When fall arrives my taste buds start to crave the taste of a gluten and dairy free scrumptious apple crumb pie. This year, my husband and I remembered the time we borrowed two teenagers and drove to an apple orchard in the mountains of Virginia. Ironically, the trees were bare. The only apples left were in large bins along a path through the orchard. Thankfully, we still had an adventure learning about more than ten different types of apples.

We all had a great time tasting apples that were new to us. What a treat! Even better, I learned a baking tip that helped me bake the most scrumptious apple crumb pie ever.

Each bin along the pathway through the orchard had a sign with the name of the apple, its flavor profile, and a little history about it. We made sure to take pictures as we tasted our way through the orchard and filled our box.

A Scrumptious Apple

My favorite apple ended up being the super sweet Ambrosia apple. I am so glad the Mennel family discovered this apple in the early 1990’s. What a treat! The Ambrosia apple was so delicious that I laughingly told my husband he would have to pick his own.

A Childhood Memory

Surprisingly, my husband revealed in the taste of the Arkansas Black apples. When he took his second bite he went down memory lane. They reminded him of the apples he ate as a child from his Grandfather’s orchard.

Apples Perfect for Apple Crumb Pie

One apple new to both of us was the Jonagold apple, a cross between a Jonathan and a Golden Delicious apple. After a few bites, I was ready to share this sweet and tart tasting apple with my husband. He agreed that the Jonagold apple was perfect for baking apple pies, but too tart to eat.

The texture of the Ida Red apple was a bit meaty and dry. These apples were developed in Idaho in the 1930’s giving us another great baking apple for pies and cakes with just the right amount of sweetness and a surprising tart zing.

Peeling Apples, a Time Saver 

I am so thankful to learn from my now young adult children. During a visit with my daughter, I learned about an affordable kitchen device that peels, cores, and slices apples. What a time saver. It only took me a few seconds to put the knife through the center of the now cored apple and slice it into fourths. Check out the many different types of apple peelers.

Making or Buying Dough for Pie Shells

Before I start mixing ingredients for my apple pie, I pull out one of my frozen gluten free pie crusts or make my gluten free pie dough. If you just made your pie dough, remember to butter your pie plate before laying in your gluten and dairy free dough.

Gluten and Dairy Free Scrumptious Apple Crumb Pie Ingredients:

1 unbaked pie crust, 

5 to 6 apples peeled, cored, and sliced 

Apple Seasoning Mixture

1/2 cup of sugar

1 Tablespoon of Cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon of Nutmeg

Optional: 1 Tablespoon of Benefiber

Crumb Topping 

1/2 cup of Oat flour

1/2 cup of millet

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

1/2 cup of sugar

1/3 cup of non dairy butter 

Directions:

If you are planning on cooking one pie, wash 6 apples. If able, choose 2 different varieties of apples for your scrumptious apple crumb pie.

Season the Apple Slices

In a bowl add:

1/2 cup of sugar

1 Tablespoon of cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg

Now, mix cinnamon, nutmeg, and sugar together.

Then, pour the seasoned sugar mixture into the apples. Stir until the apples are covered with sugar.

Pour the seasoned covered apples into an uncooked pie shell. Use a fork to push apples down to fill in gaps. Also, try to flatten apples as much as possible to make it easier to cover them with the crumb topping.

Make the Scrumptious Crumb Topping

During the holiday season, I make numerous recipes that call for a crumb topping: apple pie, apple crisp, coffee cake, sweet potato casserole, etc. So to save myself some time, I make a large batch of crumb topping all at once. Then, I pour the crumb topping into a freezer bag and freeze until time to use it in the next recipe.

Mill a 1/2 cup of oat groats. Turn on your Mockmill. Then, pour in the oat groats.

Measure 3/4 cup of oat flour.

Mill a 1/2 cup of millet grain. Turn on your Mockmill. Then, pour in the millet grain.

Now, you should have a 1/2 cup of millet flour.

Pour the millet flour and oat flour into a bowl.

Now, add 1/2 cup of sugar.

Next, add 1 teaspoon of cinnamon to the flour mixture.

Combine ingredients until the cinnamon makes the flour sugar mixture look brown.

Measure 1/3 cup of butter and cut it into thin slices. Use a fork to work the butter into the flour mixture until it looks like crumbs. If you over mix or add too much butter the flour mixture begins to look more like dough.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

While the oven is preheating, spread the crumb topping over the apples that are in the pie shell. Use a fork to spread the crumb topping evenly over the top of the pie.

Once the oven has preheated, put your scrumptious apple pie in the oven and cook for 45 minutes. When the fork easily pierces an apple slice, the pie is ready to remove from the oven.

Cool and Leave Apple Pie Uncovered

Place the apple pie uncovered on a cooling rack. What happens if you cover the pie? The crunchy crumb topping loses its crunch turning it into a soggy mess.

Enjoy a scrumptious piece of warm apple crumb pie or wait until it cools.

Once everyone is done eating, place a paper towel over the top of the scrumptious apple pie to keep the flies off, curious animal noses away, and most importantly to keep your crumb topping crunchy.

Gluten and Dairy Free Scrumptious Apple Crumb Pie

Cheri Moore

Each bite of apple pie is filled with hints of cinnamon and nutmeg topped with a delicious crumb topping complete with a gluten and dairy free flaky crust.

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 45 minutes mins

Deep Crust Pie 55 minutes mins

Total Time 2 hours hrs 10 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Servings 8 people

Equipment

• Johnny Apple Peeler or a hand held apple corer With a few turns of a handle, you peel, core, and slice your whole apples.
• 2 Mixing bowls one for apples, one for crumb topping

Ingredients

  

• 1 gluten free pie crust
• 6 peeled, cored, & sliced apples

Apple Seasoning Mixture

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 Tbsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1 TBSP Benefiber (optional)

Crumb Toppings

• 1/2 cup oat flour
• 1/4 cup millet or cassava flour
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup non-dairy butter

Instructions

 

• Wash apples in a bowl with water and 1/2 cup of vinegar. While apples sit in the vinegar water mixture, get out your ingredients, 2 mixing bowls, measuring spoons, dry and liquid measuring cups.
• Now, take apples out of vinegar water mixture. Peel, core, and slice apples into a large mixing bowl.

Apple Seasoning Mixture

• In a large size mixing bowl, pour in 1/2 cup of sugar, 1 Tablespoon of cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg. Mix together.
• Pour cinnamon and nutmeg sugar mixture over apple slices. Then, stir until apple slices are covered with sugar mixture.
• Pour seasoned apples into the gluten free pie crust.
• Use a fork to push apples down to fill in gaps. Try to flatten apples as much as possible to make it easier to cover them with the crumb topping.

Scrumptious Crumb Topping

• Measure 1/2 cup of gluten free oat groats. Pour grain into mill and catch flour.
• Measure 1 cup of oat flour and pour in a clean mixing bowl.
• Measure out a 1/2 cup of millet grain. Pour grain into the mill and catch flour.
• Measure 1/2 cup of millet flour and pour into the bowl with oat flour.
• Add one teaspoon of cinnamon to the flour mixture and mix.
• Then, put slices of butter onto dry mixture.
• Measure 1/3 cup of butter and cut into thin slices.
• Pour butter slices into bowl of flour. Cut butter into seasoned flour mixture until mixture looks crumbly.
• Slowly pour crumb topping over the apples in the pie shell. Using a fork helps you easily spread crumbs around to cover apples more evenly.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
• Pour your crumb topping over the apples that are in the pie shells. Use a fork helps you easily spread crumbs around to cover apples more evenly.
• Cook apple pie for 45 minutes. 
• When the fork easily pierces an apple slice, the pie is ready to remove from the oven.

Cooling and Storing Apple Pie

• Place apple pie on a cooling rack. Once cool, I place a paper towel over the top of the pie to keep the crumb topping crunchy. I do not store the apple pie in any type of container, because the crumb topping becomes soggy.

Notes

Crumb Topping – I like to double the recipe so I can freeze crumb topping to use later as a topping for my sweet potato casserole. 

I like making my gluten and dairy free pie dough ahead of time. Each recipe gives you two flaky delicious pie crusts. Cook them right away or make 2 balls and store in tightly wrapped plastic wrap in the refrigerator up to three days.