1. Preheat oven to 375F. Prepare a glass or ceramic pie plate, by greasing the inside.
2. Peel your apples, remove the cores, and chop them into pieces about 1/2" in size. Set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, stir together the dry ingredients for the Oatmeal Base; the oats, cinnamon, salt, baking powder, vanilla whey protein, and Spiced Chai powder.
4. Once those dry ingredients are stirred, add the wet ingredients for the Oatmeal Base; the egg, vanilla almond milk, and apple sauce. Stir well, until all dry ingredients are incorporated.
5. Pour Oatmeal Mixture into your greased pie plate, and bake for about 12-15 minutes. This will par-bake the base.
6. While Oatmeal Base is in the oven, heat a medium saucepan on the stove over medium heat. Add the Ingredients for the Apple Topping, including your chopped apples, corn starch, cinnamon, brown sugar, and your water.
7. Mixture should start to bubble and thicken quickly -- keep stirring as the apples cook. If mixture becomes too thick or dry, add more water, 1 tbsp at a time. Your goal is to cook it for about 5-8 minutes until apples soften a bit, and the liquid turns into a loose, not too gooey caramel.
8. When your timer goes off for the Oatmeal Base, remove it from the oven. Note, it will NOT be fully cooked.
9. Take your cooked Apple mixture, and spoon it over the top of your Oatmeal Base. It is okay if some of the apples sink into the Oatmeal.
10. **Optional** For added decadence, add a traditional Crumb Topping over your Apples before the final bake. Mix together your Crumb Topping ingredients with a pastry cutter or your fingers, including the cold butter, brown sugar, flour and cinnamon. Once mixture forms loose crumbs, sprinkle it over the Apple Topping.
11. Place your Pie Plate back in the oven, to finish baking, for about 20-25 minutes. Keep a close eye on your bake, to ensure it does not bubble over.
12. Remove promptly from oven, and let cool about 10-15 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
Recipe by Sierra Dorschutz, a Graphic Designer for Simple Again, an Artist, and a Part-Time Mad Food Scientist.