Humble Apple Pie Crumble

Looking for a delicious way to finish off your Thanksgiving feast? Well look no further because this Humble Apple Pie Crumble is just the thing you need. The spelt crust is rustic and flaky and the apples and pears are the perfect fall combination.  Spelt is wonderful flour because it adds a delicious nutty flavor to the crust and it is a great source of manganese, which is important for healthy joints. The cream cheese lining the crust adds a smooth texture to the filling and the sweet crumble topping is delicious.

The spelt crust is really easy to make with only five ingredients – flour, salt, cinnamon, cold butter and water.

Mix the flour, salt and cinnamon in a food processor with the metal blade or in a bowl. Add the cold butter and pulse the food processor or use a pastry blender the mix the crust into a pea shape balls. Slowly add the water until the mixture just holds together, the less water you use the flakier the crust will be.

Finally, form the pastry in to two equal disks and cover them in plastic wrap. Place one in the freezer to save for your next pie (pumpkin perhaps?) and place the second in the fridge to chill for an hour.

While the crust is chilling gather the Apple Pie filling ingredients.

Mix the sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a bowl. Add the apples and pear; toss to coat.

Now gather coconut oil, cane sugar, vanilla, spelt, cinnamon and oats to make the crumble topping.

Mix them together in a bowl and set aside.

Once the dough is finished chilling, preheat the oven to 350. Place the dough on a large sheet of parchment paper and roll it out until it is roughly 1/8^th of an inch thick and large enough in diameter to line the pie plate. I like to roll out the dough on parchment paper because it is easier to transfer into the pie plate.

Transfer the rolled crust onto the pie plate and trim the edges leaving an extra half inch all the way around. Spread the cream cheese over the crust. Tuck the extra dough underneath itself to form a nice and thick edge and flute the edge using your fingers and thumb or a fork.

Add the apple-pear mixture and top with the crumble.

Bake for 50min, checking the apple pie after 20min to see if the edges are browning. If the edges are getting too dark cover them with foil and continue cooking. When the Humble Apple Pie Crumble is done cooking remove it from the oven to let it cool and enjoy at room temperature.

Prep time: 30min

Inactive prep time: 1hr

Cook time: 50min

Serving size: One 9 inch diameter pie

Crust:

• 2 ½ cups spelt flour
• ½ tsp salt
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• ¾ cup butter, chilled cut into cubes
• 6 to 8 Tbsp cold water

Filling:

• 1/3  cup sugar
• 1/3  cup cream cheese
• ¼ cup spelt flour
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg
• 2 large apples, peeled and sliced
• 1 large pear, peeled and sliced

Crumble Topping:

• ½ cup coconut oil, softened
• ½ cup cane sugar
• ½ tsp vanilla
• 1/3 cup spelt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 cup oats

Directions:

1. Mix 2 ½ cups flour, ½ tsp salt and ½ tsp cinnamon in a food processor fitted with the metal blade or by hand. Cut ¾ cup of chilled butter into chunks and add it to the food processor and process until the butter is the size of peas.  If you are mixing by hand, use a pastry blender or two knives to cut the butter into the flour, do not stir.
2. Slowly add 6 to 8 Tbsp of cold water until the mixture holds together.
3. Form the pastry into two equal disks. Cover the disks in plastic wrap and place one in the refrigerator to chill for an hour. Store the second disk in plastic wrap and a freezer bag in the freezer for up to 3 months or cut the crust recipe in half.
4. While the crust is chilling mix the sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in a bowl. Add the apples and pear; toss to coat.
5. Mix all the topping ingredients together a separate bowl and set aside.
6. Preheat oven to 350.
7. Remove the chilled dough from the fridge and place on a large sheet of parchment paper. Roll out the dough with a floured rolling pin until it is 1/8 inch thick and roughly 12-inches in diameter (for a 9 inch pie plate). While you are rolling out the dough, the parchment paper may slide around; however, the parchment paper makes for a very easy transfer into the pie plate. If you do not wish to roll out the dough on parchment paper, use a floured surface.
8. Place the rolled out dough on the pie plate and trim the edges leaving an extra half inch. Tuck the extra dough underneath itself to form a thick edge and flute with your first two fingers and thumb.
9. Spread cream cheese over the crust; add the apple mixture and top with the crumble topping and bake at 350 for 50min. Check the pie after 20min and if the crust edges are getting dark cover them with foil.  Cover the rest of the pie for the last 10min of cooking if the topping is golden brown.
10. Remove the Humble Apple Pie Crumble from the oven and cool the room temperature and serve with whipped cream, a la mode or aged cheddar.