Grandma's Dutch apple pie recipe

Here is the BEST recipe to bake a real Grandma's Dutch apple pie! You know the one with that checkered pattern on top. With a filling of soft apples, currants, and custard that is completely mixed with caramel-like gingerbread spices. The perfect baking recipe from the oven and with good reason a Dutch tradition to serve at a party!

Apple pies come in many shapes and sizes. But the real Dutch apple pie is in my opinion the one with a dough diamond at the top. With a filling of currants and sweet juicy apples. And covered with apricot jam for a nice shine.

This apple pie is delicious to eat cold, but I can't resist it when it just comes out of the oven. Wonderfully warm, soft and sweet with a delicious apple pie scent. And as a "cook" you have to taste whether he really succeeded, right (;-))?

With whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream

And how do you eat this Dutch apple pie? Now usually I bake it for a birthday. And then I add a dash of whipped cream. But do you know that it is also super delicious to bake it and serve it warm with a scoop of ice cream?

The vanilla ice cream then melts and the combination with the warm apple pie is delicious. A really nice winter dessert.

• Flour, sugar, salt, egg yolks and butter - The ingredients for the dough. Use it as cold as possible, then you will get small butter balls in the dough. These will ensure a nice crispy dough during baking. And because the dough is cold, it sticks less and you can cover the mold more easily.

• Currants - You use currants in the filling of your Dutch apple pie. Well before adding so they don't burn during baking. You can also replace this with raisins, dates or pieces of dried apricots.

• Apples - Use Elstar, Jonagold or Granny Smith for the filling of your apple pie. Or a combination for even more flavor.

• Custard - You add the custard to the filling so that it can absorb the moisture that is released and therefore becomes deliciously creamy.

• Gingerbread spices - for even more flavor to the apple pie. Gingerbread spices is a delicious mix of spices. But you can also replace this with cinnamon.

• Sugar - Sweetens the filling and caramelizes a bit which makes it really delicious.

• Apricot jam - Heat the apricot jam with water so that you can cover the top of the cake. This makes it even better and gives the Dutch apple pie a beautiful shine.

Step 1 - Prepare the dough in the food processor

1. Place the flour, sugar, and cubes of butter in the food processor. Make sure all your ingredients are cold (fridge temperature) for best results.
2. Pulse three times briefly. Small grains (the size of peas) will have formed. If it is still too coarse, pulse again extra.
3. Add the egg yolks to the dough.
4. Pulse twice briefly. Remove the food processor lid and check if the dough sticks together. Then the dough for this Dutch apple pie is ready. Otherwise, pulse again and check again.

Step 2 - Wrap the dough and refrigerate

1. Place two sheets of plastic wrap in front of you. Place ⅔ of the dough on the first sheet and ⅓ on the second sheet. It's still quite crumbly, but that's okay.
2. Go to the first sheet of plastic wrap and pick up one side and fold it over the dough, while applying pressure. Repeat for all sides. You can see that the dough is now sticking together and forming a dough (and with this method you keep your hands clean and the dough does not get too warm).
3. Now wrap the first dough in the plastic wrap and repeat for the second dough.
4. Wrap this dough in plastic foil and put it in the fridge for at least 20 minutes.

Step 3 - Make the apple pie filling

1. Put the currants together with the water in a saucepan and bring the water to a boil. Turn the heat immediately off and let it rest for ten minutes. Drain the raisins and pat them dry with a tea towel.
2. Peel the apples and remove the core. Cut the apples into cubes ½ by ½ inch (one by one centimeter). Put the apple cubes in a bowl.
3. Add the soaked currants, custard, sugar, and gingerbread spices to the bowl.
4. Mix everything well.

Step 4 - Butter and coat the tin. Add the filling.

1. Butter a 10 ½ inch (26 cm) diameter springform pan with butter.
2. Remove the large dough package from the refrigerator and roll it out.
3. Roll until you have a piece about three millimeters thick. Put the dough in the tin. If a crack occurs, just press it closed with your fingers.
4. Fill the dough with the apple filling.

Step 5 Make the diamond shape, bake the cake and brush with apricot glaze

1. Make the diamond shape with the second piece of dough. You can do this in two ways. Take small pieces of dough and roll them out between your hands until you have the desired length (snakes). You put it in a diamond shape on the cake. Or you roll out the dough and cut the dough into strips with a sharp knife. You then place it crosswise over the cake.
2. Bake the Dutch apple pie for 50 minutes at 390 °F (180 °C).
3. Heat the apricot jam with two tablespoons of water in a saucepan until it is hot.
4. When the pie comes out of the oven, cover the pie with the apricot jam. Now you can eat the cake or let it cool down further.

How can you tell if your apple pie is done? 

This Dutch apple pie is ready when the dough is brown on top and the filling is sufficiently cooked. This means that the apple filling must have cooked for at least six to ten minutes (bubbles/steam on the top). Then the apples are cooked enough.

How long do you bake a Dutch apple pie in the oven?

For a convection oven that means baking for 50 minutes at 355 °F (180 C). If you bake with top and bottom heat, you bake for 50 minutes at 390 °F (200°C). 

Did you make this recipe? Tag #byandreajanssen via Instagram. I enjoy seeing what your creation looks like. Video recipes can be found on my YouTube channel. And don't forget to save the recipes on Pinterest so you can easily find them next time!

📖 Recipe