As December approaches and houses light up with Christmas lights, I start craving those traditional family recipes. You know which ones I’m talking about – dishes that remind you of your childhood that hold good memories! My Oma’s apple pie is one of these recipes.
When I was growing up, I would sit on the floor of my Oma’s kitchen and watch her giant industrial mixer whisk together the ingredients for this delicious apple pie. I’d most definitely sneak tastes when she wasn’t looking. It is the perfect combination of sweet, crumbly crust with tart green apples on the inside.
To say that I was heartbroken when I discovered I couldn’t eat gluten anymore is an understatement…what about Oma’s apple pie?! Instead of giving it up forever, I adapted the recipe to make it gluten-free. As my Oma would say, it’s lekker! For all you non-dutchies, that means delicious!
This is not your average pie. The crust is the easiest ever with only 4 ingredients. Butter, sugar, all-purpose gluten-free flour, and vanilla extract, sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar. It tastes like a sugar cookie or shortbread. My Oma didn’t mess around when it came to pie crust.
The apples are par boiled in lemon juice and sprinkled with more cinnamon and sugar. A nice thick layer of apples goes on top of the bottom layer of crust, forming the juicy, sweet, and slightly tart insides that make up the delicious flavour of this pie. Just a warning…a few stray apples may end up in your mouth during this step.
- 2 cups softened butter
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- 4 cups all purpose gluten free flour (ensure flour includes xantham gum, if not, add 1 tsp xantham gum)
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 8 large granny smith apples
- juice of 1 large lemon
- 1 1/2 tbsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp sugar
- A few pinches of cinnamon and sugar
- Mix together the butter, sugar, flour, and vanilla. The dough should be the consistency of cookie dough. Split the dough in half.
- Lightly grease the inside of a 9 x 13 glass baking pan or two round pie plates. Take half of the dough and press it evenly over the bottom of the baking pan.
- Cover the dough at the bottom of the baking pan in a light dusting of gluten free flour (about 1/2 tbsp), and then sprinkle a few pinches of cinnamon and sugar over top of it. Set to the side.
- Clean and peel the apples, cutting them into medium sized slices. Put them in a pot on the stove over medium-low heat with the lemon juice, and bring to a par boil (quick browning).
- Add in the cinnamon and sugar. Once the apples are slightly softened, pour them evenly over the crust in the baking pan.
- Take the remaining half of the dough and break it up into small coin sized bits, sprinkling these bits over the apples in the baking pan. No need for perfection here! I always like to sprinkle a bit more cinnamon and sugar on top of the dough as well.
- Bake at 400°F for 10 minutes, and then reduce the heat to 350°F and bake for another 30 minutes. Let cool and then dig in! It goes perfectly with a scoop of ice cream.
- For all purpose gluten free flour, avoid using Bob's Red Mill All Purpose Gluten Free baking flour. It will make your pie taste like green beans. A mistake I only made once! You can also easily make this pie with regular all purpose flour if you like gluten.
Once the pie is finished baking, let it cool and try not to eat the entire thing in one sitting. For a bit of extra specialness, enjoy it with a scoop (or two) of vanilla bean ice cream. Now tell me that’s not a delicious apple pie! Do you have a favourite childhood recipe? Tell me all about it!
Pie dish and cake server: Anthropologie Crowned Leaf Bakeware || Napkin: Anthropologie Fellina Napkin
