When it comes to fall desserts, you can’t go wrong with a caramel Dutch Apple Pie! It’s one of the simplest pies to make and has a delicious apple filling topped with a crunchy crumb topping and of course the best-ever caramel sauce.
Table of Content
Just the name of this pie makes your mouth water: the Dutch apple pie. It has nothing Dutch about it except the name, but it is the easiest pie to make. After all, no one can refuse a delicious caramel sauce on a Thanksgiving or Christmas dessert.
Why make this recipe
- It is easier than making your classic apple pie because you make only the bottom crust. So no hassle of rolling and making the top.
- And most of the ingredients are easy to find or simple pantry staples.
- Of course, I am making everything homemade from the double pie crust dough to a homemade caramel sauce. But you can also go semi-homemade using ready-to-use pastry and store-bought caramel sauce.
- Also, unlike traditional apple pie, in this one, we use a lattice crust which looks pretty and is super simple and easy to make.
- Most of the components in this recipe can be made ahead of time.
- Pie crust - can be made up to 2 days in the oven
- Homemade caramel sauce - up to 4 days ahead
- Crumble top - up to 4 days ahead.
- Apple pie filling - must be made before baking and takes about 10 to 15 minutes to make.
- And the best part is, that you can make this whole pie ahead of time. So, it is the perfect dessert to make for festive occasions or when entertaining. Make it ahead so you can concentrate on the cooking on the day of.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Apples - What are the best apples for apple pie? I like to use tart apples such as Granny Smith apples for this pie because they hold their shape well even after they are cooked soft and tender. In addition, they are tart, not sweet, which works beautifully with the sweetness in the pastry and filling. You can also use pink lady, Cripps Pink apples, Braeburn, honeycrisp, golden delicious, or Gala when they are in season.
- Sugar - You can use all white sugar. And yet, I like the hint of caramel the molasses in the brown sugar adds to the apples.
- Spice - I've used cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground ginger. You can also use a pinch of allspice or ½ teaspoon pumpkin spice.
- Butter - The butter adds a wonderful rich flavor to the apples. So, I highly recommend using it.
- Lemon juice - While granny smith apples are sour, we need a little lemon juice to keep the apples from oxidizing as well as to cut into the sweetness of the pie.
- Caramel - It takes only 5 to 7 minutes to make your own homemade caramel or butterscotch sauce. So, if possible, I highly recommend making your own.
How to make caramel Dutch apple pie
Caramel sauce
- In a heavy-bottom and deep medium saucepan, over medium heat, add the sugar, water, and corn syrup. With the heat on medium, bring the sugar to a boil. Shake the pan slowly guiding the distribution of heat. As the bubbles get smaller the color of the sugar starts to turn amber.
Pro tip - It is important to keep the heat to medium or medium-low to prevent burning. We want caramelized sugar, not burnt sugar. - The sugar should now be a deep amber color. Next, add the butter followed by the cream. Take it off the heat so it does not overflow or overheats in the pan. Add the vanilla extract and salt. Cool for a few minutes in the pan. Then, pour it into a mason jar or storage bowl.
Pro tip - The sauce will thicken as it cools so it is best to make this a few hours if not a day ahead of time.
Crumble topping
- In a bowl, combine brown sugar, salt, and flour. Grate in the chilled butter - combine well. Place in the fridge to keep chilled.
Pro tip - If you do not want to grate the butter, you can also cut the chilled butter into the flour using a pastry blender or fork. Of course, alternatively, you could also use a food processor.
Pie crust
- In a food processor, add the flour, salt, and chilled cubed butter. Pulse for 30 seconds until it resembles coarse bread crumb consistency.
Pro tip - You can also do this in a bowl using a pastry blender or fork, to cut the butter into the flour. It should look like a crumbly flour-butter mixture. - Combine the egg with cold water and add it to the mixture. Pulse or combine for 30 seconds more.
Pro tip - The mixture will still be crumbly but when squished with your fingers it will shape into a dough. So, don't over-mix or pulse too much. - Pour the mixture onto a work surface. Bring all the crumbs together and shape it into a ball. Then, flatten it into a disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 20 to 30 minutes or until firm enough to roll.
Pro tip - If you flatten it into a larger disc it will chill faster and you will have to wait for much less time. - Once firm, roll the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Use your quiche pan as a guide to know how big you need it. Gently fit it into the pie pan. Remove the excess dough and neaten the edges. Chill the quiche crust in the fridge for 15 minutes up to 48 hours.
Pro tip - If the dough cracks too much, it means that it's too cold. Let it at room temperature for 5 to 7 minutes.
Apple pie filling
- Preheat oven at 400°F / 200°C / Gas Mark 6
- Peel, core, and chop apples into thin slices about ⅛ inch or small 1-inch dice. Large chunks will not fit in the pie and make a very chunky apple pie filling.
Pro tip - Use a bowl of water with lemon juice and drop each peeled apple into it. This will prevent them from oxidizing and give you enough working time. - Add all the sliced apples to a large bowl with lemon juice and toss to combine well. Then, add the spices, salt, and sugars followed by the flour and combine well.
Pro tip - The pie filling must be made just before baking to prevent the apples from releasing too many juices while sitting on the counter.
Assemble
- Pour half the apple pie filling in the chilled pie crust. Top with ¼ cup caramel sauce, followed by the remaining apple mixture and more ¼ cup caramel sauce.
Pro tip - The filling will look like a lot but it will cook down so make sure to pile it up high. Save the remaining caramel sauce to serve with the finished pie. - Next, top the apples with the chilled crumble top. It will look like a lot but distribute them evenly. Place the pie on a baking tray and into the oven on the center rack.
Pro tip - Place the pie on a rimmed baking sheet to catch any juices that may overflow. - Bake for 10 minutes at 390 F / 200 C. Then, reduce the heat to 375 F / 190 C for another 40 to 50 minutes or until golden and crisp on top.
Pro tip - The initial high heat will prevent the butter in the crumble from melting, which gives a nice crumbly crumb. - Halfway through baking, if you find the pie is getting too brown, tent it with aluminum foil. I used a pie shield to prevent the crust from getting too brown.
- Cool the tart on a wire rack to cool completely. Serve at room temperature on its own or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and an additional drizzle of caramel sauce. You can also serve it with a dollop of whipped cream, or some pastry cream.
Variations
- Nuts - you can add ½ cup chopped pecans or almonds to the apple pie mixture
- Dried fruits - dried cranberries, raisins, or currants are also a good addition to the apples.
- Coarse salt - add a teaspoon of salt with the caramel to make a salted caramel sauce.
Tips for Success
- Keep the pie crust cold at all times, starting with the ingredients. Chill the pie dough until firm enough to roll.
- Use the right apples for the pie - in this case, we used Granny Smith or similar.
- And the butter must be very chilled when making the crumble. Otherwise, it will blend rather than cut into the flour. Aim for some large and smaller chunks of butter coated with flour. These will make the best crumb top.
- Also, keep the crumble in the fridge at all times otherwise, it will melt during baking.
- And if the apple pie filling is not ready, place the lined pie pan so it does not shrink during baking.
- Make the apple pie filling just before you are going to bake it. The longer the apple pie sits outside the more juices it will release. These will make the bottom pie crust soggy.
- Cut the apples into thin slices or dice so there will be less shrinkage. (they still shrink but big chunks make a flat pie).
- Add spice to your apple pie, but do not over-spice it. Let the apples shine through and not be drowned with the strong flavors of cinnamon or ginger.
- Cook the pie on high for a short time. This will prevent the crust from shrinking. Then lower the heat and cook longer so the apples become tender.
- And let the pie rest so the juices will cool in between the apple slices not flow down to the bottom.
More apple recipes
How long will this caramel dutch apple pie keep?
This pie will keep at room temperature for about 2 days. You can also keep it in the fridge for up to a week if wrapped well.
Do we need to cook the apples for the pie?
No, that's not necessary. In this case, I like that the apples are cooked just until they are soft and tender but still hold their shape. Partially cooking the apples will result in a very soft and mushy filling.
Can I freeze this apple pie with caramel?
Yes, you can freeze this pie for up to a month. And, wrap well in parchment paper and then aluminum foil. Later, when you're ready to eat it, thaw it in the fridge overnight. This helps the condensation remain on the parchment paper and not make the tart soggy.
What apples are best for this caramel dutch apple pie?
You want a moist apple pie with slices of apples, not apple sauce. Of course, that means that you want to use nice juicy apples. Some apples, like MacIntosh apples, become mushy when cooked and turn into apple sauce. Granny Smith apples stay firm even after they have been cooked. And the added advantage of granny smith is that they are sour and work best to cut into the sugar. So use nice firm apples.
Printable Recipe
Caramel Dutch Apple Pie
Print Pin Rate Share by Email Share on FB Save Grow Coooking Temperature: 400°F / 200°C / Gas Mark 6
Difficulty: Easy
Calories: 499kcal
Adjust Servings Here: 9 Pie Crust
Description
When it comes to fall desserts, you can’t go wrong with a caramel Dutch Apple Pie! It’s one of the simplest pies to make and has a delicious apple filling topped with a crunchy crumb topping and of course the best ever caramel sauce.
Video
Conversions Used
1 lb = 453 grams, 1 cup = 240 ml, 1 stick = 113g, 1 tbsp= 15 ml, 1 tsp= 5 ml,
Ingredients
Caramel sauce
- 1 cup (200 g) Sugar
- 3 tablespoon Water
- 2 tablespoon Corn syrup
- 4 tablespoon (56 g) Butter
- ½ cup (120 ml) Heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon Salt ((Up to 1 teaspoon for salted caramel) )
Pie crust
- 1 ½ cup (190 g) All-purpose flour
- 4 oz (113 g) Unsalted butter ((1 stick, ½ cup) chilled, cubed )
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 4 tablespoon (60 ml) Chilled water
Apple pie filling
- 8 large Apples (Peel, core, and chop )
- ½ cup (110 g) Brown sugar (light)
- 4 tablespoon All-purpose flour
- ½ tsp Ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon Ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon Ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp Salt
- 2 tablespoon Lemon juice
Crumble topping
- ½ cup (113 g) Butter
- 1 cup (125 g) All-purpose flour
- ½ cup (110 g) Brown sugar
- ¼ tsp Salt
- ½ tsp Ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon Ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon Ground nutmeg
Instructions
Caramel sauce
- In a heavy-bottom and deep medium saucepan, over medium heat, add the sugar, water, and corn syrup. With the heat on medium, bring the sugar to a boil. Shake the pan slowly guiding the distribution of heat. As the bubbles get smaller the color of the sugar starts to turn amber. Pro tip - It is important to keep the heat to medium or medium-low to prevent burning. We want caramelized sugar, not burnt sugar.
- The sugar should now be a deep amber color. Add the butter followed by the cream. Take it off the heat so it does not over-flow or overheat in the pan. Add the vanilla extract and salt. Cool for a few minutes in the pan. Then, pour into a mason jar or storage bowl.Pro tip - The sauce will thicken as it cools so it is best to make this a few hours if not a day ahead of time.
Crumble topping
- In a bowl, combine brown sugar, salt, and flour. Grate in the chilled butter - combine well. Place in the fridge to keep chilled.Pro tip - If you do not want to grate the butter you can also cut the chilled butter into the flour using a pastry blender or fork. Of course, alternatively, you could also use a food processor.
Pie crust - 9-inch
- In a food processor, add the flour, salt, chilled cubed butter. Pulse for 30 seconds until it resembles coarse bread crumb consistency. Pro tip - You can also do this in a bowl using a pastry blender or fork, to cut the butter into the flour. It should look like a crumbly flour-butter mixture.
- Combine the egg with cold water and add it to the mixture. Pulse or combine for 30 seconds more. Pro tip - The mixture will still be crumbly but when squished with your fingers it will shape into a dough. So, don't over mix or pulse too much.
- Pour the mixture onto a work surface. Bring all the crumbs together and shape it into a ball. Then, flatten into a disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 20 to 30 minutes or until firm enough to roll. Pro tip - If you flatten it into a larger disc it will chill faster and you will have to wait for much less time.
- Once firm, roll the dough onto a lightly floured surface. Use your quiche pan as a guide to know how big you need it. Gently fit it into the pie pan. Remove the excess dough and neaten the edges. Chill the quiche crust in the fridge for 15 minutes up to 48 hours.Pro tip - If the dough cracks too much, it means that it's too cold. Let it at room temperature for 5 to 7 minutes.
Apple pie filling
- Preheat oven at 400°F / 200°C / Gas Mark 6
- Peel, core, and chop apples into thin slices about ⅛ inch or small 1-inch dice. Large chunks will not fit in the pie and make a very chunky apple pie filling.Pro tip - Use a bowl of water with lemon juice and drop each peeled apple into it. This will prevent them from oxidizing and give you enough working time.
- Add all the sliced apples to a large bowl with lemon juice and toss to combine well. Then, add the spices, salt, and sugars followed by the flour and combine well. Pro tip - The pie filling must be made just before baking to prevent the apples from releasing too many juices while sitting on the counter.
Assemble
- Pour half the apple pie filling in the chilled pie crust. Top with ¼ cup caramel sauce, followed by the remaining apple mixture and more ¼ cup caramel sauce. Pro tip - The filling will look like a lot but it will cook down so make sure to pile it up high. Save the remaining caramel sauce to serve with the finished pie.
- Next, top the apples with the chilled crumble top. It will look like a lot but distribute them evenly. Place the pie on a baking tray and into the oven on the center rack.Pro tip - Place the pie on a rimmed baking sheet to catch any juices that may overflow.
- Bake for 10 minutes at 390 F / 200 C. Then, reduce the heat to 375 F / 190 C for another 40 to 50 minutes or until golden and crisp on top.Pro tip - The initial high heat will prevent the butter in the crumble from melting, which gives a nice crumbly crumb.
- Halfway through baking, if you find the pie is getting too brown, tent with an aluminum foil. I used a pie shield to prevent the crust from getting too brown.
- Cool the tart on a wire rack to cool completely. Serve room temperature on its own or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and an additional drizzle of caramel sauce. You can also serve it with a dollop of whipped cream, or some pastry cream.
Recipe Notes & Tips
- Keep the pie crust cold at all times, starting with the ingredients. Chill the pie dough until firm enough to roll.
- Use the right apples for the pie - in this case, we used Granny Smith or similar.
- The butter must be very chilled when making the crumble otherwise it will blend rather than cut into the flour. Aim for some large and smaller chunks of butter coated with flour. These will make the best crumb top.
- Keep the crumble into the fridge at all times otherwise, it will melt during baking.
- If the apple pie filling is not ready, place the lined pie pan so it does not shrink during baking.
- Make the apple pie filling just before you are going to bake it. The longer the apple pie sits outside the more juices it will release. These will make the bottom pie crust soggy.
- Cut the apples into thin slices or dice so there will be less shrinkage. (they still shrink but big chucks make a flat pie).
- Add spice to your apple pie, but do not over-spice it. Let the apples shine through and not be drowned with the strong flavors of cinnamon or ginger.
- Cook the pie on high for a short time. This will prevent the crust from shrinking. Then lower the heat and cook longer so the apples become tender.
- Let the pie rest so the juices will cool in between the apple slices not flow down to the bottom.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 499- kcalCarbohydrates: 76- gProtein: 5- gFat: 21- gSaturated Fat: 13- gCholesterol: 54- mgSodium: 424- mgPotassium: 243- mgFiber: 5- gSugar: 41- gVitamin A: 718- IUVitamin C: 9- mgCalcium: 41- mgIron: 2- mg
The nutrition information and metric conversion are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee its accuracy. If this data is important to you please verify with your trusted nutrition calculator. Thank you
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