The BEST Gluten Free Apple Pie with Crumble Topping

It's apple time!  There's nothing quite as wonderful to usher in the autumn season than a homemade apple pie made from freshly picked apples.  This recipe is simply the best!  The fact that it's gluten free and drastically reduced in sugar are just healthy bonuses.  Honestly, you'd never know it was low sugar or GF; there's nothing lacking in taste here.  My gluten-eating, non-diabetic family members loved it!  Because of the crunchy, crumble topping, this pie is best eaten on the day it's made (although it will taste wonderful the day after, even though the topping will have softened).  Be sure to read the note about choosing apples for pie--it's important, you don't want to end up with a mushy, applesauce pie!  For ease, I used a ready-to-fill, frozen gluten free pie crust (Whole Foods has them), but you certainly could make your own using your favorite recipe.

The BEST Gluten Free Apple Pie with Crumble Topping
Makes 12 servings

one 9" gluten free, frozen pie crust, thawed (or make your own)

Filling:
5-6 medium cooking apples* (see note below)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon allspice
1/4 cup Stevia or Splenda granular
1 tablespoon tapioca flour
1 teaspoon melted butter, butter substitute (Earth Balance) or ghee (clarified butter)

Topping:
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup Stevia or Splenda granular
1/2 cup all purpose gluten free baking flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg or mace
1/8 teaspoon ginger
1-1/2 tablespoons gluten free old-fashioned oats
3 tablespoons very cold butter or butter substitute, cubed

1.  Preheat oven to 400-degrees F.  Thaw pie crust.  Poke crust with fork on bottom and sides.  Place crust on a foil-lined cookie sheet; set aside.

2.  To prepare the filling, peel, core and thinly slice apples and place in a large bowl.  Add remaining filling ingredients and stir to coat apples evenly.  Spoon apples into the pie crust until quite full and heaped in the center (apples will reduce in volume as they cook).

3.  In another bowl, stir together the sugars, GF flour, oats, salt, and spices.  Add the cold, cubed butter and, with a pastry cutter or two knives, cut butter into the dry ingredients until butter is well distributed and mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Spoon crumb topping evenly over apples.

4.  Bake in preheated oven for 40 minutes.  Topping should be nicely browned and the apples bubbly.  Cool for at least one hour before slicing.

*Note about choosing apples: The type of apples is important.  Create a mixture of several types, such as Cortland, Macoun, Granny Smith, Honey Crisp, Yellow Delicious or Macintosh.  Be aware that Macintosh apples are tart and impart a wonderful flavor, but when baked can turn soft or mushy (but in a good way, when combined with firmer apples).  I recommend using Macintosh sparingly in the mix and never use Macintosh by themselves.

Nutritional Information per serving: 185 calories, 30.5 g carbohydrate (2.3 g dietary fiber, 14.1 g sugar), 8.4 g total fat (4.9 g saturated fat, 0 g trans fat), 47 mg cholesterol, 236 mg sodium, 25.4 mg calcium, 106 mg potassium, 2 g protein.

Recipe by Kathy Sheehan, copyright 2013