Equipment
* optional
Ingredients
Single Crust Pastry
- 160 g all-purpose flour
- 115 g unsalted butter, cold, cubed
- 12 g sugar
- 3 g salt
- 60 ml ice water
Creamy Apple Filling
- 6 baking apples, peeled, cored, sliced 6mm thick
- 100 g granulated sugar
- 60 ml heavy cream
- 25 g all-purpose flour
- 1 ground cinnamon
- ½ ground nutmeg
- 15 ml lemon juice
Walnut Streusel Topping
- 95 g all-purpose flour
- 100 g brown sugar, packed
- 85 g unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- 85 g walnuts, chopped
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 577 kcal
- Protein
- 6 g
- Carbohydrates
- 74 g
- Fat
- 31 g
- Fiber
- 5 g
- Sugar
- 41 g
- Sodium
- 156 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 15 g
- Trans Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 8 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 6 g
- Cholesterol
- 62 mg
- Potassium
- 265 mg
- Calcium
- 49 mg
- Iron
- 1.0 mg
- Magnesium
- 34 mg
- Phosphorus
- 101 mg
- Zinc
- 0.7 mg
- Vitamin A
- 206 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 7 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.1 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 1.0 mg
- Vitamin K
- 6 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.1 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.1 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.11 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.10 mg
- Niacin
- 0.7 mg
- Folate
- 25 mcg
- Water
- 140 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Combine flour, sugar, and salt in a processor. Pulse in cold butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal with pea-sized bits.
Drizzle in ice water one tablespoon at a time, pulsing until the dough just begins to clump together. Do not overwork.
Form dough into a disk, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 60 minutes to relax the gluten.
Roll out the chilled dough on a floured surface to a 30cm circle. Transfer to the pie dish, trim, and crimp edges. Freeze the shell for 15 minutes.
Preheat oven to 200°C/400°F. Place a baking sheet on the lower rack to catch drips and conduct heat.
Toss peeled apple slices with lemon juice in a large bowl. In a separate small bowl, whisk sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
Add the dry mixture and the heavy cream to the apples. Toss vigorously until the apples are evenly coated in a creamy, spiced batter.
Layer apples tightly into the chilled pie shell, mounding them slightly in the center to account for shrinkage.
For the streusel: Combine flour, brown sugar, and walnuts in a bowl. Pour in melted butter and mix with a fork until large, moist crumbs form.
Sprinkle the streusel generously over the apples, covering them completely.
Bake on the preheated baking sheet at 200°C/400°F for 20 minutes. Then reduce heat to 175°C/350°F and bake for another 40-50 minutes.
Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack for at least 3 hours. This is critical for the filling to set.
Chef's Notes
- Using a mix of Granny Smith (tart, holds shape) and Honeycrisp or Braeburn (sweet, breaks down slightly) creates the best texture and flavor profile.
- The addition of heavy cream to the filling creates a 'custard-like' coating around the apples, mimicking the richness of a scoop of ice cream inside the pie.
- Chilling the pie shell before baking helps prevent shrinkage and keeps the crimped edges sharp.
- Place the pie on a preheated baking sheet to ensure the bottom crust cooks through and becomes crispy rather than soggy.
- Don't skip the rest period. A warm fruit pie will always fall apart; it needs time for the starches to retrograde and set.
Storage
Refrigerator: 4 days — Cover loosely with foil or plastic wrap.
Freezer: 3 months — Freeze baked pie wrapped tightly; thaw in fridge overnight.
Reheating: Warm in a 175°C oven for 10-15 minutes to re-crisp the streusel.
Troubleshooting
Pie filling is runny/soupy when sliced
Cause: The pie was cut while still warm, or apples released too much water without enough thickener
Fix: Refrigerate the pie to help solidify the filling before serving
Prevention: Allow to cool completely (3+ hours) so pectin and starch can gel
Cultural Context
While 'Dutch Apple Pie' typically refers to the crumb-topping style popularized by Pennsylvania Dutch communities in the US, the concept of spicing apples and wrapping them in dough dates back to medieval Europe. This version emphasizes the American tradition of abundance with a towering streusel topping.
