There may never be an answer to what a true Dutch apple pie is. Some recipes add cream to the filling. Some call for making a deep-dish pie with a lattice top, and others top it with streusel. After a visit to a Pennsylvania Dutch diner, we decided to go with the streusel for a sweet and crunchy topping.
| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 7 hr 30 min |
| Active: | 1 hr 30 min |
| Yield: | 6 to 8 servings |
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for the work surface
- 4 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 14 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, diced
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten with 2 tablespoons cold water
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 3 pounds baking apples, such as Golden Delicious, Cortland or Mutsu
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
- Generous pinch freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Instructions
- For the dough: Pulse the flour, granulated sugar and salt in a food processor until combined. Add the butter, and pulse until the mixture resembles yellow cornmeal mixed with pea-sized bits of butter. Add the egg, and pulse until the dough just comes together. (If the dough is very dry, add up to 1 tablespoon cold water.) Remove the dough, gently pat it into a round, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, at least 1 hour and up to 2 days.
- For the filling: Meanwhile, put the lemon juice in a medium bowl. Peel and core the apples; cut each in half, and cut each half into 4 wedges. Add the apples and granulated sugar to the bowl with the lemon juice, and toss.
- Melt the butter over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Add the sugared apples, and cook, stirring, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture begins to simmer, about 2 minutes. Cover, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until the apples soften and release most of their juices, about 7 minutes.
- Strain the apples in a colander over a medium bowl to catch all the juice. Shake the colander to extract as much liquid as possible. Return the juice to the skillet, and simmer over medium heat until it has thickened and lightly caramelized, about 10 minutes.
- Toss the apples with the thickened juice, cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg in a medium bowl. Set aside to cool completely. (The cooled filling can be refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for up to 6 months.)
- For the streusel topping: Whisk the flour, sugar and salt together in a medium bowl. Add the butter, and rub it into the flour mixture with your fingers until it has been absorbed. Mix in the walnuts.
- To assemble and bake the pie: Position a rack in the lower third of the oven, place a baking sheet on it and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. On a lightly floured work surface, roll the dough disk into a 12-inch circle. Layer it between pieces of parchment or wax paper on a baking sheet, and refrigerate for at least 10 minutes.
- Ease the dough round into a 9-inch pie pan. Fold and crimp the edges as desired. Add the filling, and spread it out to make an even layer. Squeeze handfuls of the streusel topping, and drop clumps of it on top of the filling to completely cover it.
- Bake the pie on the preheated baking sheet until the crust and streusel are golden brown, 50 to 60 minutes. Let it cool on a cooling rack for at least 3 hours before serving. (The pie keeps well, covered, at room temperature for 24 hours or refrigerated for up to 4 days.)
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 8 servings |
| Calories | 767 |
| Total Fat | 41 g |
| Saturated Fat | 22 g |
| Carbohydrates | 94 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 6 g |
| Sugar | 45 g |
| Protein | 8 g |
| Cholesterol | 115 mg |
| Sodium | 167 mg |
| Serving Size | 1 of 8 servings |
| Calories | 767 |
| Total Fat | 41 g |
| Saturated Fat | 22 g |
| Carbohydrates | 94 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 6 g |
| Sugar | 45 g |
| Protein | 8 g |
| Cholesterol | 115 mg |
| Sodium | 167 mg |
Reviews
Good starter recipe
A great recipe! Good spice and not too sweet. Only adjustment I’d make is to reduce the amount of butter. I used 30% less than what was called for in both the filling and topping and it was still too much for my taste.
“best apple pie I ever ate” -my husband
This is Definitely the best. Used all Granny Smith
Also make it all gluten free with cup for cup King Arthur Flour. Put some chopped walnuts in the topping yum
Also make it all gluten free with cup for cup King Arthur Flour. Put some chopped walnuts in the topping yum
Love this Apple Pie recipe! It’s a crowd favorite
Best Apple Pie I have Ever Eaten or Made. Step by step pretty Easy and DELICIOUS!!!
Takes a while to make but family said best apple pie I’ve ever made…. and I agree!
Not enough apples, not cooked long enough on the stovetop, and could definitely use a bit more cinnamon and nutmeg.
This will be my go to Dutch Apple Pie from now on. My usual recipe is often soupy when I slice it. I like the way this recipe cooks out the juice, and reduces it, ahead of time. I baked it late in the day, not realizing it needed to rest for three hours prior to eating it. It was great for dessert with friends the next day. It was a little sweet to my taste so I may reduce the sugar in the streusel. I added a tablespoon of cornstarch to the cooled apples prior to adding to the crust. As they cooled after the addition of the caramel the apples released more juice
Recipe was good I just need now to make it my own by adding and removing somethings to my tasting. That’s the only reason I gave it 4 stars but I’ve read folks on here saying their pie was raw in the middle well not sure how or what happened there but mine came out perfect. Overall good tasting pie!