A Dutch Apple Pie with a flavorful apple filling, flaky crust, and cinnamon crumb topping. It’s one of my favorite pies and perfect for fall!
Since we’re only a few days away from Thanksgiving, I’m continuing my streak of sharing my favorite pie recipes! Do you ever want to make an apple pie but don’t want to bother trying to make a pretty top crust? Then this Dutch Apple Pie is for you.
What is Dutch Apple Pie you ask? It’s a perfect marriage between apple pie and apple crumble. It starts with a flaky, buttery, crust that is filled with warm apples. Then on top, instead of another crust, there is a crunchy cinnamon crumble. The sweet crumble pairs really nicely with the tart apples and also adds great texture to the pie. I also think it’s so much easier to make than a traditional apple pie, mainly because you only have to roll out one pie crust instead of two. 😉
If you’re looking for a great fall or Holiday pie, it’s really hard to go wrong here (as long as you don’t forget to add some vanilla ice cream on top hehe)!
What You’ll Need
Equipment
- One 9″ round pie dish
- A food processor, to make the pie crust. You’ll need a food processor for the method outlined in this recipe.
- Optional: an apple peeler and corer. This thing is a game changer. You’ll prep the apples so quickly and they’ll be perfectly sliced and even. Perhaps one of the best $20 purchases I’ve ever made?
Ingredients
- One pie crust, either homemade or store bought. I recommend making your own pie crust if you have time since it’ll be so much more buttery and flaky.
- Apples, a lot of them! See below for my list of favorite apples.
- Boiling water: as part of this recipe, something I recommend is to par-cook your apples prior to baking. This truly does make such a difference in ensuring you end up with soft, perfectly cooked apples.
- Freshly squeezed lemon juice: this adds brightness to the apple filling. Make sure to use freshly squeezed lemon juice for the best results. As a personal preference, I think pre-bottled juice doesn’t taste as fresh and has an artificial aftertaste.
- Brown sugar, either light or dark, to add sweetness to the filling
- Cornstarch: as the apples cook, they release liquid. To prevent eh
- Apple pie spices: ground cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger
- Vanilla extract
The Best Apples for Pie
The best apples are crisp, firm, and won’t turn into mush when you bake them. I recommend using a blend of different apples to mix and match flavors. My top five favorite apples for baking are:
- Honeycrisp
- Pink Lady
- Granny Smith
- Jonagold
- Golden Delicious
How to Make Flaky Pie Crust
This pie crust recipe is my absolute favorite, tried and true recipe. It’s a little bit unconventional and I have to credit the method to J. Kenji Alt-Lopez and the Serious Eats team. You essentially blend some of the flour with butter to create a mass of fat, and then pulse the rest of the flour around it. After that, you use a rubber spatula to fold water in, creating layers.
Two things to keep in mind are:
- Keep your ingredients cold. You want to make sure the fat does not melt too much before baking. Make sure to chill your pie crust before rolling it out, and then freeze it after shaping.
- Weigh the flour. Pie crust is one of those things where accuracy is important, and nothing is more accurate than a scale when it comes to measuring ingredients. If you have a kitchen scale, use it to your advantage here!
- Blind bake the crust. This will ensure a crispy, flaky crust that isn’t soggy at the bottom
How to Make Dutch Apple Pie
- Peel, core, and thinly slice your apples and place them into a large heat-proof bowl. Then, pour boiling water over them and let them soak for 10 minutes to par-cook them.
- Drain the apples and toss them with the sugar, spices, and cornstarch (see recipe for full list of ingredients). Let them rest for at least 5 minutes.
- Fill the blind-baked pie crust with the apples, leaving behind most of the liquid. Spoon a few tablespoons though on top to add a little extra flavor.
- Make the streusel topping, press it on top of the apples, and then bake the pie on a cookie sheet for 50-55 minutes, or until the apples are tender.
Make sure to let the pie cool down completely before slicing into it or serving! Warm fruit pies are generally not the most pleasant to cut into, so patience is truly key here.
Tips and FAQ
How do I know when the apple pie is done? Since the apple filling is completely covered by the crumb topping, it’s hard to judge whether the pie is done cooking by sight alone. What you can do is take a toothpick or a sharp knife, and slide it through a thicker part of the pie. If it glides through pretty easily without much resistance, then the pie is done.
Can I store apple pie at room temperature? You can keep the pie out for a day at room temperature and it will be fine. However, any longer than that and you should store it in the fridge and warm leftovers up in the microwave.
What should I serve with apple pie? For this Dutch Apple Pie, I love adding a drizzle of caramel sauce and a scoop of vanilla ice cream. You can also experiment and drizzle some maple syrup on top, or to meta and serve it with apple pie flavored ice cream haha.
Pin & Save for Later
If you’re not ready to bake yet, no problem! Simply hover over or tap (on mobile) any image in this post (pick your favorite or use the one below), and use the pin icon in the corner to save for later.
And if you’re just finding yourself with an abundance of apples, trying throwing together this puff pastry apple galette as well! Easy, tasty, and just as good as pie.
Dutch Apple Pie
A Dutch Apple Pie with a flavorful apple filling, flaky crust, and cinnamon crumb topping. It's one of my favorite pies and perfect for fall!
Ingredients
Flaky Pie Crust
- 1¼ cups (150g) all purpose flour, divided
- 1 tsp granulated sugar
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- 8 tbsp (113g) unsalted butter, cold and diced into cubes
- 3 tbsp ice water
- 1 egg, beaten, for egg wash
Apple Filling
- 6-7 medium apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced (around 2 lbs)
- 1.5 quarts of boiling water
- 2 tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- ½ cup (100g) light or dark brown sugar, lightly packed
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- ¼ cup cornstarch
Crumb Topping
- 8 tbsp (113g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 1⅔ cups (200g) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (100g) dark brown sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- pinch of salt
Instructions
Prepare Pie Crust
- In a food processor, pulse ¾ cup of the flour, sugar, and salt together a few times until combined. Add the cubed butter and continuing pulsing until flour and butter are completely mixed, and the dough begins to collect in large clumps (it may look like a paste or cookie dough).
- Add the remaining ½ cup of flour, and pulse 6-10 times until the mixture is crumbly with pea-sized chunks.
- Transfer the mixture into a bowl and drizzle the 3 tbsp of ice water on top. Use a rubber spatula to gently fold the water into the dough. You will have end up with a moistened, slightly crumbly dough that sticks when you press it together.
- Form the dough into a disk, wrap it tightly, and let it chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
- After chilling the crust, place the dough on a well floured surface and roll it into approximately a 12-inch circle. It should be large enough to hang over your pie dish by and inch.
- Lift the dough into the pie dish, and use scissors to trim around the edges until you have a ½-inch overhang. Tuck the overhang in under itself, and use your fingers or a fork to crimp the edges.
- Transfer the pie crust into the freezer to chill for 15 minutes. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Blind bake the crust. Line the crust with parchment paper or foil on the bottom and up the sides. Fill with pie weights, uncooked beans, or uncooked rice. Make sure to fill up the sides as well to prevent slouching.
- Place the pie dish on a baking pan, and then bake for 14-15 minutes, until edges just start to turn golden. Then remove the pie and use the parchment/foil to lift the weights out. Poke a few holes on the bottom with a fork, and continue baking for 5 minutes. Feel free to start prepping the apples as you wait for the crust to bake.
Make the Filling, Topping, and Bake
- Pour boiling water over the sliced apples and cover. Let the apples soak for 10 minutes and then drain. If you are short on time this step is optional, but it makes a huge difference in the final apple texture.
- Toss the drained apples with all of the other ingredients in a large bowl and let rest for at least 5 minutes. The sugar will draw out liquid as it rests.
- Transfer the apples into the blind baked pie crust, leaving behind most of the liquid. Drizzle 3 tbsp of the liquid on top.
- Make the crumb topping by using a fork to mix the flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt together. Pour the melted butter on top and continue mixing until a crumble forms.
- Sprinkle and press crumble on top of the apples.
- Brush the egg wash around the edges of the crust. You will not need all of the egg.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 375°F and bake for 50-55 minutes, or until apples are soft. You can test by sticking a sharp knife through the pie. It should glide through with little effort.
- Very important -- let the pie cool completely before slicing and serving.
Notes
- To save on time, you can use a store bought pie crust.
- Par-cooking the apples by soaking them in boiling water is an optional step, but it helps the apples have a soft but not mushy texture and ensures that they cook perfectly. If you have the time, it's a step that's worth the effort!
- Make sure to let the pie cool down completely before serving, otherwise it may be leaky.
- Store leftover pie in the fridge, and heat in the in microwave to warm it up.
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