Use firm apples like Granny Smith to maintain texture and tartness., Pile apples high to account for shrinking during baking., If topping looks powdery, mix and press crumble topping more to create larger clumps., Use a deep-dish pie plate and bake on a parchment-lined baking sheet to catch drips and avoid soggy bottom crust., You can customize the crumble by substituting half the flour with rolled oats and adding chopped toasted walnuts or pecans., Add a pinch of ground ginger or allspice for deeper spice notes., Drizzle caramel sauce over apples before topping for extra flavor., Recipe can be made ahead or frozen before or after baking; bake from frozen by preheating oven to 425°F, covering the pie loosely with foil, baking 20 minutes, then reducing heat to 350°F and baking 45–55 minutes., Store cooled pie uncovered at room temperature up to 24 hours, then wrap and refrigerate; reheat gently at 325°F for roughly 20 minutes., For vegan version, use vegan pie crust and substitute butter with chilled coconut oil or vegan butter., Mini pies or hand pies can be made using same filling and topping with adjusted baking times.