Apple pie is a classic American fall dessert. When I moved to Texas I was introduced to the Dutch Apple Pie, aka an apple pie with a crumble topping. My. Mind. Was. Blown. If you know me, you know I will add a crumble topping to anything so this fall I set out to add this spin to the fall staple and here we have an incredibly delicious dessert!
Recipe Tips
- Chill the pie dough: I chill my pie dough twice. Once after mixing all of the ingredients together and once after I’ve added it to the pie pan. This allows the butter to stay cold up until baking which creates the best crust. If you’re making the pie dough from scratch do not skip the cooling process!
- Chill the crumble: The crumble is similar to the pie dough in that the chunks of butter in it helps to keep its shape. If the crumble is warm or room temp going into the oven it will melt and sink into the pie. To ensure your topping stays on top of the pie, chill this until assembly, and put into the oven as soon as it’s added on top.
- Mound your apples: As apples cook the release moisture and condense. You want this to happen, otherwise you would have crunchy uncooked apples in your pie. If you fill the apples just up to the top of the dish your pie will look a little sunken when it’s done baking. There isn’t anything wrong with this, but to avoid this look I like to add enough apples to mound them before adding the topping.
Let’s talk pie dough
The pie dough I shared for this recipe is my go-to foul proof recipe. It’s easy, com3es together quickly and is super flaky and delicious. But if I’m being honest, I feel like you don’t need to always make everything homemade when you’re baking. I truly believe some store bought items are worth it so save time! Some of those items include puff pastry, marshmallow fluff, and pie dough. If you’re wanting to save time or simply feel like making pie dough is too intimidating to try this recipe, skip it! Stroll down to your local grocery store and buy it. In my experience I found the name brand doughs like Pillsbury taste better than off brand, but you do you!
This pie is a seriously delicious version of the classic apple pie. I like to serve mine warm with a dusting of cinnamon, topped with vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of caramel. Try this recipe out and let me know your thoughts in the comments 🙂
Dutch Apple Pie
Ingredients
For the pie shell:
- 2 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 2 tsp granulated sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 cup cold butter
- 4-6 tbsp ice cold water
For the crumble topping:
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup light brown sugar
- ⅓ cup cold butter
For the filling:
- 6 cups Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced 5-6 XL Granny Smith Apples
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- 3 tbsp flour
Instructions
For the pie shell:
- In a large food processor, combine flour, sugar and salt and pulse until combined, about 30 seconds. Add cold butter, cutting small pieces and pulsing about 1 minute until combined.
- Pour out onto a floured surface and kneed into a ball, about 1 minute. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and flatten into a disk. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough into a circle large enough to cover the pie dish, about ¼ inch thick. Gently place the dough over the 9" pie dish and trim and form the crust however you prefer. Lightly cover with saran wrap and return to the fridge until needed.
For the crumble topping:
- In the food processor (or using a pastry cutter in a large bowl) combine all of the crumble ingredients. Blend until the mixture comes together, looking like wet sand. Pour mixture into a bowl, cover with saran wrap and place in the fridge until needed.
For the filling:
- Preheat the oven to 350°. While the pie shell and crumble topping are chilling in the refrigerator, start on the apple pie filling. Peel and slice apples. For every piece of apple, hold it cut-side down and slice evenly, about ¼ inch thick. Add to a large bowl.
- In that bowl add the rest of the pie filling ingredients and use a spatula to mix until the mixture is coating all of the apples.
- Pour the apple mixture into the prepared crust. Sprinkle the crumble on top and bake for 50-60 minutes. Check after 30 minutes and top with aluminum foil if the topping is browning too quickly. You want the crust to be cooked through, the topping to be golden brown and the filling to be bubbling. Remove from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes before serving. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days!
Sarah Johnson
So delicious! I just made this to celebrate first day of fall and it did not disappoint! I added different types of apples (gala, empire, green) and absolutely loved it.
Laura O’Brien
Yum! Yum! Yum! This Dutch Apple Pie is absolutely delicious. The crumble is my favorite part. Perfect for Fall and such a delightful dessert. This recipe impressed all of my family!
Shayla Mosley
WOW! Saving this recipe for sure. Super tasty.
Sherry Brown
I used a store bought crust to save time and used this recipe for the filling and crumble. What a treat and easy to make. 10/10.