Dutch Apple Pie

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This Dutch Apple Pie is the dessert of the fall season in our house.  All the delicious flavors of the apples mixed with the spices, topped with a crumb topping makes this the best apple pie recipe you will ever make!  

Apple pie is one of the best desserts of the fall season.  This recipe for Dutch Apple Pie uses a crumb topping instead of placing another pie crust on top.  My family loves apple pie made this way because the crumb topping gives it an extra sweetness that takes it over the top. 

If you haven’t made it this way, give it a try!  I know you will love it!

The story of this recipe:

This Dutch Apple Pie is a family recipe.  It was handed down from my mother-in-law and I make it often. It is so easy to make!  Believe me.  And it is so delicious!  My husband requests this rather than cake for his birthday.  

A funny story and a good tip…if you make this for someone’s birthday, make sure you let the pie cool before putting in the candles.  One year we didn’t let it cool down enough and as we were singing “Happy Birthday” to my husband, the candles were slowly melting!  Ahhh…we sang pretty fast that year! 

This pie is the perfect Thanksgiving dessert.  It is a standard recipe for Thanksgiving in our house!

What is Dutch Apple Pie?

The only difference between an apple pie and a dutch apple pie is the topping on the pie.  Instead of using another pie crust to top the pie like you do with apple pie, you use a crumb (or streusel) topping.  The easy crumb topping is made of flour, sugar and butter.

How to make a Dutch Apple Pie:

First of all,  get your pie crust ready and place it in your pie dish by gently pressing the pie crust into the pie dish and up the sides.  Preheat your oven to 425 degrees so it can heat up while you prepare the pie.

I prefer to use a store bought crust.  It saves on time and to be honest, it is not something I enjoy making. If using a store bought pie crust, follow the directions on thawing it if is is a frozen pie crust.  If you prefer to make a homemade pie crust, here is a great post on making one.  

After you have your pie crust ready in the pie dish, peel the apples and slice them into thin slices (about ¼” thickness). Try to have all the slices about the same size. It is a good idea to have the apples sliced smaller and equal in size because they will cook down better.

Place all the sliced apples into the pie dish with the pie crust in there and ready to go.  Make sure you fill the pie dish up with a heaping amount of sliced apples.   Once baked, the apples cook down and the pie will sink down a little once it is out of the oven and has cooled.  

One of the best (and easiest) steps in this recipe is that you don’t need to mix anything with the apples. After you fill up the pie dish with the apple slices, you just sprinkle the sugar and spices evenly over the apples evenly.  

For the spices, you can use either apple pie spice or cinnamon.  Apple Pie Spice is a mix of cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice. If you don’t have that, cinnamon will be fine to use.

Dot the pie with butter by placing 6-8 small slices of butter evenly over the pie.     

Why dot the pie with butter?  I have read it keeps the juices from bubbling over as well as it heightens the flavor of the pie filling. 

How to make the crumb topping:

Place the flour, sugar and softened butter in a large bowl.  Using a pastry blender or the back of a fork, blend the ingredients together until you form coarse crumbs.  I use a pastry blender and it helps make the best crumb topping for my pie and other recipes.

Then, using a spoon, carefully place the crumbs over the pie.  When doing this, hold the spoon towards the middle of the pie so less crumbs fall off the pie. You might want to place a piece of parchment paper or foil under the pie dish while adding the crumbs to catch any extra and easy clean up.

Baking Tip: Place your pie dish on a pie drip catcher. It catches any overflowing pie filling while it bakes so there is less mess in your oven.  This one  that I use also elevates your pie so it can cook more evenly.  Perfectly cooked pie, clean oven…happy baker.

Finally, place your pie on the middle rack of your oven and bake it at 425 degrees for 50-55 minutes.   

I would suggest gently placing a piece of foil over the pie (like a little tent) for the last 20 minutes of baking to keep the edges and the top of the pie from burning. 

The pie is done when the juices are bubbling and the edges are golden brown. Remove the pie to a cooling rack.  Let the pie cool a little before serving it. 

Serve the pie warm or at room temperature. Apple pie does taste so good warm, doesn’t it?!  If you are serving it once the pie has cooled, you can always place a slice of the pie on a microwave safe plate and warm it in the microwave for 10-15 seconds if you prefer it served warm.  

Tip for getting the first slice of pie out easier:  I use this pie server because it really helps to get the pie out easily and keeps the piece of pie looking pretty. 

Best ways to serve Dutch Apple Pie: Once you serve the pie on a plate, you can serve it as is or top it with whip cream or with a scoop of ice cream.  

Tips for making Dutch Apple Pie:

Tips for making the best crumb topping:

• Make sure your butter is softened.  The butter will be much easier to combine with the ingredients if softened. 
• Using a good pastry blender to make the crumbs really makes a difference!

Tips for softening the butter:

To soften the butter, a good way to tell it is soft enough is to gently press down on the butter.  If the butter makes a slight imprint on the butter it is good to go.  The time it takes depends on the temperature in your house.

If you are in a hurry to soften the butter, here are a few great ideas on how to soften butter quickly.

Recipe Tips for making the best Dutch Apple Pie:

Use a variety of apples.  Someone once told me this tip and it really does make a difference.  I usually buy some red and green apples and mix up the varieties as well.  It gives it so much flavor!

Slice the apples 1/4″ or so in size.   And keep them as equal in size as possible.  By slicing the apples thinner, the apples cook down better.

Using a store bought pie crust saves on time.  If you prefer a homemade pie crust, check out the link I shared above for a great recipe to make a homemade crust.

When making the crumbs, let the butter soften up.  This way it will be easier to blend in with the flour and sugar.

If you forget to take out the butter to soften, cut up the butter into small pieces.  That will help it blend with the other ingredients.

When adding the crumbs to the top of the pie, hold your spoon towards the middle of the pie.  This way less crumbs will fall off the pie.  

Place you pie dish on a pie drip catcher.  It catches any overflowing pie filling while it also elevates your pie so it can cook evenly.  

Tent the pie with foil during the last 20 minutes of baking it.  By doing this it will prevent the edges and the top of the pie from burning.

If you are on Pinterest, follow me there for all of my recipes.  Here is a comment from someone Pinterest who made this pie recipe:

“I’m not typically a big fan of apple pie, but this recipe is amazing! Finally an apple pie I can make! This recipe has become a favorite during the holidays and family functions.”

If you make this recipe, let me know how you liked it by leaving a comment and rating below in the comment section.  Love hearing from you!

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3.84 from 12 votes

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Dutch-Apple-Pie

Dutch Apple Pie is made with a delicious crumb topping.  The quick and easy recipe makes a great fall dessert and is perfect for a holidays.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword Dutch Apple Pie, Apple pie recipe, easy apple pie recipe, holiday dessert

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes

Servings 8

Author Jeannie Z

Ingredients

• 1 pie crust
• 7-8 medium sized apples mix of red and green is best
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon apple pie spice (or cinnamon)
• butter, to dot the pie with (4-5 small pieces of butter)

For the crumbs:

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup softened butter

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.

2. Prepare your pie crust and place in 9” pie dish.
3. Peel and slice your apples into small slices, about ¼” thick

4. Place the apples into the pie crust., filling the pie crust with a heaping amount of apple slices.

5. Sprinkle the sugar over the apples.

6. Sprinkle the apple pie spice (or cinnamon) over the sugar.

7. Dot with butter (4-5 small pieces of butter).

To make the crumb topping:

1. Place the softened butter, flour and sugar into a medium sized bowl. Use a pastry blender or the back of a fork to mix the ingredients to form crumbs.

2. Carefully place the crumbs over the pie.

3. Place the pie on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 50-60 minutes.

4. Pie is done when it the juices are bubbling and the edges are golden brown.

5. Remove from the oven and place on a cooking rack.

6. Serve warm or once cooled.

Recipe Notes

Tips for making Dutch Apple Pie:

Tips for making the best crumb topping:

• Make sure your butter is softened.  The butter will be much easier to combine with the ingredients if softened. 
• Use a pastry blender to make the crumbs.  A good one like I have a link here for really makes a difference!

Tips for softening the butter:

To soften the butter, a good way to tell it is soft enough is to gently press down on the butter.  If the butter makes a slight imprint on the butter it is good to go.  The time it takes depends on the temperature in your house.

If you are in a hurry to soften the butter, here are a few great ideas on how to soften butter quickly.

Recipe Tips for making the best Dutch Apple Pie:

Use a variety of apples.  Someone once told me this tip and it really does make a difference.  I usually buy some red and green apples and mix up the varieties as well.  It gives it so much flavor!

Slice the apples 1/4" or so in size.   And keep them as equal in size as possible.  By slicing the apples thinner, the apples cook down better.

Using a store bought pie crust saves on time.  If you prefer a homemade pie crust, check out the link I shared above for a great recipe to make a homemade crust.

When making the crumbs, let the butter soften up.  This way it will be easier to blend in with the flour and sugar.

If you forget to take out the butter to soften, cut up the butter into small pieces.  That will help it blend with the other ingredients.

When adding the crumbs to the top of the pie, hold your spoon towards the middle of the pie.  This way less crumbs will fall off the pie.  

Place you pie dish on a pie drip catcher.  It catches any overflowing pie filling while it also elevates your pie so it can cook evenly.  

Tent the pie with foil during the last 20 minutes of baking it.  By doing this it will prevent the edges and the top of the pie from burning.

This post is not sponsored, but you will find affiliate links on this page.  The price you pay as a consumer does not change, but I may make a small commission based on your purchase. 

Update Note: This recipe was originally posted in 2015, but was published again in 2019 to include step by step directions and new photos.