This apple crumble pie is made with a delicious spiced apple pie filling, topped with a decadent flavorful crumble topping, inside a flakey butter pie crust.
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Dutch apple pie vs apple pie
Apple crumble pie is made with a buttery pie crust, topped with apple pie filling, topped with a crumble topping, and served with vanilla ice cream!
The difference between apple crumble pie (apple dutch pie) and classic apple pie is the streusel topping that bakes up into a buttery crunchy flavorful topping.
We love making apple recipes, especially in the fall time. If you like apple desserts as we do, you should try out our
Why this recipe works
- Extremely easy to make.
- Loaded with cinnamon and caramelly apple filling.
- Made with simple ingredients.
- Perfect to make when you need a fall-themed dessert.
- Has a buttery flakey crust.
- Has a rich apple pie filling that is filled with fall spices.
- The perfect dessert for every occasion.
Ingredients
For the apple filling:
Apples– we like to use granny smith apples for this recipe, they are a little bit less sweet, but any kind of your favorite apples will work!
Brown sugar– we use brown sugar for this recipe. Brown sugar adds a caramelly flavor. You can use dark brown sugar as well.
Butter– you will need 25 g of butter for this recipe.
Lemon juice– helps to balance the sweet flavor.
Cinnamon– gives a delicious cinnamon flavor.
Flour- use all-purpose flour.
Nutmeg- we love adding nutmeg to our apple pie filling. feel free to add your favorite spices like allspice, cloves, and ginger.
Vanilla extract- for extra flavor.
Granulated sugar- we use a combination of brown sugar and granulated sugar for this recipe.
For the pie crust:
Flour- we used all-purpose flour for this recipe.
Salt- use kosher salt for this recipe.
Butter- make sure you are using COLD butter for this recipe. We suggest cutting the butter into cubes and then placing it in the fridge, so it will be very cold when you are ready to use it.
Sugar- we used granulated sugar for this recipe, but caster sugar can work as well.
Ice water- use ice water for this recipe, we want to keep the butter super cold.
Instructions
Start by making the pie dough. In a food processor, add the flour, sugar, and salt, and mix until combined.
Add cold cubed butter and blend until the butter and the flour mixture are combined.
Add ice water and mix for 10 seconds. Press the dough between your fingertips and if the dough comes together, it’s ready. If not, add another tablespoon of water.
Transfer the dough to a clean floured surface and gather the dough into a ball. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least an hour.
Transfer the pie dough disk onto a clean floured surface and roll with a rolling pin into a circle and transfer it into a pie pan. Cut off the extra edges. Make little holes with a fork and freeze for 20 minutes.
Filling:
Peel, slice, and core your apples. Slice your apples into even thin slices so they bake evenly. You will need about 5 big apples or 7 cups of apples for this recipe.
Transfer your sliced apples into a big mixing bowl and add lemon juice, brown sugar, cinnamon, granulated sugar, flour, nutmeg, and vanilla extract.
Mix with a spoon until the apples are covered evenly. Set aside while you make the apple crumble topping.
Topping:
In a small mixing bowl, add the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, sugar, and salt. Mix until combined.
Add the cold butter and use a fork, pastry cutter, or your hands to mix until the batter is combined and crumbly.
Transfer your apple pie filling into your cooled pie crust and spread it with a spoon, fork, or spatula to smooth it out evenly.
Spread the crumble on top of the apple pie filling and try to cover all the apple pie filling.
Bake in a 200c (400f) preheated oven for 20 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 190c (375f) and bake for another 30-35 minutes or until the top of the pie is golden brown and the apples are bubbly.
Expert tips
- Use COLD butter, we suggest cutting the butter into cubes and then placing it in the fridge, so when you are ready to use it, it will be very cold.
- Use fresh apples. We find making pie with fresh apples instead of canned apples or canned apple pie filling is the best way to make pie. The naturally sweet and tart flavors that the apples naturally have makes apple pie irresistible.
- Freeze the unbaked pie for about 20 minutes before baking, this step stops the pie crust from browning too quickly.
- Place the pie in the lower third of the oven to stop the pie from browning too quickly.
- Don’t skip brushing the apple pie with egg wash. (one egg and a tablespoon of milk or cream)
- Make sure that your apple pieces are about the same size, this step ensures that the apples bake evenly.
- For the crumble, make sure that your butter is cold! you don't want a big blob, you want a crumbly mixture.
- Let the pie cool to room temperature before serving. This step is very important. If you slice your pie when it's hot, you will have a loose pie. For a thick filling let the pie cool to room temperature, this step allows the apple pie filling to thicken up.
Faq's
How many apples you need depends on the side of your apples. We used 5 large granny smith apples for this recipe. You will need about 7 cups of sliced apples for this recipe.
Use your favorite kind of apples! We like using granny smith apples, but any apple kind will work. If you like sweet apples, use Honeycrisp, or pink lady.
This pie lasts for two days at room temperature or for up to 5 days stored in the fridge in an airtight container.
Freezing
You can freeze the apple after it's cooled completely in an airtight freezer-friendly container for up to 3 months.
Another way to freeze this apple pie is to make the apple pie, and before baking, place the unbaked pie in an airtight container or in a ziplock bag, and freeze for up to 3 months.
When you are ready to bake the pie, take it out of the freezer and bake in a 200c (400f) preheated oven for 20-25 minutes until golden brown.
Tools
Make it ahead
If you would like to make this pie ahead of time, you can make it according to the instructions, and before baking, cover it with a few layers of plastic wrap and freeze it for up to 2 months.
When ready to bake, let it sit at room temperature for 10-20 minutes, then bake in a 200c (400f) preheated oven for 50-60 minutes or until the pie filling is bubbly and the top is golden brown.
Best apples for pie
The base for the perfect apple pie is the apples! We like using Granny Smith apples for baking. Granny Smith apples have a few advantages: they hold their shape while baking, they have a crisp texture, they are not too sweet and have a little tang to them, and they are easy to find in any grocery store.
You can use any apples that you like best, but keep in mind that different apple kinds have different textures and flavors, some are sweeter, some are sourer, some have a crisp texture, and some have a mealy texture to them.
The best apples for baking:
- Granny smith
- Yellow delicious
- Pink lady
- Ginger gold
- Gala
- Cortland
- Jonagold
Serving tips
We like serving this pie with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream and drizzling caramel sauce on top of the ice cream. The warm apple pie with the cold vanilla ice cream combination is incredible.
More apple recipes:
Apple upside-down cake- This upside-down apple cake recipe is a must-have for fall. This upside-down apple cake features an incredibly moist cake that is loaded with cinnamon and nutmeg and topped with a caramelized apple topping.
Apple fritters- These apple fritters are made with fresh apples, topped with a simple glaze. This recipe takes 30 minutes to make with no yeast or rising time, and it tastes like apple donuts!
Apple turnovers- These puff pastry apple turnovers are made with a delicious spiced apple filling and wrapped with flaky puff pastry.
Easy apple cake (sharlotka)- This apple cake contains only a few simple ingredients to make and takes under 20 minutes to prep.
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📖 Recipe
Apple Crumble Pie (Dutch Apple Pie)
Ingredients
Pie Crust:
- 2 ½ cups Flour
- 200 g Butter
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 2 tablespoon Sugar
- 8 tablespoon Ice water
Apple pie filling:
- 5 Apples large
- 2 tablespoon Lemon juice
- 1 ½ teaspoon Cinnamon
- 3 tablespoon Granulated sugar
- ½ cup Flour
- 1 teaspoon Nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla
Crumble topping:
- 1 cup Flour
- ½ cup Brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
- 3 tablespoon Sugar
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
Instructions
Pie crust:
- Start by making the pie dough. In a food processor, add the flour, sugar, and salt, and mix until combined.
- Add cold cubed butter and blend until the butter and the flour mixture are combined.
- Add ice water and mix for 10 seconds. Press the dough between your fingertips and if the dough comes together, it’s ready. If not, add another tablespoon of water.
- Transfer the dough to a clean floured surface and gather the dough into a ball. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least an hour.
- Transfer the pie dough disk onto a clean floured surface and roll with a rolling pin into a circle and transfer it into a pie pan. Cut off the extra edges. Make little holes with a fork and freeze for 20 minutes.
Apple pie filling:
- Peel, slice, and core your apples. Slice your apples into even thin slices so they bake evenly. You will need about 5 big apples or 7 cups of apples for this recipe.
- Transfer your sliced apples into a big mixing bowl and add lemon juice, brown sugar, cinnamon, granulated sugar, flour, nutmeg, and vanilla extract. Mix with a spoon until the apples are covered evenly.
- Set aside while you make the apple crumble topping.
Apple crumble pie topping:
- In a small mixing bowl, add the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, sugar, and salt. Mix until combined.
- Add the cold butter and use a fork, pastry cutter, or your hands to mix until the batter is combined and crumbly.
- Transfer your apple pie filling into your cooled pie crust and spread it with a spoon, fork, or spatula to smooth it out evenly.
- Spread the crumble on top of the apple pie filling and try to cover all the apple pie filling.
- Bake in a 200c (400f) preheated oven for 20 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 190c (375f) and bake for another 30-35 minutes or until the top of the pie is golden brown and the apples are bubbly.
lindsey says
i cant seem to see the amount of butter needed for the topping, how much is it please ?