Apple Pie with Oatmeal Crust

Whisk together the dry crust ingredients. Stir in the wet crust ingredients until just blended. Press the crust into the sides and bottom of a 9-inch pie pan, using your fingers. Bake at 375 degrees for 12-15 minutes, until the crust starts to look golden.

Combine the topping ingredients and set aside until later.

For the filling, feel free to use a combination of green and red apples, but avoid Red Delicious. Stir the apples and butter for five to ten minutes in a saucepan over medium heat, just to soften the fruit a bit. Remove from heat and add the raisins and toss in a handful of fresh cranberries (if you happen to have some around).

Place the filling in the crust. (Some people would add a little more sugar at this point, but I don't think it's needed if you use flavorful apples and raisins.) Sprinkle the topping evenly over the filling.

Bake for 55-60 minutes at 375 degrees--lower the heat to 350 degrees after the first 30 minutes. If the topping gets dark around 45 minutes into the baking time, cover the pie with foil. Remove from the oven and cool this apple pie with oatmeal crust thoroughly before serving.