Graham Cracker Crust Apple Pie

5 from 1 vote

Graham Cracker Crust Apple Pie

Graham Cracker Crust Apple Pie is an apple pie made with a thick, but simple graham cracker crust and a generous crumb topping.

Prep Time1

Cook Time1

Total Time2

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings:

Calories: 528kcal

Author: Lauren Skardal

Ingredients

Apple Pie Filling

6-7 Large Apples (Granny Smith or Honeycrisp)
⅔ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 tbsp lemon juice or 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon high-quality cinnamon
¼ teaspoon salt

Graham Cracker Crust

18 graham crackers
12 tablespoon butter
½ tablespoon brown sugar
¼ teaspoon cinnamon

Crumb Topping

12 tablespoon butter, softened
1½ cups all-purpose flour
⅔ cup brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt

Instructions

Apple Pie Filling

Peel and thinly slice the apples. Place in a large bowl and top with granulated sugar, flour, lemon juice or apple cider vinegar, cinnamon, and salt. Toss together.
Transfer the apple mixture to a large pasta strainer. Place the strainer over a large plate or in the sink. Let sit for at least 30 minutes or up to an hour while you work on the graham cracker crust and crumb topping.
The sugar and salt will pull out excess moisture from the apples which will help to prevent a soupy pie. The longer the apples sit, the more liquid will drain from the apples.

Graham Cracker Crust

Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Crush the graham crackers into crumbs. This can be done in a blender, or food processor, or place the graham crackers in a gallon-sized bag and crush them with a rolling pin (this is a great task for kids!).
Melt the butter in a large microwave-safe bowl. Add the crushed graham crackers and combine. Press the graham cracker mixture into a pie dish with the back of a spoon, or even better with your fingers. Press into the bottom and up the sides.
Bake for 8-10 minutes. Set aside and allow to cool.

Crumb Topping

In a large bowl, combine the softened butter, flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Use your hands to scrunch up the mixture so that you end up with various-sized crumbs, some pea-sized, some larger.

Assemble and Bake

Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Shake off any excess liquid from the apples in the strainer. Pile the apples into the graham cracker crust. Use your hands to settle the apples into the pie such that there are no large gaps between the apples or layers of apples. Your apples should pile higher than the top edge of the pie dish. The apples will shrink as they cook down in the oven.
Top with the crumb topping. Gently press the crumb topping on top of the apples so that it doesn’t slide off.
Bake for 30 minutes. Check the pie and add a layer of aluminum foil on top to prevent the topping from burning. Bake for another 20-30 minutes.
Allow to cool fully before serving.

Notes

Apple Thickness: Cut the apples to the same thickness, roughly ⅜ of an inch and no more than ½ an inch thick. You can take out a small ruler as a guide if needed. This prevents apples from cooking faster or slower than the rest so that you don't have some that are too mushy or too underbaked.

Apple Water Content: The fresher the apples the more water content. Honeycrisp apples have a higher water content. The longer they sit in the sugar mixture the better for the pie.

Apple Sugar Content: Honeycrisp apples are sweeter than Granny Smith apples. If making apple pie with Honeycrisp apples you likely need less sugar in the filling than a pie made with Granny Smith Apples.

Cinnamon: Use high-quality cinnamon such as Ceylon Cinnamon from Simply Organic.

Crumb Topping: If after putting the crumb topping together it feels too soft, put it in the fridge for 15-20 minutes for the butter to cool and harden.

Assembling the Pie: The apples will settle and cook down while in the oven, so you want the apples to be piled higher than the edge of the pie dish.

Nutrition