If a regular apple pie and a coffee cake had a baby, it would be a Dutch apple pie. This creation is absent a top crust and instead tops a mountain of apple, which is cinnamon-spiced, with a buttery, crumbly streusel that is golden brown and crispy.
Ingredients
For the Pie Crust:
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup cold unsalted butter (1 stick), cut into small cubes
- 3-4 tablespoons ice water
For the Apple Filling:
- 6-7 medium apples (about 3 pounds), peeled, cored, and sliced into ¼-inch thick slices
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
For the Streusel Topping:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup cold unsalted butter (1 stick), cut into small cubes
- ½ cup old-fashioned rolled oats (optional, for texture)
Instructions
Make the Pie Crust
For the pie crust, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
Incorporate the butter with the flour until the mixture has the texture of fine sand with some pieces of butter left.
Those butter pieces are going to account for the flaky crust as the butter layers thin out in the crust during the baking.
So don’t worry if the mixture is not smooth.
Add the flour mixture with 3 tablespoons of ice water, and then, with a fork, distribute the water in the mixture.
Once you grab a handful, the mixture should clump to form a ball. If it’s too crumbly to hold its shape, add the rest of the water.
The mixture should hold shape and clump but not be sticky and wet, so you should add water carefully.
Take the dough and shape it into a ball, and then into a disk 1 inch thick.
The dough should be wrapped and refrigerated for at least 1 hour to 3 days.
This is important as the flour has the chance to hydrate and the gluten to relax; therefore, the crust will not shrink in the baking process.
Making the Apple Filling
While the dough is chilling, prepare the apples.
Peel the apples with a vegetable peeler, cut them into quarters, and cut out the core.
Slice each quarter into ¼-inch thick slices. Make the slices as uniform as possible for even cooking.
You want 8-9 cups of the sliced apples. Place the sliced apples in a large bowl.
To the sliced apples, add the sugars, the flour and cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt.
With your hands or a large spoon, toss the apples until every slice is coated mixture.
This is because of the flour and cornstarch; the thickened apple juices won’t run out of the filling as it cooks.
Add the lemon juice and vanilla extract, again mixing in with the apple slices.
The lemon juice and apple slices flavor and prevent browning. Set aside as you roll out the dough.
Rolling Out the Crust
Adjust the oven temperature to 375°F and place a rack in the bottom third.
The pie is baked in the lower section to ensure the bottom crust is golden brown and crispy as opposed to soggy.
To make rolling the dough easier, take the dough out of the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for 5 minutes.
This will help the dough become easier to work with.
On a floured surface, roll the dough from the center outwards, and from there out in each of the other directions as well as from the center outward in each of the other directions.
Make sure to rotate the dough a quarter turn each time. If the dough sticks, dust it with a little flour.
Roll the dough until it is a circle 12 inches in diameter and ⅛ inch thick.
To transfer the dough to a 9-inch dish, you will need to roll the dough around the rolling pin, then position it over the pie dish, and then unroll it.
Make sure to press the dough into the dish bed and up the sides gently.
Make sure to avoid stretching the dough as it will cause it to shrink.
You will need to trim the excess dough, leaving a ½ inch overhang.
Fold the overhang under itself to make a thicker edge around the rim of the dish.
You can make the border fancy by pinching it, or you can press a fork into it.
Once you have finished with the edges, you can refrigerate the dish instead of the streusel.
To Create the Streusel Topping
In a medium-sized bowl, mix the flour with the sugars, cinnamon, and salt.
Use a fork to interweave the components and mix thoroughly.
Toss the flour blend with the cubed, cold butter.
With your fingers, work the butter into the dry mix and interweave the two ingredients.
Continue this process until the blend produces both clumped and scattered crumbs, with varying diameters from pebble-sized to fine.
Varying crumb size produces the best texture, with varying degrees of crisp and soft streusel.
If you are using oats, this is the time to add them and integrate.
Finally, refrigerate the streusel until the pie is constructed.
To Assemble and Bake
Take the pie crust from the refrigerator.
For the last time, toss your spiced apple filling to evenly coat the fruit, and then pile it high into the crust with a mound that towers over the rim.
Don’t be concerned, the apples will soften and shrink as they bake, releasing their juices.
As you work, pack the apples snugly and fill each of the gaps to create a smooth surface.
Take your chilled streusel topping from the refrigerator and uniformly scoop it over the entire surface of the apples so that you cover them completely.
Do not leave any streusel behind; larger clumps should remain intact, and the small crumbs should fit in the empty spaces.
The streusel topping will settle and spread while baking, so don’t worry.
To avoid having any filling that bubbles over the edge of the pie and burns in the oven, place it on a rimmed baking sheet.
Place it in the preheated oven and leave it for 50-60 minutes. When the filling is done, the streusel will be a deep golden brown, and the apple filling will be bubbling around the edges and through the streusel.
The filling is supposed to thicken; that is why it is so important that it is bubbling.
If the filling has thickened and the streusel is getting too dark, place a sheet of aluminum foil on the pie and keep baking.
Cooling and Serving
After removing the pie from the oven, place it on a wire rack to cool.
For optimum results, the pie should cool for 3-4 hours for the filling to thicken adequately.
Slicing the pie before the filling has set will result in a soggy filling, and the apples will lose their structure, floating in a liquid.
Once the pie has cooled adequately, it can be sliced and served.
The pie is best served slightly warm or at room temperature.
It pairs beautifully with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream that is freshly whipped whipped.
Recipe Notes
Best Apples for Dutch Apple Pie
The best apple pie is made with the best combination of apple varieties for optimum flavor and texture.
For a classic pie, use Granny Smith, which is tart and maintains a firm texture after baking and does not get mushy.
Honeycrisp adds sweetness and juiciness, but a Braeburn, Jonagold, Golden Delicious, or Cortland is also an excellent choice.
Red Delicious and McIntosh are softer apples and should be avoided if a sauce-like filling is not desired.
Perfect Streusel Texture
The secret to mastering streusel is using cold butter and mixing it until you achieve various clump sizes.
If the butter softens too much, place the bowl in the freezer for 5 to 10 minutes.
Don’t overmix in an attempt to create uniform crumbs, as uneven texture is the hallmark of great streusel.
The larger pieces will become crisp and caramelized, while the smaller pieces will provide the structure.
Avoiding Soggy Bottom
To ensure the bottom of the pie receives direct heat for browning, place your oven rack in the lower third.
You can also blind-bake your crust to avoid a soggy bottom.
To blind-bake, line the unbaked crust with parchment paper or foil, add pie weights, dried beans, or uncooked rice, and bake for 15 minutes at 375°F.
After 15 minutes, remove the weights and parchment, and then add the filling.
Some bakers also create a moisture barrier by brushing a beaten egg white on the unbaked crust before filling.
How To Store
Cover leftover pie loosely with foil or plastic wrap and keep it at room temperature for no more than two days, and refrigerate for no more than five days.
If the pie is left uncovered, the topping will soften, but it can be made crispy again by reheating uncovered slices for 10 to 12 minutes in a 350°F oven.
For extended storage, individually wrap cooled pie slices in plastic wrap and then in aluminum foil and freeze for up to 3 months.
For the best texture, let thawed slices refrigerate overnight and reheat before serving.
Ingredient Swaps
Crust Alternatives
If you have a time crunch or basic pie crust making is not in your comfort zone, using a store-bought oven-ready pie crust or even the full frozen pie shell is a great time saver.
Also, using a graham cracker crust is simple and delicious.
Just combine 1 ½ cups with ⅓ cup melted butter and 3 tablespoons sugar.
Press the mixture into a pie dish, bake 10 minutes at 350, and then fill with the pie mixture.
Butter Replacements
Although butter gives the best flavor and texture, for a dairy-free option,
You can use vegetable shortening or a butter-flavored shortening in both the crust and streusel.
Coconut oil is fine in the streusel, but the crust will be more difficult to deal with.
Speaking of the crust, using half butter and half shortening will help make the crust extra flaky.
Sugars
For a more caramel-like flavor in the filling, use coconut sugar instead of granulated sugar.
If you want a stronger molasses flavor, you can use only brown sugar instead of the white and brown sugar mix.
For the streusel, you can use turbinado or demerara sugar in place of the granulated sugar for more crunch and a subtle molasses flavor.
Adjustable Spices
Feel free to change the spices according to your preferences.
For warmth, you can add ¼ teaspoon of cardamom or allspice, or ½ teaspoon of orange zest for brightness.
If you want less spice, you can decrease the cinnamon to 1 teaspoon and omit the nutmeg and ginger completely.
Some bakers add a little cloves or a tablespoon of apple pie spice blend for convenience
Thickener alternatives
If cornstarch is unavailable, feel free to add another tablespoon of flour.
Tapioca starch also works beautifully and gives a glossy finish to the filling.
Though more rare in home kitchens, Instant ClearJel is a professional baker’s favorite because it thickens without heat.
Oat Options
The oats in the streusel are optional, but they do add a nice texture.
If old-fashioned oats are unavailable, quick oats will do, but the texture difference will be more pronounced.
For a nuttier flavor and crunch, you can replace half the oats with chopped pecans or walnuts.
Serving Suggestions
Dutch apple pie is great alone, but even better with a side.
Warm slices are great, but even better are warm slices with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, creating a hot and cold contrast.
For an even more decadent version, use salted caramel ice cream.
A more delicate pairing is a cloud of lightly sweetened whipped cream, with the cream also having a touch of vanilla.
Conclusion
This Dutch apple pie is filled with warm, spiced apples and a streusel that is crunchy and buttery.
As soon as you serve it with vanilla ice cream, it will be gone in a flash.
Homemade Dutch Apple Pie with Streusel Topping
If a regular apple pie and a coffee cake had a baby, it would be a Dutch apple pie. This creation is absent a top crust and instead tops a mountain of apple, which is cinnamon-spiced, with a buttery, crumbly streusel that is golden brown and crispy.
Ingredients
- Ingredients
- For the Pie Crust:
- 1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup cold unsalted butter (1 stick), cut into small cubes
- 3-4 tablespoons ice water
- For the Apple Filling:
- 6-7 medium apples (about 3 pounds), peeled, cored, and sliced into ¼-inch thick slices
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup light brown sugar, packed
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- For the Streusel Topping:
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup light brown sugar, packed
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup cold unsalted butter (1 stick), cut into small cubes
- ½ cup old-fashioned rolled oats (optional, for texture)
Instructions
Instructions
Make the Pie Crust
For the pie crust, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
Incorporate the butter with the flour until the mixture has the texture of fine sand with some pieces of butter left.
Those butter pieces are going to account for the flaky crust as the butter layers thin out in the crust during the baking.
So don’t worry if the mixture is not smooth.
Add the flour mixture with 3 tablespoons of ice water, and then, with a fork, distribute the water in the mixture.
Once you grab a handful, the mixture should clump to form a ball. If it’s too crumbly to hold its shape, add the rest of the water.
The mixture should hold shape and clump but not be sticky and wet, so you should add water carefully.
Take the dough and shape it into a ball, and then into a disk 1 inch thick.
The dough should be wrapped and refrigerated for at least 1 hour to 3 days.
This is important as the flour has the chance to hydrate and the gluten to relax; therefore, the crust will not shrink in the baking process.
Making the Apple Filling
While the dough is chilling, prepare the apples.
Peel the apples with a vegetable peeler, cut them into quarters, and cut out the core.
Slice each quarter into ¼-inch thick slices. Make the slices as uniform as possible for even cooking.
You want 8-9 cups of the sliced apples. Place the sliced apples in a large bowl.
To the sliced apples, add the sugars, the flour and cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt.
With your hands or a large spoon, toss the apples until every slice is coated mixture.
This is because of the flour and cornstarch; the thickened apple juices won’t run out of the filling as it cooks.
Add the lemon juice and vanilla extract, again mixing in with the apple slices.
The lemon juice and apple slices flavor and prevent browning. Set aside as you roll out the dough.
Rolling Out the Crust
Adjust the oven temperature to 375°F and place a rack in the bottom third.
The pie is baked in the lower section to ensure the bottom crust is golden brown and crispy as opposed to soggy.
To make rolling the dough easier, take the dough out of the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for 5 minutes.
This will help the dough become easier to work with.
On a floured surface, roll the dough from the center outwards, and from there out in each of the other directions as well as from the center outward in each of the other directions.
Make sure to rotate the dough a quarter turn each time. If the dough sticks, dust it with a little flour.
Roll the dough until it is a circle 12 inches in diameter and ⅛ inch thick.
To transfer the dough to a 9-inch dish, you will need to roll the dough around the rolling pin, then position it over the pie dish, and then unroll it.
Make sure to press the dough into the dish bed and up the sides gently.
Make sure to avoid stretching the dough as it will cause it to shrink.
You will need to trim the excess dough, leaving a ½ inch overhang.
Fold the overhang under itself to make a thicker edge around the rim of the dish.
You can make the border fancy by pinching it, or you can press a fork into it.
Once you have finished with the edges, you can refrigerate the dish instead of the streusel.
To Create the Streusel Topping
In a medium-sized bowl, mix the flour with the sugars, cinnamon, and salt.
Use a fork to interweave the components and mix thoroughly.
Toss the flour blend with the cubed, cold butter.
With your fingers, work the butter into the dry mix and interweave the two ingredients.
Continue this process until the blend produces both clumped and scattered crumbs, with varying diameters from pebble-sized to fine.
Varying crumb size produces the best texture, with varying degrees of crisp and soft streusel.
If you are using oats, this is the time to add them and integrate.
Finally, refrigerate the streusel until the pie is constructed.
To Assemble and Bake
Take the pie crust from the refrigerator.
For the last time, toss your spiced apple filling to evenly coat the fruit, and then pile it high into the crust with a mound that towers over the rim.
Don’t be concerned, the apples will soften and shrink as they bake, releasing their juices.
As you work, pack the apples snugly and fill each of the gaps to create a smooth surface.
Take your chilled streusel topping from the refrigerator and uniformly scoop it over the entire surface of the apples so that you cover them completely.
Do not leave any streusel behind; larger clumps should remain intact, and the small crumbs should fit in the empty spaces.
The streusel topping will settle and spread while baking, so don’t worry.
To avoid having any filling that bubbles over the edge of the pie and burns in the oven, place it on a rimmed baking sheet.
Place it in the preheated oven and leave it for 50-60 minutes. When the filling is done, the streusel will be a deep golden brown, and the apple filling will be bubbling around the edges and through the streusel.
The filling is supposed to thicken; that is why it is so important that it is bubbling.
If the filling has thickened and the streusel is getting too dark, place a sheet of aluminum foil on the pie and keep baking.
Cooling and Serving
After removing the pie from the oven, place it on a wire rack to cool.
For optimum results, the pie should cool for 3-4 hours for the filling to thicken adequately.
Slicing the pie before the filling has set will result in a soggy filling, and the apples will lose their structure, floating in a liquid.
Once the pie has cooled adequately, it can be sliced and served.
The pie is best served slightly warm or at room temperature.
It pairs beautifully with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream that is freshly whipped whipped.
Notes
Recipe Notes
Best Apples for Dutch Apple Pie
The best apple pie is made with the best combination of apple varieties for optimum flavor and texture.
For a classic pie, use Granny Smith, which is tart and maintains a firm texture after baking and does not get mushy.
Honeycrisp adds sweetness and juiciness, but a Braeburn, Jonagold, Golden Delicious, or Cortland is also an excellent choice.
Red Delicious and McIntosh are softer apples and should be avoided if a sauce-like filling is not desired.
Perfect Streusel Texture
The secret to mastering streusel is using cold butter and mixing it until you achieve various clump sizes.
If the butter softens too much, place the bowl in the freezer for 5 to 10 minutes.
Don't overmix in an attempt to create uniform crumbs, as uneven texture is the hallmark of great streusel.
The larger pieces will become crisp and caramelized, while the smaller pieces will provide the structure.
Avoiding Soggy Bottom
To ensure the bottom of the pie receives direct heat for browning, place your oven rack in the lower third.
You can also blind-bake your crust to avoid a soggy bottom.
To blind-bake, line the unbaked crust with parchment paper or foil, add pie weights, dried beans, or uncooked rice, and bake for 15 minutes at 375°F.
After 15 minutes, remove the weights and parchment, and then add the filling.
Some bakers also create a moisture barrier by brushing a beaten egg white on the unbaked crust before filling.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8 slicesServing Size:
1 slice (1/8 of pie, approximately 185g)Amount Per Serving: Calories: 485 kcalTotal Fat: 22ggCholesterol: 55mgmgSodium: 285mgmgCarbohydrates: 70ggProtein: 4gg