Brown Butter Dutch Apple Pie
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Brown butter Dutch apple pie is the best apple pie! With an all-butter crust, spiced apple filling, and brown butter crumble topping, this pie is perfection!
The combination of perfectly spiced apples and golden crumble topping make this a pie lover’s dream. Serve this apple pie with vanilla ice cream and salted caramel sauce, then enjoy every last bite!
How to Make Dutch Apple Pie
All Butter Pie Crust – My go-to crust is an all-butter pastry that comes together in less than 5 minutes in the food processor. You can make the crust up to 2 days in advance, and I always recommend making your crust ahead to give it time to chill for at least 1 hour before rolling out.
Brown Butter – Rich brown butter adds the most incredible flavor to the crumble topping. To brown butter, cook butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly until it foams, turns clear, and then turns a medium brown, about 5 minutes. Pour the brown butter into a shallow bowl and freeze until solidified, about 45 minutes.
Brown Butter Crumble Topping – The crumble topping is a delicious blend of rolled oats, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and brown butter. Mix the crumble dry ingredients in a medium bowl until completely combined. Add solidified brown butter and cut in with a pastry blender until completely incorporated and large crumbs form. Cover tightly and store in the refrigerator until you’re ready to use (the topping can be made a day ahead).
Apple Filling – Firm, sweet-tart apples are perfect for this pie (I used a mix of Fuji and Granny Smith apples). Briefly pre-cooking the apples in butter and a splash of maple syrup helps release some of the juices for a better pie filling. Once the apples are slightly tender and golden, remove from the heat and let cool slightly before tossing with sugar, brown sugar, arrowroot starch (or cornstarch), spices, and salt.
Assemble Pie – Spoon apple filling into the chilled bottom crust and sprinkle evenly with crumble topping.
Bake – Bake the pie on a pre-heated rimmed baking sheet until the topping is golden and fruit juices are bubbling, about 1 hour. Let pie cool for at least 3 hours before serving (the pie filling continues to thicken as it cools).
Serve – Once the pie has completely cooled, slice into wedges and serve with vanilla ice cream and homemade caramel sauce!
Make Ahead Apple Pie
The crust and crumble topping can be made 1-2 days in advance. You can also assemble the entire pie in advance. Freeze the assembled pie for 1 hour (uncovered), then wrap with plastic wrap and a layer of foil, and freeze up to 2 months.
When you’re ready to bake, remove the plastic wrap and foil and transfer the pie directly from the freezer to the oven. Place frozen pie on preheated baking sheet and bake as directed.
Brown Butter Dutch Apple Pie
- Prep Time: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 65 minutes
- Total Time: 3 hours 5 minutes (plus cooling time)
- Yield: One 9-inch pie, 8 servings
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
Brown butter Dutch apple pie is the BEST apple pie! With an all-butter crust, spiced apple filling, and brown butter crumble topping, this pie is perfection!
Ingredients
Crust
- 1 1/4 cups flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 2 to 4 Tbsp ice water
Crumble Topping
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cubed
- 3/4 cup rolled oats
- 1/3 cup flour
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon
- pinch of nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp salt
Filling
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tsp arrowroot starch
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp cloves
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 9 cups apples, peeled and diced (1/4″ thick)
- 2 Tbsp maple syrup
Instructions
- Prepare dough: For the crust, combine flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor. Add cubed butter and process for 10 seconds, just until the mixture resembles coarse meal. With the food processor running, add 2 tablespoons ice water in a steady stream through feed tube. If needed, add additional ice water 1 tablespoon at a time, and process just until dough holds together in large clumps (no more than 30 seconds). Wrap dough in plastic and flatten slightly to form a disc. Chill in the refrigerator at least 1 hour (or up to 2 days, or place in a freezer bag and freeze up to 1 month).
- Prepare crumble topping: Cook butter in a heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly until it foams, turns clear, and then turns a medium brown, about 5 minutes. Pour brown butter into a shallow bowl and freeze until solidified, about 45 minutes.
- Combine oats, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a medium bowl. Cut in solidified brown butter butter with a pastry blender until completely incorporated and large crumbs form. Cover the crumble with plastic wrap and chill until ready to use (topping can be made 1-2 days ahead and refrigerated).
- Roll out dough: Place dough on a floured board and dust dough with flour. Roll out dough (roll dough in one direction, then lift up dough and rotate a quarter turn and roll, then repeat) until dough is a 12 to 13-inch circle. If dough starts to stick, use a bench scraper to lift dough from board. Transfer dough to a 9-inch pie pan; trim overhang to one inch and crimp edges. Chill in the freezer for 30 minutes.
- Place a rimmed baking sheet lined with foil in the oven and preheat to 350°F.
- Prepare filling: Whisk together sugar, brown sugar, arrowroot starch, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and salt in a small bowl. Melt butter in a large skillet; add apples and cook over medium-high heat until slightly tender, about 5 minutes. Add maple syrup and cook for 1 minute more. Transfer apples to a large bowl, leaving any juices behind. Allow the apples to cool for 15 minutes before sprinkling with sugar mixture. Gently toss together until combined.
- Spoon filling into chilled bottom crust and sprinkle evenly with crumble topping.
- Bake: Place pie on preheated baking sheet and bake for 60 to 65 minutes, until golden and filling is bubbling. If pie is fully frozen, baking time may be up to 90-100 minutes. Check pie partway through – if crust is browning too quickly, shield edges or top with foil for remaining baking time.
- Cool pie on a wire rack for at least 3 hours before serving (filling thickens as it cools). Store leftover pie covered in the refrigerator; warm before serving.
Notes
Arrowroot starch is a natural thickener and creates a smooth, shiny sauce. Available online or in the natural foods section. You can also substitute 1/4 cup cornstarch.
Make ahead: The dough and crumble topping can be made 1-2 days in advance and refrigerated until ready to use. You can also assemble the entire pie in advance, and freeze up to 2 months. When you’re ready to bake, transfer the pie directly from the freezer to the oven and bake as directed.
Keywords: Brown Butter, Apple, Apple Pie, Crumble Pie
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The perfect pie to make after apple picking. The apple filling is perfectly spiced, and everyone loved the brown butter topping.
★★★★★
That sounds like the perfect fall afternoon. Thank you Amie! 🙂
We all loved this pie! The crust was perfectly flaky and the brown butter topping complemented the apples nicely.
★★★★★
So happy to hear that, thank you Jill! 🙂