Dutch Apple Crumble Pie Recipe

Introduction

This Dutch Apple Crumble Pie combines tender, cinnamon-spiced apples with a buttery, crunchy crumble topping for a comforting dessert that’s perfect any time of year. With a flaky pie crust and a luscious filling, it’s a crowd-pleaser that’s well worth the wait.

Ingredients

• 1 homemade single pie crust (1 sheet of pie dough)
• 1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
• Juice from half a lemon (2 tablespoons, no more)
• 5 pounds apples (before peeling and coring)
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon cardamom (optional)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (for crumble)
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar (for crumble)
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar (for crumble)
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (for crumble; use a little less if table salt)
• 3/4 cup butter, melted (1 1/2 sticks, for crumble)

Instructions

1. Step 1: Choose your apples. Use about 5 pounds (around 11 large apples). A mix such as Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, and Golden Delicious works best for balanced flavor.
2. Step 2: Make the filling by zesting 1/4 teaspoon lemon peel into a 12-inch high-sided skillet with the heat off.
3. Step 3: Add the lemon juice (2 tablespoons) to the skillet to brighten the apples and prevent browning.
4. Step 4: Peel and thinly slice apples (about 1/8 inch thick). Add each sliced apple to the skillet immediately to coat with lemon juice, stirring occasionally.
5. Step 5: Heat the skillet over medium heat once all apples are added.
6. Step 6: Add brown sugar, granulated sugar, flour, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom (if using). Stir gently to combine without breaking the apples.
7. Step 7: Cover the skillet with a lid and cook for 20 minutes, stirring every 3 minutes. Add a tablespoon of water if mixture sticks. Apples should be tender but still hold shape.
8. Step 8: Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.
9. Step 9: Transfer the filling and all juices to a pan and cool completely in the fridge or freezer (about 30 minutes).
10. Step 10: Roll out your pie dough and place in a 9-inch pie dish. Fold and crimp the edges, then chill in fridge or freezer for 30 minutes.
11. Step 11: Preheat oven to 425°F with a baking sheet or pizza stone in the center rack for 20-30 minutes.
12. Step 12: Prepare the crumble by mixing flour, sugars, and salt in a bowl. Pour melted butter over and stir until a wet sandy mixture with clumps forms. Chill until ready.
13. Step 13: Scrape chilled apple filling into pie shell, spreading evenly to the edges.
14. Step 14: Break crumble into bite-sized pieces and sprinkle about 1 to 2 cups over apples, covering but not piling on. Return extra crumble to fridge.
15. Step 15: Place pie on preheated baking sheet and bake at 425°F for 15 minutes until crust edges begin to brown.
16. Step 16: Create a foil shield by cutting a circle out of folded foil to protect edges from burning.
17. Step 17: Reduce oven temperature to 350°F without removing the pie. Bake 10 minutes longer.
18. Step 18: Remove pie, sprinkle remaining crumble on top, break up large pieces, and place foil shield over crust edges but expose center.
19. Step 19: Bake at 350°F for another 25-35 minutes until crumble is golden and crust edges are nicely browned.
20. Step 20: Cool pie on a wire rack for about 4 hours to allow filling to set and crumble to stay crisp.
21. Step 21: Slice and serve, ideally with vanilla ice cream or salted caramel sauce for an indulgent treat.

Tips & Variations

• Use a mix of tart and sweet apples for the best flavor and texture contrast.
• If you don’t have cardamom, feel free to omit it; cinnamon and nutmeg provide plenty of warm spice.
• Chilling both the pie crust and filling before baking helps ensure a flaky crust and prevents sogginess.
• For a gluten-free option, substitute the all-purpose flour in the filling and crumble with a gluten-free blend.

Storage

Store the pie covered with plastic wrap or foil at room temperature for up to 2 days. After that, transfer it to the refrigerator to keep it fresh longer. Reheat slices gently in the microwave or oven if preferred warm, but the pie is delicious served at room temperature.

How to Serve

Serve this delicious recipe with your favorite sides.

FAQs

Can I use store-bought pie dough for this recipe?

Yes, store-bought pie dough works well and can save time. Just make sure to chill it properly before using to help achieve a flaky crust.

Why do I need to cook the apple filling before baking?

Pre-cooking the apples softens them and allows excess moisture to evaporate, preventing a soggy crust and ensuring the apples stay tender but intact once baked.

Dutch Apple Crumble Pie Recipe

Print Recipe

★★★★★

4.4 from 62 reviews

Dutch Apple Crumble Pie is a delectable dessert combining a tender homemade pie crust filled with a tender spiced apple filling and topped with a crunchy, buttery sugar crumble. Using a mix of apple varieties and warm spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom, this pie offers a perfect balance of tart and sweet flavors. The pie is baked until the crust turns golden and the crumble topping is lightly browned, then cooled to achieve the ideal texture before serving, often paired with vanilla ice cream or salted caramel sauce.

• Author: Mila
• Prep Time: 45 minutes
• Cook Time: 1 hour 15 minutes
• Total Time: 2 hours
• Yield: 1 9-inch pie (8 servings) 1x
• Category: Dessert
• Method: Baking
• Cuisine: American

Ingredients

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Pie Crust

• 1 homemade single pie crust (1 sheet of pie dough)

Apple Filling

• 1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
• Juice from half a lemon (about 2 tablespoons)
• 5 pounds apples (approximately 11 large, mixture of Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, and Golden Delicious)

Filling Spices and Sugars

• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom (optional)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Crumble Topping

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (use less if using table salt)
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter (melted, about 1 1/2 sticks)

Instructions

1. Choose your apples: Select approximately 5 pounds of apples, mixing varieties like Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, and Golden Delicious for the best flavor.
2. Prepare the filling base: Use a microplane grater to zest 1/4 teaspoon of lemon peel into a large 12-inch high-sided skillet with heat off. Add the juice from half a lemon (about 2 tablespoons) to the skillet to help preserve apple color and brightness.
3. Peel and slice apples: Peel apples with a potato peeler and slice into 1/8 inch pieces. Add sliced apples immediately to the skillet to coat with lemon juice, stirring occasionally to prevent browning.
4. Cook the apple filling: Place skillet over medium heat. Stir in brown sugar, granulated sugar, flour, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cardamom if using. Gently combine without breaking apples. Cover with lid and cook for 20 minutes, stirring every 3 minutes, until apples are fork tender but still hold shape. Add water if needed to prevent sticking.
5. Finish the filling: Remove skillet from heat and stir in vanilla extract. Transfer filling with all juices to a half sheet pan and spread evenly. Cool completely in fridge or freezer for about 30 minutes until chilled.
6. Prepare the pie crust: Roll out the pie dough and fit into a 9-inch pie dish. Fold edges under and crimp. Chill the crust in fridge or freezer for about 30 minutes to ensure flakiness.
7. Preheat the oven: Place a baking sheet or pizza stone on the center rack and preheat oven to 425°F (220°C), heating for 20–30 minutes to get it thoroughly hot.
8. Make the crumble topping: Whisk together flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and salt in a medium bowl. Pour melted butter over dry ingredients and mix gently to form a wet sandy mixture with some clumps. Chill in fridge until ready to assemble.
9. Assemble the pie: Remove chilled apple filling and pie crust from freezer. Transfer filling into the pie crust, scraping in all the sticky juices. Break crumble topping into bite-sized pieces with hands or fork and sprinkle about 1 to 2 cups evenly over the apples, reserving the rest.
10. Bake the pie – first stage: Place the assembled pie on the hot baking sheet and bake at 425°F for 15 minutes until crust edges begin to brown lightly.
11. Create a foil shield: Fold foil square and cut out a center circle, creating a ring to shield pie edges from burning.
12. Bake the pie – second stage: Reduce oven temperature to 350°F (175°C) without removing pie and bake for an additional 10 minutes.
13. Add remaining crumble and continue baking: Remove pie from oven, sprinkle remaining crumble over top, and loosely cover crust edges with foil shield. Return pie to oven at 350°F to bake for 25–35 more minutes until crust edges are golden brown and crumble is light golden.
14. Optional browning: For a darker crust and crumble, remove foil shield and bake another 5–10 minutes as desired.
15. Cool the pie: Transfer pie to a wire rack and cool for about 4 hours to allow filling to set and crumble to stay crisp.
16. Serve and store: Slice and serve with vanilla ice cream or salted caramel sauce if desired. Store covered at room temperature for up to 2 days, then refrigerate. Refer to notes for freezing instructions.

Notes

• The lemon juice and zest brightens the flavor and prevents the apples from browning.
• Cooking apples partially on the stove allows you to control the texture to keep the apple slices tender but firm, preventing soggy pie.
• Chilling both filling and pie crust before baking promotes a flaky crust and helps maintain the apple texture.
• Using a foil shield or pie crust protector prevents the crust edges from overbrowning or burning during the longer bake.
• Allow pie to cool completely before slicing to prevent runny filling and soggy topping.
• Store pie covered at room temperature for 2 days; afterwards refrigerate to maintain freshness.
• To freeze, bake pie completely, cool, then wrap tightly in plastic wrap and foil. Thaw in fridge before serving.
• For best flavor, use a mix of tart and sweet apples to balance flavor and texture.

Keywords: Dutch apple crumble pie, apple pie recipe, crumble topping, homemade pie crust, spiced apple pie