Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9" deep dish pie plate with a pre-made pie crust. In a large bowl, combine peeled and sliced apples, white sugar, 4 Tbsp cinnamon, vanilla, corn starch and water. Stir gently until apples are completed coated.
For the topping, stir together 4 Tbsp cinnamon, brown sugar, almonds, and butter. Mash the mixture into tiny pieces.
Gently mound apples into the pie crust until the pile is very tall. Carefully sprinkle the cinnamon-almond mixture over the apples.
Place pie plate on a rimmed cookie sheet to catch any liquid if the pie boils over. Bake for 45-60 minutes, until apples are tender and juice inside the pie crust is bubbling. If crust begins to burn, cover with a collar made of aluminum foil. Allow to cool for at least an hour before slicing. Enjoy!