Step 1

Preheat oven to 375° F. In a large bowl combine dry ingredients and lemon zest for crust. Add in vanilla and then cut in butter with pastry knife or two forks. If temperature rises put mixture into fridge for a few minutes to keep butter cold. Do not over-mix. Mixture should be sandy.

Step 2

Press dough into a 9” greased springform pan that’s been lined with parchment paper, taking the dough up the sides generously to hold the filling. Crust should be about 1/4” thick in all areas.

Step 3

Bake for 15-20 or until just barely beginning to brown. Cover with foil if edges are browning too quickly. Remove from oven. Combine milk and egg and milk. Brush this mixture over the baked crust. Set aside to cool. Reduce heat to 350˚F.

Step 4

In a medium bowl combine apples with lemon juice to stop them browning. Add the rest of the filling ingredients and stir well.

Step 5

Combine the flour and granulated sugar for the topping. Stir in butter until sandy mixture forms.

Step 6

Add filling to pie crust followed by the crumb topping. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Allow to cool completely before attempting to remove from springform pan. Sprinkle confectioners sugar over the top as the final topping.