Dutch Apple Pie

Hi everyone!  I apologize for posting a day late.  Today ends in "y", which means a sweet treat is in order 😉!  Today, I want to share with you my favorite spin on a quintessentially American dessert:  apple pie!

There are three main parts to a Dutch apple pie and from the bottom up they are the crust, the apple filling, and the streusel topping.  Let's briefly walk through these three aspects of today's pie, which I made for Thanksgiving 🍁🍂!

1.  The Crust

Every good pie must have a good pie crust; you can have the most amazing pie filling in the world but that does not matter if the pie crust has an unpalatable taste or texture.  The trick to a good pie crust?  A mix of vegetable shortening and butter, with just a smidgen of salt.  The shortening imparts flaky texture to the pie crust while butter adds impeccable flavor.  ( I learned that from Sally at Sally's Baking Addiction!)  I am not affiliated with her, but I must say that Sally's baking tips and beautiful photography are really great! Getting back on track, salt brings out the flavors of the pie crust.

2.  The Apple Filling

I think that a question that looms large over the home cook making an apple pie is what kind of apple should be used.  I used Granny Smith apples for this pie; they have a firm texture and a zesty, tart flavor which needs only some sugar and spice for delicious flavor.  Also, the addition of flour ensures a non-liquidy filling (which was my fear when making this pie).

3.  The Streusel

I gotta say, y'all, streusel is amazing!  (I expressed my love for it here.)  But unlike past streusel recipes I've used, the one for this pie is especially amazing because it contains a special ingredient:  lemon zest.  There is something so delicious about the fusion of toasty sugar, warm spice, and bright, fragrant lemon zest in this streusel.  It really makes the pie!

I hope you love this pie as must as I do!  However, if you're into apple desserts but not pies, you might want to make apple crisp (I apologize for the horrendous photography 😬😂).

Also, this pie would be extra tasty with this caramel sauce drizzled on top of each slice 😍!

I'll be linking to the pie crust recipe later in the recipe, but I slightly tweaked this recipe to bring you the apple filling and streusel for today's recipe.

That's all for now.  Don't forget to follow me on Instagram!  I look forward to posting again on Monday 😊!

Dutch Apple Pie

For the pie crust:

• 1 batch homemade pie crust

For the apple filling:

• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. ground allspice
• 6 cups peeled, cored, and thinly sliced Granny Smith Apples

For the streusel topping:

• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 3/4 cup rolled oats
• 1 tsp. lemon zest
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

1.  Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

2.  Fit prepared pie crust into a pie pan (you might have a bit extra.)

3.  Place the apples in a large bowl.

4.  In a separate bowl, combine 1/4 cup flour, white sugar, 1 tsp. cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice, mixing well.

5.  Add the flour mixture to the apples, tossing until the apples are evenly coated.

6.  Place the apple mixture in the pie shell.

7. Lay a sheet of aluminum foil on top of the filling, but do not seal it and bake in the preheated oven for 10 minutes.

8.  While the filling is baking, in a medium bowl, combine 3/4 cup flour, 1 tsp. cinnamon, brown sugar, oats, and lemon peel, mixing thoroughly.

9.  Into the oat mixture, cut in the butter until the mixture is crumbling.

10.  Remove the pie from the oven and sprinkle the streusel on top.

11.  Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees F and bake the pie for 40-45 minutes, until the streusel is browned and apples are tender.  Cover loosely with foil to prevent excess browning.

12.  Enjoy, storing leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.