Put the flour, salt and cold butter in the food processor, and pulse lightly just until the mixture resembles wet sand. Add 1/4 cup ice-cold water, and pulse the processor 5 times.  Keep adding water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough begins to gather into larger clumps, processing as you go.

Using your hands, gather the dough and shape to form a disk. Place into a zip-top bag, wrapping in parchment paper if you can. Place in the freezer while you prep the other ingredients.

Add thinly sliced apples to a medium bowl.

In a small saucepan, stir together cornstarch, sweeteners, cinnamon, cloves and salt. Add water and lemon juice. Cook on medium heat, stirring continually, until the mixture is thickened and bubbly; about the consistency of a thick caramel. This will happen suddenly so be ready. Remove mixture from heat and pour the thick sauce over apples, using a rubber spatula to make sure you get all of the sauce out.  Gently fold the sauce in so it coats all of the sliced apples.

Remove the dough disk from the freezer. On a floured surface, roll dough out to at least a 10-inch round. Gently lift dough into a 9-inch pie plate, carefully pressing down in the center.  Pour apple mixture in, getting as much of the sauce as you can.

Do not trim any of the dough off the sides; instead, roll the dough from over the edges into the pie, tucking in as you go. Using your index finger knuckle, pinch the pie crust edges all the way around, until you have a beautifully formed but rustic-looking edge.  Don’t worry about how your crust looks – your pie will taste great!

To make the crumble topping, place oats, flour, cinnamon, honey and butter into a bowl. Mash mixture together with the back of a fork until it is mixed throughout and crumbly. Stir in chopped walnuts. Loosely place crumbles all over the top of the apples, mounding up if you need to (apples may be high, but will bake down as they cook).

If using egg wash to make the crust golden and shiny, simply whisk 1 tablespoon of water with an egg. Lightly brush the wash all over the crust edges.

Cover the pie loosely with foil. Bake at 400º for 15 minutes, then turn the oven to 350º and bake for another 45 – 50 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and the apples are soft.

Allow the pie to rest 2 hours after baking to cool and let juices thicken. Slice and serve!

Recipe Developer by Annessa Chumbley

Recipe Creation by Molly Allen