you make the filling. Place the sliced apples in a large bowl. Pour the lemon juice and vanilla extract on top and toss to coat the apples.

In a small bowl, whisk together the pecans, brown sugar, sugar, cinnamon, and cornstarch. Add the pecan mixture to the sliced apples and toss to combine.

Remove the pie pan from the refrigerator and pour the filling into the crust. Set aside.

To make the crumble topping, cut the butter into 1” cubes. In the bowl of a stand mixer, or with your hands, combine the flour, pecans, sugar, and cold butter. Mix until the butter is the size of a small pea and the mixture has created small, coarse crumbles. Pour the topping over the entire surface of the filling.

Place the pie in the preheated oven and bake until the filling begins to bubble and the topping has turned a golden brown, about 1 hour.

Allow the pie to cool completely before slicing. Serve and enjoy!

The pie will last covered in the refrigerator for about 1 week. To reheat the pie, place the whole pie in a 350 degrees F oven for about 20 minutes, or in a microwave for 90 seconds.

Pie dough recipe adapted from Baking Illustrated and Simply Recipes. Filling adapted from Taste of Home.