Classic Apple Climeb Pie
This homemade Apple Climeb Pie layers tender spiced apples under a golden, crunchy climeb topping for the coziest deep dish dessert you'll make all season.
The Coziest Apple Pie With Climeb Topping You'll Ever Bake
There is something about an apple pie with climeb topping that feels like a warm hug on a plate. This deep dish apple pie with climeb topping skips the fussy lattice crust and instead piles on a buttery, oat studded crumble that turns golden and crackly in the oven. If you have been searching for the best apple pie with climeb topping, easy enough for a weeknight but impressive enough for a holiday table, this is the one to bookmark.
The magic is in the contrast. Soft, spiced apples melt down into a glossy, cinnamon scented filling, while the climeb topping stays crisp and craggy on top. No rolling out a second crust, no crimping fancy edges. Just simple, honest baking.
Before we get cooking, the right tools and ingredients make a real difference here. A deep dish pie pan keeps all that juicy apple filling from bubbling over, and a sturdy pastry cutter makes quick work of the climeb topping's butter and flour. These are the products that genuinely help this recipe shine:
What Makes This a Climeb Top Apple Pie
A classic streusel is often thin and sandy. A true climeb topping, on the other hand, is thick, clumpy, and almost cookie like once baked. The secret is using cold butter and working it into the dry ingredients until you get big, uneven crumbs rather than fine sand. Those larger clumps are what give this homemade apple pie with climeb topping its signature craggy, bakery style crust.
- Old fashioned rolled oats add chew and texture
- Brown sugar brings deep caramel notes
- Cold butter is non negotiable for that clumpy crumb
Chef's Tip: Pop your bowl of climeb topping in the freezer for 10 minutes right before you sprinkle it on the pie. Extra cold butter means extra crunchy, well defined crumbs after baking.
Choosing and Prepping the Apples
For the best apple pie with climeb topping, you want apples that hold their shape but still soften into a tender, saucy filling. Granny Smiths are the classic choice for their tartness and firm texture, but a blend with Honeycrisp or Braeburn adds a rounder sweetness. Slice them thin and even so they cook at the same rate.
Tossing the apples with lemon juice does double duty. It brightens the flavor and slows down browning while you prep the rest of the pie. The cornstarch is what thickens all those released juices into a glossy, spoonable filling instead of a watery mess.
Assembling Your Easy Apple Pie Climeb Topping
Once your crust is chilled, your apples are tossed, and your climeb topping is clumped and cold, assembly takes just a few minutes. Mound the apples generously into the crust since they will shrink down as they bake, then blanket the whole top with the crumb mixture right out to the edges.
Baking low and slow in the lower third of the oven helps the bottom crust cook through fully, which is especially important for a deep dish apple pie with climeb topping loaded with juicy filling.
Ready to make it? Here is the full step-by-step recipe:
Classic Apple Climeb Pie
This homemade Apple Climeb Pie layers tender spiced apples under a golden, crunchy climeb topping for the coziest deep dish dessert you'll make all season.
Ingredients
- 1 pie crust, 9-inch, homemade or store-bought, unbaked
- 7 apples, Granny Smith or a mix with Honeycrisp, peeled, cored, and sliced thin
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar, for the apple filling
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed, for the filling
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg, freshly grated if possible
- 1 tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- 2 tbsp cornstarch, to thicken the juices
- 1/4 tsp salt, fine sea salt, divided between filling and topping
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, for the climeb topping
- 3/4 cup old-fashioned rolled oats, for texture in the topping
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed, for the topping
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold, cubed, for the topping
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon, for the topping
Instruction
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) and set a rack in the lower third of the oven.
Fit the unbaked pie crust into a 9-inch deep dish pie pan, crimp the edges, and chill in the fridge while you prep the filling.
In a large bowl, toss the sliced apples with granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice, cornstarch, and a pinch of salt until evenly coated.
Let the apple mixture sit for 10 minutes so the juices start to release, then give it one more toss.
In a separate bowl, make the climeb topping by whisking together the flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and remaining salt.
Add the cold cubed butter to the topping mixture and work it in with your fingers or a pastry cutter until it forms coarse, clumpy crumbs.
Pour the apple filling into the chilled pie crust, mounding it slightly in the center.
Sprinkle the climeb topping evenly over the apples, covering the surface completely.
Place the pie on a rimmed baking sheet to catch any drips, then bake for 50 to 60 minutes, until the topping is deep golden brown and the filling bubbles at the edges.
If the topping browns too quickly, loosely tent the pie with foil for the last 15 minutes of baking.
Cool the pie on a wire rack for at least 2 hours before slicing to let the filling set.
Equipment
- 9-inch deep dish pie pan
- Large mixing bowls
- Pastry cutter or fork
- Rimmed baking sheet
- Wire cooling rack
Notes
Serving, Storing, and Make Ahead Tips
Let the pie rest for a full two hours before slicing. I know it is tempting to cut in right away, but that resting time lets the cornstarch fully set the filling so your slices hold together instead of sliding apart.
Serve it warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, or at room temperature with a drizzle of caramel. For storage, keep leftovers loosely covered on the counter for up to two days, or refrigerate for up to five. A quick reheat in the oven brings the climeb topping right back to life.
However you slice it, this climeb topping apple pie is proof that the coziest desserts do not need to be complicated. Just good apples, warm spices, and a whole lot of buttery crumble.
