Dutch apple pie has a flaky and tender crust, a sweet apple filling spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg and finished with a buttery crumble topping. The filling of this pie is partially cooked before baking – making for an easy assembly!
Dutch Apple Pie
What is Dutch apple pie? Dutch apple pie is a classic apple pie that replaces the top layer of the pie crust with a crumble mixture of butter, flour and sugar that is similar to a streusel topping. Some variations even call for oatmeal or nuts in the crumble topping.
Where did the name of this pie originate? It is actually hard to pinpoint. Although there is the word Dutch in the name, it does not seem to have originated in the Netherlands. Some older recipes that have a crumble or streusel topping do not use the term Dutch apple and use the terms crumble or streusel apple pie instead. It seems the origin for the name of this classic apple pie remains a mystery!
About the Recipe
This recipe for this Dutch apple pie calls for the apples to be partially cooked on the stovetop before baking. While this is a more time consuming portion of the recipe, it results in perfectly tender, cooked apples every time. Also, pre-cooking your pie filling eliminates any extra liquid released from the apples during baking which can lead to a soggy crust. This step can also be done in advance, making for an easy assembly of this pie (see additional tips below for the best kind of baking apples to use for this recipe).
After the apples are partially cooked on the stovetop, the filling is placed into a prepared pie crust like my no-fail pie crust. Then, a crumble topping is made by combining flour, butter, brown sugar and toasted walnuts that is used in place of the top crust. Serve the pie warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or even a drizzle of butterscotch sauce.
Tips for Dutch Apple Pie
- Use a baking apple (Jonathan, McIntosh, Granny Smith etc.) only for this recipe; otherwise your apples will not soften
- To toast walnuts: spread chopped walnuts on an ungreased sheet pan and bake at 350°F degrees for 6-8 minutes. Cool and store if not using right away.
- Pie filling can be made up to 3 days in advance; refrigerate until ready to use
- Baked pie will keep for 72 hours; keep refrigerated
- Baked pie can be frozen up to 4 months
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Dutch Apple Pie
Ingredients
- 1 9" pie crust rolled out and pressed into a 9" pie plate
- heavy cream or half and half for brushing pie crust
Pie Filling
- 6 cups baking apples, peeled, cored and cut into ¼” slices (about 6 – 8 apples)
- 3/4 cup water
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 -2 tablespoons cornstarch
Crumb Topping
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup brown sugar packed
- pinch of salt
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter cold and cut into chunks
- ¼ cup chopped walnuts toasted*
Instructions
For the pie filling
- In a large saucepan over medium heat, place the 3/4 cup water and the 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice. Stir in the apples. Place lid on saucepan, reduce heat to low and cook apples about 10 – 15 minutes, stirring occasionally until apples begin to soften.
- Once apples begin to soften, combine the remaining 1 tablespoon of cold water with 1 -2 tablespoons cornstarch. Stir mixture into apple mixture; cook until it begins to thicken, about 2-3 minutes. *Add the additional tablespoon of cornstarch to the apple mixture if it does not thicken (depending on how juicy your apples are). Remove from heat.
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg and 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Mix into the apples mixture and stir to coat evenly.
- Allow filling to slightly cool or refrigerate until ready to use * see storage notes
Crumble topping
- Combine the ½ cup all-purpose flour, ½ cup brown sugar and pinch of salt in a small sized mixing bowl. Cut in the cold 3 tablespoons unsalted butter until crumbly. Add in ¼ cup chopped walnuts.
To assemble the pie
- Prick prepared pie crust with fork; brush top of crust with heavy cream of half and half.
- Fill pie crust with prepared apple pie filling; sprinkle top of pie with crumble topping.
- Use a pie shield or wrap foil around edges of crust to prevent browning. Place pie on a lined baking sheet and bake pie @375°F for 45 minutes. After 45 minutes, remove pie shield or foil and bake an additional 15 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before serving.
Notes
- Use a baking apple (Jonathan, McIntosh, Granny Smith etc.) only for this recipe; otherwise your apples will not soften
- To toast walnuts: spread chopped walnuts on an ungreased sheet pan and bake at 350°F degrees for 6-8 minutes. Cool and store if not using right away.
- Pie filling can be made up to 3 days in advance; refrigerate until ready to use
- Baked pie will keep for 72 hours; keep refrigerated
- Baked pie can be frozen up to 4 months
- Makes 8 large slices or 12 smaller slices