This easy Apple Betty Pie recipe includes simple ingredients and old-fashioned charm for a delicious homemade dessert that you’ll want to make again and again.
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The second installment of my “Mystery Recipe Box” series takes us back to 1960 with a vintage Apple Betty Pie recipe.
This recipe was cut out of the October 1960 issue of Better Homes & Gardens.
It describes the recipe as an “old-time apple crisp baked like a deep-dish pie. Flavor flair is fresh orange”.
I personally didn’t decorate my pie with oranges. I googled “twisted orange slices tacked with cloves” and the photos gave me the heebie-jeebies.
But, the rest of the recipe, as written, is absolutely DELICIOUS.
I read that one of the earliest known printed references to this recipe was in 1864.
Some say, it dates back to colonial times.
Its simple, affordable ingredients made it a practical way to use seasonal apples and leftover bread.
Like many vintage recipes, Apple Betty has evolved over time with our version using a flour-based crumb topping instead of breadcrumbs.
Tips & Tricks
I don’t have much to say about this recipe because it’s so easy and delightful.
Tart Apples
The recipe calls for “tart apples”.
I just bought the apples that were on sale.
But, I will use tart apples, like Granny Smith or Cortland, the next time I make this recipe. And yes, I most definitely will make it again.
Cutting the Butter
This is the process of breaking cold butter into smaller and smaller pieces, IN the bowl of dry ingredients, so they can also be coated in the dry ingredients at the same time.
The goal is pea-sized pieces of flour-coated butter and a coarse, crumbly texture to the mixture.
This is usually done with knives or a pastry cutter.
With knives, a person has a knife in each hand and pretty much cuts the butter, over and over again, while it is in the middle of the bowl of dry ingredients. The knives drag toward their respective sides of the bowl during and slightly after the cut.
I started out with knives then switched to my spatula because it seemed easier.
BUT, I think I should have kept going. I still had some bigger pieces of butter and I wonder if that’s why my topping wasn’t as crispy as it could be.
I also noticed some little pools of, what seemed like, melted butter on top of the pie after I reheated it.
This morning, I bought this Large Pastry Cutter for Baking for the next time that I make this recipe.
And it’s possible that “next time” may be this week. 😆
How to Store
Store in an airtight container, in the refrigerator, for up to 4 days.
Please let the Apple Betty Pie cool completely to room temperature before covering it.
Otherwise, it’ll create condensation and make the top soggy.
When ready to eat, simply warm portions in the microwave, toaster oven, or bake at 350°F until heated to your preference.
Mystery Recipe Box Series
Each week, I will be randomly picking a new recipe card out of the old family recipe box to make, try, and share.
I will post it here on LoveMischka.com.
It’ll also be available on my Youtube, Instagram, Facebook, and Tiktok.
Please make sure you subscribe or follow on your favorite so you don’t miss out.
Apple Betty Pie
Ingredients
- 4 cups Apples (about 5-6 medium) peeled & sliced
- 1 cup Sugar granulated
- ¾ cup Flour
- ½ teaspoon Cinnamon ground
- ¼ teaspoon Nutmeg ground
- ⅛ teaspoon Salt
- ½ cup Butter (cold) unsalted
- ¼ cup Orange Juice
- Vanilla Ice Cream optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Peel and slice the apples.
- Add the apple slices to a buttered 9-inch pie plate.
- Pour the orange juice over the apple slices. Set aside.
- In a medium to large bowl, combine sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
- Cut butter into the flour mixture until it's crumbly.*
- Scatter the mixture on the apples in the pie plate.
- Bake for 45 minutes or until the topping is crisp and lightly browned.
- Serve warm with vanilla ice cream (if desired).
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