Dutch apple pie (with a French cookie crust)

I've made this recipe half a dozen times and it's never failed me. The crust, apple pie filling, and crumble topping are all pretty foolproof and forgiving. But in case you're still a little worried, I'll go over each step (after the recipe) so you can make the best Dutch apple pie ever!

Jump to:

• Recipe
• Dutch apple pie (with French cookie crust)
• Best types of apples for pie
• The secret to perfect pie filling every time
• The never-soggy French cookie crust
• Why the pie pan material matters
• The crumble topping is really easy
• Browned crust edges determine when it's done
• Holidays, special occasions, & make ahead
• More Dutch apple pie recipes & resources

Recipe

Alternative apple varieties

If you can't find some of these apples, here's a few alternatives to use and still have a top notch Dutch apple pie.

• Pink Lady - sweet and apply flavor with a firm texture when baked
• Honeycrisp - tart and a honey-sweet flavor when baked and hold their shape
• Fuji - probably the sweetest apple you can buy, with an apple flavor that isn't otherwise noteworthy. Excellent texture when baked - perfectly soft while holding its shape

Apples to avoid (for any pie)

While you can sub in most grocery store apples and get close to the perfect flavor, there are some you should avoid:

• Red Delicious - they look beautiful but are flavorless and mealy
• Gala - good raw, but grainy when baked
• Rave - they get an odd overly-fruity Jolly Rancher flavor when baked

Granny Smith should also be avoided and I know that it's a classic recommended apple for Dutch apple pies and regular apple pies. It used to be good.

The problem is with modern storage they can be stored for 10 months or more. When removed from refrigeration, the flesh quickly breaks down and becomes mealy much faster and easier than other varieties.

Fresh Granny Smith apples from the farmers market do hold up when baked. However, because of the structure of their flesh, they soften and break down faster than most other apple varieties. So they can over cook and turn to mush by the time your other apples are done.

That said, if you've used Granny Smith apples in the past and they've worked out for you. Keep on using them! You probably have a good source and a knack for cooking them just right.

Here's a chart from my article, "The best (and worst) apples for pie" for a more complete look:

Apple variety	Flavor rating & Texture (baked)	Comments
Braeburn	4, Firm	Sweet-tart balance
Golden Delicious	5, Soft & holds shape	My favorite pie apple
Golden Supreme	4, Soft & mostly holds shape	Sweet, almost no acid. Best early-season for pies in Aug & Sept.
Northern Spy	5, Firm	Excellent balance of sweet & tart. Hard to find outside of NE & Midwest
Jonagold	4, Soft & holds shape	Sweet-tart balance
Fuji	3, Medium-firm	Good grocery store option: sweet, apple flavor. Excellent med-firm flesh when baked.
Honeycrisp	3, Firm	Good grocery store option: Sweet honey-like flavor, some tartness
Pink Lady	3, Firm	Good, but expensive. Consistent sweet-tart flavor and texture (due to brand quality control)
McIntosh	5, Falls apart	Excellent cider flavor. Apple sauce texture when baked. Great supporting apple for pie.
Cortland	4, Soft & mostly holds shape	A McIntosh alternative with similar flavor that doesn't totally break down
Jonathan	5, Almost holds shape	Excellent flavor & tartness. Holds shape but falls apart under a fork
Granny Smith	2, Firm OR mushy	Adds tartness, no flavor. Commercially stored Granny Smiths turn to grainy mush when baked

The secret to perfect pie filling every time

You've probably eaten enough apple pies to notice that some cook up perfectly and others are watery. Even the most seasoned pie baker still occasionally runs into this problem because apples can vary in juiciness, even within the same variety.

Precooking the pie filling is a foolproof way to make sure you consistently make the best Dutch apple pie every time.

Let's dig into a few details and then go over the process of making the filling.

The difference between apple slices vs chunks

A lot of apple pie recipes use thinly sliced apples because of how they release liquid, pectin, and mix with the cornstarch to thicken the sauce. They settle into tight layers so there are less gaps under the top crust.

However, I prefer cutting my apples into chunks for this Dutch apple pie. It's much less fussy and I like how the chunks hold their shape while still softening.

Precooking the apples on the stovetop avoids any problems with how they release juices and thicken the sauce. All of that is controlled on the stovetop so you know the actual consistency when adding it to the pie.

If you want to use slices, you can. You will probably need to reduce the amount of time they cook on the stovetop.

Why I peel the apples

In most dishes, I try to not peel apples because the skins have a lot of nutrients and flavor. But I think apples are worth peeling, not only for this Dutch apple pie, but any other apple pie.

The skins don't soften much when baked and they can separate from the apple, curling up into a ribbon. This affects the texture, adding a chewy element when I'm going for a deliciously soft pie filling.

That said, if you like the texture and flavor of the apple peels, keep them on! It comes more down to preference as there's little impact on the actual baking process when pre-cooking the apple pie filling.

How to make the Dutch apple pie filling

Making the pie filling on the stovetop sets you up for success. You can control the softness of the apples and thickness of the sauce before adding it to the pie. They don't overcook once baked in the oven, either.

You might have to make some adjustments as you cook the pie filling based on the heat intensity of your cooktop and the juiciness of your apples.

• Scorching apples: The initial amount of water should be enough to prevent the apples from sticking to the pot before they release their natural juices. But if they do stick, add more water (a couple of tablespoons at a time)
• Too thick sauce: If the sauce is thickening and starting to stick to the pot before the apples are soft, also add more water
• Runny sauce: if the apples are fully soft and the sauce isn't thick enough, add more cornstarch (after first mixing it with cold water)

Otherwise, it's a pretty straightforward process. Once the apple filling is ready, spread it out on a baking tray so it can cool to room temperature before adding it to the pie.

If you're interested in a traditional apple pie, Recipe Tin Eats talks about pitfalls and pre-bakes the apples in the oven (rather than the stovetop) for her recipe.

The never-soggy French cookie crust

This is my go-to crust for Dutch apple pies (and any deep dish style pie). The texture is like a soft sugar cookie, or maybe a cross between shortbread and poundcake. It's hard to explain but it's divine.

I prefer this type of crust to a regular flaky pie crust for several reasons:

• It's very sturdy
• It's never soggy
• It's easy (not fussy like flaky pie crusts)

It also has a better flavor and texture, in my opinion. And since it's so sturdy, it can handle more apple filling for a deep dish apple pie, and who doesn't want that?!

Make the dough

The dough follows the basic steps for a drop cookie dough (and has the same texture):

1. Beat butter with sugar until light & fluffy (as shown above)
2. Add in eggs and extracts
3. Mix in dry ingredients

There's no cutting in cold butter, folding layers, or chilling the dough. Just mix it all up!

Pick the right pan

Spreading the dough takes more time than you might imagine (at least it does for me every time I make this). I just spread it out by hand and about 1.75 inches up the side. The dough doesn't rise up the sides, so if you are using a deep dish pie pan instead of a springform, it should still work.

• Regular pie pans: about 1.5" deep
• Deep dish pie pans: 2" deep (or a smidge under)
• Springform pans: about 3" deep

The type of pie pan makes a noticeable difference, whether that's glass, ceramic, or metal. It comes down to how they transfer and hold heat.

The quick story is that you should use metal, specifically aluminized steel.

• Best choice: metal. It heats and cools quickly - easily browning crusts and cooling when removed from the oven
• Glass: heats up slowly and holds heat long after removed from oven
• Not recommended: ceramic and stoneware: takes the longest to heat up and cool down

Not everyone agrees, however. Even the most respected bakers, like Stella Parks (prefers glass) and Rebecca Frey (prefers metal) from Serious Eats disagree. You can see the pie tests they did to show how the pan affects the crust.

Why the pie pan material matters

If you already have your pan picked out, you can skip this section or read on if you're curious how the material affects the baking.

Metal pie pans: even browning and crispy crusts

Metal pans heat the butter in pie crusts fast, making them crispy and generating steam to create lift (for a flaky pie crust, when using a standard pie dough recipe). It also typically bakes crusts more evenly than glass or ceramic.

King Arthur Baking also recommens an aluminized steel pan for baking pies. They like the USA Pan brand and I have to agree that I've been happy with every USA Pan that I own (two giant baking sheets and a 9x13). And of course, the baking subReddit has a thread on the superiority of metal pans (with a lot of other users recommending USA Pan too).

This Dutch apple pie recipe is best in a springform pan - not for how it cooks, but for cutting and serving. It's really changed my pie game.

I own the Nordic Ware springform pan and like it well enough. But if I was to ever replace it, I'd get the USA Pan version.

Glass pie pans: more likely to burn top edges

Glass pans are popular because you can see if the crust is browned. The tradeoff, however, is that it they cook more slowly, often taking 15 more minutes and browning unevenly. Since it needs more time in the oven, you're also more likely to burn the edges (unless you use tin foil).

Ceramic & stoneware: uneven browning and risk of soggy crusts

Ceramic and stoneware pans are admittedly really cute. If you're going to a party it's hard to resist using one for presentation. However, since they transfer heat much, much slower, they can take 20 minutes (or more) longer to bake than in a metal pan.

The crust will brown unevenly with the edges overcooking and the top burning. The crusts also tend to be less crisp and chewier.

The crumble topping is really easy

A Dutch apple pie is defined by having a crumble topping. So let's make sure it's a good one and there's plenty of crumbles.

It's simple really, just mix together melted butter, sugar, flour, cinnamon, and some salt. Crumble it on top of the pie and then throw it in the oven.

Browned crust edges determine when it's done

This Dutch apple pie recipe has never failed me, baking up perfect every time. The top edges brown at the same rate as the sides and bottom when placed in the middle of the oven. That's how you can keep an eye on the crust to know when it is done.

You really shouldn't ever have to cover the crumble topping with foil, as it should bake at a similar rate to the crust. But if it darkens first, add tin foil on top and then periodically check to see if the crust is done baking.

You can slice the pie shortly after removing it from the oven and the filling will ooze a little, or you can wait a few hours (or a day) and the filling will be fully set.

Holidays, special occasions, & make ahead

If you've ever hosted a Thanksgiving dinner, you know how much work goes into it. It's always nice to have a handful of make-ahead recipes if possible.

Make ahead

You have two options for making this Dutch apple pie ahead of time:

• Make the pie the night before and store it on the counter
• Make all of the parts ahead of time (filling, dough for crust, and crumble topping) and store in the fridge. You can even spread the dough out in the pan ahead of time, but don't add the filling until you're ready to bake it.

Servings

The next question for the holidays or any special occasion is how many pies to make. For this one, you should be able to get at least 12 servings since it's really tall, especially for Thanksgiving when guests are still full.

If you have several types of desserts that people are sampling, you can get more than 12 servings out of it - you know, for the people who want 'a sliver of each pie.'

More Dutch apple pie recipes & resources

Looking for more apple pie inspiration? I found a few recipes that look really good:

• Pennslyvania Dutch apple pie with a traditional crust and sliced apples, from Serious Eats
• Apple pie with pre-baked apples in the oven, from Recipe Tin Eats
• Cider bourbon apple pie with oatmeal cookie crumble from How Sweet Eats
• Apple galette with rum-spiced dulce de leche from Bojon Gourmet

I have also worked on perfecting recipes for apple cider donuts (that actually takes like apples), making caramel apples at home, the best way to make apple butter, and homemade apple chips.