Dutch Apple Pie

Dutch apple pie is a team player, a people pleaser, a delicious twofer of apple pie and apple crisp. With the flaky, buttery bottom crust of traditional apple pie and a craggy, crunchy, cinnamon-tinged streusel topping, it’s the best of both worlds. This Dutch Apple Pie recipe is there for you when you just can’t decide between the two—because really, you just shouldn’t have to.

Good pie demands time and attention to detail, and this one has a few worth pointing out. First, it’s a project recipe with three distinct parts—pie dough, apple pie filling, and crumb top—and you may want to break the work up accordingly. (Each of them can be made in advance.) We use our Actually Perfect Pie Crust recipe here, which delivers a sturdy but flaky crust that stands up to the veritable mountain of filling required. As for that apple filling: Yes, you need to pre-cook it. Does it sound like too much work? Are you thinking of skipping it? It is not, please don’t, and here’s why. Cooking the apples into submission guarantees a tender, evenly cooked filling with nary a crunch. It also drives the liquid from the fruit, helping to avoid a water-logged crust. Lastly, this liquid (assisted by a small amount of flour) turns into a thick sauce that serves as a mortar for the apples, making the whole pie neatly sliceable. You needn’t worry that it’ll turn to mush: The recommended mix of baking apples will hold their shape marvelously. (Tart apples like Granny Smith and Pink Lady only. Golden Delicious, Honeycrisp, and Braeburn just won’t cut it here.) Plus, instead of sliced apples, we cut them into cubes to enhance the structure. And no peels, please! 

We like to use a standard 9” metal pie plate here—not deep dish. And one last note: This recipe has a long cook time with two temperatures: higher at first to puff out the pastry, then lowered to cook it to a crisp. (If an apple pie recipe says anything less than at least 90 minutes, run.) The end result will be a deeply burnished pie, nut brown and toasted, and exactly what you want.

Though we think the best Dutch Apple Pie recipe is one that needs no accompaniment, we wouldn’t scoff at serving this alongside some whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.