Brown Butter Bourbon Apple Pie
This pie is a winner - like, an actual winner. My neighborhood has an annual Apple Festival, and this year my Brown Butter Bourbon Apple Pie took home the "Best Overall" prize. See below for proof of championship:
It's perfect for Thanksgiving, a housewarming, or just a lazy Saturday when you want to combine the two best things: pie and bourbon.
Ingredients
Crust
Flour: 1 1/4 cups
Sugar: 1 1/2 teaspoons
Salt: 1/2 teaspoon
Unsalted Butter: 8 tablespoons (1 stick)
Filling
Butter (Unsalted): 4 tablespoons
Apples: 3 medium
Lemon Juice: From 1/3 lrmon
Brown Sugar: 1/2 cup
Salt: 1/2 teaspoon
Cinnamon: 1/2 teaspoon
Cloves: 1/4 teaspoon
Nutmeg: Pinch
Tapioca Starch: 3 tablespoons
Bourbon: 2 tablespoons
Almond Crumble Topping
Flour: 1/2 cup
Almond Flour: 1/4 cup
Sugar: 1/4 cup
Brown Sugar: 1/4 cup
Slivered Almonds: 1/2 cup
Cinnamon: 1/2 teaspoon
Cloves: 1/8 teaspoon
Salt: Pinch
Butter (Unsalted): 6 tablespoons
*Adapted from Butter Me Up Brooklyn's Brown Butter Bourbon Apple Pie with Almond Crumble
The How To (The Crust):
Place a stick of butter in the freezer for a few minutes to prepare
Fill a 1/4 measuring cup with cold water and drop an ice cube in
In a medium bowl, whisk together the 1 1/4 cups flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt
Dice the 8 tablespoons (1 stick) of very cold butter into small chunks
Cut the butter into the flour mixture (you can use your fingers, a pastry blender, or two forks)
Pour the ice water (ice cube removed!) over the mixture and press together with a rubber spatula
Knead the dough with your hands a couple of times, just until it comes together. You can add one more tablespoon of water if the dough is too dry, but only do this if really need to.
Wrap in plastic wrap, flatten into a disk shape, and refrigerate for at least an hour
The How To (The Crumble Topping):
In a smallish bowl, whisk together 1/2 cup flour, 1/4 cup almond flour, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/8 teaspoon cloves, and 1/4 teaspoon salt
Chop the 1/2 cup of almonds into smallish pieces and add to the flour mixture
Dice the 6 tablespoons of butter into small cubes and cut into the flour mixture. The texture should be sandy
Place in the fridge until you're ready to use
The How To (The Filling):
Peel and core the apples, then chop them into 1/4 inch slices
Combine the chopped apples, lemon juice, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon cloves, pinch of nutmeg, 3 tablespoons tapioca starch, and two tablespoons of bourbon.
Heat a small skillet over medium heat. Add 4 tablespoons of butter and heat until brown and nutty, whisking occasionally.
Pour the brown butter over the apple mixture and stir to coat thoroughly
The How To (Assembly):
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees
Roll out the pie dough and place in a 9-inch pie plate. Prick all over with a fork and freeze for 30 minutes, or until solid
Cover the frozen pie crust tightly with a piece of buttered foil. Really press it down!
Bake for 25 minutes then remove from the oven and discard the foil.
Raise the oven temperature to 450 degrees.
Layer the apples in concentric circles in the pre-baked pie crust.
Sprinkle the crumble mixture evenly over the pie.
Place on a foil-lined baking sheet and bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes. Lower the temperature to 350 degrees and bake for another 25-30 minutes.
Remove the pie from the oven and let it cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes, or until all the juices are set.
A Few Notes:
I suggest using a mix of tart apples (like granny smith), and sweet apples (like honeycrisp). The number you need will vary based on how big the apples are, but you can't really go wrong since there's crumble on top!
You could replace the slivered almonds in the crumble with pecans if you're feeling fancy
Don't worry if the pie dough gets sticky - just pop it back in the fridge for 5 minutes and keep rollin'
You can put pieces of tented foil as a "shield" around the crust if at any point during baking the crust starts to brown too quickly
I used Knob Creek bourbon and thought it worked very well, but you can definitely substitute for your favorite
Pairs Well With:
