Apple Crumb Pie Recipe

October mornings are still my very favorite as my sister and I have the secret recipe for our mother's apple crumb pie. My sister and I woke to the smell of warm Pennsylvania apple pies as our mother baked each morning when we were little girls. She always went to local markets to buy pecks of fresh apples. I remember her smelling the apples and looking them over so carefully as she chose which would be the best to make applesauce, dumplings and her fabulous Pennsylvania crumb pies! We knew that when we came home from school in the late Autumn afternoons the entire house would smell of dumblings and it would be our "surprise" for dinner. To keep us at bay until our father got home for dinner at 6pm, mother had made the most wonderful "dookies". They were made out of the leftover dough. She would roll it out, spread butter on it ever so lightly, and then sprinkle cinnamon and then sugar over the top. Then she would roll it into a long tube. After that she would cut them into pinwheels, baking them in the oven until golden brown. We loved them! The dumplings would be so big that they would fill an entire cereal bowl! They looked just like an igloo! We would each have our own and would pour just a bit of milk on the hot dumpling with a sprinkle of sugar and cinnamon. Mom would always ask if we would like to share a dumpling...though she already knew the answer. After Daddy said grace, we would carefully spoon each bite into our mouths savoring each tiny mouthful until it was gone. I think it was our favorite dinner of all! My Mother is in her 80's now and is still an amazing baker. Today is October 1 and so this week I will begin baking those amazing Pennsylvania pies. They are never quite as good as my Mother makes. I need to call my Mother and my sister and and see if they are baking apple dumplings this week as well!

Crust ~ 3/4 C butter crisco, 1 3/4 white flour, knead together with a pastry fork and then add ice water l T at a time until it forms a ball a dough...approximately 4-6 Tablespoons. Roll out with flour and flip into a pie plate.

Peel apples and slice as thinly as possible until crust is heaping.

Topping: 1/2 C sugar, 3/4 C flour, 1/3 C chilled oleo/butter. Knead together to make topping.Then sprinkle over apples and bake at 450 * for l0 mins...then 350* for 30-40 mins until apples are tender with fork.

Last week we visited an apple farm and I bought a peck of McIntosh apples. Yesterday I baked pies for neighbors and family and the whole house smelled so good. The hardest part is resisting the crumb topping when it comes out of the oven while you are waiting to serve the pies! I do hope that you will enjoy this recipe. It has been a family favorite for years!