Dutch Apple Pie

Introduction

Have you tried a Dutch apple pie? I’m gonna teach you how to make one. They’re so good… A Dutch apple pie is great from top to bottom. Everything from that flaky buttery crust, similar to our easy homemade apple pie recipe, to the incredible filling and a crumbly topping. And I want pie, so let’s get started.

Ingredients

For the Pie Crust

• ○ 1 homemade all-butter pie crust (for a 9-inch pie)

For the Apple Filling

• ○ two and a quarter pounds of green Granny Smith apples
• ○ a teaspoon of cinnamon

For the Apple Pie Sauce

• ○ eight tablespoons of unsalted butter
• ○ three tablespoons of all-purpose flour
• ○ one fourth cup of water
• ○ one cup of granulated sugar

For the Crumble Topping

• ○ one cup of all-purpose flour
• ○ one fourth cup of packed light brown sugar
• ○ two tablespoons of granulated sugar
• ○ a quarter teaspoon of cinnamon
• ○ a quarter teaspoon of salt
• ○ eight tablespoons of room temperature unsalted butter
• ○ half a cup of chopped pecans. You can skip the nuts if you don’t like nuts or you can also use chopped walnuts or sliced almonds, perhaps for a recipe like super soft banana bread with walnuts.

Instructions

1. Prepare the Pie Crust: We’re using our homemade all-butter pie crust and It is so easy and just so much better than a store-bought pie crust. And you can pre-make this, which makes it even easier. This one’s been chilling in the fridge, so you wanna lightly dust a work surface with flour, then roll it out to a 12-inch circle. Now here’s our favorite trick for easily transferring a pie crust into the pan. Loosely wrap your crust over your rolling pin, then simply unwrap it over your pie dish. This reduces the risk of the crust cracking or tearing while you’re transferring. Mold your crust to your pie pan and you will have a little bit of excess dough at the edges, which is good. Simply tuck that dough behind, like so. That little bit of excess dough will help you make a beautiful border. To crimp the dough, pinch the dough together with two fingers on one hand, while pushing the dough in between them with one finger on the other hand. This is quick and easy, but will make your pie look stunning. You can also explore other crust options for desserts like buttery shortbread lemon bars. Also, to keep the pie crust from browning too quickly, I do like to pat it down slightly to be in line with the surface of the pie.
2. Prepare the Apples: Now it’s time to peel, core, and slice your apples. You can do this with a knife, but I am completely in love with this tool. This makes every apple dessert so easy. It peels, cores, and slices the apple with one motion. Watch how quickly and efficiently this apple peeler works. It’s especially nice when you’re making recipes that call for a lot of apples, and in this one, you’ll need two and a quarter pounds of green Granny Smith apples, which is a tart and crisp apple. I also love this tool for making things like apple sauce, which helps me prep a ton of apples really fast. There’s also very little waste because it removes a very thin layer of the skin. This is a must-have for anyone who loves apple desserts, and I will leave a link to it in the notes. You could also use similar tools for making easy baked apples with warm spices. Plus, every time I take out this tool, my kids come running because they love to use it too. It’s fun to play with, and they love to eat the apple slices. Once your apples are all sliced up, place them into a large mixing bowl. You should have about seven cups of thinly sliced apples. Now sprinkle the top of your apples with a teaspoon of cinnamon and toss to combine. You can use a little less cinnamon if you prefer, but I do love the combination of apples and cinnamon. Just keep in mind if you add more cinnamon, your filling will be a little darker in color.

3. Make the Apple Pie Sauce: Now it’s time to make a quick sauce that will make this apple filling irresistible. This is the same sauce that we use on our classic apple pie recipe that became so popular. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt eight tablespoons of unsalted butter, then whisk in three tablespoons of all-purpose flour and continue whisking at a simmer for one minute or until the flour is lightly golden. Whisk in one fourth cup of water and one cup of granulated sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and continue simmering for another three minutes, whisking frequently. This really takes just minutes to make, but I’m telling you it will transform your apple pie filling.
4. Combine Apples and Sauce: Take the mixture off the heat and pour it directly over your sliced cinnamon apples. You’ll notice some of that mixture will thicken up a bit, especially if your apples are cold. That is totally normal and it’ll come together in the oven. Just stir the sauce into your apples to combine. You want the apples to be coated in the sauce because it’ll help form that gooey, bubbly apple pie center.
5. Make the Crumble Topping: Now to make that crumble topping, in a medium mixing bowl combine one cup of all-purpose flour, one fourth cup of packed light brown sugar, two tablespoons of granulated sugar, a quarter teaspoon of cinnamon and a quarter teaspoon of salt. Mix that together by hand, making sure to break up any brown sugar crumbles. Next, cut in eight tablespoons of room temperature unsalted butter. Work that butter into the dry ingredients using your hands until pea-sized crumbs form throughout the mixture. You also want to make sure that the butter is well incorporated into the flour so you should not see streaks of flour. Finally, add half a cup of chopped pecans. You can skip the nuts if you don’t like nuts or you can also use chopped walnuts or sliced almonds.
6. Assemble the Pie: Now to put it all together, we have our pie crust ready. Pour your apple pie filling into the crust and spread it evenly into the pan. You can imagine how saucy and wonderful this filling gets as it bakes. I like to push the apples down slightly to create a somewhat flat surface for the crumble topping. Use your hands to sprinkle the crumble topping evenly over your apple slices. This buttery topping crisps up beautifully and it takes the place of a pie crust.
7. Bake the Pie: Bake that uncovered in the center of a preheated oven at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for about 50 to 60 minutes. I think 55 minutes is perfect for our oven and you’ll want to bake until you see bubbling juices at the edges of the pie and you can also check that the internal temperature of the pie reaches 175 degrees Fahrenheit.
8. Cool the Pie: Once the pie is out of the oven, you want to let it rest and cool at room temperature for about an hour. This will help the center to set and make it much easier to slice.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long should I cool the pie before slicing?

Once the pie is out of the oven, you want to let it rest and cool at room temperature for about an hour. This will help the center to set and make it much easier to slice. If you let it cool all the way to room temperature, it’ll hold together a little bit better as you slice. So it’ll play a little prettier but I cannot wait. Also, I kind of like warm apple pie, okay?

What are some serving suggestions for Dutch apple pie?

This is also really good with vanilla ice cream if you want a serving idea. You can easily make simple no-churn homemade vanilla ice cream at home. No one’s going to complain about vanilla ice cream.

Can I use different types of apples for this pie?

You can use other apples, but cut down the sugar. I love how this contrasts though. Using the Granny Smith apples, you’ve got that balance of sweet and tart and it’s just a party in your mouth.

Can I substitute other nuts in the crumble topping?

You can skip the nuts if you don’t like nuts or you can also use chopped walnuts or sliced almonds.